Tag: Olympic park 5K

Fairlands Valley Spartans sent men’s and women’s teams to the county road 10 mile championships for veterans in St Albans on Sunday.  Veterans start at age 35 for women and 40 for men with age category breaks every ten years.  The championships were incorporated into the open Fred Hughes 10 race. 

There were 415 women and 410 men in the race. 

Clearly ABIGAIL PEZ could not count towards a veterans’ team but she did WIN the race for women under 20 with a new personal best (PB) of 1 hours 18 minutes 53 seconds.  That’s seven and a half minutes faster than her previous ten miles PB! 

The fastest Spartan was ADRIAN DONNELLY in the first 100 of the 825 finishers with 67 minutes 16 seconds.  At 99^th he led in the Spartan men’s team with JOHN HARRIS 135^th in 1:09:49; PETE SMITH 193^rd in 1:13:01; and MARK GOODWIN 293^rd in 1:18:32. 

It was teams of three in the women’s race and YUKO GORDON and ASHLEY JOHNSON were well up there at 54^th and 62^nd out of 415 women.  Yuko, running against people several years younger than her, was second in the 65 plus category in 1 hour 15 minutes 35 seconds and took SILVER in the County Championships.  She had a higher age related score which was 95.00%!  MARIE COLUCCI impressed at 83^rd woman and was the Spartans third counter with 1:18:45. 

Ten women were running for the Spartans.  The others were TRACY PEZ, 90^th woman in 1:19:26; WENDY THARANI 1:31:37; CAROL PAUL 1:35:45; SUE HAMER and ERICA GRAYSON both in 1:42:37 and SHARON CROWLEY 1:51:10. 

The other three men were ANDY JAY 1:31:40; JIM BROWN happy to get round “steady state” in 1:33:48 and recovering after recent mishaps and PAUL HOLGATE 1:49:26. 

In addition ANN TRYSSESOONE was not eligible for the Spartan teams but finished in 1 hour 26 minutes 40 seconds. 

All this on the undulating roads and lanes to the south west of St. Albans including Potters Crouch, Chiswell Green and a favourite climb up past mile six to the edge of Bedmond.  So good to see this classic club organised race back. 

These were the mildest conditions many veterans of the Fred Hughes Ten could remember.  It’s usually notorious for icy patches, snowing during the event, freezing winds or just chucking down large amounts of very cold rain. 

The next county road championships will be at the Watford Half Marathon on Sunday 6^th February. 

(The Spartans results table can be found near the end of this release). 

Spartan Women Jump In Cross Country 

Much greater participation helped boost the Fairlands Valley Spartans women’s team to fourth out of nineteen clubs in the latest cross country league race which was at Watford.  They won the veteran women’s team race. 

This time there were five Spartan women in the top fifty and eighteen running.  They were twelfth, eleventh and eleventh in the first three races so this is a tremendous improvement.  The women’s “A” team were CHRIS LATHWELL, SUZY HAWKINS, TRACEY JACKSON, YUKO GORDON and HAZEL SMITH. 

The Spartan men were seventh at Watford with JONATHAN PARR in the top ten out of 405 finishers.  In the combined scores over the series so far the Spartans are seventh.  The final event will be on Therfield Heath, Royston on Sunday 13^th February. 

A WIN for Jonathan – RunThrough Olympic Park 5k 

On Saturday morning Spartan JONATHAN PARR WON the Olympic Park 5K with a time of 16 minutes 9 seconds. 

Ciaran At Peddars 

CIARAN MCANENY got fifth place overall at the 48 mile Peddars Way Ultra in a time of 6 hours 52 minutes. 

The race follows the Peddars Way Trail from Knettishall Heath, just north of Bury St Edmunds, to Holme-next-the-Sea on the North Norfolk coast; on a mix of forest path, bridleways and road. 

Beautiful, crisp, sunny weather kept the trails firm and the late morning sun was just warm enough to make for comfortable running temperatures. 

All went to plan in terms of pacing and nutrition with Ciaran finishing 24 minutes faster than his previous outing on the course. 

Ciaran was very happy and, after missing most of last year’s racing due to niggling injuries, it was great to be back on such a nice course and in a really well run and friendly event  

Fast Five for Feetham 

Three laps 33:40 52^nd out of 680. 

KIERAN FEETHAM did the Romsey 5 mile race on Sunday.  Although it’s classed as multi-terrain with a 700 metres non-tarmac section for each of the three laps it’s flat and fast. 

The race was delayed by 15 minutes and Kieran had to warm up again as it was cold.  He said he found a good group to stay with for the first three miles but then unfortunately got held up trying to pick his way through some back markers and lost that group.  So he ended up on his own into a headwind.  The last mile marker was in the wrong place so Kieran was slightly panicking why it was taking so long to complete it but he was happy to hold on for a new PB (personal best) of 33 minutes 40 seconds.  An improvement of 1 minute 42 seconds.   He was 52^nd out of the 680 finishers. 

