Tag: Stevenage Cross Country

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Club News Race Results

MOVING UP AT CROSS COUNTRY

It was a murky and misty morning on Sunday but that didn’t stop more than 400 people enjoying five miles of cross country running around Fairlands Valley Park in a race organised by Fairlands Valley Spartans. 

Increased participation by club members between races one and two in the Sunday cross country league lifted Fairlands Valley Spartans from tenth to seventh out of the 19 clubs taking part.  Then on Sunday at the third race, in Stevenage, there was a season’s record of 45 Spartans finishing the race and dozens of others helping. 

With well over 400 finishers it was easily the biggest turnout so far in this season’s league as well the biggest for the Spartans. 

Stripes in the mist.

This time there were three Spartans in the top ten – ANDREW PATTERSON fourth in 27 minutes 32 seconds; SIMON JACKSON ninth in 28 minutes 29 seconds and JONATHAN PARR tenth in 28:36.  Their eighth counter for the men’s “A” team was only just outside the top one hundred. 

The Fairlands women put in a good performance with YUKO GORDON 210th overall (women and men) at 38 minutes 17 seconds; TRACEY JACKSON 218th at 38:21; ANNABELLE WHITE 249th at 39:35; TRACEY PEZ 284th at 41:12 and ZOE JACKSON completing the women’s “A” team of five in 300th at 42:26. 

Spartans in action!

A good women’s “B” team is coming together as there was CAROLE SHELDRICK at 43:38; FIONA CLARKE at 45:00; NICOLA ANDERSSON at 45:40; and MARIAN MORLEY at 45:44.  Others were helping with the event. 

The other counters in the men’s “A” team were CHARLIE WHITE 46th at 30:54; KELVIN BEYOKU 57th at 31:40; STUART ARCHER 70th at 32:27; STEVE WELLS 99th at 33:23 and DANNY SCANLON 104th at 33:33. 

Happy stripy runners having fun!

Not everyone can be in the “A” team but the way the league works having a good turnout means many Spartan runners can push other clubs back by getting in front of their slower “A” runners. 

With the start and finish near the showground the eight kilometre race consisted of three laps of the southern part of Fairlands Valley Park.  Not the liquid mud of the previous week but by hugging the park boundary runners found some tough climbs to test them. 

It was good to welcome some new members trying their first cross country.  A great event organised by race director WENDY THARANI and a good team of volunteers.  

Our fantastic race director Wendy and her megaphone!

(All the Spartan finishers can be found in a table near the end of this release). 

It’s unfortunate there is a delay waiting for the team results to be published but at Trent Park the combined Spartans jumped from tenth to seventh and their women from twelfth to eleventh (though only two points off tenth) while the men leapt from tenth to fifth.  Let’s see what Sunday’s results bring and what the club can do at the next league fixture which will be in Watford on Sunday 16th January. 

The county cross country championships are in Welwyn Garden City on 9th January. 

Parkrun Highlights for Saturday 18th December 2021 

It was a relatively quiet week for Spartans at Saturday’s parkrun the day before the cross country league race and as we approach Christmas and the end of 2021.   

DARRYL STEVENS was a first timer at Bath Skyline parkrun (with a challenging uphill flight of 37 steps to negotiate!) in his 177th parkrun which he finished in 39:05.  PAUL MAGUIRE was another first timer, this time at Exmouth parkrun completing the course in 26:01. 

ED HARE was at his “home” parkrun of Lee-on-the Solent finished in 23:07.  Just one Spartan representing FVS at Panshanger: MIKE REYNOLDS clocking 26:28. 

Stevenage parkrun (14 Spartans; 221 runners) 

There were 14 Spartans at the Stevenage parkrun.  GRANT RAMSAY won a top ten place at sixth, and fifth man, with 20 minutes 33 seconds.

A selection of our Stevenage Parkrunners

  The others were: 

Position   Gender Position   parkrunner   Run Time   
30 27 Sam SIMMONS 00:23:37 
38 34 Martin DUDLEY 00:24:17 
54 47 Nick KLEANTHOUS 00:25:37 
94 77 Matt CLARKE 00:28:11 
101 13 Fiona CLARKE 00:28:37 
103 14 Nicola ANDERSSON 00:28:46 
131 29 Debbie BLANTERN 00:30:13 
159 41 Chloe CHAPMAN 00:32:19 
160 42 Vicky ARCHER 00:32:19 
170 49 Tracy HAYGARTH 00:32:59 
171 112 Stephen SMITHSON 00:33:15 
218 77 Helen HARRIS 00:49:28 
220 131 Roger BIGGS 00:58:59 

MIKE REYNOLDS ran the Panshanger parkrun in 26 minutes 28 seconds.  He was 80th out of the 210 finishers. 

