Categories
News Race Results

BALMY BUNTINGFORD

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away runners had to endure ice, snow, freezing rain or howling winds in the Buntingford Year End ten mile road race but on Monday fifteen Spartans enjoyed Spring like conditions in this year’s race.

The race was on a hilly course with some tricky turns within Buntingford but SIMON JACKSON beat the hour to come 11th out of the 482 finishers in just 59 minutes 8 seconds.

ANN TRYSSESOONE gave everything to take a massive 4 minutes 47 seconds off her personal best with 1 hour 17 minutes 2 seconds. She was an impressive fifth in her category and 149th overall.

There was a special award for ROGER BIGGS. He had run twenty Year End Tens before Monday’s race. This time he was 405th in 1:40:18.

The other “A” team Spartans were STEFFAN FORD, 18th in 1:01:52; CRAIG HALSEY, 55th in 1:07:34 and DAVID RIDDELL, 56th in 1:07:39.

MADDIE PRITCHARD was Fairlands fastest female at 140th with 1:16:20. SHARON CROWLEY came in with 1:49:47.

Position Name Time Comments
11 SIMON JACKSON 59:08
18 STEFFAN FORD 1:01:52
55 CRAIG HALSEY 1:07:34
56 DAVID RIDDELL 1:07:39
105 JOHN NELMS 1:12:57
139 MARK GOODWIN 1:16:01
140 MADDIE PRITCHARD (F) 1:16:20
149 ANN TRYSSESOONE (F) 1:17:02 PB (4:47)
182 ROBERT EVANS 1:19:43
253 TIM ROBINSON 1:25:53
405 ROGER BIGGS 1:40:18 Special Award
432 ANTHONY WALLER 1:45:35
436 PAUL HOLGATE 1:46:00
456 SHARON CROWLEY (F) 1:49:47
467 GRAHAM HILL 1:52:59

There were 482 finishers.

 

Christmas Day Parkrunners

Christmas Day saw the Spartans out in force for the festive Parkrun at Panshanger Park in Hertford. There were sixteen seasonal Spartans in the blue stripe vests taking on the 5km cross country course and club captain Daniel Bates said ‘it was a great turnout by the club, we all went there with aim, to promote the club, to put in a great performance whilst being in the festive mood and we were rewarded with some great performances.

Craig Halsey put on a strong performance and finished 5th overall of the 270 runners with a time of 17 minutes 14 seconds, gaining a course personal best (PB) at the time. Daniel Bates was second Spartan home in his preparations for the Riga 5km and two running events in Hong Kong in the next fortnight and finished in 21:15 (29th). Tim Saban was third Spartan in 21:51. The other highlight was at the finish line where Andy Jay and Tracy Pez were fighting it out going neck and neck on ‘that’ final uphill but it was Andy who finished first in 24:31 (84th) and Tracy in 24:34 (85th). Other results as follow: Thomas Sauka 22:15 (40th); James Kilroy 23:32 (61st); Michelle Reeves 23:43 (65th); Ken Jude 24:58 (94th), Andy Prior 26:16 (115th); Hazel Clark 26:17; Jeanette Collins 28:09 (156th), Olwen Batty 28:26 (159th and also a new course PB), Debbie Raines 29:57 (172th), Nicola Tout 33:08 (231st); Nick Witcombe 33:08 (232th).  There were 265 finishers.

Up the A1 at Peterborough, Verity Fisher put on a good performance by finishing 105th out of 424 runners in 23 minutes 39 seconds.

Even further up the A1 Isabel Green, Roger Hardman and Steve Green ran a Newcastle parkrun double. On Christmas day in near perfect condition and on a fast course Steve ran a personal best 19:33, Isabel 23:43 also a PB, and Roger won his category in 26:43.

 

Ran Their Box Off

TIM SABAN and JIM BROWN ran their Box Off at the Boxing Day Five in Witham on Saturday. Jim said it seemed incredibly hot and didn’t often sweat that much in July races.

On a lovely bright morning but with a stiff headwind between one and three miles Tim was 76th over the five miles in 35 minutes 28 seconds. Jim was delighted with a year’s best time, and squeaking under 40 minutes, to finish in 39 minutes 56 seconds.

 

Pirton Boxing Day 5km – Run Like A Turkey

It was a Spartan one two as GRANT RAMSAY won the Pirton Boxing Day 5K race in 18 minutes 32 seconds with ANDREW PATTERSON second in 18:51. STEFFAN FORD was seventh of the 171 finishers in 20:17.

As ever it was a last ditch decision for NATALIE LAWRENCE to enter. Having been invited to run like a turkey by the organisers and despite enjoying a good Christmas Day she finished first woman and in the top ten (ninth) overall with a time of 20 minutes 48 seconds.

