Half century of Heathsiders take on soggy Cabbage Patch
Undeterred by weather that you wouldn't send a duck out in, a cheerful crowd of more than 50 Heathsiders descended on Twickenham on Sunday to contest the Cabbage Patch 10, the latest round of the club's Rob Jackson road race championships.
Quite a few of the huddled mass soaking up the rain on the start line had been in Met League action the day before, but were still clearly full of running. Tom Aldred was clearly in a particular hurry to get off the course and into a dry pair of socks, as he scorched to seventh place and broke his own club 10-mile record in the process, going under 52 minutes. Andy Barnes and Simon Dunderdale had both also been among the first Heathsiders at Claybury and showed no ill-effects as they cruised to sub-60 minute finishes.
For the ladies, an irrepressible Rebecca Bunting, 'fresh' from a barnstorming Met League run the day before, belted out a 10-mile PB, finishing in just under 62 minutes. Rebecca was seventh lady overall, with Leigh just over a minute back in eighth. Celine (another Met League survivor) battled to the end of a tough weekend of running to consolidate her lead in the Rob Jackson table. The 5-mile world record for women is somewhere around 24:30 and, unless one of our club members breaks it at Perivale in December, I think it's safe to say Celine has this year's trophy sewn up.
On PB patrol, I've indicated where the online results declared a personal best (and my, weren't there a lot of them). Almost all those who weren't PBs were still season's bests what with the 10 miles being a strangely unfashionable distance.
Elsewhere
Paul Mercer (yet another Met League glutton for punishment) hot-footed it to Euston after the XC to run in the Great Birmingham Run (Half Marathon) on Sunday. "Having paid no attention to pre-race literature, I blissfully unaware of the apparently notorious 3-mile incline which closed out the gig and was therefore more than happy with 85:47 and 166th spot," says Paul. "Next year this event becomes a full marathon for the first time (without the hill!) and on the strength of this year's event, well worth a sniff!"
It was clearly a weekend for Great Running (as in, the franchise) as Henry Hamilton was at the Great West Run, which takes place in Exeter and the surrounding 'scenic' (ie hilly) countryside. Henry lauds the support on course; "I also had the pleasure of running alongside former Olympic rower James Cracknell for a couple of miles too."
Monika Newton blazed to a sub-3:15 finish at the Amsterdam Marathon, earning herself a championship entry spot in the London Marathon, if her shoes are still in one piece.
We also had Tony and Pete duking it out for OS and Defra in the Civil Service XC Champs on Parli Hill. If anyone else wants a slice of some XC action on the Heath, the deadline for London Champs entries is approaching - get your entry in!
This week's parkruns include first place finishes for David Kirk (Ally Pally) and Elizabeth Drake (Aberytstwyth)
Results
Cabbage Patch 10, 16 October
7 Tom Aldred 00:51:52 (PB & club record)
28 Andy Barnes 00:57:53 (PB)
35 Simon Dunderdale 00:58:41 (PB)
68 Rebecca Bunting 01:01:52 (PB)
70 Steve Armstrong 01:02:08
78 Daniel McKeown 01:02:38
80 Gavin Evans 01:02:40
90 Leigh James 01:03:19 (PB)
92 Jonathan Litchfield 01:03:29 (PB)
97 Nick Haward 01:03:43 (PB)
115 Jake Spencer 01:04:57 (PB)
138 Doug Rendle 01:06:00 (PB)
150 Celine Murray 01:06:48 (PB)
153 Julian Ferraro 01:06:53
154 Maryam Khosravi 01:06:54
155 Trevor Wilson 01:06:54
164 Marcus Tillotson 01:07:28
173 Michael Cockings 01:07:41 (PB)
188 Mark Bailey 01:08:28 (PB)
202 Mark George 01:09:16
231 Alice Hosking 01:10:05 (PB)
242 Elinor East 01:10:42
245 Leo Pemberton 01:10:49
260 Marco Maserati 01:11:24 (PB)
275 Richard Peachment 01:11:57 (PB)
276 Nick Dodd 01:12:05 (PB)
298 Nick De Sausmarez 01:12:59
301 Roger Wagland 01:13:12
320 William Wagstaff 01:14:04 (PB)
326 Raymond Yau 01:14:18
399 Emilia Vynnycky 01:16:33
417 Daniel Wrapson 01:17:13
437 Nilesh Goswami 01:18:03 (PB)
495 Steven Betts 01:19:33
515 Caroline White 01:20:09
534 Jessica Vinluan 01:20:26
535 Chloe Alder 01:20:27 (PB)
543 Yvette Ralston 01:20:36
545 Estibaliz Guijarro Puente 01:20:37 (PB)
595 Martin Hill 01:22:01
598 Ken Townson 01:22:05 (PB)
634 Edyta Szot 01:23:07 (PB)
749 Shelly Fennell 01:26:55 (PB)
826 Sue Eedle 01:29:24
906 Laura Boothman 01:31:45
923 Lyn Evans 01:32:22 (PB)
938 Ann Woulfe 01:32:52 (PB)
992 Emma Gregory 01:34:57 (PB)
1009 Stephen Woolf 01:35:22
1090 Jill Gundry 01:38:23 (PB)
1091 Louise Cripps 01:38:23
Great Birmingham Run
166 Paul Mercer 85:47
Great West Run, Exeter
83 Henry Hamilton 1:29:09
Great Dutch Ru Amsterdam Marathon
1120 Monika Newton 3:14:38
Civil Service XC Champs, 12 October, Parliament Hill
40 Tony Killilea 41:38
49 Pete Crockford 42:50