Coughing Swan swoops to Beachy Head triumph

Sarah Swan retained her Beachy Head marathon title on Saturday, despite running with a pesky cough – and a vow to treat it as ‘just a training run’. Also on the marathon front Sergio Manzaneque put in an impressive PB of 2:41.42 in Frankfurt.

There were also some excellent results for our under-17 runners, with both the men’s and women’s teams winning the North of the Thames championships in Kingsbury. Genevieve Weston was the first U20 while Jacob Phillips was the second male U20. And among the men Andy Barnes was the first Heathsider home in 20th place out of 144 finishers.

Sarah wins Beachy Head marathon – again.

Sarah Swan was determined to take this year’s Beachy Head marathon as nothing more than a training run – a 26.3 mile off-road, amazing hilly jog in the wild lands of her old student stomping grounds of Eastbourne. This resolve was reinforced by the fact that two days before the race she went down with a nasty, hacking cough, which sounded pretty bad. And seeing she wasn’t going to be racing, she went for a brisk run the day before the big race, as you do.

But then temptation had its way. First, as we arrived, her name was announced over the tannoy system as the holder of the women’s course record holder (3:23). Then after setting off at a relatively leisurely pace, she found herself in third place with the two leading women in her sites, and so, at about five miles, she changed gear and made her move and from then-on led the whole way, easing in at 3:30.20, nearly two minutes ahead of the second woman (who, at 23, was half her age).  Near the end she passed Paul Jarman for the second year in a row – he came in two places behind her in a still-excellent 3:31.25 (about the same as last year), having also vowed to make it a training run. Former Heathsider Isobel Rea was the fourth woman in 3:36.22.

These times might not sound too nifty, so I should say something about the course. It goes up and down monster hills the whole way – all off-road (some grass, lots of loose stones, rocks, gravel and sand, so you have to run in fell shoes), with stiles and gates and scores of stairs to navigate. There are almost no flat bits at all. It’s brutal.

I suppose I should say something about my own ‘race’. Well, I kept my word to do it as a training run, I suppose, but not with the nonchalant ease I’d imagined. After five miles I had no option but to bid Sarah goodbye as she ploughed through the field, after which I realised that my bunion foot was aching and not even the white cliffs and sea views could take my mind off my poor paw. Eventually, at 15 miles I took off my shoe, gave myself a foot massage, ate a Mars bar, and things improved until I hit the wall before the 20m mark and walked and jogged before shuffling to the finish line for a 4-hour-plus PW.

When it was over I whined that this was the first-ever marathon I hadn’t enjoyed and I would never do it again, but now, in retrospect, it feels like a barrel of fun. ‘Ah, yes, retrospect,’ said Sarah. ‘That’s the thing that makes you want to do it again (a bit like child birth).’ I’ll take her word for that one. Next year again then?

Heathside U17s win North of Thames champs

Thirty-two of our runners made the trip to Kingsbury to compete for the Liddiard Trophy,  the North of Thames Cross Country Championships and the North West London YA Cross Country League ficture (rather confusingly, these three events overlapped).

In the North of Thames event our under-17 men and women were both first (four to score). Jem O’Flaherty (2nd in 15.26), Liam Garrett (3rd in 15.43), Luke Gray (7th in 17.52) and Kenneth Boulton (9th in 18.27) secured the men’s victory. The winning U17 women’s team included Lily McKay (3rd in 15.48), Meg Naylor (6th in 17.02), Phoebe Crockford (8th in 17.02) and Phoebe Adugna (9th in 20.14).

Our senior men were third out of nine teams in the 8-to-score event and seventh out of 25 teams on the 4-to-score basis, while our senior women were fifth of nine teams (4-to-score). In the Liddiard event (the same race, but this time including the U20s) our men were fifth out of 11 teams (8-to-score) and our women were 4th out of 13 teams (3-to-score).

Andy Barnes was our first man home in 20th place in 27.06 and he was followed by Sion Lewis, the rapidly-improving Mario Cadete and Jacob Philips (who was also the second U20). Josie Hinton was our first woman in 9th place (19.29) followed by Satu Hietanen and Genevieve Weston, who was also the first U20 in the event.

Just to confuse things further, these events overlapped with the North West London YA Cross Country League Fixture, also in Kingsbury.

Best of our U11s was Hattie Monday, who took fourth place out of 32 finishers in a time of 5.49 over 1500 meters. Rose Garrett was our leading U13 coming in fourth place in 8.30 (37 finishers) and she was followed by the rapidly-improving Nell Swinhoe in 12th place. Our first U15 boy (4000 meters) was J Evans in 14.06.

Sergio smashes PB in Frankfurter

In a rare Heathside outing, Sergio Manzaneque returned to action with an impressive PB of 2:41.42. His fellow 38-year-old Dan McKeown showed he is returning to peak form with a time of 2:49.31, just 1.32 shy of his April 2014 PB.

