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SEVENTY SIX SPARTANS RACED WEDNESDAY

Fourteen at Edinburgh Marathon Festival * Plus reports from Noosa, Serpentine, Dorchester, the Northwood Duathlon, Todmorden Boundary Walk, and your weekly parkrun roundup.

 

Greater participation meant Fairlands Valley Spartans moved up in the second Mid Week Road Race League event of the season.  They finished second overall on the night as 76 Spartans, 32 women and 44 men, were among 390 runners racing round Fairlands Valley Park on Wednesday evening.  So far the club have had 99 different participants across the two races so far.  One more 39 minute male runner or one more sub 45 female would have been enough to secure 16 points overall after the two races, equal with Bishop Stortford – that is how tight runner-up spot is this year and why it is so important to get out as many runners as possible for the remaining two scoring fixtures.

The warm evening affected several runners but CRAIG HALSEY raced round the almost 10K two lap race in just 34 minutes 20 seconds to be second overall in a competitive field.  Altogether 59 runners beat the 40 minute barrier despite the undulations, turns and heat.

ANDREW PATTERSON, sixth in 35:29 and SIMON JACKSON, eighth in 35:40 also scored top ten places.  GRANT RAMSAY 12th in 35:48; STEFFAN FORD 15th in 36:24; BRIAN BRACKSTONE 22nd in 37:10; CIARAN McANERY, 27th in 37:52; MIKE GREEN, 36th in 38:25; PAUL HEWETT, 43rd in 38:41; RICHARD SPRINGALL, 53rd in 39:37; and BRIAN WHITE, 57th and first runner aged 60 plus in 39:43 all beat forty minutes and together with STUART HAYCROFT, 76th in 41:06 completed the Spartan men’s “A” team

The Spartan women were third led in by SUZY HAWKINS, fourth in 43:44 and NUALA CARSON, sixth woman in 44:04.  The other four, women’s teams consist of six runners in division two, in the club’s “A” team were CLAIRE PULLEN third FV45 in 46:03; ISABEL GREEN in 47:15; JULIET FULLWOOD in 49:07 and CLAIRE EMMERSON 49:25.

There were also some great performances in the women’s “B” team with RUTH REILLY 50:11; VERITY FISHER 50:57; LAUREN DEIGHTON 51:01; KAREN ELLIS 52:42; SUSAN McANERY 52:40 and LISA GRAY 53:53.

Spartan results and stats follow.

Race Name Time Comments
2 CRAIG HALSEY 34:20 Second Overall.  FVS “A”
6 ANDREW PATTERSON 35:29 Sixth Overall.  FVS “A”
8 SIMON JACKSON 35:40 4MV40.  FVS “A”
12 GRANT RAMSAY 35:48 5MV40.  FVS “A”
15 STEFFAN FORD 36:24 6MV40.  FVS “A”
22 BRIAN BRACKSTONE 37:10 8MV40.  FVS “A”
27 CIARAN MCANERY 37:52 FVS “A”
36 MIKE GREEN 38:25 FVS “A”
43 PAUL HEWETT 38:41 FVS “A”
53 RICHARD SPRINGALL 39:37 FVS “A”
57 BRIAN WHITE 39:43 First MV60.  FVS “A”
76 STUART HAYCROFT 41:06 FVS “A”
80 TIM SABAN 41:08 5MV50.  FVS “B”
89 DEAN CARPENTER 42:14 FVS “B”
90 TODD GRAY 42:16 FVS “B”
101 DAVID BOWKER 43:07 FVS “B”
104 MIKE WENN 43:22 FVS “B”
111 SUZY HAWKINS 43:44 4th woman.  FVS “FA”
115 NUALA CARSON 44:04 6th woman.  FVS “FA”
125 LIAM HERBERT 44:49 FVS “B”
130 ELLIOTT THOMPSON 45:04 FVS “B”
138 MARK GOODWIN 45:26 FVS “B”
141 DARREN EMMERSON 45:45 FVS “B”
140 PAUL BATTERBEE 45:42 FVS “B”
152 CLAIRE PULLEN 46:03 3rd FV45.  FVS “FA”
178 ISABEL GREEN 47:15 FVS “FA”
184 ROBERT EVANS 47:52 FVS “B”
191 GARETH COWELL 48:08 FVS “B”
195 MARTIN DUDLEY 48:22 FVS “C”
199 MARK BEASLEY 48:29 FVS “C”
201 PAUL MAGUIRE 48:33 FVS “C”
202 NEIL ROBINSON 48:41 FVS “C”
211 JULIET FULLWOOD 49:07 FVS “FA”
213 JAMES KILROY 49:11 FVS “C”
218 CLAIRE EMMERSON 49:25 9th FV45.  FVS “FA”
225 GREG KELLY 49:54 FVS “C”
230 TIM ROBINSON 50:10 FVS “C”
231 RUTH REILLY 50:11 FVS “FB”
238 JIM BROWN 50:20 6MV60.  FVS “C”
243 VERITY FISHER 50:57 FVS “FB”
247 LAUREN DEIGHTON 51:01 FVS “FB”
259 LEE PICKERSGILL 52:04 FVS “C”
264 ANDY JAY 52:39 FVS “C”
266 KAREN ELLIS 52:42 FVS “FB”
267 SUSAN MCANERY 52:40 FVS “FB”
278 LISA GRAY 53:53 FVS “FB”
285 CAROL PAUL 54:36 2FV55.  FVS “FC”
290 ANDY SMITH 55:07 FVS “C”
291 PETE SMITH 55:09 FVS “C”
292 NICK GILL 55:12
295 KARTIK SHARMA 55:25
306 ALICE BURLEIGH 56:13
307 CALLIE CHAPMAN 56:32 FVS “FC”
309 JULIE SHADBOLT 56:19 FVS “FC”
310 SARAH PIKE 56:19 FVS “FC”
316 CALLUM BEASLEY 56:59
318 TANYA BRAZIER 57:02 FVS “FC”
319 JOANNE BOWDERY 57:04 FVS “FC”
323 CAROLINE CROFT 57:26 FVS “FD”
324 JOHN NELMS 57:34
328 KARL SHREEVE 58:15
334 PAUL HOLGATE 58:23
340 JENNY PAUL 59:15 FVS “FD”
345 MICK ANDREWS 59:44
351 SHARON CROWLEY 59:55 7FV55.  FVS “FD”
354 LISA SMITH 59:30 FVS “FD”
356 MONICA SMITHSON 1:00:00 FVS “FD”
364 JULIA WHITE 1:01:50 FVS “FD”
366 STEPHANIE MAYFIELD 1:01:53
367 SHELLEY DUNNE 1:02:09
370 DIANE RESKER 1:03:53
378 STEVE GOUGH 1:06:09
379 ALEXANDRA WHITEHOUSE 1:06:00
385 SHANI HUNT 1:10:52
389 CAREN THAIN 1:15:30
390 EMMA POULTER 1:17:51