 

Boxing Day Parkruns

Less than 24 hours after doing a Christmas Day parkrun, a few Spartans were back on the road for another 5km event. The big shock came at Barclay Parkrun at Hoddesdon where Thomas Sauka, not known for his speedy parkruns, ran a very steady 5km and held on to finish in 2nd place, one second ahead of third place. Thomas ramped up the style on the final lap of the three lap course and held on to his life for his first ever top three finish in any sort of running event, finishing in 22-55 (3 minutes and 12 seconds behind 1st place). Fellow Spartan Daniel Bates finished 5th after slipping from 2nd in the final lap and came in at 23-35. Both Daniel and Thomas also ran a Parkrun the day before this event.

Back at Panshanger for the second time in 24 hours, Andy Jay managed to equal the Christmas Day positioning of 84th by finishing in the same place again with a time of 27-43, finishing 11 seconds slower than yesterday’s time. Tim Robinson finished in 26-31 (63rd) and Robert Shaw in 27-52 (86th). There were 197 runners turning out.

St Albans, also glutton for punishment by doing two parkruns in the space of 24 hours was Olwen Batty, finishing 168th out of 290 runners in 27-13, gaining a new course PB. Liz Carvel wasn’t too far behind finishing 175th in 27-33, 4 seconds off her course pb. Ken Jude was at St Albans helping out with the timekeeping duties.

Wimpole Hall Estate saw John Harris finishing in 21st out of 322 runners with a time of 21-58.

Further afield, Verity Fisher was out again for her second run in 24 hours at Belton House in scenic Leicestershire. Finishing in 32-35 and coming in 157th out of 197 runners. At Ashton Court, Bristol, John Nelms finished 29th out of 228 runners in a time of 22-04, a new course PB.

Remember, there are Parkruns on News Years Day (check the official Parkrun website for start times, there is even a chance you can do TWO that morning if you time it right) and normal service resumes on Saturday 2nd January.

Still in Newcastle for a rainy Boxing Day (with turkey on board) the results for Steve Green, Isabel Green and Roger Hardman were a little slower than the previous day! Steve 19:49, Isabel 24:54 and Roger 27:12

 

Grant’s XC

Club Champion GRANT RAMSAY completed the 10 mile Ilford cross country in 64:57. He was fourth overall out of more than 200 runners. Grant used the race as a glorified training session following 20 miles put in the previous day.

 

Stansted Stagger

It was the Stansted Stagger for Tricia HOPPER and KAREN LIDDLE on Monday. Very muddy, as expected, but a nice varied course and some bits where you could actually shake the mud off your shoes and stop looking like Bambi on ice. They both came home in 5 hours 51 which was 9 minutes quicker than they expected so they are happy with that.

 

Coming Events

Many Spartans will be enjoying a busy programme of races, social and training events over the next few weeks including the:

 

  • New Year’s Day 10K in Hyde Park on Friday 1st January 2016.
  • County Cross Country Championships in Stevenage on Sunday 10th January 2016.
  • Fourth cross country league race in Watford on Sunday 17th January.
  • Handicap 5K in Stevenage on Thursday 21st January.
  • Fred Hughes 10 including the County Ten Mile Championships for Veterans on Sunday 24th January.
  • Serpentine 5K in Hyde Park on Friday 29th January.
  • South of England Cross Country Championships in London on Saturday 30th January.
  • Watford Half Marathon including the County Championships for Veterans on Sunday 7th February.
  • Fifth and final cross country league race on Therfield Heath on Sunday 14th February.
  • County Veterans Cross Country Championships on Sunday 13th March (probably Watford).
  • Finchley 20 on Sunday 13th March.
  • Maidenhead Easter Ten on Friday 25th March.
  • County 20 Miles Championships at Oakley on Sunday 3rd April.
  • Halstead Marathon, including Hertfordshire County Championships for seniors and veterans, on Sunday 8th May.
  • Stevenage Half Marathon, a Stevenage 70 event, on Sunday 6th November.

 

Join The Spartans

Live in or near Stevenage? Like running? Fairlands Valley Spartans is your local running club and is on the up! The club was voted the UK’s Best Running Club in 2010. It now has hundreds of members and encourages participation by all. The Spartans have a varied training programme to suit those who want to run 5 kilometres through to full marathons.

The Spartans weekday training sessions are on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Go along to the new sports centre at Marriotts School – a Sports College, Telford Avenue, Stevenage (SG2 8UT) at 7p.m. Up to five running groups go out on training nights – there will be one to suit you!

The Spartan Starter group starts from Marriotts at 7.30p.m. every Monday (except public holidays) and 7p.m. every Thursday.

Most long Sunday morning training sessions start 9a.m. sharp. Spartan track training sessions are held at Ridlins Athletics Track, Woodcock Road, Stevenage most Saturdays from 9.15a.m. There are events to enter every Sunday. Newcomers are very welcome – those who have not yet done very much running might prefer to start with a Thursday, Saturday or Monday session.

