Herts Veteran Cross Country - Fairlands Valley Spartans

The 20s are coming. Why are 20 mile races popular at this time of year? Great preparation for a Spring marathon.

Fairlands Valley Spartans had five finishers in Sunday’s Essex 20. It was dry, flat but windy at the Debden Airfield and ANDY PRIOR was 270^th in 2:46:56; KERSTIN PRIOR 345^th in 3:01:47; SIMON HAIGH 348^th in 3:02:39; JIM BROWN 388^th in a season’s best 3:12:12 and CHARLES ARNOLD 391^st in 3:13:22.

Andy said “Myself and Kerstin took on the ATW Essex 20 in our build up to Spring Marathons. Initially the sun was out and everything looked rosy, then the wind picked up and it became really hard work to get the job done.”

This was the first 20 mile race they have ever run.

Realistically said Jim I would have been more than happy with 3 hours 20 minutes, or 200 minutes equivalent to ten minute miling, so 3:12:12 and faster than last year, giving a season’s best by 3 minutes 11 seconds was great. In fact, in metric, it was a little bit better than six minutes per kilometre. Considering sometimes I can’t beat 30 minutes for a parkrun…..

Altogether there was a total of 509 finishers.

Some other 20s coming up fast include the Hertfordshire County 20 mile Championships included in the Hillingdon 20 on 22^nd March and the Oakley 20 on 29^th March. Fairlands Valley Spartans have a 20 mile club training run on 5^th April.

Barcelona!

And getting in fast with those Spring Marathons Spartan KRISTIAN ATANASOV was sub-three hours in the Barcelona Marathon. A bit windy but he finished in 2 hours 56 minutes 22 seconds for 1,706^th in a race that sold all 32,00 places.

Hertfordshire Veterans Cross Country

Four Spartans made a return trip to Cassiobury Park, Watford. This time for the Hertfordshire County Cross Country Championships for veteran runners.

Men ran 9,600 metres (about six miles) and women 7,000 metres.

Stephen Massey was 23^rd in the men’s race in 50 minutes 47 seconds. In the women’s event Jayne Riddell was 41^st in 40:28; Sharon Crowley 48^th in 43:56 and Callie Chapman 52^nd in 48:15.

Olympic Park 5K

MARTYN DOWLING ran alongside his 13 year old daughter Amelie in her first ever proper 5K race. This was at a RunThrough event in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Amelie got a fantastic time of 26:30. Next generation of Spartan in training😊

Martyn finished in 26:35. Both were third in their age groups. Martyn men 50 plus (MV50) and Amelie under 17.

Martyn paced her to sub 27 as that was her goal. Then she did a bit better.

Wanna Half? Entries have OPENED for the Stevenage Half Marathon which will be on Sunday 18^th October.

Parkrun Highlights

Three Fairlands Valley Spartans in the top ten at Saturday’s Stevenage parkrun. The club had 31 members running. KIRK NDUGU was first in 17:26; CHARLIE WHITE fourth in 18:08 and SIMON JACKSON seventh in 19:35.

KAREN ELLIS was the fastest female from Fairlands in 26:49 with LORRAINE HILL second in 27:07. LINDSAY PATEMAN ran a new parkrun personal best of 30:19 and KEITH MANTON a new PPB of 31:42. DEBBIE BLANTERN ran her 200^th parkrun in 32:16 and PETER SACH his 140^th in 27:12.

Altogether there were 54 Spartans at parkruns on Saturday.

Those elsewhere included WILLIAM MORLEY running the Brook Leys (Girton, Cambridge) parkrun in 19:02; SUZY HAWKINS Gunpowder (Waltham Abbey) in 22:13; STEVE WELLS Ferry Meadows (Peterborough) in 22:59; ALICE WELCH Luton Wardown in 29:18; and NICK KLEANTHOUS in Huddersfield with 30:58.

Three went to Great Denham which is getting a reputation for fast times. SALLY PICKLES came in with 27:12; SAMMIE SUTTON with 27:16 and NIKI PLUMB with 36:03.

Another three were at the Wimpole Estate – GRANT RAMSAY in 20:26; WAYNE SIMMONS in 26:33 and JAY PAPA in 26:39.

Position	Gender Position	FVS parkrunner	Time
1	1	Kirk NDUGU	17:26
4	4	Charlie WHITE	18:08
7	7	Simon JACKSON	19:35
65	62	Lee PICKERSGILL	24:26
136	119	Keith HOOKER	26:35
137	120	Matt CLARKE	26:36
142	17	Karen ELLIS	26:49
147	127	Steve TINSLEY	27:02
149	19	Lorraine HILL	27:07
157	133	Peter SACH	27:12
161	136	Brian WHITE	27:25
239	189	Daniel VILJOEN	29:18
245	48	Alison SHELLEY	29:22
252	52	Sarah ILLINGWORTH	29:39
263	202	Jim BROWN	29:51
274	59	Lindsay PATEMAN	30:19
301	72	Monica SMITHSON	31:17
322	228	Keith MANTON	31:42
327	231	Stephen SMITHSON	31:51
329	232	Maurice BALLARD	31:57
334	93	Debbie BLANTERN	32:16
347	240	Andy JAY	32:41
350	99	Linda GEORGE	32:44
356	101	Pamela VILJOEN	32:55
400	265	Lloyd DIAS	34:22
413	130	Julie SHADBOLT	34:44
462	285	James SOUTH	36:48
485	179	Jane WADEY	38:35
494	186	Julie MANTON	39:11
540	211	Nichola DURENT	48:47
542	312	David SCOTT	49:40

ABBIE’S A WINNER

Three Spartans were on the podium at the Lee Valley Half Marathon.

