Hundreds ran Sunday’s cross country league race in Fairlands Valley Park which was hosted by Fairlands Valley Spartans and 47 of the 445 running were Spartans. The club had three complete men’s teams and three complete women’s teams; and some runners to spare. Nineteen clubs competed.
Racing over three laps and about five muddy miles SIMON JACKSON led in the Spartan men in 30 minutes 40 seconds for 18th place overall. JON PARR was a few seconds behind in 30:53 with DAN McALPINE third at 24th in 31:04. All eight in the “A” team finished in the first one hundred in the race. The other five were ADRIAN BUSOLINI 34th in 32:01; KEITH COUGHLIN 37th in 32:06; PAUL HEWETT 50th in 32:43; STUART HAYCROFT 73rd man in 34:01 and GRANT RAMSAY 91st man in 35:05.
GAIL MACKIE was eighth woman and well up in the whole race coming in at 102nd in 35 minutes 19 seconds. MICHELLE REEVES was ninth woman in 35:45; SAM PRETTY 12th in 35:57; ALISON WOOD 15th in 36:24 and TANYA BRAZIER 23rd in 39:08 made up the rest of the five person women’s “A” team. They were second out of the nineteen “A” teams in the race and are second in the league after three of the five fixtures.
The Fairlands females “B” team were also second in their category with YUKO GORDON 26th in 39:59; TRACEY JACKSON 46th in 41:42; CLAIRE EMMERSON 50th in 42:01 and FIONA CLARKE 75th in 44:17 and ALISON SHELLEY 78th in 44:43.
The Spartan veteran women’s team won their event.
With a better turnout, thirty runners, the men improved to fifth “A” and fifth “B” team. They are now sixth in the league.
Parkrun Highlights 21st December 2019
36 Spartans ran in eight different Parkrun locations on Saturday. The fastest Spartan was Ella-May HARDS improving her personal best by 15 seconds to 19 minutes 22 seconds which got her first woman and eighth overall out of 212 at Blandford. Fastest male Spartan this week was Dean CARPENTER [19:25] who was sixth overall in Stevenage. Gail MACKIE [22:27] was fastest Fairlands female and the fourth lady running in Stevenage.
Two Spartans achieved Personal Best (PB) times, Nigel STRONGITHARM [23:36] in Stevenage and Mo WARRILLOW [25:27].
Special congratulations to Debbie BLANTERN [28:22] running her 50th Parkrun on her 50th birthday.
Merry Christmas from the Parkrun reporting team (Karen, Jane, Fiona and Neal)
(You can find all the Spartan parkrun results near the end of this release).
Coming Events
The Spartans are growing. At November 2019 FVS had 346 members, 177 women and 169 men – that’s more than the previous year.
Many Spartans will be enjoying a busy programme of races, social and training events over the next few weeks:
- Buntingford Year End ten miles on Sunday 29th December.
- New Year 10K in Hyde Park on Monday 1st January 2020.
- County Cross Country Championships in Stevenage on Sunday 5th January (enter by 11th December). Women 8K at `1230; men 12K at 1315.
- Cross Country League Race Four in Watford on Sunday 12th January.
- Fred Hughes Ten (10 mile race) on Sunday 19th January.
- Serpentine 5K in Hyde Park on Friday lunch-time 31st January.
- Watford Half Marathon on Sunday 2nd February.
- Cross Country League Race Five in Royston on Sunday 9th February.
- Bramley 20 miles on Sunday 16th February (entries are open).
- St Valentine’s 30K in Stamford on Sunday 16th February.
- Baldock Beast on Sunday 23rd February.
- FVS Champions Night and Dinner on Friday 28th February.
- Berkhamsted Half Marathon and Five on Sunday 1st March.
- Hillingdon 20 including Hertfordshire county championships on Sunday 8th March (entries are open).
- Bedford Autodrome 5K, 10K; Half; 16 miles; 20 miles and marathon on Sunday 22nd March.
- Victoria Park Five on Saturday 28th March.
- Oakley 20 on Sunday 29th March.
- Peterborough Marathon on Sunday 5th April.
- Maidenhead Easter Ten on Friday 10th April.
- The 2020 London Marathon is on Sunday 26th April.
- Bedford Spring Half Marathon on Saturday 16th May.
- Mid Week Road Race League in Stevenage (FVS) on Thursday 28th May.
- St Albans Half Marathon (and Stevenage Day) on Sunday 14th June.