Try a few sessions before joining. Membership is only ÂŁ37 per year, ÂŁ25 without UKA affiliation. Concessions are available. Membership forms are available on the Spartans website www.fvspartans.org.uk Please ask if you would like a paper copy. You can also join online.

If you want to know more about the Spartans please contact Jim Brown (0793 968 7509), Andy Neatham 0777 197 5499 and 01438 816889; or Karen Palmer (07734678566) or visit their website www.fvspartans.org.uk

Categories
News Race Results

CHRIS & OLWEN WIN HANDICAP 5K

Thirty six Spartans completed the club’s handicap 5K on Thursday evening and CHRIS HOLLAND had an excellent win in a season’s best time of 22 minutes 28 seconds beating his handicap by 3 minutes 52 seconds.

He was closely followed over the line by newcomer ROB BRIGHT in 28:28. He improved on his handicap by 3:32. DANNY HUKIN was third in a new season’s best time of his own, 18:51.

The winning woman was OLWEN BATTY in a new personal best time of 26:52. That was 1:40 faster than her previous PB.

ANDREA WESTCOTT was second lady in 27:55, and Tessa Stephenson third in a season’s best 26:28.

The fastest runner on the night was GRANT RAMSAY in 16:49, three seconds quicker than his last handicap 5k back in January 2014. Danny’s 18:51 was the 2nd fastest time of the night and STEVE GREEN was third quickest in 20:04.

TRACY PEZ was the fastest female equalling her fastest time of the year with 22:04, SUZY HAWKINS second quickest in a year’s best time of 22:14 and ISABEL GREEN third quickest in a new PB time of 23:46.

There were also personal bests (PB) for Darren Emmerson, Alex Nee, Simon Sypula, Sean Millwood, Bev Redfern, Vikki Meredith and Dominic Jay; season’s bests (SB) for James Kilroy, Mark Goodwin, Dave Stephenson and Sharon Crowley. Callum Beasley, Dean Carpenter, Andy Jay, John Nelms, Vish Shah and Bernadette Millwood all beat their previous Handicap 5k time. There was also a 2015 best time for Alistair Baldwin.

In handicap races the slowest runners start first with others following at intervals calculated from recent performances. If everyone runs to form everyone finish together. In practice the best improver wins.

The next Handicap 5k will be on Thursday 21st January 2016.

 

Pos Name Time Speed Pos. F Comments
1 CHRIS HOLLAND 22:38 13 Event winner
2 ROB BRIGHT 28:28 28 First 5K
3 DANNY HUKIN 18:51 2 Second fastest
4 DARREN EMMERSON 23:06 16 First 5K
5 OLWEN BATTY 26:52 23 5 1st woman. PB (1:40)
6 ANDREA WESTCOTT 27:55 25 6
7 ALEX NEE 22:01 8 First 5K
8 TESSA STEPHENSON 26:28 22 4 SB
9 ISABEL GREEN 23:46 20 3 3rd fastest woman. PB (0:07)
10 GRANT RAMSAY 16:49 1 Fastest
11 SIMON SYPULA 28:02 26 PB (1:14)
12 TODD GRAY 20:39 4
13 CALLUM BEASLEY 23:28 19
14 JAMES KILROY 23:00 15 SB
15 MARK GOODWIN 21:50 7 SB
16 DEAN CARPENTER 20:51 5
17 ANDY JAY 23:12 18
18 SUZY HAWKINS 22:14 10 2 Second fastest woman
19 STEVE GREEN 20:04 3 Third fastest
20 SEAN MILLWOOD 28:51 29 PB (1:00)
21 DAVE STEPHENSON 22:22 11 SB
22 MARK BEASLEY 22:59 14
23 BEV REDFERN 29:33 30 8 First 5K
24 JOHN NELMS 21:04 6
25 ROBERT SHAW 27:14 24
26 TRACY PEZ 22:04 9 1 Fastest woman
27 STEVE SMITHSON 24:38 21
28 VISHAL SHAH 23:10 17
29 PETER SMITH 22:27 12
30 VIKKI MEREDITH 31:32 34 11 PB (0:14)
31 BERNADETTE MILLWOOD 30:53 33 10
32 SHARON CROWLEY 30:05 32 9 SB
33 LIZ CARVELL 28:22 27 7
34 ALISTAIR BALDWIN 30:00 31
35 EMMA POULTER 37:56 36 12
36 DOMINIC JAY 32:00 35 First 5K

 

Portsmouth Coastal

On Sunday CAROL PAUL ran the Portsmouth Coastal Waterfront Marathon. The course was on paths and off road starting in Southsea and running out to Hayling Island and back. It was really windy with a couple of heavy downpours of rain. Carol completed the race in 5 hours 3 minutes 2 seconds.

