Club Championships
With only 3 possible races left in the series for our Road Runner Championships the position of the leaders - for the men, Bill Leggate (77 points) and for the Ladies, Pam Wheeler (85 points) look reasonably secure. Tied second place Rob Brown (58) and Ionel Iancu (58) and Liza Darroch (73) are going to have to work hard to catch them. In the Club Runners Champs, which rewards improvement as well as attendance, things are more in doubt. Ionel Iancu (31) leads the men but Bill L and Tom Renton-Rose (both with 23) are not so far behind and Pam W with 30 points is only 2 point behind leader Barbara Thomas (32) leaving the Ladies Club Runners Championships with all to play for. More details in separate post.
Compton Downland Challenge
Fortunes were mixed for the strong team of veterans rising to the Compton Downland Challenge. Rupert Chesmore, with hours of training for his now looming attempt at Offas Dyke, bettered all previous times for this (slightly altered course) by some 19 minutes to finish in 3.25 and 3rd in his MV60 age group. Kate Sackett (3.30.18) and Karen Higuera (3.44.38) ran well but were part of a large group who added over a mile to their run after course markers had been removed by troubled locals so neither got the time or the placing they deserved. Compton old timer, Liza Darroch remembered enough to avoid the “diversion” and finished in 3.46 as first LV70.
Downland Challenge, Compton, Oxon, 20 miles trail
1 Andrew Ind (Newbury AC) 2.21.09 62 Rupert Chesmore (Cirencester AC) 3.25.35 74 Kate Sackett 3.30.18 89 Karen Higuera 3.44.38 95 Liza Darroch 3.46.58 – 1st FV70 141 finished.
Another “elite group” headed for Goodrich to try the Coppett Hill Fell Race where James Thomas’s 40.38 gave him a fine 3rd place 46 seconds behind the winner with Aaron Willis (41.38) 7th and a further 60 seconds behind. Andy Hindson (51.14) was some 10 minutes behind but still finished 38th out of 105.
Coppett Hill Race, Goodrich, Ross-on-Wye, 5.4 mile / 1100’ fell
1 Wyndham Turner (Mynydd Du) 39.52 3 James Thomas (Cirencester AC) 40.38 7 Aaron Willis 41.38 38 Andy Hindson 51.14 105
parkrun 5kms trail
Daniel Winfield (JM15-17) won the day at Aberystwyth knocking 17 seconds from his parkrun PB in the process while Brendon McCarthy took 26 seconds from his on his first visit to Tetbury. Elsewhere Ollie Pritchard was 2nd near Keighley, Ollie Campbell (JM15-17) 3rd at Chippenham and parkrun tourist Ian Barrett was 4th at Newbury. Nearer home, Tom Purnell was 7th at Swindon and Holly Willis 12th and first lady at Cirencester where Nina Lawrence was tail walker. Finally, Helen Manners, a regular volunteer at Cirencester, was persuaded to add a parkrun to her holiday, running with her son at Sizewell.
Cirencester AC finishers: Cirencester: 12 Holly Willis 21.05 (1st lady), 29 Lee Lawrence 23.32, 98 Thomas McNally 28.26, 100 Jocelyn Randall 28.29, 101 Pam Wheeler 28.34, 104 Samantha Timms 28.46, 205 Nina Lawrence 54.55, 205 finished Swindon: 7 Tom Purnell 18.49, 52 Jacob McAdam 21.49, 126 Alan McAdam 24.39, 173 Rachel McAdam 26.04, 231 Barbara Thomas 27.51, 516 finished Tetbury: 30 Brendan McCarthy 24.33, 105 finished Chippenham: 3 Ollie Campbell (J) 18.24, 217 finished Newbury: 4 Ian Barrett 18.20, 565 finished Cliffe Castle, Keighley: 2 Oliver Pritchard 17.30, 132 finished Aberystwyth: 1 Daniel Winfield (J) 18.09, 102 finished Sizewell, Suffolk: 108 Helen Manners 30.46, 186 finished