Fairlands Valley Spartans took full advantage of the last Sunday in “Summertime” for some amazing races from 5K to full 26.2 mile marathons.
CLAIRE EMMERSON completed the Abingdon Marathon in 3.53.57 on Sunday, her goal was sub four hours, so she was really pleased with her result. It’s a huge personal best (PB) by over 36 minutes. Claire is women’s captain for Fairlands Valley Spartans.
ANDREW PATTERSON despite suffering with a hip niggle last week and pain through the race took 34 seconds of his personal best to finish in a championship qualifying 2 hours 41 minutes 46 seconds. He was eleventh overall in the race.
Chelmsford Marathon
The Chelmsford Marathon isn’t flat but conditions were great for tackling 26.2 miles.
Spartan STUART ARCHER came in 102nd with an impressive sub 3:30 3 hours 28 minutes 50 seconds.
JIM BROWN made a last minute decision to run. He said he had such a bad time at the overheated London Marathon that he thought he should put that behind him before the end of the year and perhaps get a “Good For Age” qualification. Well he beat his London time by 35 minutes 22 seconds and got his GFA by more than eleven minutes with 3:48:28 and 185th out of the 582 finishers. He said one of the beauties of an event with a few hundred runners rather than many thousands is that you can get a clear run most of the way. Jim commented he could have done without some of the climbs in the second half, such as into Willingale, but was delighted with his time.
Now with well over 900 marathons done ROGER BIGGS finished in 6 hours 1 minute 13 seconds and was second veteran 70 plus.
Get 4th November In Your Diary
More than 500 people have already entered the Stevenage Half Marathon which will be on Sunday 4th November. This superb local event is organised by Fairlands Valley Spartans and includes the senior county championships. It’s on an accurately measured and licensed course starting from Ridlins and including Fairlands Valley Park. All the surplus from this volunteer organised event will go to charity. The 2018 Charity for the Stevenage Half Marathon Charity is Kawasaki Kid.  Don’t miss out. Enter now. Go to https://www.activetrainingworld.co.uk/events/2018/11/04/stevenage_half_marathon or via www.fvspartans.org.uk
Three Peaks Ultra
THOMAS SAUKA finished the Three Peaks Ultra Marathon in 10 hours 40 minutes 17 seconds. He said, “I’m well chuffed with that, all I can say is if you think it was easy, think again, a lot is on the Pennine Way and there is 2353 metres of elevation over the 43 miles. I fell twice but it was a great event if a bit cloudy and drizzly on the tops.”
Bronze for Bowker
It was bronze for Bowker at the Leigh on Sea 10K. DAVID BOWKER was third Vet 60 in the EMAC (East of England Veterans) Championships for men 60 plus with 43 minutes 34 seconds.
Great South Run – Ten Miles
The Great South Run was ERICA GRAYSON and MAGGIE MONTGOMERY’s third named “Great” Run in less than two months.
Erica ran a new PB (personal best) for ten miles of 1:27:01 and ANGIE KEELING cut her PB by 12 minutes 10 seconds to 1:43:48 but JENNY GARRETT led Team Spartan when she finished in 1 hour 24 minutes 45 seconds, a new PB by nearly two minutes and a course PB by 5:14.
SAM SIMMONS also ran the GSR. He said, “This was my first big race which was a fantastic day – from the moment I arrived the atmosphere was amazing.  Weather was beautiful and running along the shores and to see the boats of Portsmouth was fantastic.
I had to earn my PB as I started too far back and got stuck in some congestion but kept cool and managed my first sub 1:35.”
Jonathan JONES ran 10 miles in the Great South Run, Portsmouth in a new PB of 1 hour 37.57, knocking an incredible 22 mins off his time for the same course last year.
SUE HAMER came in with 1:46:11 and Maggie Montgomery in 2:17:42.
The previous day, Saturday, HAZEL JONES ran the Portsmouth 5K in 36:07.