Tables
Fairlands Valley Spartans Women (17 Spartans, 165 finished)
| Overall Pos. | Women. Pos. | Name | Time | Comments |
| 102 | 8 | GAIL MACKIE | 35:19 | “WA” team |
| 113 | 9 | MICHELLE REEVES | 35:45 | “WA” team |
| 121 | 12 | SAM PRETTY | 35:57 | “WA” team |
| 132 | 15 | ALISON WOOD | 36:24 | “WA” team |
| 180 | 23 | TANYA BRAZIER | 39:08 | “WA” team |
| 191 | 26 | YUKO GORDON | 39:59 | “WB” team |
| 241 | 46 | TRACEY JACKSON | 41:42 | “WB” team |
| 253 | 50 | CLAIRE EMMERSON | 42:01 | “WB” team |
| 302 | 75 | FIONA CLARKE | 44:17 | “WB” team |
| 309 | 78 | ALISON SHELLEY | 44:43 | “WB” team |
| 362 | 107 | WENDY THARANI | 46:54 | “WC” team |
| 398 | 132 | LIZ CROWLEY | 51:18 | “WC” team |
| 424 | 151 | LINDA NOLAN | 56:44 | “WC” team |
| 426 | 152 | JANE WHITROW | 57:57 | “WC” team |
| 433 | 157 | HAYLEY YENDELL | 60:29 | “WC” team |
| 434 | 158 | TONI NICHOLS | 60:32 | |
| 435 | 159 | NICOLA HATHERLY | 60:32 |
Fairlands Valley Spartans first eight men (30 Spartans, 280 finished)
| Position | Men | Name | Time# | Comments |
| 18 | 18 | SIMON JACKSON | 30:41 | “MA” team |
| 20 | 20 | JON PARR | 30:53 | “MA” team |
| 24 | 24 | DAN McALPINE | 31:05 | “MA” team |
| 34 | 34 | ADRIAN BUSOLINI | 32:01 | “MA” team |
| 37 | 37 | KEITH COUGHLIN | 32:06 | “MA” team |
| 50 | 50 | PAUL HEWETT | 32:43 | “MA” team |
| 75 | 73 | STUART HAYCROFT | 34:01 | “MA” team |
| 97 | 91 | GRANT RAMSAY | 35:05 | “MA” team |
# = Gun to finish times.
Parkrun Results Saturday 21st December
| Parkrun | Pos | Gen | Parkrunner | Time | Note |
| Blandford | 8 | 1 | Ella-May HARDS | 19:22 | 15 sec PR PB |
| Stevenage | 6 | 6 | Dean CARPENTER | 00:19:25 | |
| Stevenage | 8 | 8 | Martin BLACKBURN | 00:19:49 | |
| Stevenage | 31 | 4 | Gail MACKIE | 00:22:27 | |
| Stevenage | 32 | 28 | Toby ECCLESHALL | 00:22:28 | 75 PR |
| St Albans | 65 | 63 | Luke VINCENT | 00:22:33 | |
| Letchworth | 6 | 6 | John HARRIS | 00:22:51 | |
| Teignmouth Promenade | 29 | 27 | Daniel SUTTON | 00:22:54 | |
| Stevenage | 49 | 41 | Nigel STRONGITHARM | 00:23:36 | PB |
| Ellenbrook Fields | 33 | 2 | Grace BROWN | 00:23:53 | |
| Teignmouth Promenade | 52 | 11 | Verity FISHER | 00:24:27 | |
| Stevenage | 92 | 77 | David PATTMAN | 00:25:56 | |
| Stevenage | 93 | 78 | Matt CLARKE | 00:25:56 | |
| Stevenage | 94 | 16 | Mo WARRILLOW | 00:25:57 | 125 PR & PB |
| Stevenage | 96 | 80 | Steven DOBNER | 00:26:03 | |
| Stevenage | 100 | 84 | Jonathan JONES | 00:26:12 | |
| Stevenage | 130 | 108 | Luke GURNEY | 00:27:44 | |
| Stevenage | 142 | 26 | Fiona CLARKE | 00:28:11 | |
| Stevenage | 143 | 27 | Alison SHELLEY | 00:28:12 | |
| Stevenage | 144 | 117 | James NICHOLLS | 00:28:13 | |
| Stevenage | 147 | 29 | Debbie BLANTERN | 00:28:22 | 50th PR |
| Stevenage | 148 | 119 | Tim ROBINSON | 00:28:23 | |
| Stevenage | 152 | 122 | Ken JUDE | 00:28:43 | |
| Stevenage | 166 | 35 | Sofia CARPENTER | 00:29:39 | |
| Stevenage | 179 | 138 | Jim BROWN | 00:30:07 | |
| Stevenage | 185 | 46 | Penny SCHENKEL | 00:30:21 | |
| Stevenage | 188 | 48 | Ada JANUSIENE | 00:30:38 | |
| Stevenage | 196 | 52 | Karen PALMER | 00:30:54 | |
| Panshanger | 198 | 52 | Jane WHITROW | 00:33:40 | |
| Stevenage | 237 | 74 | Callie CHAPMAN | 00:33:55 | |
| Stevenage | 238 | 75 | Hazel SMITH | 00:33:55 | |
| Stevenage | 239 | 76 | Tracy STILES | 00:33:57 | |
| Stevenage | 246 | 80 | Chloe CHAPMAN | 00:34:17 | |
| Stevenage | 270 | 177 | Roger BIGGS | 00:37:05 | |
| Milton Keynes | 519 | 362 | Graham HILL | 00:39:40 | |
| Stevenage | 302 | 117 | Hazel JONES | 00:54:45 |