Making waves in the running scene in recent years, 18-year-old Aliesha Smith has secured herself an excellent future in the sport.

Local runners will recognise Aliesha as the 2022 Tour of Tameside winner, beating some talented athletes to claim the top spot.

Having originally planned to run just one day of the Tour, the East Cheshire Harriers athlete exceeded all expectations when she went on to become the fastest woman on the course.

Completing all four days of the ultimate running challenge in just 4 hours and 3 minutes, Aliesha amazed the community with her impeccable determination.

The Tour of Tameside takes runners on a gruelling four-day adventure, covering more than 32 miles over various terrain. As part of the race, runners complete the Hero Half Marathon, which happened to be Aliesha’s first time completing this distance.

Fast forward to March 2023 and the superstar runner decided to take on the Wilmslow Half Marathon.

Achieving a personal best time, Aliesha completed the 13.1-mile distance in 1:30.47, a truly incredible time.

It also made her the first U21 athlete to finish the course, adding more achievements to her CV.

“The Wilmslow Half was fun but mentally challenging, having the marshal’s there really does help to get you through it.

“I loved the course, there was a lot of downhill and straights, it’s a great race to aim for a PB on.

“If I had to describe Wilmslow in one word, it would be amazing, being there was a great experience,” she said.

Climbing the ranks at 18 and asserting herself as an excellent member of the running community, Aliesha has trained for many years to get to this point.

“I started running when I was 9 because I wanted to try something new and be a part of my primary school team.

“But then I ended up falling in love with it and I love the feeling you get when you complete a race,” she explained.

Aliesha says her favourite race is the Tour of Tameside, but she also loves to compete in cross country races.

Recently, she competed in the English Schools Cross Country Championships, where she was selected to run for Greater Manchester.

An amazing run from Aliesha and her team meant they finished in third place, an excellent way to sign off her final English Schools race.

She had an impressive run in this season’s South East Lancashire Cross Country League too, battling through each race to remain one of the ones to watch throughout.

Her efforts saw her awarded with a trophy at the annual presentation night, which this year took place at North Chadderton Social and Bowling Club.

She’s a talented athlete with many of her own goals, but Aliesha’s passion is to encourage the next generation to keep fit.

As a youngster herself, she has seen first hand just how important the benefits of an active lifestyle are.

“I would love to inspire young people to get into exercise. I want everyone to feel like they can do anything if they work for it.

“It’s important to find the fun in exercise, it really is for everyone,” she said.

Working within Active Tameside alongside her college studies, Aliesha has undertaken a lifeguard course and often helps children who need her support.

Speaking after the Tour of Tameside in 2022, Aliesha said her dream is to one day run for England, an honour that she deserves to achieve.

“It’s been my dream since I was 10 years old to run for England and I hope that I can get there one day. If I work hard for it, I can achieve it.”

She has certainly impressed runners across the borough with her incredible achievements and will undoubtedly go on to earn many more top spots.

The talented young athlete has been invited to compete in this year’s Tour of Tameside, hoping to retain her number one position.

Until then, she will continue to work as hard as she can, striving to improve and enjoying her running journey.

The Tour of Tameside returns on Thursday 15 June and gathers the best of the best from across Tameside and beyond.

Places are available to book now!

🏃 Tour of Tameside 2023 🏃

We're proud to be delivering this year's four-day running festival, which takes place from 15 to 18 June. 

Find out more and book your place here. 

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