ABBIE PEZ won the under 20 category with 1 hour 44 minutes 11 seconds; MARK GOODWIN was second, only missing first by seven seconds, in his with 1:43:45 and CLAIRE PULLEN second in hers with 1:44:29.

TRACY PEZ finished in an excellent time of 1:45:46.

All on a two lap flat course from the Lee Valley white water centre, Waltham Cross.

In the Lee Valley 10K NICHOLA DURRENT teamed up with her running partner in crime STEPH BIGGAR to finish in 1 hour 23 minutes 35 seconds. JONATHAN JONES came in at 68 minutes 59 seconds and DZENANA TOPIC at 69 minutes 17 seconds. They said it was a lovely course.

Lots of smiles and stripes at Lee Valley

TIM ROBINSON was at a similarly named Olympic venue but this was the Lee Valley Velopark in the Olympic Park. He was there on Saturday for the Velopark Ten.

He said poor pacing for the first three 1 mile laps meant the last five miles were too hard, especially as the sun came out on the hottest day of the year so far. Tim finished the ten miles in 1:38:14 for 15th place and first MV50 (men 50 plus).

Herts Veteran Cross Country Championships

ROGER HARDMAN was nearest to the medals in the Hertfordshire Veteran Cross Country Championships. He was fourth in the men over 70 race with 40 minutes 1 second for the 6.4 kilometres course.

This was the last cross country race of the season and run at Trent Park the reverse way to the Sunday League event. Women and men aged 60 and above ran 6.4 kilometre (four miles). Younger veteran men ran 9.6 kilometres (6 miles). The Spartan results were:

MARTIN WOOD was 15^th in the men 50 plus race with 47 minutes 55 seconds for 9.6 kilometres. LINDA NOLAN sixth female 60 plus in 39:26 and SHARON CROWLEY 14^th female 60 plus in 43:57 both over 6.4 kilometres.

NICK KLEANTHOUS was 16^th male 60 in 36 minutes 15.

Sibling Fun

There was Sibling fun at the Bedford Autodrome Marathon. Ashley Pearson, GRANT RAMSAY’s sister, smashed it to win the ladies race. Her 3 hours 12 minutes 35 seconds (3:12:35) was a 12 minutes personal best and qualifies her for the London Marathon Championship race for the first time.

GRANT RAMSAY says he was well out of sorts and not race fit over 26 miles. Although he was averaging 45 to 50 miles a week in training, the lack of races over 5K and no speed work, (sciatic nerve issues) did show up. He did test positive for Covid 13 days ago, but can’t use that as an excuse, as the effects on him were minimal.

Only a week after the Great Yarmouth cycle sportive YUKO GORDON was also at Bedford Autdrome but for the half marathon.

She says she didn’t quite get the result she hoped for though she won her age group and was ninth out of all the women in race. Yuko says the temperature was cool and perfect but it was windier than last year. The smooth tarmac was wonderful but making pace and keeping concentration were the difficult part in this kind of venue and event. It was like a personal time trial, each runner was aiming for a different distance and knowing nobody to hang on, so the only way to go was to listen her breathing. Yuko said she felt better after half way when she caught up with another woman and changed her strides to match her rhythm. The other runner kept pushing against the head wind and left Yuko along the windy side of course. She might have paid the price for that as Yuko passed her at three miles to go. Yuko was two minutes slower than last year in 1:39:58 and was first woman 70 plus.

Orion 15

Spartan JOHN HARRIS completed the classic Orion 15 cross country race in 2 hours 12 minutes 22 seconds (2:12:22) finishing 52^nd out of 148 .

It was a tough challenging 15 miles course through Epping forest with many hills (1500 feet of elevation), knee high mud pools, stiles and lots of twists and turns. John highly recommends the event.

John taking on the epic cross country course.

Parkrun Highlights 26^th March

In this week’s roundup of Spartans on the Parkrun circuit we have a first female finisher at Stevenage, a fourth place finish at Cassiobury and some members running in university and castle grounds. 

5th female and a new personal course pb of 24:09 for SUSAN McANENY at Stevenage parkrun this weekend.

Stevenage: Ashley Schoenwetter was first female runner home on Saturday with a time of 21-44, finishing 12th out of 251 runners. Other finishers: Tony Randfield 22-40 (28th), Susan McAneny 24-09 (51st – Parkrun PB), Steven Dobner 24-11 (52nd), Alison Shelley 25-03 (64th – Parkrun PB), Andy Jay 25-05 (65th), Jim Brown 27-00 (92nd), Nicola Andersson 28-12 (114th), Chloe Chapman 28-15 (116th), Vicky Archer 28-16 (117th), David Pattman 28-34 (124th), Mo Warrillow 28-34 (125th), Debbie Blantern 28-56 (130th), Toby Eccleshall 29-25 (140th), Luke Silver 31-06 (161st), Helen Harris 36-20 (209th), Samantha Sutton 36-44 (215th), Angie Waters 39-35 (230th), Roger Biggs 48-41 (240th). 

Other away day results:

Cassiobury (Watford, Herts): Jonathan Parr finished fourth out of 405 runners on the two and half flat lap course. Jonathan finished with a time of 16-26, gaining a Parkrun PB in the process. Jonathan also finished thirteen seconds behind the first finisher, six seconds behind second and five seconds behind third. Very tight at the business end of the field. 

Daventry (Northamptonshire): Darryl Stevens 39-05 (178 out of 192 runners).Fareham (Hampshire): Mike Reynolds 31-39 (146 out of 223 runners). 

Millfield (North Yorkshire): Caroline Croft 32-08 (66 out of 107 runners). 

Panshanger (Hertford): Jane Whitrow 52-51 (222nd out of 222 runners).