Not in Nottingham - race results other than the National XC
First up in this week's report (and why not) is a splendid double victory for Team Heathside at the RunThrough VeloPark events, where competitors' endurance, patience and even sanity are put to the test by running laps of the one-mile circuit.
Joe Garrood, possibly still giddy from 13 clockwise miles, reports: "I ran in the RunThrough VeloPark Half Marathon on Saturday, and was really pleased to come away with a new PB: 1:19:59. Given it was a very small field (only 194 runners) ended up coming in first which was a nice surprise."
Gareth Marshall was running the 10-miler at the same event and also managed to win his race: "Pretty similar to the venue for the road relays last year, great for running and enjoyed the laps as otherwise I'd have been running more or less by myself after ending up a fair bit clear of the pack, though I was cursing having to deal with the morning's wind 10 times."
There was also a splendid and speedy win for Andrew Brooker in the Last Friday of the Month 5k
Elsewhere
Rick Hewett says, "I did the very glamorous Thorpe Park half on Sunday and managed a sub 90 by the skin of my teeth and got fourth in my (old) age group. The race was well organised, fairly flat and a lot of decent club runners took part. The winner did a 1.05."
Emilia V, fresh from the Ally Pally XC ran in a 13km (8.25M) trail race in the South Downs on Saturday. "This was part of the Maverick Inov-8 Original series of races, set in scenic parts of the country, with short, medium and long options (7km, 13km and 23km). Saturday’s course included some of the best and worst bits of this season’s cross country races - long hills, rough ground, mud, in addition to a few stiles, steps and remnants of Storm Doris.
"The amazing views over the South Downs more than made up for this. Finishers also got a bottle of Maverick Ale at the end."
Simon Hazel ran the long course in the same event and is less effusive about the views, but concedes "the medal and beer at the end were worth it."
Not to be outdone (not by a long chalk) Lenny Martin ran the 35-plus mile Coastal Trail Series Ultra in Northumbria, pitching up in 5:35.
Phil happy to be a Hogg in muck
Phil Hogg submits the following swill, which I, in turn, submit to you, the reader, to judge it as you may. It made me laugh anyway.
"The "Terminator" race is organised by Pewsey Vale Running club and so isn’t at all commercial. Whoever thought up this route for a running race deserves to be either congratulated or punished, or possibly both. 12.5 miles off road and up and down several steep hills in the Wiltshire countryside.
All was going well until 2 miles in, when my right shoe came clean off in a muddy section. Had to stop to untie the lace and put it back on, then feeling a bit disorientated headed straight into the middle of the bog.Coach Jerry always said 'the fastest route through the mud is the shortest' (wise advice - always served me well). I attempted to apply it here to catch up the runners who had streamed past me. Unfortunately the deepest mud was on the shortest route.
As I wallowed waist deep, trying to get my left leg out without losing my left shoe, I contemplated offering up the shoe to the mud and carrying on without it, or lying face down on the mud and putting my hand back down the muddy hole where my leg had been to retrieve my shoe. But then I realised my arm might not be long enough. As I tried to do the maths as to whether my leg or arm was longer and also factoring in that the muddy hole might have narrowed or collapsed by the time I got my leg out, burying my shoe forever.
Luckily though someone shouted at me to crawl out and I found that crawling face first was more effective. The crowd who had assembled to see people get stuck seemed to enjoy my misfortune (happy to entertain) and I was told 'don't worry I’ve got it all on camera'.
If the photos appear, I will send them on. I made up about 30 places finishing 24th. The four or five minutes wallowing like a pig in the proverbial didn’t help with the final scores on the doors, but it made for a memorable race."
Results
Maverick Inov-8 Original Sussex, 25th February, 2017
13k
TBC (8th F) Emilia V 1:17:37
23k
TBC (80th M) Simon Hazel 2:10:22
Thorpe Park Half Marathon
168 Rick Hewett 1:29:57
Northumberland Coastal Trail Seruies Ultra (35.3 miles)
17 Leonard Martin 05:35:00
Lee Valley Series
10k
24 JOHN ROBERTS 00:45:52
10 mile
1 GARETH MARSHALL 01:02:51
Half Marathon
1 JOE GARROOD 01:19:59
Brooks Serpentine Last Friday of the Month 5k
1 Andrew Brooker 15:40 SM
37 Mark Jefford 18:21 V50
180 Gabrielle Johnson 22:57 FV45
185 Alun Nash 23:01