 

Serpentine

Spartan SIMON JACKSON was second in his category at the Serpentine 5K race in Hyde Park last Friday. He had an excellent time of 17 minutes 7 seconds scoring more than 79%.

An out of sorts JIM BROWN pootled round in 25 minutes 43 seconds but still enjoyed this pre-Christmas race. He finished 64th out of 1200 runners in the year long championship.

 

Natalie Qualifies

NATALIE LAWRENCE qualified to run in the women’s championships at the London Marathon with a well judged run at the Milton Keynes Winter Half Marathon. She was ninth female overall and with a time of 1 hour 29 minutes 33 seconds beat the 1:30 barrier. All that only nine weeks after having her baby!

 

Parkruns

DANIEL BATES took on the three and half lap parkrun course at Luton’s Wardown Park in the very unusual December heat. Still carrying an ankle injury, he managed to finish the five kilometres 16th out of 129 runners in 21 minutes 49 seconds.

At Panshanger (Hertford) the Spartan women were out in force. ISABEL GREEN finished in 25-41 and was 83rd runner home out of 226; JEANETTE COLLINS was 126th at 28:22, and EMMA KINSEY 176th in 33:02.

St Albans produced a fast time with DAVID RIDDELL finishing 12th out of 311 runners with a time of 18 minutes 18 seconds. DANIEL SUTTON was 126th in 23:58 whilst VERITY FISHER was 132nd in 24:15.

TIM ROBINSON ran the Raphael parkrun near Romford on Saturday. He was 22nd overall and fifth in his age category with 23:16.

There will be a parkrun at Panshanger on Christmas Day.

 

No Snow For Spartans

No snow and no sign of it for this year’s pre-Christmas run by Fairlands Valley Spartans to Minsden Chapel on Sunday but forty club members enjoyed the morning.

 

Coming Events

Many Spartans will be enjoying a busy programme of races, social and training events over the next few weeks including the:

 

  • Boxing Day Five at Witham on Saturday 26th December.
  • County 10 miles Veterans Championship and Open 10 at Buntingford on Monday 28th December.
  • New Year’s Day 10K in Hyde Park on Friday 1st January 2016.
  • County Cross Country Championships in Stevenage on Sunday 10th January 2016.
  • Fourth cross country league race in Watford on Sunday 17th January.
  • Handicap 5K in Stevenage on Thursday 21st January.
  • Fred Hughes 10 including the County Ten Mile Championships for Veterans on Sunday 24th January.
  • Serpentine 5K in Hyde Park on Friday 29th January.
  • South of England Cross Country Championships in London on Saturday 30th January.
  • Watford Half Marathon including the County Championships for Veterans on Sunday 7th February.
  • Fifth and final cross country league race on Therfield Heath on Sunday 14th February.
  • County Veterans Cross Country Championships on Sunday 13th March (probably Watford).
  • Finchley 20 on Sunday 13th March.
  • County 20 Miles Championships at Oakley on Sunday 3rd April.
  • Halstead Marathon, including Hertfordshire County Championships for seniors and veterans, on Sunday 8th May.
  • Stevenage Half Marathon, a Stevenage 70 event, on Sunday 6th November.

 

Join The Spartans

Live in or near Stevenage? Like running? Fairlands Valley Spartans is your local running club and is on the up! The club was voted the UK’s Best Running Club in 2010. It now has hundreds of members and encourages participation by all. The Spartans have a varied training programme to suit those who want to run 5 kilometres through to full marathons.

The Spartans weekday training sessions are on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Go along to the new sports centre at Marriotts School – a Sports College, Telford Avenue, Stevenage (SG2 8UT) at 7p.m. Up to five running groups go out on training nights – there will be one to suit you!

The Spartan Starter group starts from Marriotts at 7.30p.m. every Monday (except public holidays) and 7p.m. every Thursday.

Most long Sunday morning training sessions start 9a.m. sharp. Spartan track training sessions are held at Ridlins Athletics Track, Woodcock Road, Stevenage most Saturdays from 9.15a.m. There are events to enter every Sunday. Newcomers are very welcome – those who have not yet done very much running might prefer to start with a Thursday, Saturday or Monday session.

Try a few sessions before joining. Membership is only ÂŁ37 per year, ÂŁ25 without UKA affiliation. Concessions are available. Membership forms are available on the Spartans website www.fvspartans.org.uk Please ask if you would like a paper copy. You can also join online.

If you want to know more about the Spartans please contact Jim Brown (0793 968 7509), Andy Neatham 0777 197 5499 and 01438 816889; or Karen Palmer (07734678566) or visit their website www.fvspartans.org.uk

 

E N D S

 

More from Jim Brown (Press Officer) 0793 968 7509; Andy Neatham 0777 197 5499 and 01438 816889 or Karen Palmer (Secretary) 0773 467 8566

Categories
Club News

Results from the last 5k of 2015

36 finishers from 38 starters in last night’s Handicap 5k. Very well done to Sofia for listening to her body and stopping when she needed to and many thanks to Martin for staying with her. Thank you also to Ann Tryssesoone, Mark Freeman and Georgina & Daniel Green for their excellent help with the start and finish.

