The hot and sunny weather provided an extra challenge for club members competing in events across the country this weekend.
On the Kent coast, runners took part in the Saxon Shore Half Marathon, a scenic route between Whitstable and Herne Bay. Leading the club’s performances was Nikki Goodwin, who finished in an excellent 1:43:45. Sarah Nunn crossed the line in 1:57:17, claiming the First Female Veteran 50 award, while Paul Hannay completed the course in 1:58:54.
Travelling north to Cumbria, Anthony Scott tackled the Morland Half Marathon, a challenging trail event through the Eden Valley featuring over 1,170 feet of elevation gain. Recovering from injury, this was Anthony’s longest run since Easter, making his completion of the demanding course in 2:38:10 an especially pleasing achievement.
Back on the coast, the Clacton 10K was another warm-weather test. Helen Webb produced an impressive run to finish in 46:36 and secure the First Female Veteran 45 prize. Matthew Webb finished in 49:00, placing third in the Veteran 55 category.
Meanwhile, Brian Davis spent much of the week in Birmingham enjoying the European Athletics Championships. Making the most of being on location, he joined the large turnout at Perry Hall parkrun, held just across the road from the championship stadium. The event attracted an unusually high attendance, boosted by visiting athletics fans, and participants were treated to appearances from two current GB athletes and one former international competitor.
On Sunday, Brian took part in the Unity 5K in Birmingham city centre, using part of the marathon course raced earlier that day by the European Championship elite athletes. While the elite runners completed eight laps, competitors in the Unity 5K tackled a single circuit featuring 16 turns and very few flat sections. Brian completed the challenging route in 35:04, marking the first time he had pinned on a race number in over four years.
Congratulations to all club members who competed during another busy week of racing.
This weeks parkruns
Parry Hall parkrun
Brian Davis 41:35
Jeskyns Community Woodland parkrun
Andrew Noble 21:19
Fethard Town parkrun
Martin Salmon 23:56
Pegwell Bay
Philip Bridges 26:47, Paul Hannay 31:44
Dover Waterfront parkrun
Dan McCarthy 19:48, Vicky Scott 22:31, Layla D’Monte 25:13, Luke Hicks 26:02, Michaelangel Siracusa 28:17
Weymouth parkrun
Henry Axon 20:34, Amy Axon 30:03, Beth Goodchild 46:04
Cofton Park parkrun
Kate Evans 27:02
Donaupark parkrun
Joseph Carroll 21:03
Jubilee parkrun
Guy Slingsby finished in first place in a time of 17:50 with Hugo Slingsby 31:19 and Julie Slingsby 33:05 also running.
Folkestone parkrun
Ian Merrick 18:44, William Parry 19:08, Simon Ramsay 19:09, Paul Bartlett 19:22, Thierry Bal 19:51, Asim Rai 20:04, Krzysztof Klidzia 20:18, James Barney 20:19, Andrew Fletcher 20:24, Arthur Parry 21:36, Dominic Shepherd 21:58, Miles Gawthorp 21:59, Tristan Bruce 22:00, Phil Haines 23:02, Ian Vousden 23:12, Louisa Eede 23:30, Catherine O’Connor 24:32, Nicole Dodd 25:16, James Springett 25:16, Jacob Henwood 25:45, Adam Ward 25:56, Diane Parsons 26:09, Jane Wren 26:16, Ron Bell 27:06, Lara Parsons 27:07, Alan Randall 27:16, Anh-Van Whitby 27:26, David Botting 27:39, Aldous Hosking 27:54,, Hilary Collins 28:57, John O’Hara 29:06, Deirdre Coombs 29:20, Rebecca Stevenson 29:30, Kevin Whitby 29:35, Simon Burvill 29:41, Christopher Woolgar 29:44, Mark Macfarlane 30:02, Neil Adams 34:49, Victoria Edwards 35:23, Kelly Flannery 35:41, Amie Howard 36:34, Kate Lancefield 40:02, Julie Gibbs 40:03, Helen Merrick 48:20, Rosie Smissen 56:50, Malcolm Gibbs 59:12