On the 12th June, Grantham Running Club staged
its own invasion of Grimsthorpe Castle when 21 members descended to take part
in the Grimsthorpe Gallop. Set in the beautiful grounds of the castle, the
event hosted 4 distances: 5k, 10k, 10 miles and half marathon. Various
Canicross races were also on the agenda.
All four routes took runners through stunning scenery within
the private grounds including the castle, lake, tree lined tarmac avenues,
ancient woodland, grassed paths and for the 10-mile and half marathon routes a Victorian
railway culvert. This terrain coupled with undulating off road routes made a challenging
route for the runners, however those who competed in this race the prior year
were very thankful for cooler conditions.
First to race was the 5k Canicross which saw Stuart Baty
participating with his ever-trusted sidekick Oscar, coming home in 2nd
place in 24:03, and Paula Ebbins coming in 4th place with Rosie in
24:38.
Next off for GRC were those competing in the 10-mile race.
Julie Gilbert, Rachel Pattison and Rosalind Sadler used the race to make a
great kick start to their London Marathon training plan. Teammates CJ Walker,
Yvonne Buckley and Julia Hallam utilised the race to build up distance in preparation
of the Dovedale Dipper 15-mile race. Sylv Hull enjoyed a scenic trail race
after several back-to-back races, and Dale Towning enjoyed returning to racing following
a recent injury. First back was Simon Allsopp in a cracking time of 1:31:03;
followed by Julie Gilbert 1:38:03 (and first in her age category), Sylv Hull
1:38:59, Rachel Deans 1:40:03, Dale Towning 1:41:06, Rachel Pattison 1:42:05,
Rosalind Sadler 1:44:49, CJ Walker 2:14:40, Yvonne Buckley 2:14:40 and Julia
Hallam 2:14:41.
The 5k race saw Zoe Wragg return to racing after a recent
injury which she was thrilled about, and she achieved a very respectful time of
26:50. Rebecca Rice also competed in the 5k race which saw her come home in
41:37.
The
only participant in the half-marathon was Alex Curtis who
stormed round in 1:36:39 which netted him 4th place.
The 10k participants were the last to depart. Brendon
Buckley, who has been increasing his mileage since returning to running, raced
10k a bit sooner than originally planned and thoroughly enjoyed the day. First
to return was Mark Rice in a fantastic time of 50:12; followed by Nicola Cottam
58:59; Wendy Fraser 1:07:07; Tracy Webb 1:10:05; Judi Allsopp 1:10:58; Samantha
French 1:11:49; Brendon Buckley 1:16:34 (and 2nd in his age
category).
All runners were full of praise for SBR events who consistently
deliver amazing events in fantastic locations. The free event photography and rainbow
medal ensured all participants came away with great keepsakes to remember the
event by. Members are already planning their return distances for next year,
along with a repeat of this year’s team building post-race picnic and ice-cream
stop which was a huge hit by all.