Spartans ANDREW PATTERSON and ADRIAN BUSOLINI took part in the Reunion 5K on Saturday. This was one of the pilot events in the government’s Events Research Programmes, organised to provide scientific data for the government on how mass-participation events can resume safely from June.
It was held at Kempton Racecourse in Surrey. The weather was horrid on the drive down but held up for the race.
There were two races and Andrew took part in the first one, Adrian was in the second. Â There were some differences in the way the two races were organised.
Runners started the first race side by side with another runner two metres apart. The pairs went off every couple of seconds.  Andrew set off in the 12th pairing.  The course was flat and reasonably fast.  The only tricky part was from 3.5k to 4.5k where it went from tarmac to trail.  He managed to keep to pace over these five furlongs and then manage to make up a few more places to finish third across the finish line with the second best time in the race.  His time was 15:58, which was a Personal Best (PB) by 40 seconds!  Andy said it was great to be racing and hopefully helping to demonstrate that mass participation events can return.  Fingers crossed!
ADRIAN BUSOLINI was in the second race and finished in 17 minutes 32 seconds.
Two In Kew
SAM SIMMONS and FIONA CLARKE ran the Kew Gardens 10K on Sunday.
Fiona said the race was completely within Kew Gardens on its tarmac paths, meandering around the greenhouses and exhibits but we did get to see the insides during the race. Â There were no spectators allowed which meant the atmosphere was slightly lacking but the race was very well organised.
Sam finished in an impressive 43 minutes 9 second his previous PB (personal best) by over two minutes. Â Fiona completed the race in 51:34.
Then they did another 6k cool down on the Thames towpath watching the rowing boats go by. Â All in all, a great morning out.
Racing Round England
As lock down eases a little more PENNY SCHENKEL is potentially only a day’s cycle ride from the finish line in the Spartans virtual race around the coasts and borders of England. She has run, walked or cycled 2,834 of the 2,970 kilometres and is closing in on Bristol.
In second place JIM BROWN is by the River Ribble in Penwortham, Preston with 2,424 kilometres or 82% of the event done.
BRIAN WHITE is through 2,000 kilometres and at Scot’s Gap not far from Hadrian’s Wall
SHARON CROWLEY, fourth, has reached the seagulls, dogs, ice cream and fantastic views at Whitby with 1899 kilometres done. KEN JUDE 1538 and CATHY CRAIG 1439 are both in Norfolk while HAZEL SMITH, seventh is at the most easterly point of England just north of Lowestoft.
The virtual event started in Bristol and is following the coasts and borders of England in an anti-clockwise direction. The team total for all fourteen Spartans is 20,813 kilometres.
| Bib no. | New | Last Week | Participant | Location |
| 120 | 2834.6 | 2726.6 | Penny Schenkel | Severn Valley |
| 118 | 2424.07 | 2279.02 | Jim Brown | Penwortham, Preston |
| 115 | 2077.8 | 1983.8 | Brian White | Scot’s Gap |
| 99 | 1899.1 | 1815.0 | Sharon Crowley | Whitby, Yorkshire |
| 108 | 1537.9 | 1424.1 | Ken Jude | Hunstanton, Norfolk |
| 110 | 1439.1 | 1377.9 | Cathy Craig | Hemsby, Norfolk |
| 128 | 1414.9 | 1372.0 | Hazel Smith | Most easterly point, Lowestoft |
| 98 | 1332.2 | 1209.9 | Jon Sypula | Felixstowe |
| 100 | 1190.6 | 1190.6 | Liz Crowley | Gillingham, Kent |
| 102 | 1248.5 | 1179.6 | Paul Holgate | UP ONE. South Woodham Ferrers |
| 113 | 951.2 | 929.0 | Liz Carvell | Shoreham-by-Sea |
| 109 | 909.2 | 883.4 | Tracy Pez | Approaching Bognor Regis |
| 136 | 863.5 | 805.2 | Wendy Tharani | Fareham, Hampshire |
| 114 | 690.2 | 646.4 | Lee Pickersgill | Charmouth |
Country to Capital
Recently Spartan JOHN HARRIS ran the Country to Capital 43 mile race with a time of 6 hours 52 minutes 1 second. Country to Capital is a 43 mile point to point Ultra Marathon starting at the Chiltern Way Academy, Church Lane in Wendover and finishing at the Waterside Cafe in the Little Venice Canal basin close to London’s Paddington station.  The route is a mix of country trails and canal towpath. John was 66th. There were 197 finishers.
Fly 5K Number 52
Five Spartans raced in Saturday morning’s damp Fly 5K, the 52nd running of the virtual event. Damp but not unpleasant.
JIM BROWN, in real life running round Fairlands Valley Park, got in the top one hundred at 94th with 26 minutes 2 seconds which was good enough for second place in his category.
Next was JAMES McSWEENEY at 113th in 26:55. NICK KLEANTHOUS was 144th in 28:32. PENNY SCHENKEL ran her 25th Fly 5K in exactly 30 minutes for 162nd. PAUL HOLGATE was 187th in 31:44. There were 230 finishers.
The Saturday morning virtual Fly races started during the first lock down to help keep people active.
(Not) Parkrun
In addition to those using the same effort to record Fly 5K times on Friday NICK KLEANTHOUS ran a (not) Parkrun in 27:35
(Not) Parkruns can be run on any day of the week.