Club Handicap, Junior Middlesex Races and New Forest Marathon

This week’s report covers the Club Handicap race, the Juniors efforts in the Middlesex Virtual Races and Sue Eedle’s report from the New Forest Marathon as well as various Track performances. There were New Club records for Mary Kehoe (V55) and Ruby Walls (U15G).

London Heathside Club Handicap Race, Secret Location in N22, 12th September 2020

Having had to cancel the original race in Highgate Woods a big group of Heathsiders met in secret at a new location (clue park with a palace.) on Saturday to take part in the Annual Handicap Race.  Careful organisation ensured Covid-19 protocols were adhered to with the fastest runners starting the race rather than the slowest and all the Competitors were marshalled to ensure they kept their distance and other Park Users were not disturbed.  Luckily the race was blessed with great weather and it was great to see so many Heathsiders enjoying the opportunity of competitive racing.  

Chris Holmes completed the 5k course fastest in 15:30 ahead of George Gurney making his race debut.  The first Vet was Jonny Forsyth for the men and Sarah Swan for the women.  Emily McKane was the first Senior Woman home with Eildh Wagstaff the first debutant.  Sarah Duke with 3 mins 9 seconds was the Handicap winner with Bob Gould at 2 mins 10 seconds the male handicap winner with 2 mins 10 sec.  

The results can be found here

Thanks to all the great organisation by Matt Cockerill supported by all the Marshalls, Timekeepers and Helpers.

Middlesex Virtual Junior Road Race, 6th-13th September 2020

The Club took part in the Middlesex AA Virtual Race which was organised to replace the Road Relays.  The U11 and U13's had to run 1500m while U15, U17 and U20's 3,000m.  Clubs across the County organised and submitted efforts from almost 180 athletes with a relay competition also held between clubs with the three best times in each age group.

The club arranged for our Juniors to run their efforts at Finsbury Park, U11's were running their first 1500m on the track and produced a host of great performances (See the Club Report 9th September).  Freddie Burridge with 6:13 was the 2nd fastest in the race with Rory Wills 4th and Sebastian McNeely 5th and Samuel Tarullo 10th.  The teams combined time of 19:01 earnt them 2nd place in the team competition.  Pheobe Willhoft-King with a time of 6:15 was the first scoring girl with Heathsiders Violet Lyons, Charlotte Beale and Maya Westgate taking the first 4 places.  Maia Leustean and Lucy Ryan were 9th and 10th.  The Club won the team race with a time of 19.16.

The U13 Boys were also 2nd with a combined time of 16:14, Eric Beale who has returned after lockdown in great form was 2nd overall with a time of 5:05, with Benjy Bediako 4th and Tomas Conley 13th and Josh Yarwood 14th.  In the Girls competition Kiara Corkin was 2nd  in a time of 5:29.7 with debutant Lena Westgate 5th and Lettice Grundy 8th with the team finishing 2nd in a time of 18:02.

Tynan Parker was our only contributor to the U15 Boys finishing 6th.  We had a team in the U15 Girls with Ruby Walls 11:26.7 just piped to 2nd place overall by 2s she did however set a new club record.  Amara Odeogberin made the considerable effort to run her 3,000m at Harrow Open and complete a team for the Club producing the 6th fastest time despite being tired after a full day at school.  The team was completed by Clara Leustean who was 8th giving the team a total time of 35:38 only 28s behind winners Thames Valley Harriers.

In the U17 Men Oliver O'Connor produced the 8th fastest time and Rafi Brodkin 14th.  Liam Garrett produced the fastest U20 Mens time in the County with 8:40.90.

Well done everyone for taking part.