Well done also to Chris Holland on an excellent win in a season best time of 22:28, 3:52 ahead of handicap, closely followed by newcomer Rob Bright in 28:28, 3:32 better than handicap, and with Danny Hukin 3rd in a new season best time of his own, 18:51, 2:24 quicker than handicap.

Winning lady was Olwen Batty in a new personal best time 26:52, 1:40 faster than her previous PB, with Andrea Westcott 2nd lady, 2:05 ahead of handicap in 27:55, and Tessa Stephenson 3rd lady in a season’s best 26:28, 1:47 better than handicap.

Fastest runner on the night was Grant Ramsay in 16:49, 3 seconds quicker than his last handicap 5k back in January 2014, with Danny’s 18:51 the 2nd fastest time of the night and Steve Green 3rd quickest in 20:04, 1:11 ahead of handicap.

Tracy Pez was the fastest lady equalling her fastest time of the year with 22:04, with Suzy Hawkins 2nd quickest in a year best time of 22:14 and Isabel Green 3rd quickest in a new PB time of 23:46.

There were also PBs for Darren Emmerson, Alex Nee, Simon Sypula, Sean Millwood, Bev Redfern, Vikki Meredith and Dominic Jay, SB’s for James Kilroy, Mark Goodwin, Dave Stephenson and Sharon Crowley, while Callum Beasley, Dean Carpenter, Andy Jay, John Nelms, Vish Shah and Bernadette Millwood all beat their previous Handicap 5k time, and there was a also a YB time for Alistair Baldwin.

The time difference between 3rd – 30th positions was less than 2 minutes and 86% of finishers were with 1½ minutes of their adjusted handicap.

Next Handicap 5k is on Thursday 21st January 2016.

Results here: Result 17Dec15

Categories
News Race Results

NEW BLOOD BOOSTS SPARTANS

A combination of new members and good performances by others meant Fairlands Valley Spartans did incredibly well in the third cross country league race of the season. The FVS men WON their race against nineteen other teams with 190 race points 40 ahead of second placed Royston Runners.

With four Spartans in the top twelve the “A” team consisted of CRAIG HALSEY fourth in 28 minutes 6 seconds; ANDREW PATTERSON sixth in 28:38; GRANT RAMSAY ninth in 28:53; SIMON JACKSON 12th in 29:08; CHRIS WESTCOTT 23rd in 29:52; STEFFAN FORD, 38th in 30:43; PAUL HEWITT 44th in 31:07 and DAN HUKIN 55th in 31:51.

The Spartan women’s “A” team were seventh on 155 only one point behind the next team. They were TRACY PEZ, 193rd overall in 37 minutes 57 seconds; CLAIRE PULLEN, 196th in 38:03; SUZY HAWKINS, 204th in 38:19; MADDIE PRITCHARD, 223rd in 38:58 and HAZEL CLARK, 242nd in 39:22. All under 40 minutes for the tough five miles.

Overall the club’s men are third with 54 league points but only three points behind the top two teams who are tied on 54. The FVS females are fifth with 50 but the second and third teams only have 52. So the outcome depend on the last league two races which will be in Watford on 17th January and on Therfield Heath on 14th February..

There were a record equalling 44 Spartans in the race.

 

Spartans At South East Cross Country

Shuttleworth at Old Warden was the venue for this year’s South East of England Athletics Association (SEAA) Masters’ Cross Country Championships on Saturday.

TRACY PEZ 27:50; CLAIRE COX 30:53; PETA WILSON 31:56; SUE HAMER 33:26; STEPH MAYFIELD 36:29 and SHARON CROWLEY 38:53 raced round the women’s six kilometre race then the men took on 10K. DAVE RIDDELL finished in 40 minutes 17 seconds with JOHN HARRIS in 42:38; DAVE BOWKER 43:37; ANDY JAY 53:07; DARREN EMMERSON 53:15; MARK FREEMAN 61:15 and NICK WITCOMBE 64:22.

 

PB for Ann at Welwyn Festive Five

Spartan ANN TRYSSESOONE had not raced for 18 months but then smashed her personal best by an impressive 1 minute 28 seconds at Sunday’s Welwyn Festive Five. She was 65th out of the 209 in the race with 36 minutes 45 seconds. Despite the wet and cold all five Spartans enjoyed a well organised race with a chocolate Father Christmas and cakes for everyone at the finish.  JOHN NELMS was 63rd in 36:40; HAYLEY FAULKNER improved on her recent Wolverton time and was 119th in 42:09; OLWEN BATTY 149th in 45:16 and IRIS HORNSEY was second veteran woman (65 plus) and 174th in 48:33.