Town and Gown 10K
MEGAN TAYLOR ran the Town and Gown 10K on Sunday morning in Cambridge and got a new PB. Her official time was 53 minutes exactly.
Her previous PB set in 2013 was 55:08 and her fastest 10K so far this year was 1:01:39 in Hyde Park.
Parkrun Round Up Saturday 20th October
Spartans ran at seven different parkrun locations this weekend with three achieving new PBs and one first timer. Liz SMITH ran Stevenage, her first parkrun in 25:10 and was 14th female.  Simon SYPULA ran in Ellenbrook for a new PB of 24:08 whilst in Stevenage, Karen ELLIS ran 26:15 PB and was 19thF and David ACKERY 28:53 PB.
Top twenty gender positions included Madeleine PRICHARD 5th in Letchworth 24:51, Verity FISHER 6th in Stevenage 23:59. Danny SCANLON was 15th in Stevenage 19:29, John ROXBORUGH was 15th in Aldenham 23:58 and John NELMS was 18th in Stevenage 21:03.
(See the end of this release for all Saturday’s Spartan Parkrun results).
Tables
| Parkrun | Pos | Gen | Parkrunner | Time | Notes |
| Aldenham | 17 | 15 | John ROXBOROUGH | 00:23:58 | |
| Ellenbrook Fields | 74 | 63 | Lee PICKERSGILL | 00:23:51 | |
| Ellenbrook Fields | 79 | 67 | Simon SYPULA | 00:24:08 | PB |
| Great Denham | 19 | 18 | John NELMS | 00:21:03 | |
| Letchworth | 34 | 5 | Madeleine PRITCHARD | 00:24:51 | |
| Malling | 61 | 54 | Michael O’KEEFE | 00:26:14 | |
| St Albans | 426 | 133 | Michelle MARCHANT | 00:31:07 | 5th parkrun |
| Stevenage | 16 | 15 | Danny SCANLON | 00:19:29 | |
| Stevenage | 44 | 42 | Martin DUDLEY | 00:22:23 | |
| Stevenage | 51 | 48 | Daniel SUTTON | 00:22:48 | |
| Stevenage | 62 | 59 | David PATTMAN | 00:23:26 | |
| Stevenage | 71 | 66 | James MCSWEENEY | 00:23:52 | 40th parkrun |
| Stevenage | 72 | 67 | Luke VINCENT | 00:23:53 | |
| Stevenage | 76 | 6 | Verity FISHER | 00:23:59 | |
| Stevenage | 80 | 74 | Chris HOLLAND | 00:24:08 | |
| Stevenage | 103 | 14 | Liz SMITH | 00:25:10 | 1st parkrun |
| Stevenage | 134 | 19 | Karen ELLIS | 00:26:15 | PB |
| Stevenage | 141 | 121 | Nigel STRONGITHARM | 00:26:35 | |
| Stevenage | 145 | 22 | Alison SHELLEY | 00:26:49 | |
| Stevenage | 163 | 135 | David SCOTT | 00:27:43 | |
| Stevenage | 177 | 142 | Stephen SMITHSON | 00:28:39 | |
| Stevenage | 187 | 146 | David ACKERY | 00:28:53 | PB |
| Stevenage | 222 | 66 | Hannah SYPULA | 00:30:33 | |
| Stevenage | 236 | 70 | Ida LEO | 00:31:42 | |
| Stevenage | 240 | 169 | Peter CARPENTER | 00:31:54 | |
| Stevenage | 247 | 76 | Callie CHAPMAN | 00:32:30 | |
| Stevenage | 255 | 81 | Sally MCBRIDE | 00:32:47 | |
| Stevenage | 277 | 181 | Steven DOBNER | 00:34:25 | |
| Stevenage | 298 | 187 | Dave PEACH | 00:36:29 | |
| Stevenage | 317 | 193 | Jon SYPULA | 00:38:07 |