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 270th in 2:46:56; KERSTIN PRIOR 345th in 3:01:47; SIMON HAIGH 348th in 3:02:39; JIM BROWN 388th in a season’s best 3:12:12 and CHARLES ARNOLD 391st 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 22nd March and the Oakley 20 on 29th March. Fairlands Valley Spartans have a 20 mile club training run on 5th 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 1,706th 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 23rd in the men’s race in 50 minutes 47 seconds. In the women’s event Jayne Riddell was 41st in 40:28; Sharon Crowley 48th in 43:56 and Callie Chapman 52nd 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 18th 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 200th parkrun in 32:16 and PETER SACH his 140th 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 |