Highlights
- Millard 2:30 marathon PB
- Tyler 2:39 marathon PB
Marathons are tough both mentally and physically on the best of days and even more so in strong winds and rain. That didn’t put off the many FRC runners who turned out to put in excellent performances around the county and further afield. The two stand out achievements for the club not just of the weekend but of recent years are Tom Millard’s and Dave Tyler’s in the Lake Dorney Marathon.
Lake Dorney Marathon
Training partners Tom Millard and David Tyler made their way to Buckinghamshire to run the socially distanced and flat Lake Dorney Marathon. Millard worked with his competitors sharing lead in the constant rain and crosswinds of Storm Alex on the open course. He went through the half way mark in around an hour and a quarter. Tyler, a few minutes back, shared the load with Ashford AC runner Nick Collins. When it got the business end of the race at round 23 miles and the groups started to thin out, Millard and Tyler pressed on. “It didn’t make it easier, but at that point it was survival mode”, said Tyler. Tom came home in a phenomenal 2 hours 30 minutes and 1 second finishing 9th overall and one of the fastest times ever recorded in the history of the club. Dave crossed the line in the incredible time of 2:39:17 (a ten minute PB) and 25th. He also secured a place in next year’s national marathon championship by finishing inside the 2:40:00 qualifying time. The months and months of training, dedication and determination paying off for both runners on the day.
Virtual London Marathon
The 40th London Marathon was held on 4th October with club members getting out in the challenging conditions to run their own 26.2 course. The London Marathon organisers provided runners with a tracking app to make it official. The streets of London were replaced with the streets and seafront of Folkestone and the surrounding area. The tens of thousands that line the route were replaced with family and friends providing the grassroots support and encouragement that keeps the sport going. Catriona Watts and Chris Woolgar made their marathon ever more challenging by running off road from Tankerton back to Folkestone.
Results:
Dave Gillett – 3:20:00
Tim Warren – 3:26:26
Ben Mcghee – 3:26:32
Torben Jessen – 3:45:53
Rob Huish – 4:31:58
Ray Johnson – 4:54
Maria Fox Felicetti 4.58
Catriona Watts – 5:17
Chris Woolgar – 5:17
Kate Lancefield – 5:23:03 PB
Helen Francis – 5:51 (first marathon)
Nikki Parmenter – 6:51
Half marathons
Taking part in the hilly Kent Half Marathon in Charing were Neil Trett (1:47:25) and Tony Scott (01:49:41), his quest for medals temporarily sated.