Fairlands Valley Spartans
Oundle 20
SAMANTHA TOPHILL ran the Oundle 20 mile race on her birthday. Sam finished in 3 hours 14 minutes 8 seconds (3:14:08) and was second in her age group.
Berko is not Flat
After a ceilidh on Saturday evening. JIM BROWN and PENNY SCHENKEL’s long “easy” run turned out to be the Berkhamsted Half Marathon. Not flat! It was a lovely sunny morning but there was still some black ice on the course after the previous night’s low temperatures. There were a record 1400 entries. Jim finished in 2:03:56 and Penny ran her fastest recent half marathon with 2:20:54.
By the Seaside
Spartan ROBERT WRIGHT ran the Great Yarmouth Seafront Half Marathon in 1:37:25.
Burghley Seven
On Sunday morning MATT TUTTON ran the Burghley7 mile Road Race in a chip time of 58:49 which he was very happy with. He said conditions were perfect under the clear blue sky with the finish outside Burghley House.
John Harris Muddy in Letchworth
JOHN HARRIS was second in the muddy first Saturday in the month 5K race in Letchworth. He finished in 22:24.
Serpentine Last Friday of the Month
It might have been frosty leaving Stevenage that morning but it was sunny, mild and with a light breeze in Hyde Park, London for Serpentine’s Last Friday of the Month 5K. JIM BROWN finished in 28:26.
This was the first of Jim’s races in three days.
Parkrun Highlights Saturday 1st March – stripes
Despite all the other attractions there were sixty Spartans at parkruns on Saturday 1st March – stripes day.
39 from Fairlands Valley won at their local parkrun in Stevenage. SIMON JACKSON was second in 17:21 and GRANT RAMSAY seventh in 19:05.
LINDA GEORGE and JUDY KING both ran new parkrun personal bests. Linda in 27:03 and Judy in 29:13.
PETE COOK ran his 30th parkrun in 25:50. HANNAH MANTON ran her 25th in 33:01; and PAUL HOLGATE his 80th in 35:49.
Despite a large turnout of 581 runners ALISON SHELLEY and JIM BROWN worked their way through and helped each other to their fastest parkruns so far this year. Jim coming in with 28:14 and Alison with 28:29.
Stevenage Striders Running Club
The Stevenage Striders had an eventful weekend with members participating in various half marathons across the region. Here are the highlights:
Pheonix Thou Shalt Run Half
- Marc Hagland completed the Phoenix Thou Shalt Run Half Marathon along the scenic Thames, clocking in a time of 2:28:16.
- Pete Monk also participated in the same event, finishing the half marathon in 2:33:57.
Marc said the company was fantastic for his 87th half marathon – not long now until the 10 in 10 challenge!
Great Yarmouth Half Marathon
Neil McKinnon had a brilliant run at the Great Yarmouth Half Marathon, achieving a personal best time of 01:50:31. Neil described the course as “nice and flat,” taking runners up and down the picturesque Great Yarmouth seafront with glorious weather as well!
Stevenage Phoenix Running Club
ATW Great Yarmouth 5k
On Sunday 2nd March, Melissa Tanti headed to Great Yarmouth for a fun-filled 5k with the family. Melissa crossed the line in 27:11 and although it wasn’t the time she was hoping for she still enjoyed the event. “The course was practically pancake flat, starting and ending on an Athletics track, and with the sun shining and the sea views, it almost felt like a mini holiday”. With only 80 5k entrants, Melissa was the fourth female finisher and first in her age category.
Rome-Ostia Half Marathon
When in Rome… you run a half marathon of course. Well, at least that was the case for Katie Mitham and Martin Harris. On Sunday 2nd March they took part in the 50th anniversary of Rome-Ostia Half Marathon. Roma-Ostia is the fastest Italian half marathon in history, with no fewer than 6 runners finishing in under an hour. The long straight road to the seafront paid off for the Phoenix duo, who both scored PBs on the course in 01:48:05, and Katie broke the FS club record (again!). A slight mix up with ordering the medals meant that they didn’t arrive in time for the event and runners were greeted at the finish line with a photo copy (real medals will be posted in the future).
LDWA Chiltern Kanter
The Chiltern Kanter is a map reading event, where runners are given a set of grid references with a question to answer at a set point. They must then complete all the questions to be awarded a certificate. On Sunday 2ndMarch Head Coach Emma Mead, Deputy Head Coach Lisa Liversidge and Jodie Kantas set off on the 27-mile adventure.
“Jodie kindly took on the role of arranging our route and plotting all the grid references, with support from fellow runner, Wayne. She did a great job and other than a few wrong turns the route was well navigated and we managed to find all the questions. It was a glorious day with beautiful sunshine throughout, and the company was lovely.” The team finished the run in 6hrs 58mins, which they were delighted with for their first map reading event.