 

There were 390 runners in the race, 139 women and 251 men.  The next league race will be in Hitchin on Wednesday 14th June.

 

Edinburgh Marathon Festival (EMF)

ERICA GRAYSON is a very happy Spartan.  She has run three marathons in eleven weeks and all of them have been personal bests.  Despite the heat in Edinburgh and East Lothian she finished in 4 hours 37 minutes 58 seconds.  That’s the same time as SUE HAMER who also recorded a new PB.

The Spartans fastest finisher was NATALIE LAWRENCE 264th overall out of thousands of runners and in with a shout of a championship place at next year’s London Marathon with her time of 3:15:05, only fifteen weeks after giving birth.

LIAM HERBERT was not far behind with 3:15:55 and 271st.

KERSTIN WEINER took half a minute off her London personal best with 3:56:44.  She said it was definitely was a race of two halves and one of the toughest races she’s ever run but pleased with her result.

Despite stopping to help a runner in trouble MOLLIE SMITH finished with 4:14:40.

It was VICTORIA BRETT’s first marathon and she was very happy with her time of 4:54:51 as it was pretty tough.  JON SYPULA’s time was 4:31:32 while mother and daughter JAN FRY and HANNAH SYPULA finished together in 5:50:13.

In the half marathon the fast improving HAZEL SMITH recorded a massive 16 minutes half marathon PB to finish in 1 hour 48 minutes 27 seconds.

PETE SMITH raced round the half in 1:33:04.  JENNY GARRETT came in with 2:00:45 and KAREN SMITH with 2:31:21.

Edinburgh Marathon – Spartan Times

Position Name Time Comments
264 NATALIE LAWRENCE 3:15:05 London Possible
271 LIAM HERBERT 3:15:55  
1576 KERSTIN WEINER 3:56:44 PB (30 seconds)
2434 MOLLIE SMITH 4:14:40  
3323 JON SYPULA 4:31:32  
3630 SUE HAMER 4:37:58 PB
3631 ERICA GRAYSON 4:37:58 PB
4383 VICTORIA BRETT 4:54:51 First marathon
5742 HANNAH SYPULA 5:50:13 Daughter
5743 JAN FRY 5:50:13 Mother

 

Edinburgh Half – Spartan times

 

Position Name Time Comments
400 PETER SMITH 1:33:04  
1737 HAZEL SMITH 1:48:27 PB (16 minutes)
3678 JENNY GARRETT 2:00:45  
7765 KAREN SMITH 2:31:21  

 

Noosa Half Marathon

PETER CARPENTER was easily the Spartan racing the furthest from home on Sunday.  He ran the Noosa Half Marathon, his first ever half marathon, in Queensland Australia.  Peter was third in the 70 plus category with 2 hours 32 minutes 19 seconds, pointing out that he beat 45 runners who were much younger than him.  Peter pointed out it was pleasantly warm in their winter.

