Fairlands Valley Spartans’ MADDIE PRITCHARD won the Hertfordshire County Championship for senior women and beat the female stadium record for Sandy track when she won her GOLD medal in 41 minutes 43.7 seconds on Thursday evening. She also broke the Spartans women’s track record by more than seven minutes.
JIM BROWN “time trialled” round the 25 laps to win the GOLD for veterans (60 plus) in 49 minutes 22 seconds. In 2014 he has won County Gold medals for 1500; 5000 and 10000 metres on the track.
Also at the Biggleswade Track Fest ANDY NEATHAM led the 3,000 metres led all the way only to lose out on the last lap but he ran a new male veteran (45 plus) club record of 9 minutes 52.8 seconds.
JOHN HARRIS was running his first outdoor race of the year in the 3K.
Race For Life
Dozens of Fairlands Valley Spartans helped ensure Sunday’s Race for Life 5K and 10K races were a great success. Lots more Spartans were able to run. In particular CAREN BRIDGMAN and LINDSAY WALLBANK said they could not even run one mile this time last year but after training with the Spartans both finished the 10K race in under one hour.
Junior Spartan SOFIA CARPENTER finished fourth overall in the 5K with a new personal best of exactly 24 minutes, knocking 23 seconds off her previous PB.
ABI PEZ did the 5k and raised nearly ÂŁ250. She did 28 mins 40 seconds.
Both Sofia and Abi raised over ÂŁ200 for Cancer Research.
There were about 2,500 women in either the 5K or 10K events.
Bowker’s Back on Track
DAVE BOWKER represented Hertfordshire in the Senior South East Inter County Match on Sunday. The event took place in the Mile End Stadium in East London. Dave was the “A” athlete in the 3000 metres walk and finished sixth in 17 minutes 34 seconds.
GRANT RAMSAY was 7th in the 3,000 metres steeplechase in 11 minutes 6 seconds.
The match was between eight counties. Hertfordshire finished fifth overall.
British 10K
MEGAN TAYLOR ran the British 10K London today for Help for Heroes and said it was brilliant, the atmosphere was fabulous.
Megan was 1,739 out of more than 20,000 runners in 58 minutes 20 seconds. KARK CLARK was 1,869th in 59:58.
Stratford Grand Union Canal Ultra
On Sunday CAROL PAUL ran the Stratford upon Avon Grand Union Canal Ultra Marathon. Starting from Stratford upon Avon cricket club the race was over 29 miles. The course went up alongside the Stratford upon Avon canal to Kingswood where it turned on to the grand union canal for a couple of miles and then the course did a u turn and came back on itself, went back to Kingswood and then Stratford upon Avon cricket club. Carol completed the race in 7 hours 1 minute 44 seconds.
Grant and Helen Lead Spartans In
GRANT RAMSAY was first veteran runner on the night and emphatically confirmed his win in the four race Mid Week League series. It was a beautiful evening for the last counting event in this year’s series of races which was held on a new partly off road course in St. Albans.
Grant was first of the 48 Spartans taking part and eighth overall with his time of 34 minutes 34 seconds. HELEN NUTTALL was fastest female for Fairlands Valley. She was fourth senior woman in 42 minutes 4 seconds. Nineteen women were racing for the club.
Some of the other leading men were ANDY NEATHAM, 26th in 36:58; ANDY PATTERSON, 29th in 37:03; IAN YENNEY, 39th in 37:59; DAVIE STAFFORD, 85th in a new personal best of 40:59; TODD GRAY, 96th in 41:47; STEVE GREEN, 99th in 41:54; GRAHAM BLACKBURN, 101st in 41:59; MATT GILL, 112th in a new personal best of 42:49; BERNIE BARNABY, 124th in 43:41; MARK GOODWIN, 141st in 45:00 and ANDREW JORDAN, 162nd in 46:36.
TRACY PEZ, 134th in 44:20; JENNY BIRKIN, 156th in 46:15; ISABEL GREEN, 196th in 48:57; HAZEL CLARK, 217th in 50:19; HAYLEY FAULKNER, 235th in 52:16; KERSTIN WEINER, 237th in 52:43 and KAREN ELLIS, 243rd in 53:12 were chasing Helen Nuttall for the women.
JIM BROWN ran a new season’s best of 47 minutes 42 seconds.
