FRAC runners enjoyed another busy weekend of competition, with members taking part in events across the South East and beyond, collecting personal bests, age-category victories and impressive endurance achievements.
Rye Summer Series
Friday evening saw the third race in the popular Rye Summer Series take place in warm and breezy conditions.
In the 5km race, Nicole Dodd was first FV45 home in 23:09, followed by Diane Parsons (26:12) and Tony Scott (27:03).
The race formed part of a memorable birthday week for Dodd, who celebrated by competing in two events. Reflecting on the Rye race, she said:
“Rye is a beautiful setting for an evening 5K. The heat and wind made for tough conditions, but I really enjoyed the race and I’m already planning to return in August for race four of the Summer Series.”
Dodd also enjoyed success at the New Romney 10K later in the weekend, setting a new personal best and securing victory in her age category.
In the Rye Summer Series 10km race, Nikki Goodwin was first female home in 44:41. She was followed by Phil Haines (47:48), Martin Salmon (51:40), Royd Powell (54:41) and Clive Allon (1:00:29).
New Romney 10K
On Sunday, 20 club members travelled to New Romney to compete in another hot and sunny 10km race.
There were three age-category victories for the club, with Nick Bryant finishing as first MV40 in 39:50, Nicole Dodd taking first FV45 in 45:27, and Hilary Collins claiming first FV65 in 58:51.
Other club finishers were:
- Philip Haines – 39:58
- Paul Hannay – 49:40
- David Smyth – 50:55
- Simon Coffey – 52:28
- Dominic Shepherd – 52:59
- Pam Allon – 53:21
- Ron Bell – 53:54
- Diane Parsons – 54:07
- Deborah Parmenter – 54:27
- John O’Hara – 54:40
- Julie Apps – 55:42
- Alan Randall – 56:36
- Tony Scott – 57:58
- Maria Felicetti – 1:04:27
- Caron Inder – 1:05:25
- Julie Gibbs – 1:09:23
- Malcolm Gibbs – 1:14:21
Brands Hatch 10K
The previous Friday evening, runners took on the famous Brands Hatch motor racing circuit for the annual Brands Hatch 10K.
Phil Haines returned to the event looking to improve on last year’s performance and achieved exactly that, crossing the finish line in 47:41 to record a faster time than twelve months ago.
Mic Morris Torfaen 10K
Further afield, Matthew Morris and Helen Webb travelled to Wales to compete in the Mic Morris Torfaen 10K.
Morris finished in 44:59, while Webb completed the course in 45:16. Morris’s performance earned him a new personal best, although he was quick to point out the race’s predominantly downhill profile.
Saucony London 10K
On Sunday, the streets of central London were closed to traffic for the Saucony London 10K.
Don Gilliland was among more than 13,000 runners who took part in the iconic event, producing an excellent run to record an eight-second personal best of 45:17.
Lakeland Trails 100K
The weekend’s standout endurance performance came from Sylwia Tokarska at the Lakeland Trails 100K in the Lake District.
Starting at midnight, runners faced 100 kilometres of challenging terrain, including approximately 3,500 metres of ascent. Steep climbs, technical descents and temperatures exceeding 30°C combined to make it one of the toughest events on the racing calendar.
Undeterred by the conditions, Tokarska completed her first 100K ultra-marathon in 22:55:09, finishing 102nd overall and 27th female. Around 30 per cent of entrants failed to complete the full distance, either retiring or switching to a shorter route.
Afterwards, Tokarska said:
“The beauty of the Lake District is matched only by how hard it makes you work for it. One of the highlights came just after reaching the highest point of the course. As dawn broke, the sun rose over Haweswater Reservoir – one of those unforgettable moments that makes every difficult climb worthwhile.
“It was my first 100K, the toughest race I’ve done so far, and one I’ll never forget.”
This weeks parkruns:
Riddlesdown parkrun
Krzystof Klidzia 20:47
Sittingbourne parkrun
Andrew Noble 22:38, Lesley Taylor 24:46
Ifield Mill Pond parkrun
Gail Turbutt 27:42
Pegwell Bay parkrun
Paul Hannay 23:15, Martin Salmon 25:30, Philip Bridges 26:11
Birkenhead parkrun
Jake Harvey 44:03
Ashford parkrun
Kelly Flannery 35:23
Queenswood Country Park parkrun
Kate Evans 27:53
New Ross parkrun
Joseph Carroll 20:49
Sandringham parkrun
Sarah Silver 32:52
Dover Waterfront parkrun
Meg Morrison 32:41
Folkestone parkrun
Ian Merrick was the first runner back in 18:34 with Thierry Bal coming in second place in 19:30 and Elliot Chapman-Jones in third place in 19:39. Bec Powney was the second female back in 22:04 with Kirsty Wilson the third female in 22:50. Also running were:
Thomas Aspinall 20:30, David Hitching 20:39, Thomas Murray 20:48, Darren Crew 20:53, Darren Philip 20:56, Don Gilliland 21:30, Jacob Henwood 21:33, Phil Haines 21:41, Karl Letchford 21:46, Phil Hoyland 21:58, Finlay Taylor 22:07, Stephen Deeming 22:16, Jason O’callaghan 22:23, Andrew Gardiner 23:25, Louisa Eede 23:49, Ian Vousden 23:53, Andrew Hadlow 23:56, Asim Rai 23:57, Stuart Erskine 24:04, Jason Brett 24:09, Paul Bartlett 24:10, Tristan Bruce 24:10, James Springett 24:11, Adam Ward 24:16, Simon Coffey 24:49, Amy Axon 24:51, Henry Axon 24:52, Casey Jeffries 25:20, Clive Allon 26:07, Layla Dmonte 26:09, Ron Bell 26:29, John O’Hara 26:37, Miles Gawthorp 26:39, David Botting 27:11, Jane Wren 27:42, Alan Randall 27:44, Lara Parsons 27:48, Diane Parsons 27:48, Paul Taylor 28:42, Jody Stoakes 29:00, Simon Burvill 29:07, Philip Maull 29:15, Aldous Hosking 29:18, Anh-Van Whitby 29:25, Kevin Whitby 29:26, Jason Herridge 29:30, Deirdre Coombs 29:38, Maria Felicetti 29:39, Christopher Woolgar 29:58, Rachel Thompson 31:28, Paul Hazelgrove 32:01, Anna Hegarty 32:15, Carolyn Lewis 33:58, Julie Slingsby 34:47, Guy Slingsby 34:47, Roisin Bunt 35:30, Hilary Collins 36:14, Kate Lancefield 36:14, Trudi Curd 36:15, Rosie Smissen 36:16, Lauren Hart 36:32, Catherine O’Connor 40:40, Beth Goodchild 45:19, Helen Merrick 51:36, Julie Gibbs 55:55, Malcolm Gibbs 56:17.