Fairlands Valley Spartans
Hybrid Hatfield 10K
It was seriously cold Saturday night and into Sunday morning and the only way the Hatfield 10K went ahead was with a course change to avoid a section of the Alban Way that had flooded and then frozen. That introduced a 500 metre cross country section on each of the new two laps.
Spartan NICK GILL was 18th out of the 374 finishers with 38 minutes 44 seconds (38:44); new member LORRAINE HILL 202nd with 55:11; CONOR ECCLESTON 229th with 56:43; JIM BROWN 259th with 57:59 and JUDY KING 294th with 62:18.
Nick’s goal for Sunday’s Hatfield 10k was sub-40, so he was very pleased to get round in 38:44. Yes the course had to be changed and cut short due to the wintry conditions, but getting this time when running in trail shoes felt fantastic. Well done to the organisers for getting the race on.
Jim said it felt bitterly cold arriving at the event and it stayed significantly below zero for the whole race. With the course change runners were advised to use trail shoes but after studying the new course map I tried an old pair of marathon trainers. Actually it was fine. The only significant challenge was a frozen puddle right across the track just before getting back on tarmac though wow my lungs weren’t wild about heavy breathing that cold air. I set out with stiff legs complaining about the temperature for the first kilometre and doubting that under an hour was likely but did that so content.
Lorraine enjoyed her first race in a Spartan vest.
Back in the USA
ALISON SHELLEY was back in the USA and ran the San Diego Resolution Run Half Marathon in California on Saturday 11 January.
She had originally booked to run it two years ago but was unable to travel due to a skiing accident injury.
Alison said, “I had to cancel this race and the Chicago Marathon, and rehab for a year. So it was really good to finally get to run it! (And to wear my stripes in the US for the second time in 6 months!). It was a very cold start at 07:15 am but once the sun came up it was beautiful conditions and lovely route around the waters edge. I had a chatty run and was very happy with my time of 2:09:30.”
Doughnut Dash
Only four days before GERRY ROSEN was in the Caribbean and 30° heat, by Sunday morning he was taking part in the Phoenix running doughnut dash and it was -5° (minus five).
Although he wasn’t sure how he was going do after a week of inactivity, it went surprisingly well, half marathon done in 2 hours 31 minutes 30 seconds (2:31:30), and his just reward was two doughnuts afterwards and a giant medal
Parkrun Highlights Saturday 11th January
Minus three degrees but that didn’t stop 476 turning up for Saturday’s Stevenage parkrun. 32 were from Fairlands Valley Spartans.
The birds were sitting on ice in the middle of the lake but the light was fantastic and the company good.
Spartan SIMON JACKSON was second overall in 18 minutes 12 seconds. While the two fastest females from Fairlands this week were GAIL MACKIE in 23:07 and new member ELLA CERAULO in 23:43. Another new member, LORAINE HILL came in with 30:06.
SUSAN MCANENY ran her 25th parkrun in 31:42; SHARON CROWLEY her 80th in 40:09 and MARK BEASLEY his 140th in 27:30.
Altogether 42 Spartans ran parkruns on Saturday. Those away from Stevenage included
GRANT RAMSAY fifth at Wimpole Estate in 19:49; MATT NEWTON 25:20 at Pymmes; MATT TUTTON 26:38 at Panshanger; SUZY HAWKINS 27:33 at Wendover Woods; MAURICE BALLARD 27:45 at Castle Park; NICK GILL 28:30 at Letchworth and MICHAEL O’KEEFE 31:37 at Leavesden Country.
Stevenage Striders Running Club
The striders have been continuing their great form into the second weekend of the year, despite the incredibly cold and frosty conditions.
Stevenage Parkrun
- A staggering 38 Striders took part, showing a strong presence and impressive times. Standout performances include Jamie Cecil clocking in at 00:19:21 and Storm Moore leading the women’s times for the club with 00:22:35.
Conkers parkrun:
- Steven Eastbury represented the Striders with a solid time of 00:23:36.
Linford Wood parkrun:
- Joe Bateman stormed to a close second place overall with an excellent time of 00:19:36.
King’s Lynn parkrun:
- Sarah Skene brought pride to the Striders with a finish of 00:33:51.
Beckton parkrun:
- Alan Watt completed the course in 00:24:15, adding another commendable performance to the club’s tally.
Brentwood parkrun:
- Gary Sherin finished with a strong time of 00:26:55, demonstrating consistency.
Mountlucas parkrun:
- Wayne Kelly showed determination, completing the run in 00:45:30.
Letchworth parkrun:
- An impressive 9 Striders participated, with Russ Andrews, Lennie Cant, and Ken Marshall finishing close together at just over 31 minutes.
Grand Total: 53 Striders Across 8 Parkruns!
It’s fantastic to see so many club members representing Stevenage Striders in various events. Keep up the amazing work, and let’s see if we can beat these numbers next week!
On to some racesYesterday (12th Jan) saw several striders compete in the Hatfield 10k hosted by ATW, who had to amend the route due to the conditions. Jennifer Graham who took part, tells us this a great, flat course and would recommend for next year!
The Hatfield 5 along the Alban Way is already a strider favourite so looks like the Hatfield 10k is also one to add to the calendar!
Here are the results for those who took part:
- Adam Hough 38:22
- Jennifer Graham 1:13:02 – Course Best
- Chris Newton 57:25 – Personal Best
- Richard Longley 42:25 – Personal Best
- Chrissie Thomas 54:20 – Personal Best
- Lennie Cant 49:42 – Personal Best
Adam Hough took part in the Olympic Park 10k on Saturday, finishing in 38:41 for a double header weekend!
Fi Westcough was also at the Olympic Park competing in the 5k distance, finishing in a fantastic time of 24:58 a PB and dipping under that 25-minute barrier! This was Fi’s first race since joining the striders in December and is looking forward to more races with the club!
Congratulations everyone on their achievements this week.
Stevenage Phoenix Running Club
ATW Hatfield 10k
On Sunday 12th January, ten Phoenicians travelled to Hatfield to take part in the brand new 10k race. Flooding on the Alban Way resulted in a last-minute course alteration, with 500m of trails. The cold and icy conditions didn’t stop four runners earning themselves a PB though. First home was Alex Wasley in 40:55, followed by Graham Eden with a PB time of 44:13 and Neal Crawley in 48:11. Also coming in under 50 mins was Andy Chapman in 49:16, commenting that – much like the trail sections – “the water at the water station was a bit crunchy from the ice it had started to turn in to”. Phil Gover was pleased with his time, as he “edges closer to a PB” with a time of 54:57.
Kerry Cunnane and Jon Boe achieved impressive PBs with 56:52 and 58:35 respectively. Martin Wasley crossed the line in 01:01:16, Connie Richardson in 01:04:20 and Charlie Day in a PB time of 01:11:19.
Zig Zag WTF (Where’s the finish?)
On Sunday 12th January, Scott Crawford took on Zig Zag Running’s WTF race, in the half marathon distance. The aim of the event, which is held in Brandon Country Park, in the heart of Thetford Forest, is to run as many 5.3km laps as you can within a 6-hour timeframe. Scott completed 4 scenic laps (half marathon) in 02:32:43.
