Month: December 2020

Virtually nothing stops Fairlands Valley Spartans and they have now run more than 10,000 miles in their race across America.

On day 50 339 miles were completed by 47 Spartans.  They ran the Washington (Virginia) and Philadephia Marathons and are now heading for the New York Marathon.

Despite Lockdown Two and Tier Four they have run the historic Route 66 and many marathons in the USA including the Las Vegas, Death Valley, Big Sur, San Francisco, Napa Valley, El Paso, San Antonio, Houston, La Fayette, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Gulf Shores, Talahassee Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa Bay, Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Wrightsville, Kitty Hawk and Richmond Marathons plus covering the ground in between and have thrown in some ultra (i.e. longer than 26.2 miles) events including the Western States, Badwater 135, and Grand to Grand Ultra runs.

 

Flying High At Christmas

For the second time Fairlands Valley Spartans had a qualifying team in the Fly 5K inter club event and they are moving up.  Their 286 points brought them sevenths position.  This was part of the 31^st Fly on Boxing Day and Team Spartan consisted of JAMES McSWEENEY 42^nd and second in category with a Fly PB of 23 minutes 30 seconds; JIM BROWN whose 25:35 moved him up from third in recent races to WIN his category and make it into the top half of the field at 76^th; NICOLA ANDERSSON was 110^th in 28:14; PENNY SCHENKEL 143^rd in 31:52 and PAUL HOLGATE 150^th in 33:10.  There were 170 finishers.

The 30^th Fly 5K was a Christmas Day Special.  Nicola Andersson was 41^st in 28 minutes 51 seconds and Jim Brown Santa Cantered around in a full Father Christmas outfit for 31 minutes 44 seconds and 117^th out of the 137 finishers.

The next Fly 5K virtual race will be on New Year’s Day with more on stripey Saturday morning 2^nd January.  The events are free but you need to register via the Fly 5K Facebook page.

The Spartans have been active in many virtual races, you run the distance wherever you like but time yourself and submit it to the organisers.

A Fairlands Valley Spartans club record tumbled on Saturday with JONATHAN PARR running 5K in just 15 minutes 57 seconds.

The previous record 16 minutes exactly had been held by Callum Stewart since 18^th August 2018.  Jonathan improved on the 16:13 he ran in February this year to beat that by three seconds.  Appropriately he was running at the Olympic Park.

 

Really In Essex

The Spartans were in action at three other “real” races on Sunday.  All were on Debden Airfield with club members in the 5K; 10K and half marathon.  These were the postponed Essex Remembrance events.

Not the greatest conditions greeted the Spartans arrival at Debden Airbase with plenty of rain in the air.  A well planned, Covid secure, start saw them called forward in sixes by their bib numbers as they set off in small groups at 20 second intervals.

The course was mainly flat with a few minor slopes, the major obstacles were the giant, and deep, puddles covering the width of the track at around 4K & 8K.  DAVID PATTMAN ran a new personal best in the 10K.  His 44:06 was a 1 minute 9 second improvement on his previous 45:15.

STEVEN DOBNER was surprised to find at 8K that he was on target to be close to his personal best as he had set off just running to how he felt with no time in mind.  Having noticed the opportunity he upped the pace in the final 1500 metres to sneak a new personal best by nine seconds with 48:41.  Extremely surprising having been out with an ankle ligament injury for a month in September/October and the race being his first since the pre covid days!

Paul and Alison SHELLEY ran the Essex Remembrance Run 10K.  They said it was very cold, wet and windy, but they finally got to wear real race numbers again, and the start was well organised and socially distanced.

Paul was super pleased to run his first ever sub-40 10K with a personal best (PB) chip time of 39:56.  Alison surprised herself with a two second PB at 51:05.

Position	Name	Time	Comments
30	PAUL SHELLEY	39:56	PB.  4VM50
54	DAVID PATTMAN	44:06	PB (by 1:09)
70	STEVEN DOBNER	48:41	PB (by 9 seconds).
84	ALISON SHELLEY	51:05	PB (by 2 seconds).  4VW50.

YUKO GORDON ran the 5K.  She said she was lucky as it was still dry and added, “I liked the flat open course but I needed better awareness of the 6×6 start.  The five others in my wave were young and fast, my initial rhythm was messed up, over paced and I lost it. I was glad it was only 5K.”  Nevertheless she still won the women 60 plus category in 23 minutes 19 seconds.

The weather well and truly arrived for 1p.m. and the start of the half marathon on Debden Airfield.  With next to no shelter the wind howled across the course and it was a battle to keep moving let alone “sprint” for the last 500 metres.  The race consisted of three laps, each just over seven kilometres.  Lap one wind and rain; lap two just wind; lap three wind getting stronger and rain back.  Not a steeplechase but runners had to negotiate a watersplash through a flood on each lap.  With the conditions it was almost dark for some of the slower runners as they battled their way across the finish line.  JIM BROWN said it was hard but a big thank you to the organisers, ATW, for finding a Covid secure way to let runners race.  Not quite what he wanted but 1 hour 53 minutes 23 seconds was not bad in the circumstances.