Parkrun Highlights 22^nd January 2022 

Yet another record was set at Saturday’s Stevenage parkrun.  This was the 27^th since parkrun restarted for the 200^th local run and this time there were 365 finishers.  The highest number since lock down.  Despite some holding back for a ten mile championship race on Sunday twenty five Spartans completed a Parkrun this week, on a cold, crisp, sunny morning. 

GRACE COVENTRY ran a parkrun personal best (PB) of 24 minutes 22 seconds at Stevenage, also taking the title of fastest Spartan lady this week.  GRANT RAMSAY was the fastest Spartan crossing the line at 19:24 at Stevenage. 

DARRYL STEVENS ran at Great Salterns Parkrun, Portsmouth, for the first time finishing with a time of 40:00.  Astonishingly, this was the 94^th venue he has tried out! 

ANTON McCALLA (27:46 at Market Harborough) and PETER CARPENTER (44:29, Squerryes Winery) completed their first parkruns of the year. 

JIM BROWN (28:45) won his category and KARL SHREEVE (28:47) achieved a year best at Stevenage. 

Although there were no official milestones achieved by members this week, three Spartans have reached 70 runs at Stevenage with LEE PICKERSGILL finishing at 24:23, TRACY HAYGARTH at 31:51 and HELEN HARRIS finishing at 52:44. 

It’s stripy Saturday on Saturday, 5^th February. 

Tables 

Spartans at the Fred Hughes 10 (including a county championship). 

Pos	Name	Time	Category	Cat Pos	Gender	Gen Pos	%	Comments
99	Adrian DONNELLY	1:07:16	40 – 49	28	Male	86	68.68
135	John HARRIS	1:09:46	50 – 59	13	Male	117	76.11
193	Peter SMITH	1:13:01	50 – 59	28	Male	159	72.29
235	Yuko GORDON	1:15:35	65 +	2	Female	54	95.00	Second in category
252	Ashley JOHNSON	1:16:37	35 – 44	22	Female	62	66.71
293	Mark GOODWIN	1:18:32	60 – 69	9	Male	214	70.55
299	Marie COLUCCI	1:18:45	35 – 44	33	Female	83	65.76
303	Abigail PEZ	1:18:53	Under 20	1	Female	85	62.91	PB (7:30).  Under 20 winner.
313	Tracy PEZ	1:19:26	45 – 54	26	Female	90	67.76
547	Andy JAY	1:31:40	50 – 59	97	Male	340	56.29
555	Wendy THARANI	1:31:37	45 – 54	67	Female	211	58.79
586	Jim BROWN	1:33:48	60 – 69	19	Male	353	61.71
610	Carol PAUL	1:35:45	55 – 64	32	Female	252	64.76
702	Sue HAMER	1:42:37	45 – 54	109	Female	318	53.99
703	Erica GRAYSON	1:42:37	45 – 54	110	Female	319	54.63
762	Paul HOLGATE	1:49:26	60 – 69	35	Male	400	50.75
776	Sharon CROWLEY	1:51:10	55 – 64	64	Female	374	57.51	First ten mile race in 3 years.

These are chip times, the time from when the runner crosses the start line to when they cross the finish line.  Gun times are “bang” to finish line and it can take those at the back several minutes to start. 

Spartans at parkruns Saturday 22^nd January 

Stevenage parkrun
Position	Gender Position	parkrunner	Run Time
9	9	Grant RAMSAY	19:24
78	72	Lee PICKERSGILL	24:22	70th
79	7	Grace COVENTRY	24:23	PB
152	125	Wills JENNINGS	27:47
166	136	David PATTMAN	28:17
168	137	Nick KLEANTHOUS	28:20
180	141	Jim BROWN	28:45	1st in category
182	142	Matt CLARKE	28:46
183	143	Karl SHREEVE	28:47	YB
228	57	Caroline CROFT	30:37
232	59	Fiona CLARKE	30:53
234	60	Chloe CHAPMAN	30:58
235	165	Stephen SMITHSON	31:00
239	63	Claire EMMERSON	31:06
256	73	Tracy HAYGARTH	31:51	70th
344	196	Steven DOBNER	41:15
345	137	Mo WARRILLOW	41:15
362	202	Roger BIGGS	49:42
364	149	Helen HARRIS	52:44	70th
Gunpowder parkrun
Position	Gender Position	parkrunner	Run Time
175	67	Karen BROOM	39:54	First parkrun since 2019
Letchworth parkrun
Position	Gender Position	parkrunner	Run Time
10	9	Nick GILL	22:40
32	4	Georgie HOOPER	26:55
Squerryes Winery parkrun
Position	Gender Position	parkrunner	Run Time
89	49	Peter CARPENTER	44:29	First parkrun in 2022
Great Salterns parkrun
Position	Gender Position	parkrunner	Run Time
212	127	Darryl STEVENS	40:00	New venue (of 94)
Westmill parkrun
Position	Gender Position	parkrunner	Run Time	Comments
7	7	Danny SCANLON	22:01
Market Harborough parkrun
Position	Gender Position	parkrunner	Run Time
117	86	Anton MCCALLA	27:47	First parkrun in 2022