 

Lanzarotte – Another Week, Another Marathon

Roger Biggs took the four hour flight to the Canary Islands, to run the Lanzarote Marathon.

It was a glorious sunny day ideal for the deckchairs but certainly not for marathon runners. The route went 21.1 kilometres from Costa Teguise to a turn-round in Puerto Carmen, and then back all the way to Costa Teguise.

For much of the run, the course hugged the coast on traffic free sea wall/promenade, with lots of little ups and downs to keep you on your toes, just a pity there was so much concrete. Employing a run 3 minutes/walk 30 secs tactic in the heat, Roger completed the 42.2K course in 4 hours 44 minutes 48 seconds.

 

Parkrun Report – 12th December 2015

VERITY FISHER is getting back to form. She ran the St Albans Parkrun in 23 minutes 19 seconds, 13th woman and 82nd out of the 239 runners. DANIEL SUTTON was 106th in 24:11.

DANIEL BATES finished the cross-country Wimpole course in very muddy conditions in 22-58. He was 39th out of the 192 runners.  At Panshanger DAVID HODBOD finished 13th out of 169 runners with a time of 20-22.; JOHN ROXBURGH 34th with a time of 22-31 whilst TIM ROBINSON crossed the line in 112th with 27-52.

 

Coming Events

Many Spartans will be enjoying a busy programme of races, social and training events over the next few weeks including the:

  • Handicap 5K in Stevenage on Thursday evening 17th December.
  • Serpentine 5K on Friday 18th December (obviously won’t be on Christmas Day).
  • Spartans Christmas Social Run at 7p.m. on Tuesday 22nd December.
  • County 10 miles Veterans Championship and Open 10 at Buntingford on Monday 28th December.
  • New Year’s Day 10K in Hyde Park on Friday 1st January 2016.
  • County Cross Country Championships in Stevenage on Sunday 10th January 2016.
  • Fourth cross country league race in Watford on Sunday 17th January.
  • Fred Hughes 10 including the County Ten Mile Championships for Veterans on Sunday 24th January.
  • South of England Cross Country Championships in London on Saturday 30th January.
  • Watford Half Marathon including the County Championships for Veterans on Sunday 7th February.
  • Fifth and final cross country league race on Therfield Heath on Sunday 14th February.
  • County Veterans Cross Country Championships on Sunday 13th March (probably Watford).
  • Finchley 20 on Sunday 13th March.
  • County 20 Miles Championships at Oakley on Sunday 3rd April.
  • Halstead Marathon, including Hertfordshire County Championships for seniors and veterans, on Sunday 8th May.
  • Stevenage Half Marathon, a Stevenage 70 event, on Sunday 6th November.

 

Join The Spartans

Live in or near Stevenage? Like running? Fairlands Valley Spartans is your local running club and is on the up! The club was voted the UK’s Best Running Club in 2010. It now has hundreds of members and encourages participation by all. The Spartans have a varied training programme to suit those who want to run 5 kilometres through to full marathons.

The Spartans weekday training sessions are on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Go along to the new sports centre at Marriotts School – a Sports College, Telford Avenue, Stevenage (SG2 8UT) at 7p.m. Up to five running groups go out on training nights – there will be one to suit you!

The Spartan Starter group starts from Marriotts at 7.30p.m. every Monday (except public holidays) and 7p.m. every Thursday.

Most long Sunday morning training sessions start 9a.m. sharp. Spartan track training sessions are held at Ridlins Athletics Track, Woodcock Road, Stevenage most Saturdays from 9.15a.m. There are events to enter every Sunday. Newcomers are very welcome – those who have not yet done very much running might prefer to start with a Thursday, Saturday or Monday session.

Try a few sessions before joining. Membership is only ÂŁ37 per year, ÂŁ25 without UKA affiliation. Concessions are available. Membership forms are available on the Spartans website www.fvspartans.org.uk Please ask if you would like a paper copy. You can also join online.

 

If you want to know more about the Spartans please contact Jim Brown (0793 968 7509), Andy Neatham 0777 197 5499 and 01438 816889; or Karen Palmer (07734678566) or visit their website www.fvspartans.org.uk

 

E N D S

 

More from Jim Brown (Press Officer) 0793 968 7509; Andy Neatham 0777 197 5499 and 01438 816889 or Karen Palmer (Secretary) 0773 467 8566

 

www.fvspartans.org.uk

 

Categories
Club News

Individual and team scores from Willian XC 6/12/15

Team scores for cross country last Sunday are out…our amazing men’s team were first – and overall the mighty FVS came second!! Well done all!!

Willian_Results (2)

Categories
News

WINDY WILLIAN CROSS COUNTRY

It was windy in Willian as another good turnout of 44 Spartans tackled the third cross country league race of the season. The race was organised by Fairlands Valley Spartans and Hitchin Running Club and attracted over 400 runners from 14 clubs. The first mile or so of the two lap five mile race was largely uphill and straight into a very strong wind but there was a great descent back towards Manor Wood. FVS were represented by three women’s teams, 15 runners and had more than enough for three men’s teams with 29 male finishers.

