Philips wins in Bedford's wake
In a richly varied week for 86 intrepid Heathside racers, pride of place goes to Jacob Philips who won the Under-17 3-mile event in the North of Thames Cross-Country championships on Saturday in an impressive time of 17.52.
Here’s coach Zac’s e-mail to Jacob, letting him know of the historical company he is keeping: “Congratulations on your win today. The facts are that the first winner of the North of the Thames Cross Country Championships for Under-17 Men was David Bedford in 1968, and he went on to break the World Track Record for 10,000 metres. The only other athlete to retain the Under-17 Men’s Title was Nigel Flint in 1985/1986. You can check out his end of career PBs at http://www.thepowerof10.info/athletes/profile.aspx?athleteid=519.”
The event also saw James Wooldridge putting in yet another blistering performances, coming second in the Under-20 race in 16:06, while Rebecca Bunting and Cathy Jeremiah, in fourth and fifth place out of 50 finishers in the women’s race. It was good to see Ed Samuel back in action, and in fine form, as our first senior man, in 24th place out of 132 finishers in the five-mile race. Here’s Captain Chris’s report on the day out:
North of the Thames Cross-Country Champs/Liddiard Trophy, Saturday October 25, Fryent Park, Kingsbury
Conditions were perfect for the (very) traditional North of the Thames cross-country champs at Fryent Country Park on Saturday, and the course was as agreeable and pretty as ever, so a good afternoon was had by the modest Heathside contingent that made the journey out to Wembley to take part.
Heathside rescued the Under-17 and Under-20 Men's race from irrelevance by providing 7 of the 10 competitors! In the Under-17 category Jacob Philips led the field of 4, finishing the 3-mile (approx) course in 17.52. James Wooldridge finished second in a field of 6 in the Under-20 category. Congratulations to the other Heathsiders (Myles Calderazzo, Marco Dryburgh, Miron Woldemichael, Thomas Griffiths and Daniel Szajna) for rescuing the race. The Under-17 and Under-20 Women's races were abandoned as there were no entrants, so Heathside effectively kept the junior events from total wipe-out!
In the Senior Women's race, which was roughly 3 miles, Rebecca Bunting led the team of 4 Heathsiders home with an impressive 4th place finish in a field of 50. Rebecca was followed by Cathy Jeremiah (5th), Caroline White (29), and Briony Fane (50th). A special mention for Briony, who is the best advert for cross-country running I can think of. Determined to finish and equally determined to enjoy herself, Briony epitomised the inclusivity and joy of trail running. Wonderful to see you on the course, Briony! Sadly, Heathside didn't win any medals: with Briony entering on the day, we only had three women who had entered in advance, so we fell short of the four-to-score requirement.
In the Senior Men's race, 132 finished the undulating 5-mile course, 12 of whom wore the Heathside vest. Ed Samuel led us home with a 24th place finish, in a time of 27.27. Ed was supported by a rapidly improving Ryan McCrickerd (29.01), an equally improving Rich McCaulay (29.03), and Chris Hartley (29.40). The four-to-score team was 4th. Sorry to say that H*ghgate won. Ahem. Anyway, on a brighter note, there were good runs from Asa Cusack (my tip for the Fantasy Met League at Stevenage), Jonathan Hopkin, Dom Jackson Rob Shulman and everyone else. A most agreeable afternoon's racing, men.
Many, many thanks to those who made the trip for this event. We are proud to be one of the clubs that continues to support this grand old championship race.
Sunday League XC Race #1, Cheshunt Park, October 26
Two performances stand out from the first Sunday League race of the season: Adam Kirk-Smith’s second place (the day after winning the Finsbury Parkrun) and Rachel Newstead’s second place. Gavin Parish’s report:
“Marking the best start to a Sunday League season in at least five years, 23 Heathsiders took part and we were able to field both an A and B team on the ladies’ side, with almost a full B team for the men. Conditions were good underfoot on this rolling 3 lap course, with just one narrow muddy section which most of us had to queue to get through on the first lap.
“There were stand-out performances from Adam Kirk-Smith and Rachel Newstead who debuted with an amazing 2nd place in their gender categories, both having opted to cycle to the race venue, and then home again afterwards. Sorry we couldn’t fit a swim in for you while we were at it.
“So we open the season with the women’s A team in 5th place (10 places higher than last year) and the men’s A team 10th (4 places higher) – and this time with 21 clubs taking part overall compared with 18 last year, which makes it even more of an achievement. Nine clubs fielded a women’s B team, and Heathside currently sit at 6th in the B team category. In the men and women’s combined category, we are 7th out of 21. In the ‘Masters’ category, the women are in 6th and the men in 14th.
“Well done to everyone who took part, particularly those running a Sunday League for the first time, and thanks also to those who provided lifts. Special thanks to Barbara for keeping track of finishing positions and snapping some good racing and team pics too.
