Middlesex 10k and Hampstead Heath Aquathon
Despite unpromising skies and a suspended overground connection, we had a flood of Heathsiders at the Middlesex 10k, the latest instalment of our club road race champs. We managed to get 52 over the finish line, ably supported by a small but cheerful rabble of non-participating clubmates.
All of which gave rise to the annual glut of medals we get from remembering to tick the 'Middlesex resident' box on the entry form - here's the lowdown on the Heathside goldrush:
Celine is the Middlesex ladies champion for 2016, while Tom was second Middlesex man. Congratulations both!
Kimon and Andy's battle behind Tom pushed our men's team to first overall in the team competition
Our women's team of Celine, Leigh and Sarah scooped the ladies' team prize
There were individual ladies master's prizes for Sarah, Sue, Satu, Jessica and Caroline
We had the entire podium in the M50 category, via Chris, Rob and Gavin
We also cleaned up all the masters' team prizes, with the exception of the M40 category where we could only manage second behind Serpentine. (Naturally, we've asked for a recount and birth certificates)
As well as the chance to bestow gilded glory on the House of Heathside, the flattish course with (optional bicycles and errant toddlers) is a good one for PBs, hence we got more of them than I can reasonably go into here, but all I could find are listed in the results below.
Elsewhere
Avoiding the caprices of London Overground, Greg and Matthew plumped for the Regents Park Summer Series 10k. The race was the last of a series of six, but don't despair: the strangely similar six-race Winter Series kicks off next month.
Marco M travelled to the Harlow 10 on Sunday and was happy to have got a time of 71.52 to finish 60th of 295 in blustery conditions.
Louisa P did the Heathside vest proud at the Kenilworth Half Marathon in Warwickshire, going round in 1:38
This week's parkrun results include first-place finishes for Alex Galloway, Cas Wright and Rebecca Bunting, plus the literally staggering news that Cathy J is still running
Multisport corner
François Barou was at the SwimRun World Championships in Sweden, having qualified after a good performance at the Isles of Scilly earlier in the season.
The course in Sweden is 75 km in total, 10km of open water swimming and 65km of trail running. You compete in pairs, optionally attached to each other, and race from island to island - 26 of them. (If you have a spare 11 hours or so, check out the YouTube video.)
Martin Potter and Jackie Wastell took part in the low-key Fowey River Triathlon to kick-start their holidays.
Says Martin, "This included a 600m swim across the Fowey estuary (which is normally forbidden because of the number of boats on the water), 28km hilly bike to Lostwithiel and a brutal 12km run back to Fowey."
Jackie was 5th lady and 4th vet, while Martin was 3rd overall and 2nd vet.
"Great Cornish pasties at the finish made up for the logistical issues with split transitions!" enthuses Martin, apparently unaware of having lapsed into weird incomprehensible tri-jargon.
Slightly closer to home, Rick Hewett submits the following account of the Hampstead Heath Aquathon (Aquathlon / Duathlon / Pondathon, depending on your source):
"When Marco decided to name our team 'The Intrepid Cruisers' for this year's Hampstead Heath Aquathon I'll admit I was somewhat concerned. By the time we pointed out the possible misinterpretation of intention it was too late: our entry was in and race officialdom were making no changes.
(Editor's note: Rick is clearly of a more prurient bent of mind than Marco.)
"Now in its 18th year this slightly eccentric event is becoming increasingly popular with more than 230 entrants taking the plunge on Sunday. You start in the Lido before running to each of the Heath's three ponds and swimming a marked circuit in each. A lot of lycra and some skimpy swimming trunks are then seen pelting it off down the Heath to the finish line at Parliament Hill running track. According to the organisers it's roughly 5.4k of running and 930m of swimming.
"Heathside's best swimmers Marco and Luka led the charge showing how seriously quick they both are in the water with both finishing in the top 10. Marco finished in an impressive 6th place beaten only by a couple of Speedo clad 18-year-olds who all looked like they trained with Tom Daly.
"Further down the field Dom, Howard and I slogged it out all finishing in decent times to secure third place for our team overall. Most importantly we beat the Highgate Harriers A team by a solid 27 seconds. We also beat a couple of the big tri clubs including Tri London and Hampstead Triathlon Club."
Results
Middlesex 10k, Victoria Park, 4/9/16
5 Tom Aldred 31:57
19 Andy Barnes 34:45
20 Kimon Doulis 34:48 PB
35 Simon Brown 35:59 PB
36 Chris Hartley 36:00
38 Mario Cadete 36:10 PB
43 Jack Farley 36:35 PB
58 Nelson Wandasiewicz 37:30
61 Alan Smith 37:42 PB
62 Jonathan Litchfield 37:43 PB
66 Gareth Marshall 37:49
75 Robert Shulman 38:17
80 Celine Murray 38:32 PB
86 Gavin Evans 38:49
88 Nick Haward 38:53
91 Jake Spencer 38:56
92 Leigh James 38:56
96 Mark Jefford 39:10
100 Anthony Wilkinson 39:33
102 Philip Hogg 39:34
104 Lee Connor 39:40 PB
105 James Connell 39:43
106 Paul Tonkinson 39:46
118 Sarah Swinhoe 40:36
128 Sue Rust 41:23
132 Liam Hazelton 41:32 PB
140 Alice Hosking 41:51
144 Colette Monahan 42:10
145 Mark George 42:15
153 Richard Peachment 42:53 PB
156 Nick Dodd 42:59 PB
163 Satu Hietanen 43:37
164 Eilidh Wagstaff 43:38
171 Maryam Khosravi 44:06 PB
178 Roger Wagland 44:32
181 Tom Bedwell 44:41 PB
194 Jessica Vinluan 45:30
206 Katie Leach 46:46
208 Caroline White 46:52
213 Nilesh Goswami 47:07 PB
215 Elliot Reed 47:08
221 Joanne Irwin 47:39
224 Bas Vlaming 47:53 PB
225 Anthony Chin 47:54
226 Andrew Hudson 48:03
242 Alun Nash 50:14
243 Sue Eedle 50:16
248 Tammela Platt 50:49
251 Rebecca Taylor 51:15 PB
253 Noelle O'Regan 51:42
264 Ann Woulfe 54:22 PB
265 Raymond Watts 54:57
Hampstead Heath Aquathon
The Cruisers who cruised to a podium place
(see above) were:
6 Marco Luna 33:16
9 Luka Melon 34:32
29 Rick Hewett 38:17
35 Howard Gold 38:45
68 Dominic Jackson 41:39
Other Heathsiders also raced including:
25 Sergio Di Noto 38:03
61 Marcus Tillotson 41:08
71 Hannah Jordan 41:59
76 Shaan Haque 42:40
88 Elspeth Storrar 43:36
Regents Park 10k, 4/9/2016
6 Matthew Cockerill 38:03 (2nd V40)201 Greg Bell 50:59
Harlow 10, 4/9/2016
60 Marco Maseratti 71:52
Kenilworth Half Marathon, 4/9/2016
164 Louisa Pointon 1:38:10
Fowey River Triathlon
Martin Potter 3rd (2nd V40)
Swim 12.18, bike 60.50, run 47.22 overall 120.30
Jackie Wastell 26th (5th female, 4th FV40)
Swim16.35, bike 67.01, run 67.54 overall 150.33
Ötillö SwimRun World Championships, (10k swimming, 65k running) Sweden, 5/9/2016
101 François Barou 13:05:48