LWAC 5K Series - Race 1

LWAC 5K Series - Race 1

The Lincoln Wellington 5K series kicked off this week at the Yarborough Leisure Centre, Lincoln. The season opener attracted ten members of Grantham Running Club all hoping for PB's and aiming to gain crucial points in the GRC grand prix series.

In a quality field, which included 2hr 17 marathon man Ben Livesy and on a warm evening some GRC runners found the early pace difficult to hold. Matthew Kingston-Lee put his injury troubles aside for an impressive time of 16:57, only 2s outside his previous best and placing him in 9th position.

Next home Gav Meadows, making an eye catching debut in a 5K race with 18:41. Gav was closely followed by veterans Rob Howbrook and Gerry Hyde. Rob continues to defy the age barrier with an outstanding PB time of 18:57 placing him 2nd in the VM55 age category and bagging himself over 80 points in the series. Gerry produced a confidence boosting 19:17 and is sure to go quicker in races to come.

The in-form Matthew Williamson was next, making his 5K debut with a very strong 19:32. Following on was Andrew Pask who was disappointed to miss out on a sub 20mins run with 20:12 and seasoned parkrun competitor Peter Bonner who ran a PB time of 20:25. The ever consistent, Catherine Payne continued the fine performances with 20:42, placing her 1st in the VW50 age category.

Robert McArdle was 3rd in the VM55 age category with a solid 21:46 and Suzanne Brize made an impressive debut with 25:07.

GRC members now turn their attention to the next event in the Grand Prix Series which is the Woodhall Spa 10k.

Report: Andrew Pask

The Deepings 10K

Tony, Gav, Vicky and Peter

Four members of Grantham Running Club made the trip to Deeping St James on Sunday 21st May to take part in the Deepings 10K. The charity race, organised by the Deepings Rotary Club, takes place on the country lanes around the village. The course is very flat meaning there was potential for personal best times. However, there was a moderate breeze which slowed runners down slightly on the day.

First to finish for GRC was new, but experienced member Tony Johnson with a very impressive time of 39:12 placing him 11th overall in the field of 239 runners. Just 5 places behind was Gav Meadows who narrowly missed out on going under 40 minutes with a time of 40:25. He said 'I knew that Tony was one to watch in this race & unfortunately I made the mistake of trying to stay with him. This cost me dearly & led to a very poorly paced race. I ran the first mile far too quickly & paid the price'.

Next over the line for GRC was Peter Bonner who continued recent good form with a PB of 42:33. This bettered his previous best by 21 seconds & without the wind he may well have gone under 42 minutes.

Despite having to stop for a break due to feeling unwell Vicky Willan soldiered on and made it to the end recording a time of 1:05:50. There's no doubt that she's well capable of going under 60 minutes but it just wasn't to be on the day.

Report: Gav Meadows

Position	Time	Name		Category		Grading	Ranking
11	39:12	Tony Johnson		MV50		78.31%	159
16	40:25	Gav Measdows		MV35		68.28%	N/A
35	42:33	Peter Bonner		MV40		66.77%	N/A
201	65:50	Vicky Willan		FV45		50.97%	N/A

ASICS Windermere Marathon

Last Sunday saw Caroline and Paul Davis make the long journey to Cumbria to take part in the Asics Windermere marathon. Billed as the UK's most scenic marathon it is also seen as one of the toughest courses in the country.
Caroline and Paul joined 655 other runners on the start line at Brathay hall in cool and damp conditions though fortunately the heavy rain had stopped by this time.
After a steady start Paul made good progress through the field as some competitors struggled on the hilly terrain.
First across the finish line for GRC was Paul in 94th position in a time of 3:41:53. Caroline came a brilliant 3rd place in the FV45 category in a time of 4:14:10.
After the race Paul said "it was a really hard race but having run a couple of marathons this spring certainly helped in the latter stages and the location is fantastic".

Position	Time	Name		Category		Grading
94	3:41:53	Paul Davis		MV45		61.74%
286	4:14:10	Caroline Davis		FV45		60.91%

Sinfin Classic 10K

Position	Time	Name		Category		Grading
64	41:46	Richard Payne	PB	MS		65.33%

Eye 10k Road Race

Tony Johnson was the only GRC runner taking part in this 10k race which attracted a high quality field as it was part of a Cambridgeshire race series. Run under ARC rules (which means it doesn't appear on Power of 10) his time of 39:12 placed him fourth in his age group and 22nd overall out of over 500 finishers. As usual the course was effected a crosswind for most of its distance but thiis turned into a welcoming tailwind for the final 3k.