Henry completes 15th marathon in Dartmoor Vale

Henry Hamilton Gould completed his 15th marathon – and came 15th in a time of 3:29.23 – in Dartmoor Vale in Devon. Here’s his report

‘On the same weekend last year I ran in a field of 50,000 through the bustling streets of New York. This could not have been more different with just 82 other people running in this field around the rolling hills of the south Devon countryside with a scattering of support along the way. This was never going to be a PB for me - I treated it more as a long Sunday run taking in the stunning views and not pushing too hard up the unrelenting hills (a total of 1,464 feet elevation over the two lap course). Needless to say I enjoyed it just as much as any other and the friendly 'parkrun' feel to it made this a truly unique experience. I doubt I'll ever be able to say again that I finished 15th in a marathon.’

Nick Dodd (V60) leads Heathsiders home in Hyde Park

Two of our super vets showed the way in the Brooks Last Friday 5k in Hyde Park on Friday. Nick Dodd (V60) was our first of four home in 21.24, pipping V55 Alun Nash by five seconds. Alun was a single second ahead of our first woman, Sandra Buckton, who was followed by Gaby Johnson.

Parkruns

Forty of our runners took part in 25 Parkruns on Saturday, and with four winners. Pride of place must go to our V55 super vet Caroline White who was the first woman in Ally Pally’s rugged, hilly Parkrun in a time of 23.45. Ryan McCrickerd won in Hampstead Heath in 18.17, Leigh James won in Dungloe in 19.54 and it was lovely to see our Ursula Wilson winning the Orange Parkrun (in Australia) in the Heathside vest in a time of 21.57. Here are the results -

http://www.parkrun.com/results/consolidatedclub/?clubNum=2017&eventdate=2016-10-29

Results

Beach Head marathon, Eastbourne, Saturday October 29 (1,711 finishers)

28th Sarah Swan – 3:30.20 (first woman)

30th Paul Jarman – 3:31.25

47th Isobel Rea – 3:36.22 (fourth woman)

149th Gavin Evans – 4:01.21

Liddiard Trophy, Saturday October 29, Kingsbury (144 finishers)

Senior men

20thAndy Barnes -27.06

23rd Sion Lewis – 27.21

29th Mario Cadete – 28.05

40th Jacob Phillips (2nd U 20) – 28.53

43rd Jonathan Litchfield – 28.59

50th Chris Harley – 29.28

52nd Jake Spencer – 29.51

53rd James Rigby – 29.57

58th Jade Wilmot - 30.25

60th Andy Owen – 30.31

88th John  Boulton (guest) – 32.46

99th Nick Hayward – 33.34

106th Marco Maserati – 33.58

Senior women

9th Josie Hinton – 19.29

12th Satu Hietanen – 19.32

20th Genevieve Weston (1st U 200 – 20.15

24th Jessica Vinluan – 20.56

37th Kim Butler – 23.10

Teams

Men (8 to score – 11 teams)

5th Heathside A

Women (3 to score – 13 teams)

4th Heathside A

North of Thames Cross Country Championships, Kingsbury, Saturday October 29

U17 Men

2nd Jem O’Flaherty – 15.26

3rd Liam Garrett – 15.43

7th Luke Gray – 17.52

9th Kenneth Boulton – 18.27

U17 Women

5

Lily McKay

15:48

8

Meg Naylor

16:07

12

Phoebe Crockford

17:02

15

Phoebe Adugna

20:14

U20 men

2nd Jacob Phillips – 28.53

U20 women

1st Genevieve Weston – 20.15

North of Thames teams

Men (4 to score – 25 teams)

7th Heathside A

12th Heathside B

Men were 3rd out of 9 in 8 to score team event

Women (4 to score – 9 teams)

5th Heathside A

U17 Men

1st Heathside A

U17 Women

1st Heathside A

North West London YA Cross Country League Fixture, Kingsbury, Saturday October 29

Girls under 11 1500 (32 finishers)

4th H Munday 5.49

18th R Beliossie 6.32

22nd E Dark 648

Girls under 13 2200m (37 finishers)

4th Rose Garrett – 8.30

12th Nell Swinhoe – 9.31

30th Z Stachura 10.49

Women under 17 (15 finishers)

5th L McKay 15.48

12th Phoebe Crockford 17.02

Boys under 15 4000 meters (42 finishers)

12th J Evans 14.06

31st S Brown 15.35

32nd L Selwyn 15.45

Men under 17 5000m (13 finishers)

2nd J O’Flaherty 15.26

3rd L Garrett 15.43

9th L Gray 17.52

Frankfurt Marathon, Frankfurt, Sunday October 30

Sergio Manzaneque 2:41:42 (PB)

Dan McKeown 2:49:31

Dartmoor Vale Marathon, Devon, Sunday October 30

15th Henry Hamilton-Gould – 3:29.23.

Brooks Last Friday 5k, Hyde Park, Friday October 28

107th Nick Dodd (V60) – 21.24

113th Alun Nash (V55) – 21.29

114th Sandra Buckton – 21.30

178th Gabrielle Johnson – 23.54.