 

Ultra John (Harris)

John Harris ran the “Twas the run before Xmas Off road Ultra” at Horseheath Racecourse in Cambridgeshire.   He covered 36 miles in 6 hours 8 minutes in very muddy and wet conditions.  He ran the furthest of all the competitors, eleven laps and a new ultra course record.

 

Running in the USA

Lockdown Take Two did not stop Fairlands Valley Spartans running and they are going to keep running across the USA until New Year’s Eve.

They have completed the historic Route 66, the Las Vegas, Death Valley, Big Sur, San Francisco, Napa Valley, El Paso, San Antonio, Houston, La Fayette, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Gulf Shores, Talahassee Jacksonville and Orlando Marathons. Also the Western States, Badwater 135, and Grand to Grand Ultra runs.

By Saturday evening, day 36, they had run a total of 7,720 miles with 40 members posting a total of 183 miles on that day.

 

Hard Soft Challenge – Time To Get Muddy

NIKKI WILBY now has more than fifty entrants in her hard soft motivator.  Run 5K or 5 miles on tarmac in November then see how close you can get to matching the time cross country in December.  Times up for the November on road qualifiers.  Now it’s time to get muddy.

Clearly three Spartans had been longing for a real race, or the lock down training had been really effective.

They roared round Drift Limits motor circuit, Hemel Hempstead in Sunday’s postponed Hertfordshire Remembrance Run 10K.

Despite thick fog and near freezing conditions STUART HAYCROFT easily beat 40 minutes with 38 minutes 15 seconds; JIM BROWN ran his fastest 10K for almost two years and beat what he thought was an unachievable target for this year, sub 50 and an age related score over 70%, with 49 minutes 21 seconds and PAUL HOLGATE ran a season’s best 59:49, a big improvement to get under the hour for the first time in 2020.  Jim was fifth man 60 plus; Stuart eighth man 40 plus and Paul eighth man 60 plus.  There were 181 runners in this Covid secure but timed and accurately measured event.

 

Position	Name	Time	Comments
46	STUART HAYCROFT	38:15
112	JIM BROWN	49:21	Year’s Best.  5M60.  71.7%.
160	PAUL HOLGATE	59:49	SB (10:18)

 

Virtual Spartans

And the Spartans have been active in many virtual races, you run the distance but time yourself and submit it to the organisers.

In the 27^th Fly 5K on Saturday morning NICK KLEANTHOUS was 101^st in 27 minutes 42 seconds; NICOLA ANDERSSON 117^th in 28:39; JIM BROWN 123^rd in 28:53; PENNY SCHENKEL 124^th in a new Fly 5K personal best of 28:54 – an improvement by 1 minute 39 seconds on the previous week which was also a PB; and PAUL HOLGATE 136^th in 30:01.  There were 190 finishers.

The 25^th (not) Stevenage ParkRun brought out JAMES McSWEENEY 25:15 and JIM BROWN 27:00 in addition to those who ran the Fly event.  While Fly 5Ks have to be run on a Saturday morning (Not) parkruns can be run any day of the week.

JENNY GARRETT and VICKY ARCHER ran the Virtual Hatfield Five Mile race on the day the event would have taken place.  Jenny finished in 47:25 and Vicky in 47:30.  The real race has been postponed to Sunday 27^th December.

 

 

Running in the USA

Lockdown Take Two did not stop Fairlands Valley Spartans running and they are going to keep running across the USA until New Year’s Eve.

FVS are on the road again.  They have completed the historic Route 66, the Las Vegas, Death Valley, Big Sur, San Francisco, Napa Valley, El Paso, San Antonio and Houston Marathons. Also the Western States, Badwater 135, and Grand to Grand Ultra runs.

On day 31, Sunday, they completed 394 miles with 54 members posting a distance.  The Spartans are now heading for Florida.  They completed the La Fayette, Baton Rouge and New Orleans Marathons yesterday.  The next marathon is the Gulf Shores.  So far they have run a total of 6821 miles in their virtual relay.

 

Hard Soft Challenge – Time To Get Muddy

NIKKI WILBY now has more than fifty entrants in her hard soft motivator.  Run 5K or 5 miles on tarmac in November then see how close you can get to matching the time cross country in December.  Times up for the November on road qualifiers.  Now it’s time to get muddy.

PAUL HOLGATE was out there on the first day possible, 1^st December, to run his Virtual Stevenage Cross Country five miles in 59 minutes 33 seconds.