“On November 23rd we have a Sunday League fixture closer to home, in Grovelands Park near Southgate, where we have fielded a strong team in recent years. If we can match or exceed last year’s performance, the teams can climb higher still in the League – let’s do this!”
Frankfurt Marathon, Sunday October 26
Jack Ridings made an eye-catching marathon debut in flat and fast Frankfurt, cruising his way through the 42.2 km in 2:49.04, which, incidentally, is only seven minutes shy of Haile Gebrselassie’s marathon debut (although Haile was just 16 and did it without any formal training). The second Heathsider was Alex Weahtherill in 2:57.59. Third was another marathon newby, Chris Burke, who finished in the impressive debut time of 3:05.47.
Dublin Marathon, Sunday October 26
Alan Smith finished his second-ever marathon here in a much-improved time. Here’s his report: “I finished in 3hrs 23mins 46secs (my only previous marathon was 3hrs 49mins - though that was before I joined the club, obviously!), which, considering the howling gale throughout, I was delighted with. The overall winner apparently ended up stopping for a couple of seconds at the top of a dreadfully steep hill after 23 miles because the wind blowing down the hill affected him - a bit of perspective, I guess, but there were a lot of glum faces at the finish line. I think quite a lot of people fell short of their target because of the conditions. I'm off to recover for a week.”
Luton Half Marathon, Sunday October 26
Sam Thompson finished this event in 1:16.45 – a highly promising PB despite his admission that the course was 400m short. Sam’s report: “Today I took my tan lines on tour to run the Luton Half Marathon. After spending the summer working on said beauties (whilst fitting in a little cycle across the length of France), I wasn't sure what to expect from myself. I was also slightly worried that the glorious scenery of Luton's suburbs may distract me but fortunately I was able to keep my concentration, although one spectator's shout of 'Run Badger Run' did raise a smile.
“In the end I thought I went off far too fast but held the pace surprisingly well (perhaps those 100+ mile cycle rides helped?!) and, despite nearly getting mowed down by a mobility scooter on the home straight, bounded home in a near 5 minute PB of 1:16:45. This is only the second time the race was staged so there were some quite glaring organisational mishaps (lack of signage in places, chaotic double lap at the finish) but in all a decent race. And a big thanks to Steve and Asha for the support. Ps. Did I mention the course was 400m short? May be best to keep that one quiet, it still would have been a big PB.”
Worksop Halloween Half Marathon; Leicester Half Marathons, Sunday October 26
Andy Welshman was in his usual fine form in Workshop, coming 22nd in a time of 81:52, making him the fifth V45 at the fine old age of 48.
On the same day Daniel Johns completed the Leicester Half in 1:29.54.
Bupa Great South Run, Sunday October 26
Tim Marshall completed this 10-mile event in PB time. His report: “Nice running conditions 14c and overcast, bit windy as it's on the seafront but I brought my own bin bag and was subsequently the best dressed man to have ever been seen in Portsmouth (I'm a Saints fan). Got near the start and was really pleased with how I ran, 1:04:15 which is a new PB (and 10 mins faster than the last time I did the course in 2006).”
Hyde Park 10k, Saturday October 25; Holt 10k, Sunday October 26
Monika Newton put in a strong showing in Hyde Park, coming third in a time of 42:01.
The following day Henry Andrews put in a solid performance in the Holt 10k, with a time of 41:27, putting him in 25th place.
OMM Mountain Marathon, Northumberland National Park, October 25 and 26
Andy Barthorp was part of a team that completed this gruelling two-day ultra-marathon event. His report: “I completed the OMM mountain marathon at the weekend. Finishing time of 10:06:59 for the 2 day course which got us 42nd out of 94 starting teams in the D Class (which I think is the class for people too old / fat / knackered to run properly). The event was in the Northumberland National Park and was extremely windy and a bit rainy but not too bad. We covered 49km with 3000m of climbing (of which we probably managed to run about 15km and walk / crawl the rest). Top event, great fun.”
Jekyll and Hyde Duathlon, Sunday October 26
Sandra Buckton and Chris Hewertson completed this event that involves a 4.2km run, a 20.8 km cycle and then a 7.6km run. Sandra was second in her age group while Chris was 11th in his, despite doing an extra lap on the bike. Sandra’s report: “This is a low key event with the field almost entirely composed up of club athletes. The run was a nice flat course around Serpentine lake. The bike leg was multiple loops of the South Carriage way with the only challenge being to be able to count to eight - something that Chris failed to do, proving that the body really does divert oxygen away from the brain and to the muscles when you're working hard. Or perhaps he felt that he needed some extra training ahead of the Ballbuster in a couple of weeks.”