There will be parkruns on Christmas Day including Stevenage.  No doubt there will be a good turnout of Santas, elves, reindeers…… 

Tables  

All 45 Spartan finishers at the Stevenage cross country (19th December): 

Position Name Est. Time Gender Category Team 
4 ANDREW PATTERSON 27:32 M 40 MA 
9 SIMON JACKSON 28:29 M 40 MA 
10 JONATHAN PARR 28:36 M S MA 
46 CHARLIE WHITE 30:54 M S MA 
57 KELVIN BEYOKU 31:40 M S MA 
70 STUART ARCHER 32:27 M S MA 
99 STEVE WELLS (33:23) M 50 MA 
104 DANNY SCANLON 33:33 M 40 MA 
142 MARK COLLINS 35:29 M 40 MB 
146 JOHN HARRIS 35:27 M 50 MB 
150 PETE SMITH 35:35 M 50 MB 
164 THOMAS SAUKA 36:32 M 40 MB 
186 STEVE MAYFIELD 37:25 M 50 MB 
201 MARTIN WOOD (37:59) M 50 MB 
210 YUKO GORDON 38:17 F 65 FA 
218 TRACEY JACKSON 38:21 F 45 FA 
226 CRAIG BACON 38:53 M 50 MB 
236 MARK GOODWIN 39:12 M 60 MB 
249 ANNABELLE WHITE 39:35 F S FA 
273 MATT CLARKE 40:47 M 40 MC 
276 TIM ROBINSON 41:02 M 50 MC 
280 LUKE GURNEY 41:02 M S MC 
284 TRACEY PEZ 41:12 F 45 FA 
291 DAVID KENNEDY 40:57 M S MC 
300 ZOE JACKSON (42:26) F 35 FA 
301 DARREN EMMERSON 42:28 M 50 MC 
306 ANDY JAY 42:33 M 50 MC 
319 CAROLE SHELDRICK 43:38 F 45 FB 
325 JON SYPULA 43:59 M 40 MC 
326 MARK FREEMAN 43:30 M 60 MC 
335 NICK KLEANTHOUS 44:47 M 50  
338 FIONA CLARKE 45:00 F 35 FB 
345 MARIAN MORLEY 45:44 F 55 FB 
346 NICOLA ANDERSSON 45:40 F 45 FB 
360 SIMON SYPULA 47:03 M 40  
368 ROGER HARDMAN 47:47 M 70  
382 MICHAEL O’KEEFE 49:42 M 50  
396 CATHY CRAIG 52:08 F 65 FB 
399 SHARON CROWLEY (52:58) F 55 FC 
400 PAUL HOLGATE 53:07 M 60 FC 
411 JENNY GARRETT 55:51 F 45 FC 
412 CALLIE CHAPMAN 56:00 F 35 FC 
418 CHRISTINE ZVEREV 57:01 F 35 FC 
419 HAZEL SMITH 57:01 F 45  
420 CLAIRE EMMERSON 57:01 F 45  

16 women and 29 men. 

All 37 Spartans at the Trent Park cross country (12th December): 

Position Name Official Time Gender Category Team 
16 SIMON JACKSON 28:24 M 40 MA 
25 JONATHAN PARR 29:19 M S MA 
26 ADRIAN BUSOLINI 29:28 M S MA 
52 KELVIN BEYOKU 31:22 M S MA 
54 PAUL HEWETT 31:25 M S MA 
74 CHRIS LATHWELL 32:08 F 45 FA 
79 STUART ARCHER 32:29 M S MA 
88 STEVE WELLS 33:08 M 60 MA 
123 DANNY SCANLON 34:33 M 40 MA 
138 PETE SMITH 35:16 M 50 MB 
142 THOMAS SAUKA 35:32 M 40 MB 
150 JOHN HARRIS 35:47 M 50 MB 
203 TRACEY JACKSON 38:10 F 45 FA 
206 YUKO GORDON 38:14 F 65 FA 
255 MATT CLARKE 41:16 M 40 MB 
266 LUKE GURNEY 41:31 M S MB 
292 ANDY JAY 43:27 M 50 MB 
298 TIM ROBINSON 44:30 M 50 MB 
306 WENDY THARANI 45:19 F 45 FA 
320 FIONA CLARKE 46:08 F 35 FA 
329 NICK KLEANTHOUS 46:56 M 50 MB 
338 MARK FREEMAN 47:47 M 60  
339 CHLOE CHAPMAN 47:49 F S FB 
340 VICKY ARCHER 47:49 F 35 FB 
357 MARIAN MORLEY 49:53 F 55 FB 
358 TAHER THARANI 50:04 M 50  
366 JIM BROWN 51:11 M 60  
371 LIZ CROWLEY 52:40 F S FB 
375 MICHAEL O’KEEFE 53:45 M 50  
381 SHARON CROWLEY 56:00 F 55 FB 
385 JONATHAN JONES 56:29 M 50  
386 CATHY CRAIG 56:33 F 65 FC 
389 JUDY KING 57:55 F 55 FC 
390 MONICA SMITHSON 58:48 F 55 FC 
391 JANE WHITROW 59:26 F 55 FC 
396 SALLY PHILLIPS 1:02:39 F 55 FC 
397 STEPH BIGGAR 1:02:50 F 35  

Spartan men fifth out of 19.