Race Name Time Comments
8 Grant Ramsay 34:34 1st veteran
26 Andy Neatham 36:58 7th veteran
29 Andy Patterson 37:03
39 Ian Yenney 37:59
85 Davie Stafford 40:59 Personal Best (PB)
96 Todd Gray 41:47
99 Steve Green 41:54
101 Graham Blackburn 41:59
103 Helen Nuttall (F) 42:04 4th senior
112 Matt Gill 42:49 Personal Best (PB)
124 Bernie Barnaby 43:41
134 Tracy Pez (F) 44:20 6th FV35
141 Mark Goodwin 45:00
156 Jenny Birkin (F) 46:15
162 Andrew Jordan 46:36
165 Paul Maguire 46:42
168 Andy Churn 46:58
169 Ryan Dunning 47:00
172 Jon Sypula 47:14
178 Jim Brown 47:42 Season’s Best (SB)
179 Barry Osborne 47:44
180 Vishal Shah 47:59
196 Isabel Green (F) 48:57
216 Karl Clark 50:11
217 Hazel Clark (F) 50:19
221 Dyfed Thomson-Smith 50:46
226 Mark Cheadle 51:15
227 Andy Prior 51:17
228 Chris Holland 51:20
235 Hayley Faulkner (F) 52:16
237 Kerstin Weiner (F) 52:43
243 Karen Ellis (F) 53:12
246 Jeanette Collins (F) 53:50
254 Rob Shaw 55:02
255 Megan Taylor (F) 55:12
256 Maria Thorne (F) 55:18
261 Paul Holgate 55:46
262 Nick Witcombe 56:00
271 Felicity Evans (F) 56:49
275 Sue Harmer (F) 57:25
284 Caren Bridgman (F) 58:27
285 David Peach 58:40
286 Penny Armstrong (F) 58:43
287 Julie Shadbolt (F) 58:45
289 Lorraine Thomas (F) 59:01
302 Jan Fry(F) 1:01:43
305 Anne-Marie Neatham (F) 1:02:13
307 Peter Carpenter 1:03:04
Waterford Marathon – Saturday, 28th June 2014 Roger Biggs trekked down to Waterford, the City known for its Crystal, in the South East of Ireland.
It was a warm but not oppressive day for a marathon. The course took in quite a lot of the city, then headed South to the coastal town of Tramore and back.
Still nursing an Achilles injury, Roger was pleased to finish in 4:58:17, his best of 2014.
Roger has now completed a marathon in 83 out of the 109 different counties in the UK & Ireland.
First Saturday
Spartan JOHN HARRIS was sixth in Saturday’s North Herts 5K race in Norton, Letchworth with a time of 20 minutes 18 seconds. MADDIE PRITCHARD was 11th and first woman in 21 minutes 9 seconds.
Newark Parkrun
DANIEL BATES did the Newark Parkrun on his way up to Scotland.
He came 13th out of the 147 runners with a time of 21 minutes 43 seconds.
Coming Events
Many Spartans will be enjoying a busy programme of races, social and training events over the next few weeks including the:
• Mid Week Mob Match (10K) in Welwyn Garden City on Thursday 17th July
• Serpentine 5K on Friday 18th July (Note not 25th).
• Marathon Clinic at Stevenage Central Library from 4.45p.m. on Wednesday 16th July.
• Fairlands Off Road Challenge in Stevenage on Sunday 20th July
• Relays in the Park in Stevenage on Thursday 31st July
• Handicap 5K in Stevenage on Thursday 14th August.
• Handicap 5K in Stevenage on Thursday 18th September.
• County 5K Veteran Championship in Hatfield on Wednesday 24th September
• Spartans Fall Ball in Stevenage on Friday 26th September
• County 5K Senior Championship in Hatfield on Wednesday 8th October
• Stevenage Marathon and Half Marathon on Sunday 2nd November
Join The SpartansLive 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 9.30a.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 done very much running yet might prefer to start with a Thursday, Saturday or Monday session.
Try a few sessions before joining. Membership is only ÂŁ35 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.
If you want to know more about the Spartans please contact Jim Brown (0793 968 7509), Vivienne Honey 07702 846304 or visit their website www.fvspartans.org.uk
E N D S
More from Jim Brown (Press Officer) 0793 968 7509 or Vivienne Honey (Secretary) 07702 846304
www.fvspartans.org.uk