 

Serpentine

JIM BROWN had recovered well enough from the Stirling Marathon and Wednesday’s midweek league race to get third in his category at the Last Friday of the Month 5K race with 24 minutes 30 seconds.  It was hot and sunny for the lunch-time run round the Serpentine.  Jim was 172nd out of the 228 finishers.

 

Hercules Festival of Sport, Northwood

BRIAN WHITE was fourth and first veteran 60 plus in the Hercules Festival of Sport duathlon at Northwood.  Over the standard duathlon distances of 10K, 40K and 5K his time was 2 hours 25 minutes 59 seconds (splits 40.01, 1.23.04, 20.26)

 

Dorchester Marathon – Sunday, 28th May 2017

Roger Biggs travelled to the County Town of Dorset for the inaugural Dorchester Marathon.

Conditions were warm and humid, and of course Dorset is one of the hiller places to run a marathon. Roger was pleased to run faster than his previous marathon in a time of 5:03:51.

 

Parkrun Reports

Eighteen Spartans turned out in Fairlands Valley on the first birthday of the Stevenage parkrun, in thundery wet and humid conditions.  Starting in torrential rain MIKE GREEN raced round in a new course PB (personal best) of 18 mins 24 secs to be first male finisher, NICK GILL in 29th (22:16), MARTIN DUDLEY (22:50) and DANIEL SUTTON (23:12) were the next Spartan men to cross the line.  There was also new course PB for STEVEN DOBNER (30:03)

PENNY SCHENKEL was first Spartan woman, and tenth overall, in a new course PB of 26:58, followed closely in 11th by CAROL PAUL (27:08). VERITY FISHER (30:05) and SALLY PHILLIPS (30:16) were next to finish, Sally also achieving a new best time on this course.

The other Spartans running were MARK BEASLEY (23:39), DARREN EMMERSON (24:46), CHRIS HOLLAND (25:01), JIM BROWN first 60 plus (26:56), JOHN MCCALL (29:03), ROGER BIGGS (29:04), SELVAN NAICKER (32:27), ELLA GOWER (34:06), ROBERT EVANS (38:32) and KAREN BROOM (1:02:45 on tail-running duty).

BARRY OSBORNE and TIM ROBINSON went to Ellenbrook Fields, Barry finishing 8th in a new course PB of 20:01 and Tim crossing the line in 36:41.  Meanwhile JOHN ROXBOROUGH was at Hatfield Forest, also running a new course best of 23:15.

Furthest traveller of the week was ISABEL GREEN who was 15th woman at Newcastle in 22:44 for another new course PB.

 

Todmorden Boundary Walk

Whilst amazing times were coming from a warm Edinburgh Marathon and half, Sharon and Mike Crowley took on a damp, drizzly and cloudy 22 miles in the Pennines, taking part in the Todmorden Boundary walk.  With flags to mark the way, there was no map reading required.  Sometimes in the mist it was sometimes difficult to see the next flag on the way across the moors.  They finished in a time of 6:42:23.

 

Coming Events

Many Spartans will be enjoying a busy programme of races, social and training events over the next few weeks.  The opportunities include the County 1500 and other track championships in Stevenage on Monday 1st May.  Others are:

  • EMAC Track and Field at Cambridge on Wednesday 7th June.
  • Third Mid Week Road Race League in Hitchin on Wednesday 14th June.
  • Herts Veteran 10K Championships at Welwyn on Sunday 25th June.
  • Fourth Mid Week Road Race League from Ridlins on Wednesday 28th June.
  • Serpentine 5K on Friday 30th June.
  • EMAC Track and Field at Milton Keynes on Wednesday 5th July.
  • Mob Match at Welwyn Garden City on Thursday 13th July.
  • Fairlands Valley Challenge from Stevenage on 15th and 16th July
  • EMAC Track and Field at Stevenage on Wednesday 26th July.
  • Fairlands Valley Relays in Stevenage on Thursday 27th July.
  • Herts Senior 5K Championships at Hatfield on Wednesday 30th August.
  • Herts Veteran 5K Championships at Hatfield on Wednesday 13th September.
  • Herts Senior 10K Championships at Standalone on Sunday 1st October.
  • Peterborough Half Marathon on Sunday 8th October.
  • Stevenage Half Marathon on Sunday 22nd October.
  • St Neots Half Marathon on Sunday 19th November.  Enter fast.
  • Hertfordshire Five Mile Championship for Veterans at Hatfield on Sunday 26th Nov.
  • Bass Belle 10 near Royston on Sunday 26th November.

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