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Club News Race Results

SPARTANS TAKEOVER STEVENAGE PARKRUN!

JANE WADEY not only co-ordinated the Fairlands Valley take-over of Saturday’s Stevenage parkrun but the all-time participation record was smashed.  643 completed the 5K run, more than fifty more than the previous record of 586 set four years ago before Covid. 

Fairlands Valley Spartans provided about 50 volunteers and 57 club members completed the event.  There were marshals, barcode scanners, timekeepers, pacers, tailwalkers, token sorters, all sorts of jobs being done and rewarded by a bumper attendance. 

Photo credit – Keith Fenwick

In the race there were 643 participants including 266 women; 92 first timers; 78 parkrun personal bests and the halfway through the field time was 29 minutes 48 seconds. 

Photo credit – Keith Fenwick

Spartan SIMON JACKSON was second overall in 17 minutes 15 seconds and ABI PEZ second woman in 21:08.  GRANT RAMSAY beat 20 minutes with 19:56, spot on task as he was the 20 minute pacer, and GABBIE O’BRIEN was a top ten woman at eighth with 23:44. 

MATT GIFFORD scored a new parkrun personal best of 20:30 and TAMSIN BROOKS of 46:37. 

Photo credit – Keith Fenwick

Tromso Polar Night Marathon 

On Saturday 6th January MIKE JEFFS took on the Tromso Polar night marathon in Norway. 

The route was 26.2 miles of gruelling weather and terrain all in the dark.  The temperature was -4 but with the wind it was around -9 degrees.  Coming into Tromso itself a blizzard struck with 33mph head winds making the last six miles a real slog. 

He was 21st in 3 hours 41 minutes 52 seconds. 

Mike said it was an amazing experience and definitely the toughest challenge of his life. 

Mike still smiling after 26.2 miles of snow, wind and freezing temperatures!

Ultra John Goes Country to Capital 

John NELMS ran the country to capital 43 mile ultra marathon on Saturday.  Starting in Wendover with 23 miles of muddy trails before hitting the grand union canal in Denham for 20 miles of towpath to the finish near Paddington station in central London.  This was John’s sixth time in this event and he finished in 9 hours 31 minutes. 

Welwyn Half Marathon 

Wendy Tharani ran the Welwyn Half Marathon in 2:08:22.  It was a fairly low key and friendly event, very well marshalled.  Out and back from the stadium at Gosling.  Sunny but quite cold!   

County Cross Country 

In the County Cross Country at St Albans LIZ CROWLEY was 80th in 56:14 and SHARON CROWLEY 86th in 1 hour and 19 seconds (1:00:19). 

Liz, Sharon and Annabelle who was running for her first claim club

Walt Disney World Marathon 

PAUL HOLGATE said the Walt Disney World Marathon was the perfect way to spend his Birthday.  It’s the fourth time his birthday and the marathon have been on the same day since 1/1/2000 and he was very pleased that his 6 hours 50 minutes 9 seconds (6:50:09) was seven minutes quicker than the last time (2018) and 1.5 hours quicker than my latest previous marathons in October (Snowdon/Eryri) and November (Steppingley). 

He was 10,250th out of the 12,694 finishers. 

Pauls wonderful medal!
Categories
Club News Race Results

COUNTY CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

Spartan JONATHAN PARR was a top ten finisher in Sunday’s Hertfordshire County Cross Country Championships for seniors (aged 20 and over).  Fifteen Fairlands Valley Spartans tackled the championships which were at Stanborough Park, Welwyn Garden City.   

Our County Men’s runners looking fresh before the race.

The county championships are a real step up in standard and this was a chance for Spartans to test themselves against many of the best in Hertfordshire. 

First the women went on an eight kilometres (about five miles) course.  NICOLA ANDERSSON was the fastest female from Fairlands with 43 minutes 38 seconds and in 53rd place.  Next came LINDA NOLAN 67th in 51:45.  SHARON CROWLEY came in 71st with 55:23; CATHY CRAIG 73rd with 57:23 and NIKKI NATION 74th in 60:43.  Women’s teams consisted of the four fastest runners. 

Our county lady runners having fun!

The men raced 11.25 kilometres (about seven miles) over five full laps.  Jonathan Parr came in eighth in 46 minutes 48 seconds.  Six men counted towards the team championships.  Despite missing some of their faster runners the Spartans men’s team were 13th

PAUL HEWETT was 58th in 53:45 and STUART ARCHER 69th in 55:16.  The other “counters” were JOHN HARRIS 90th in 58:57; MARK WILLIAMS 99th in 60:13 and MARTIN WOOD 111th in 63:25.  There were 127 finishers. 

