August 4th 2019
While no less than 27 members chased around the Cirencester parkrun as part of the Club championships, other were to be found working a little harder.
Ruth Fulford was invited to join an English team competing against the Welsh in the Barry Island 10k. The route was scenic but undulating making her (just) sub 60 minute time rewardng.
Barry Island 10km, Wales, 10km road
1 Josh Griffiths (Swansea Harriers) 30.22
1176 Ruth Fulford (Cirencester AC) 59.34 2839 finished.
Lara Tompson ran the North Downs Way which involves some 103 miles from Farnham in Surrey to Ashford in Kent including wooded paths, many flights of steps and hard flinty tracks not to mentions crossing the Medway beside a 6 lane motorway. She was disappointed with her time but rightly proud of the determination it took to keep going through the night despite painful blisters on the soles of her feet.
North Downs Way 100, Farnham to Ashford, 100 miles trail
1 Mark Darbyshire (unattached) 15.18.41
133 Lara Tompson (Cirencester AC) 28.17.16 188 finished.
Andy Hindson, never one to dodge a challenge, had a go at the Borrowdale Fell Race where he soon discovered why, with over 2000m of climbing over Lakeland fells, this race is famously so tough. He just managed to scrape in before the draconian cut off time but another 45 starters did not.
Borrowdale Fell Race, nr Keswick, 27km / 2000m fell
1 Ricky Lightfoot (Ellenborough AC) 3.03.57
228 Andy Hindson (Cirencester AC) 5.49.42
237 finished.
Nearer home Kate Sackett took on the Cotswold Classic Triathlon using this ½ Ironman as one more step in her preparation for her second crack at an Ironman in September. Her time of 5 hours 49 bringing her in first FV60 bodes well and suggests her swimming and bike training are paying off while the 1.54 half marathon tells of the hip injury she so cruelly sustained at the Frampton race some weeks ago.
Cotswold Classic ½ Ironman Triathlon, 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run
1 Gareth Hodson (Team Tri Force) (26.34; 2.12.14; 1.19.59) 4.02.16
489 Kate Sackett (Cirencester AC) (42.46; 3.05.58; 1.54.43) 5.49.01 1st FV60
858 finished.
Earlier in the week Chris Miller achieved a win in his highly competitive V40 age group when finishing the Westonbirt House 10km 4th overall in a great time of 37.20. Joyce Matthews followed in 47.51. Gordon Jones completed the Gloucester 5km in 22.37 to be followed in by returning to form Sarah Whitehouse, indefatigable Barbara Thomas and Ruth Fulford with an age group first.
Westonbirt House 10km, road
1 Alex Bampton (Highgate Harriers) 33.24
4 Chris Miller (Cirencester AC) 37.20 – 1st V40
111 Joyce Matthews 47.51 615 finished.
Gloucester 5km, Haresfield, nr Gloucester, 5km road
1 Adam Stokes (Bristol & West AC) 15.44
69 Gordon Jones (Cirencester AC) 22.37
101 Sarah Whitehouse 24.56
136 Barbara Thomas 27.41
155 Ruth Fulford 29.22 – 1st FV70 202 finished
parkruns, 5km trail
Cirencester saw a great turn out of club members with James Thomas and Bill Leggate battling for Club Championship points to finish second and third in 17.16 and 17.17 respectively. Young Henry Sheffield was not far behind and there were fine runs from another five juniors, all of them achieving a PB. Simon Campbell and Jo Musk made it harder by pushing buggies – in Jo’s case a double one - and several, including Rupert Chesmore and Gary Wood, used it as part of a longer training run.
Elsewhere, Ollie Pritchard won near Farnham in 17.26 as did Ian Barrett at Witney in 18.42. The McAdams went back to Tetbury, leaving Ross Swain on his own in Cheltenham and Barbara Thomas at Swindon.
Cirencester AC finishers:
Cirencester (inc club road race champs): 2 James Thomas 17.16, 3 Bill Leggate 17.17, 5 Henry Sheffield (J) 17.54, 10 Alex Banks 20.10, 19 Colin Tapley 21.08, 21 Henry Broadley (J) 21.16, 37 Mark Ulyatt 23.04, 38 Simon Campbell 23.06, 39 Karen Higuera 23.09, 46 Neil Broadley 23.35, 47 Millie Chudley (J) 23.36, 48 Alex Chudley 23.40, 50 Joseph Stickney (J) 23.44, 51 Rupert Chesmore 23.45, 52 Robert Stickney (J) 23.48, 64 Jo Musk 24.37, 75 Richard Edwards 25.39, 76 Brendon McCarthy 25.43, 87 Pam Wheeler 27.03, 98 Izzy Chudley (J) 28.15, 99 Sophie Chudley 28.16, 100 Liza Darroch 28.28, 112 Samantha Timms 29.15, 124 Clare Tapley 30.12, 137 Gary Wood 31.23, 145 Louise Abbott 31.58, 190 Cathie Cowell (sweeper) 1.02.30, 190 finished
Swindon: 248 Barbara Thomas 28.13, 513 finished
Tetbury: 20 Alan McAdam 24.05, 27 David Moss 25.18, 32 Rachel McAdam 25.53, 101 finished
Cheltenham: 29 Ross Swain 20.19, 556 finished Witney: 1 Ian Barrett 18.42, 321 finished
Alice Holt Forest, nr. Farnham: 1 Oliver Pritchard 17.26, 349 finished
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