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FAIRLANDS CHALLENGE IN THE SUNSHINE

Three Firsts at Scorcio Drift Limits

Fairlands Valley Spartans hosted the Fairlands Valley Challenge in warm conditions on Sunday. This was a mostly off road trail event with a choice of four distances – half marathon; 18 miles; marathon (42.2 km) and a 50K ultra marathon. With a Covid secure wave start participants left Marriotts School between 8a.m. and 9.30a.m. Altogether 145 took part and had great fun. There were intermediate checkpoints at Watton-at-Stone; Tewin and Datchworth with several runners making an unofficial lolly and smiles stop in Broadwater. The last finisher came back at 6.40p.m. A huge number of volunteer Spartans made the event possible.

TIM ROBINSON, event organiser on behalf of the club, gave massive thanks to all the helpers. A large team of people assembled under very difficult circumstances. They included:

  • Sharon Crowley and Liz Crowley who sourced food and juice. Liz also put on Mike (Crowley’s) boots and transported food and helpers around. 

  • Cathy Craig, Nicola Hatherly and Judy King

  • Andy Prior, Kerstin Weiner and Tony Randfield.

  • Nick Kleanthous, Fiona Clarke, Chloe Chapman, Jenny Garrett – the Datchworth Dream Team.

  • Steve Smithson who organised the start table. 

  • Hannah Sypula, Jan and Nick Fry who stayed all day in the heat at the finish line.

145 runners and walkers started and 143 finished.

The results will be published soon.

Three Firsts for Spartans at Drift Limits

Five Fairlands Valley Spartans went to the Drift Limits races at Bovingdon on Sunday. They came away with THREE first and TWO second places!

Spartan JIM BROWN said it was seriously way too hot, certainly for me, on those runways but five Spartans went to Drift Limits and three WON their categories; another one was second in theirs. One was second overall in their race.

It was officially 27 degrees in the shade but there was no shade and those old airfield runways, now a motor racing circuit were like huge tarmac radiators. The effective or “feels like” temperature was estimated at 33 degrees (91.4F).

In the 5K race JONATHAN PARR WON the M35 category and second overall with 16 minutes 47 seconds. STUART HAYCROFT was second in the M40 with 18:13.

Things were really heating up by the time the 10K race got underway but ANDREW VAUGHAN was 25th overall in 42:20; YUKO GORDON was FIRST woman 70 plus and 33rd in 46:40; and JIM BROWN was FIRST man 65 plus and 43rd in 53:42.

The 10K runners included the postponed and deferred entries from a 10K that would have been in February. In cooler conditions this would have been a very fast event.

Ultra 5K

Three Spartans ran an Ultra 5K at Box End Park near Kempston, Bedford.

Basically it was a 5K race every hour for five hours. The first race was at 9am, then at 10a.m., 11a.m., 12 noon, and 1p.m. All on a very technical off-road course. Spartan BRIAN WHITE said the weather conditions for each 5K were 1. Warm; 2. Hot. 3; Very hot; 4. extremely hot and 5. Mad Dogs and Englishmen (go out in the midday sun).

His series of races were completed in 1. 23 minutes 35 seconds; 2. 24:17; 3. 24:42; 4. 2:.41 and 5. 26:20. His total time was 2 hours 4 minutes 36 seconds giving him sixth position overall and first aged 50 plus.

SUE HAMER was 49th in a total of 3:25:09 and ERICA GRAYSON 50th in 3:25:12.

Nikki for the High Jump

NIKKI WILBY represented EMAC (Eastern veterans) in the high jump at the inter area track and field competition in Nuneaton at the weekend.

It was very competitive and there were some amazing performances in all of the events!

She was very happy to clear 1.30 on her first attempt but couldn’t continue to due to injury. She was fifth. Nikki also jogged 100 metres to get some points for the team.

Mid-Week Road Race League race three

So far 63 Spartans have recorded a time for race three in the Mid Week Road Race League 10K series. These can be found at the end of the release. Full story when the league result is published in a few days.

Entries Open for the Stevenage Half Marathon

Entries for the Stevenage Half Marathon are open. This club and community event has a history going back 37 years and is organised by Fairlands Valley Spartans. With a break due to Covid 19 in 2020 it’s back for 2021 and this year the race will be on Sunday 21st November, a couple of weeks later than usual.

To enter have a look at https://stevenagehalfmarathon.org.uk/

Flying On Number 61

38 clubs participated in Saturday morning’s Fly 5K and there were five Spartans – NICOLA ANDERSSON was 63rd in 27:11; MARIAN MORLEY second woman 55 plus and 75th in 27:56 for her tenth Fly 5K; PAUL HOLGATE 118th in 29:52 for his 60th Fly 5K; PENNY SCHENKEL and JIM BROWN hugging the shade around the King George V playing fields and Town Centre Gardens for 144th equal in 32 minutes 5 seconds. Jim was second in his age group.

(Not) Parkrun

In addition to those using the same effort to record Fly 5K times on Saturday mornings some other Spartans ran (not) parkruns on other days. For example this week JIM BROWN ran 26:00 on Thursday.

(Not) Parkruns can be run on any day of the week.

Parkrun Coming 24th July 2021

Fairlands Valley Spartans and many others are looking forward to the 200th Stevenage Parkrun which will be the first local parkrun when the events can restart. It will be at 9a.m. on Saturday 24th July. The 199th Stevenage parkrun was on Saturday 14th March 2020.