Carmarthenshire Duathlon, Sunday October 26
John Driscoll completed this event, which involves a 5km run, a 27km cycle and then a second 5km run, in 1:34.01, giving him 14th place out of 83 finishers. His report: “The nearest thing I'm ever going to get to a local duathlon, starting 20 mins bike ride from my mother-in-laws place. A 5km run / 27km bike / 5km run, all out and back but as it's Wales there's wind and rain in your face all the way. After last week's spasming of the vastus medialis, this week was all about aero positioning and being able to run on leg 3. Judging by the number of overtakers on the bike leg, I failed part 1 but caught about 8 of them up on the final run so ended the day happily rather than hobbling. Family support was there and very welcome even if daugher's IPAD video of my T1 seemed to show a lot of faffing about. (‘Left foot in, left foot out, do the hokey kokey and put the helmet on etc etc.....’)”
Parkruns, Saturday October 25
There were several impressive performances from the 27 Heathsiders who took part in Parkruns on Saturday, including two first places – for Adam Kirk-Smith in Finsbury Park (16:09) and Rebecca Bunding In Oak Hill (19:14). Parkrun results: http://www.parkrun.com/results/consolidatedclub/?clubNum=2017&eventdate=2014-10-25
Results
North of the Thames Cross-Country Champs, Saturday October 25, Fryent Park, Kingsbury
Results:
Under-17 Men (3 miles, 4 finished)
1. Jacob Philips 17.52
2. Myles Calderazzo 17.59
4. Marco Dryburgh 22.23
Under-20 Men (3 miles, 6 finished)
2. James Wooldridge 16.06
4. Miron Woldemichael 17.17
5. Thomas Griffiths 17.38
6. Daniel Szajna 17.43
Senior Women (3 miles, 50 finished)
4. Rebecca Bunting 18.38
5. Cathy Jeremiah 18.51
29. Caroline White 21.30
50. Briony Fane 29.27
Senior Men (5 miles, 132 finished)
24. Ed Samuel 27.27
30. Ryan McCrickerd 29.01
32. Richard McCaulay 29.03
38. Chris Hartley 29.40
39. Asa Cusack 29.51
41. Jonathan Hopkin 30.04
48. Dom Jackson 30.30
57. Rob Shulman 30.52
63. Jonathan Litchfield 31.16
66. Phil Hogg 31.38
77. Andy Owen 32.56
89. Carl Heap 33.47
Sunday League XC Race #1, Cheshunt Park, October 26
Results:
(gender position in brackets: 366 finishers - 243 men, 123 women)
2. Adam Kirk-Smith 27m 15s (2nd)
63. Gareth Marshall 32m 46s (63rd)
72. Jonathan Litchfield 33m 02s (71st)
77. Rachel Newstead 33m 17s (2nd)
114. Gavin Parish 35m 11s (112th)
129. Laurence Arnold 35m 54s (124th)
154. Elliot Reed 36m 57s (147th)
161. Alun Nash 37m 29s (152nd)
164. Elizabeth Beard 37m 35s (10th)
165. Robert Bowler 37m 37s (155th)
188. Ollie Pound 38m 34s (171st)
207. Luka Melon 39m 28s (185th)
219. Jessica Vinluan 39m 56s (29th)
229. Ken Townson 40m 31s (195th)
249. Valeria Rodriguez 42m 04s (47th)
256. Edyta Szot 42m 15s (52nd)
281. Hannah Stanforth 43m 26s (65th)
284. Laura Boothman 43m 43s (67th)
300. Sue Eedle 44m 45s (77th)
304. Kim Butler 45m 28s (81st)
323. Steve Woolf 47m 38s (229th)
341. Louise Cripps 49m 32s (104th)
344. Helen Kehoe 49m 48s (107th)
Frankfurt Marathon, Sunday October 26
277 Jack Ridings 2:49:04
545 Alex Weatherill 2:57:59
869 Chris Burke 3:05:47
Luton Half Marathon, Sunday October 26
1:16.45 – Sam Thompson.
Leicester Half Marathon, Sunday October 26
1:29.54 Daniel Johns
Worksop Halloween Half Marathon, Sunday October 26
22nd Andy Welshman – 81:52 (5th V45)
Bupa Great South Run, Sunday October 26
1:04.15 Tim Marshall (PB)
Hyde Park 10k, Saturday October 25
3rd Monika Newton, 42:01 (PB)
Holt 10k, Sunday October 26
25th Henry Andrews – 41:27
OMM 49km Mountain Marathon, Northumberland National Park, October 25 and 26
42nd (out of 94 teams) Andy Barthorpe -10:06.59
Jekyll and Hyde Duathlon, Sunday October 26 (4.2km run, 20.8 km cycle, 7.6km run)
39th (and second V45 woman): 1:46.59.3 Sandra Buckton – run 1 20:39.6; cycle 43:04.01; run 2 40:43.7
90th (and 11th V45 man): 1:31.52.7 Chris Hewertson – run 1 16.44; cycle 39:02.6; run 2 33:49.3.
Carmarthenshire Duathlon, Sunday October 26 (5km run; 27km cycle; 5km run)
14th – 1:34.01 John Driscoll – run 1 18:44; cycle 53:39; run 2 19:32