Santa Canta

 

Many Spartans got into Christmas with Saturday’s Santa Canta at Letchworth on Saturday, a very festive occasion with lots of great costumes. The 5K run was around Norton Common.

RICHARD SPRINGALL was second in 19 minutes 32 seconds; JOHN HARRIS top ten with seventh in 20:29 and TIM SABAN 17^th in 22:19. YUKO GORDON was the fastest female from Fairlands Valley Spartans, she was 35^th in 24:45 with MADDIE PRITCHARD at 49^th in 24:45. ROSIE INGRAM was 57^th in 25:03.

LEE PICKERSGILL came in with 25:54 for 80^th. He was followed by KAREN PALMER, 28:01; ERICA GRAYSON 28:12; VICTORIA BRETT 28:56; CLAIRE HYDE 29:24; CAROLINE CROFT 29:59 and KAREN BROOM 31:49.

 

Two More Fives

Sunday’s Perivale Five was on a lovely course which ANN TRYSSESOONE covered in 39 minutes 24 seconds.

DAVE STEPHENSON ran the Victory Five, Portsmouth in 36:56 with TESSA STEPHENSON in 42:18.

 

Championship Update

With four weeks to go 234 different Spartans have at least one event completed in the short championships and 153 in the long championships.

SUZY HAWKINS leads both women’s long distance tables. In the open championship she has 68.3% compared with 63.1% for NICOLA KENNEDY; 61.4% for ISABEL GREEN; 57.2% for HAZEL SMITH just ahead of KERSTIN WEINER on 57.1%. The long distance championship consists of the three distances of 10 miles, half marathon, 20 miles and marathon.

Suzy also leads the age related championship. Her score is 70.9%. Just 0.04% separates CAROL PAUL second on 66.34% and NICOLA KENNEDY on 66.30%. JAN FRY, fourth, on 63.9% is just ahead of CATHY CRAIG on 63.8%. So far nineteen women have completed a full qualifying series in the long distance championships. There’s still for others to qualify.

ALISON WOOD leads the women’s short distance championship with an amazing 84.5%.

There are long and short distance championships for men and women. The presentations will be made at Fairlands Valley Spartans’ Annual Dinner, Presentation Evening and Dance on Friday 23^rd February.

 

Parkrun Highlights

There was a Spartan double at Stevenage parkrun as CALLUM STEWART was first male finisher in a new course personal best (PB) of 16 minutes 44 secondss and NATALIE LAWRENCE was first woman in 22:26. For the men NICK GILL just missed a top 10 position, finishing 11^th in 20:48 while VERITY FISHER was sixth woman in 23:21.

There was also a new course PB for CHANTAL O’FLAHERTY in 49:00.

 

Tables

Full Spartan results from the parkruns of 2^nd December 2017 were as follows:

parkrun	Pos	Gen	parkrunner	Time	Notes
Bedford	259	77	Michelle MARCHANT	00:32:58	First parkrun
Stevenage	1	1	Callum STEWART	00:16:44	New course PB, 1st man
Stevenage	11	11	Nick GILL	00:20:48
Stevenage	23	23	Martin DUDLEY	00:22:23
Stevenage	24	1	Natalie LAWRENCE	00:22:26	1st woman
Stevenage	31	29	Barry OSBORNE	00:22:48
Stevenage	33	30	Mark BEASLEY	00:22:55
Stevenage	40	6	Verity FISHER	00:23:21
Stevenage	43	36	Tim ROBINSON	00:23:42
Stevenage	85	68	James SOUTH	00:28:04
Stevenage	135	95	Paul HOLGATE	00:33:34
Stevenage	157	54	Chantal O’FLAHERTY	00:49:00	New course PB
Panshanger	204	80	Georgina GREEN	00:36:07
Panshanger	206	82	Isabel GREEN	00:36:08
Ellenbrook Fields	68	53	Michael O’KEEFE	00:29:20

 

Coming Events

Fairlands Valley Spartans will be going into the third race of the cross country series with their women 8^th out of the twenty teams – up from 12^th, and their men fourth, up from sixth after the first event. The race will be at Willian at 10a.m. on Sunday 17^th December.

Many Spartans will be enjoying a busy programme of races, social and training events over the next few weeks including:

 

• Spartans Christmas Party with an 80s theme on Friday 8^th December.
• Festive Five at Welwyn Garden City on Sunday 10^th December.
• Cross Country League at Willian on Sunday 17^th December.
• Witham Five on Tuesday 26^th December.
• Buntingford Year End 10 on Sunday 31^st December.
• New Year 10K in Hyde Park on Monday 1^st January 2018.
• County Cross Country Championships at Cassiobury Park on Sunday 7^th January.
• Cross Country League at Watford on Sunday 14^th January.
• Fred Hughes 10 miles including county championships at St. Albans on Sunday 21^st January.
• Southern Cross Country Championships on Saturday 27^th January.
• Watford Half Marathon inc. veteran championships on Sunday 4^th February.
• Bramley 20/10 (20 miles or 10 miles) on Sunday 11^th February.
• St Valentine’s 30K at Stamford on Sunday 11^th February.
• Cross Country League at Royston on Sunday 18^th February.
• Fairlands Valley Spartans Champions Night on Friday 23^rd February.
• Baldock Beast on Sunday 25^th February.
• Welwyn Half Marathon on Sunday 4^th March.
• Finchley 20 miles (including Herts County) on Sunday 18^th March.
• Oakley 20 miles on Sunday 18^th March.
• Orion 15 at Chingford (Epping Forest) on Saturday 24^th March.
• London Marathon on Sunday 22^nd April.
• Stirling Marathon on Sunday 29^th April.