There were three Spartans in the top ten. CRAIG HALSEY fourth in 28 minutes 6 seconds; ANDREW PATTERSON sixth in 28:38 and GRANT RAMSAY ninth in 28:53. SIMON JACKSON and CHRIS WESTCOTT also beat the half hour. Simon was 12th in 29:08 and Chris 23rd in 29:52. The eight man “A” team was completed by STEFFAN FORD, eighth in 30:43; PAUL HEWITT 44th in 31:07 and DAN HUKIN 55th in 31:51.

All the women in the Spartans “A” team beat 40 minutes. This time the club’s fastest female was TRACY PEZ, 193rd overall in 37 minutes 57 seconds; CLAIRE PULLEN was close behind, 196th in 38:03. The five runner team was completed by SUZY HAWKINS, 204th in 38:19; MADDIE PRITCHARD, 223rd in 38:58 and HAZEL CLARK, 242nd in 39:22.

CLAIRE COX, 261st in 40:39 led in the women’s “B” team; NICOLA HABERLAND was 284th in 41:58; ISOBEL GREEN 304th in 42:35. SARAH PIKE made a “B” team impact at 312th and 42 minutes 59 seconds and PETA WILSON was 320th in 43:46.

4 CRAIG HALSEY 28:06 Men’s “A” team
6 ANDREW PATTERSON 28:38 Men’s “A” team
9 GRANT RAMSAY 28:53 Men’s “A” team
12 SIMON JACKSON 29:08 Men’s “A” team
23 CHRIS WESTCOTT 29:52 Men’s “A” team
38 STEFFAN FORD 30:43 Men’s “A” team
44 PAUL HEWITT 31:07 Men’s “A” team
55 DAN HUKIN 31:51 Men’s “A” team
67 DAVID RIDDELL 32:27 Men’s “B” team
76 JOHN HARRIS 32:54 Men’s “B” team
102 STEVE GREEN 34:07 Men’s “B” team
125 ADRIAN DONNELLY 35:07 Men’s “B” team
132 DAVID BOWKER 35:26 Men’s “B” team
157 JOHN NELMS 36:35 Men’s “B” team
165 KARL CLARKE 36:57 Men’s “B” team
170 THOMAS SAUKA 37:11 Men’s “B” team
175 TODD GRAY 37:21 Men’s “C” team
190 MARK GOODWIN 37:51 Men’s “C” team
193 TRACY PEZ (F) 37:57 Women’s “A” team
196 CLARE PULLEN (F) 38:03 Women’s “A” team
204 SUZY HAWKINS (F) 38:19 Women’s “A” team
223 MADDIE PRITCHARD (F) 38:58 Women’s “A” team
224 JAMES KILROY 39:00 Men’s “C” team
235 STEVE SMITHSON 39:08 Men’s “C” team
242 HAZEL CLARK (F) 39:22 Women’s “A” team
260 DARREN EMERSON 40:26 Men’s “C” team
261 CLAIRE COX (F) 40:39 Women’s “B” team
273 MARK CHEADLE 41:10 Men’s “C” team
283 TIM ROBINSON 41:56 Men’s “C” team
284 NICOLA HABERLAND (F) 41:58 Women’s “B” team
304 ISOBEL GREEN (F) 42:35 Women’s “B” team
312 SARAH PIKE (F) 42:59 Women’s “B” team
314 JIM BROWN 43:12 Men’s “C” team
319 ROB SHAW 43:40
320 PETA WILSON (F) 43:46 Women’s “B” team
346 ANDY SMITH 46:40
356 MARK FREEMAN 47:46
370 LIZ CARVELL (F) 49:20 Women’s “C” team
372 OLWEN BATTY (F) 49:33 Women’s “C” team
379 ANDREA WESTCOTT (F) 50:20 Women’s “C” team
381 STEVE GOUGH 50:40
391 SHARON CROWLEY (F) 52:14 Women’s “C” team
395 VIKKI MEREDITH (F) 54:08 Women’s “C” team
397 PAUL HOLGATE 55:06

The next cross country league race will be in Watford on Sunday 17th January. The county cross country championships will be in Stevenage on Sunday 10th January. Advance entries are essential for the county races but not for the league.

Victory Five

TESSA and DAVE STEPHENSON travelled back to their old home of Portsmouth to take part in the Victory 5 Mile road race for the first time in over ten years. The very windy conditions on Sunday, with the last two miles heading directly into the wind along the shoreline made for very hard running. They were both happy with their times, Tessa finishing in 44 minutes 24 seconds and Dave in 36 minutes 48 seconds.