Middlesex Virtual Junior Road Race, 6th-13th September 2020

U11 Girls

1st London Heathside (Wilhoft-King 6:16, Lyons 6:29, C Beale 6:32) 19:16

U11 Boys

1st ESM 18:35

2nd London Heathside (Burridge 6:13, Wills 6:22, McNeely 6:26) 19:01

U13 Girls

1st Thames Valley Harriers 17:16

2nd London Heathside (Corkin 5:30, Westgate 5:59, Gundry 6:34) 18:02

U13 Boys

1st ESM 15:41

2nd London Heathside (E Beale 5:06, Bediako 5:19, Conley 5:50) 16:14

U15 Girls

1st Thames Valley Harriers 35:10

2nd London Heathside (Walls 11:27, Odeogberin 12:04, Leustean 12:08) 35:38 

Individual:-

1st Place:- Liam Garrett (U20M)

2nd Place- Freddie Burridge (U11B), Pheobe Willhoft-King (U11G), Eric Beale (U13B), Kiara Corkin (U13G), Ruby Walls (U15G)

3rd Place:- Violet Lyons (U11G)

Full can be found here:- Results

New Forest Marathon, Hampshire, 13th September 2020

Sue Eedle sent the following report “The New Forest Marathon, a long-established community and charity event, was determined to go ahead on September 13th, and convinced that its Covid-19 plan was going to get all the necessary approvals and permissions.  But in mid-August the Forestry Commission announced that despite NFM's heroic Covid-proofing it still couldn't allow the race to take place on the Crown Estate.  Impressively, the organisers produced a Plan B within days:  moving the date by only a week, they shifted the whole event across the Hampshire/Dorset border to St Giles House at Wimborne, ancestral seat of the Earl of Shaftesbury (thank you for having us!) and off we went.

Covid modifications included capping numbers, spreading the event across two days (5k + Marathon on Saturday 19th; 10k and HM on Sunday 20th), and holding it "behind closed doors" — no spectators.  And no baggage drop — runners were instructed to approach the "sanitisation entrance" to the socially distanced Race Village "race ready".  We had a traffic-light staggered one-at-a-time start, queueing up at 2m intervals and getting a green to go when the runner in front crossed the start mat 10m ahead — similar, I think, to the Run Through events at Lee Valley Velopark and our own exemplary Club Handicap.

The marathon course was mainly tree-rooty forest trails and tractor-rutted farm tracks — a route the race brochure called "challenging".  Runners described it on Twitter afterwards as "brutal, hilly and 90% off-road", "unforgiving at times", and a "seriously tough course".  I found these comments consoling, as it was my first-ever marathon and I'd been a bit disappointed that my finishing time was so far outside my over-ambitious estimate!  I look forward to seeing what I can do one day in a flat, or flattish, road race...

But we had beautiful scenery, superb organisation, excellent goodies, unimpeachable Covid security, and perfect weather.  An epic day out.

I came in as 72nd woman, and 4th F60, in a time of 5:02:34.”

P.S. Favourite example of motivational wit posted along the course:  "If you see me collapse, please pause my Garmin!"

https://www.newforestmarathon.co.uk/#top

https://www.newforestmarathon.co.uk/the-race/2019-race-results-2/

Other Results

RunThrough Olympic Park, Stratford 19th September 2020

10km
1st  P Robinson (Springfield Striders) 31:14
49th Stephen Topping (V40) 38:38 3rd V40
61st Simon Nichols (V50) 38:59 2nd V50
5km
1st A Miell-Ingram (Radley) 15:18
14th Julia Bijl 17:41 3rd Female (2s outside club record Katy Webster 17m39s 2013)

Hercules Wimbledon 1,500m, 3,000m and 5,000m Night, Wimbledon 23 September 2020

3000m 

X5 7th Liam Garrett (U20) 8:42.52

Thomas Archer breaking the Club 1500m record at Battersea

X6 7th Jem O'Flaherty (U23) 8:43.61

X6 9th Seyfu Jamaal (U23) 8:48.53

Blackheath and Bromley Open, Bromley, 23 September 2020

400m

SX3 6th Helene Kehoe (V55) 76.39 New V55W Club Record

Harrow AC 800m, 1500m Race Night and Long Jump, Bannister Stadium, Harrow, 24th September 2020

800m

X11 7th Will Ross 2:02.69

1500m

X3 8th Amara Odeogberin (U15G) 5:33.04 PB (by 7 sec)

X12 4th Thomas Archer (U17) 3:55.70

Many thanks to Sue Eedle, Simon Baker for their reports.