A selection of the stripy men in action!

(Result tables towards the end of this release). 

There’s another opportunity to try cross country this weekend.  The league race at Watford on Sunday morning 16th January. 

Victoria Park Half 

Both GERRY ROSEN and ROB WRIGHT competed in the Victoria Park Half Marathon on Sunday.  Gerry said it wasn’t pretty. Rob helped get him round after a non existent few weeks running.  They both finished in 2 hours 39 minutes 26 seconds. 

Tony at the Essex Run Fest 

New member TONY RANDFIELD ran the 5K at the Essex Runfest at Carver Barracks, Debden near Saffron Walden.  He was fourth on chip time with 21 minutes 50 seconds and first in the men 60 plus category.  There were 27 finishers.  Tony said icy conditions prevented a really fast time but it is a flattish and fast course normally. 

Parkrun report for 8th January 

In this week’s roundup of Spartans on the Parkrun circuit, two Spartans get a top ten place finish at Stevenage – GRANT RAMSAY fifth in 19 minutes 35 seconds and DANNY SCANLON 10th in 20:10.  ASHLEY JOHNSON was third woman at Stevenage in a course PB (personal best) of 22:06.  STEVE WELLS just missed out on a sub-20 minute time at Poole.  

A few Spartans enjoying a damp Parkrun!

Stevenage Parkrun Results where 326 runners including 31 Spartans took part.   GRANT RAMSAY 19 minutes 35 seconds (5th), DANNY SCANLON 20-10 (10th), ASHLEY JOHNSON 22-06 (32nd and third female finisher, plus course PB), TONY RANDFIELD 22-52 (38th), SAM SIMMONS 24-13 (60th), HAZEL SMITH 24-14 (61st, 5th female and 1st in her age category), MARTIN DUDLEY 24-30 (70th), DARREN EMMERSON 24-40 (72nd), MARIAN MORLEY 26-23 (106th and course PB), NICK KLEANTHOUS 26-39 (111th), MATT CLARKE 26-55 (114th), LEE PICKERSGILL 27-21 (124th), NICOLA ANDERSSON 28-18 (138th), DEBBIE BLANTERN 28-46 (154th), GRACE COVENTRY 29-00 (167th), SUSAN MCANENY 29-08 (168th), ZOE JACKSON 29-08 (169th), JIM BROWN 29-30 (175th), MIKE REYNOLDS 29-32 (176th), CLAIRE EMMERSON 31-08 (212nd), DAVID SCOTT 31-08 (213th), CAROLE SHELDRICK 31-43 (224th), CAROLINE CROFT 31-46 (226th), CHARLOTTE KEARNEY 32-42 (240th), PAUL JENNINGS 32-59 (243rd), CALLIE CHAPMAN 34-11 (255th), MO WARRILLOW 39-39 (302nd), STEVEN DOBNER 48-48 (322nd), DAVID PATTMAN 48-48 (323rd) and ROGER BIGGS 49-42 (324th). 

Smiles and concentration all the way for the Spartans – was good to see some returning for the first time since injury.

Away days:  

Poole (Dorset): STEVE WELLS 20-08 (26th out of 508 runners).  Brockenhurst (Hampshire): DARRYL STEVENS 46-56 (124th out of 124th runners).    

Tables 

Hertfordshire Cross Country Championships 

Women (8 kilometres – 5 miles).  Teams of four. 

Position BiB Name Unofficial Time 
53 621 NICOLA ANDERSSON 43:38 
67 626 LINDA NOLAN 51:45 
71 623 SHARON CROWLEY 55:23 
73 622 CATHY CRAIG 57:23 
74 625 NIKKI NATION 60:43 

74 finishers 

Men (11.25 kilometres – 7 miles).  Teams of six. 

Position BiB Name Unofficial Time 
448 JON PARR 46:48 
58 444 PAUL HEWETT 53:45 
69 439 STUART ARCHER 55:16 
90 443 JOHN HARRIS 58:57 
99 454 MARK WILLIAMS 60:13 
111 455 MARTIN WOOD 63:25 
112 451 TOM SAUKA 64:08 
125 450 TIM ROBINSON 73:35 
126 446 ANDY JAY 73:54 
127 450 JONATHAN JONES 74:46 

127 finishers.  13th team.