(Normally all the week’s Spartan parkrun results can be found near the end of our release).

Racing Round England

The Spartans have a winner in their Bristol to Bristol virtual run, cycle and walk challenge around the coasts and borders of England. PENNY SCHENKEL crossed the finish line during the Spartans Wave 10K run on Tuesday 25th May with all 2,970 kilometres done. She was seventh overall in the whole country with a total time of 170 hours 25 minutes and 12 seconds.

She was 434 kilometres ahead of JIM BROWN (2536) and 789 ahead of BRIAN WHITE (2181). At 7.15p.m. on Monday 21st June JIM BROWN ran across the virtual finish line in Bristol to claim second place. He was tenth overall in 231 hours 7 minutes and 54 seconds.

The Spartan podium is almost complete but the race for third sport could be close. On Monday morning 19th July third placed BRIAN WHITE was on 2671 kilometres but fourth placed SHARON CROWLEY was on 2620 as they headed back to Bristol.

The other ten Spartans are still clicking up the kilometres and have until December to finish the event. Many other clubs are participating in the Virtual Coast Challenge.

Tables

Full results for all Spartans when there are a lot at an event will be listed below. It’s back!

MWRRL Race Three 10K Times

Name

M/F

Time

Note

SUZY HAWKINS

F

43:12

Thursday 15th July

YUKO GORDON

F

46:40

Drift Limits Sunday 18th

ALISON SHELLEY

F

52:16

Wave Tuesday

MICHELLE REEVES

F

52:21

Wednesday 14th

WENDY THARANI

F

52:45

Wave Tuesday

CAROLYN LINSELL

F

55:35

Wave Tuesday added

CHLOE CHAPMAN

F

56:24

Wave Tuesday adjusted

CLAIRE EMMERSON

F

56:34

Wave Tuesday added

VICKY ARCHER

F

56:46

Wave Tuesday added

FIONA CLARKE

F

56:58

Wave Tuesday

NICOLA ANDERSSON

F

58:15

Wave Tuesday

KERSTIN WEINER

F

61:00

PH

HAZEL SMITH

F

61:06

Wave Tuesday

JAN FRY

F

61:57

Wave Tuesday

LINDA GEORGE

F

62:06

Wave Tuesday

CATHERINE CRAIG

F

65:24

Wave Tuesday added

DZENANA TOPIC

F

66:26

Hatfield 10K

MONICA SMITHSON

F

68:31

Saturday 17th July

ANGIE KEELING

F

70:00

Saturday 17th July

SHARON CROWLEY

F

75:02

Saturday 10th July

STEPHANIE BIGGAR

F

81:31

PH

SIMON JACKSON

M

35:07

Thursday 15th

ADRIAN BUSOLINI

M

35:34

Wave Tuesday

ANDREW PATTERSON

M

35:38

Thursday 15th

JONATHAN PARR

M

35:40

Hatfield 10K

DAN HUKIN

M

38:41

Thursday 15th

PAUL SHELLEY

M

41:03

Wave Tuesday added

STEVE WELLS

M

41:13

Wave Tuesday

ANDY VAUGHAN

M

41:32

Wave Tuesday

MATTHEW NEWTON

M

41:43

Wave Tuesday

STUART ARCHER

M

43:58

Wave Tuesday

BRIAN WHITE

M

44:01

Wave Tuesday

NICK GILL

M

44:05

Wave Tuesday

RONAN MAGUIRE

M

44:30

Wave Tuesday

PETE SMITH

M

44:48

Saturday 17th track

TODD GRAY

M

45:18

PH

DAVE PATTMAN

M

45:24

Wave Tuesday

BEN PEACHEY

M

47:11

PH

ANDY McGUINNESS

M

47:58

Hatfield 10K

DAN McALPINE

M

48:12

PH

STEVEN DOBNER

M

48:16

Wave Tuesday

MARK GOODWIN

M

48:18

Wave Tuesday

JON SYPULA

M

49:08

Wave Tuesday

CRAIG BACON

M

49:15

Saturday 17th July

LEE PICKERSGILL

M

49:27

Wave Tuesday

DARREN EMMERSON

M

49:41

Wave Tuesday

NIGEL STRONGITHARM

M

49:48

Wave Tuesday

MARTIN JACOB

M

50:48

Wave Tuesday

LUKE GURNEY

M

51:09

Wave Tuesday

JIM BROWN

M

52:20

Thursday 15th

ED HARE

M

52:33

Monday 12th

TIM ROBINSON

M

53:39

Wave Tuesday

MATT CLARKE

M

56:24

Wave Tuesday adj

MICHAEL ANDREWS

M

56:37

Wave Tuesday

DANIEL BATES

M

56:43

PH

KEN JUDE

M

57:37

Wave Tuesday

KARTIK SHARMA

M

59:26

Saturday 17th July

JONATHAN JONES

M

60:24

Hatfield 10K

PAUL HOLGATE

M

60:55

Wave Tuesday

SIMON SYPULA

M

61:01

Wave Tuesday

PAUL JENNINGS

M

61:19

PH

TAHER THARANI

M

66:54

Hatfield 10K

JOHN HARDING

M

70:00

Saturday 17th July

63 (21F and 42M)

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