Cancun Mexico

On Saturday 5th December CAROL PAUL ran the Cancun marathon in Mexico. The race started at 5pm in hot and humid conditions which were really oppressive. It did not cool down much once it got dark. On an out and back course from downtown Cancun around the hotel district Carol completed the marathon in 5 hours and 4 seconds.

Spain for Biggs

ROGER BIGGS was in Malaga in Southern Spain, on a lovely pleasant weekend. The marathon was a flattish run, mostly near the sea, but hard work as the sun got higher in the sky. He completed the 42.2km in 4:42:54

Parkrun Report

VERITY FISHER had a great race in the St Albans Parkrun on Saturday. She finished in 23 minutes 32 seconds. DANNY SUTTON was 13 seconds behind in 23:45.

Coming Events

Many Spartans will be enjoying a busy programme of races, social and training events over the next few weeks including the:

Festive Five in Welwyn Garden City on Sunday 13th December.
Handicap 5K in Stevenage on Thursday evening 17th December.
Serpentine 5K on Friday 18th December (obviously won’t be on Christmas Day).
County 10 miles Veterans Championship and Open 10 at Buntingford on Monday 28th December.
New Year’s Day 10K in Hyde Park on Friday 1st January 2016.
County Cross Country Championships in Stevenage on Sunday 10th January 2016.
Fourth cross country league race in Watford on Sunday 17th January.
Fred Hughes 10 including the County Ten Mile Championships for Veterans on Sunday 24th January.
South of England Cross Country Championships in London on Saturday 30th January.
Watford Half Marathon including the County Championships for Veterans on Sunday 7th February.
Fifth and final cross country league race on Therfield Heath on Sunday 14th February.
County Veterans Cross Country Championships on Sunday 13th March (probably Watford).
Halstead Marathon, including Hertfordshire County Championships for seniors and veterans, on Sunday 8th May.
Stevenage Half Marathon, a Stevenage 70 event, on Sunday 6th November.

Join The Spartans

Live in or near Stevenage? Like running? Fairlands Valley Spartans is your local running club and is on the up! The club was voted the UK’s Best Running Club in 2010. It now has hundreds of members and encourages participation by all. The Spartans have a varied training
programme to suit those who want to run 5 kilometres through to full marathons.

The Spartans weekday training sessions are on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Go along to the new sports centre at Marriotts School – a Sports College, Telford Avenue, Stevenage (SG2 8UT) at 7p.m. Up to five running groups go out on training nights – there will be one to suit you!

The Spartan Starter group starts from Marriotts at 7.30p.m. every Monday (except public holidays) and 7p.m. every Thursday.

Most long Sunday morning training sessions start 9a.m. sharp. Spartan track training sessions are held at Ridlins Athletics Track, Woodcock Road, Stevenage most Saturdays from 9.15a.m. There are events to enter every Sunday. Newcomers are very welcome – those who have not yet done very much running might prefer to start with a Thursday, Saturday or Monday session.

Try a few sessions before joining. Membership is only ÂŁ37 per year, ÂŁ25 without UKA membership. Concessions are available. Membership forms are available on the Spartans website www.fvspartans.org.uk Please ask if you would like a paper copy. You can also join online.

If you want to know more about the Spartans please contact Jim Brown (0793 968 7509), Andy Neatham 0777 197 5499 and 01438 816889; or Karen Palmer (07734678566) or visit their website www.fvspartans.org.uk

E N D S

More from Jim Brown (Press Officer) 0793 968 7509; Andy Neatham 0777 197 5499 and 01438 816889 or Karen Palmer (Secretary) 0773 467 8566

www.fvspartans.org.uk

Categories
Club News

Cross Country Willian, Sunday 6th December, 10am (Earlier start time)

** DETAILS OF OUR NEXT CROSS COUNTRY LEAGUE FIXTURE **

6th Dec 2015 Race Start : 10-00am (NOTE THE EARLIER START!)

Race HQ The Fox pub in Willian has kindly agreed to be Race HQ (SG6 2AE).

PLEASE REMOVE MUDDY SHOES ETC BEFORE ENTERING THE BUILDING

There will be toilets available as well as hot drinks on sale before the race from 9am.

Parking is at a premium so PLEASE car share wherever possible. Limited parking located at the Nuffield Gym which is a 5 minute walk from the Fox pub. The walk from the gym to the Fox will be clearly signposted. Address for parking: Nuffield Gym, Letchworth Lane, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire SG6 3NP. Parking is also available along Letchworth Lane, Baldock Lane, Willian Road and the surrounding roads – please be mindful of usual parking regulations and the local community when parking. PLEASE NOTE: There is no parking available at The Fox Pub or behind the church for runners.
There is a short walk / jog to the start (shown on the map) so please arrive as early as possible.
Cycling / jogging– if you live locally we encourage you to cycle or run to Race HQ – there will be a safe area to lock your bike at the pub