Position	Time	Name		Category		Grading
22	39:12	Tony Johnson		MV50		78.95%

Draycote Water Half Marathon

Catherine on her way to first lady

This half marathon is good value for money at £14.00 + £1.50 admin fee for a chip timed race with a medal and a tee shirt. There is a 10k and a half marathon run over the same 8k lap concurrently. The two races starting half a lap apart mean there is a good atmosphere at both the start and the finishes with a good crowd milling around. The different starting points mean the course is never too crowded and you could end up lapping a lot of people. There are a lot of non club runners and the field was wide spread with many runners taking over two hours. It is one to consider with three race days here over the course of the year.

Grantham Running Club’s Catherine Payne enjoyed a winning start to the summer season of shorter races by being first lady over the line at the Draycote Half Marathon in Rugby. This three lap race round the reservoir attracted almost 400 runners on a dry but windy morning to this picturesque setting in the heart of Warwickshire.

With no timed starting pens and not having done the race before Catherine ended up closer to the front than normal with only one lady in front of her who she passed within the first mile. Despite not having raced at anything faster than marathon pace for five months Catherine was able to increase the gap to the second and third ladies to 93 seconds by the end of the first lap. During the next lap Catherine was able to build her lead by another two and a half minutes as the strong headwind on the mile long final straight took its toll on the field. The final lap saw her winning margin grow to over six and a half minutes as she finished in a time of 96:39 to place her comfortably inside the top 50 ranked ladies in the UK in her age group.

Position	Time	Name		Category		Grading
19	1:36:45	Catherine Payne		FV50		78.12%

East Midlands Grand Prix Blisworth Friday 5

Position	Time	Name		Category		Grading
219	37:01	Peter Bonner		MV40		60.98%

Sleaford Half Marathon

 

The green vests of Grantham Running Club were out in force at the revamped Sleaford Half Marathon with 20 club members attempting the distance. The race hosted by Sleaford Striders Running Club relocated this year to Sleaford Football Club, using a new course through the villages of Kirkby La Thorpe, Evedon and Ewerby. The new course, more undulating than expected proved increasingly difficult due to the 20mph northerly winds with mile 9 being uphill, into the wind. This didn't stop the GRC team from posting fast times including many personal bests (PBs).

Caroline

Tony Johnson was first over the line in a season's best of 86:22. Gav Meadows after a slight wrong turn at 10 miles was second home in 16th position with a PB time of 1:27:59.  Matthew Williamson and Andrew Pask was next, racing to the line with Matthew overtaking Andrew on the finish straight to finish in 21st position with a huge PB time of 1:29:00, the first time he's finished under the prestigious 1:30:00 mark. Andrew in 22ndposted 1:29:04, his 2nd fastest time over the distance. Gav, Matthew and Andrew ran well enough for GRC to be awarded 1st place men's team although an admin glitch prevented them from being awarded their prize on the day. 

Next home for GRC was Paul Davis in 33rd place, only 6 days after running the Milton Keynes Marathon and 14 days after the London Marathon making his PB time of 1:31:33 all the more incredible.

Martin

First GRC lady was SJ Willis with a return to form 1:43:35, closely followed by Caroline Davis also 6 days after a marathon with PB time of 1:49:12. The ever consistent Sarah High was next with a strong 1:49:56.

Paul

Next home was PBs from Sinead McDonnell (1:52:20), Martin Carter (1:52:44) and first timer Rachel Smith (1:56:04). Nicola Cottam was next with a big PB in 1:56:07, her first time under the magical 2hr mark.

Tommy Napier was happy with his PB time of 2:00:27, despite narrowly missing out on a sub 2hr run. The PBs kept coming with Jacqueline Jacobs (2:02:03), Rosalind Sadler (2:10:51) and Lizzie Potteer (2:13:04). Strong times continued with Louise Fenton (2:19:31), Julia Colville (2:23:55), Vicky Willan (2:25:43), Sue Swann (2:25:45) and Magaretta Murray (2:26:10).

The GRC supporters were out in force for this race, with many club members who were not running choosing to come to support fellow club-mates. The GRC cheer leading team was a welcome sight on the finish straight for every Grantham runner.

Position	Time	Name		Category		Grading
11	1:26:22	Tony	Johnson	MV50		78.19%
16	1:27:59	Gav	Meadows	MV35		68.10%
21	1:28:59	Andrew	Pask	MV35		67.37%
22	1:29:00	Matthew	Williamson	MS		66.49%
33	1:31:33	Paul	Davis	MV45		69.51%
103	1:43:35	SJ	Willis	FV35		64.83%
134	1:48:36	Stuart	Reader	MV40		59.06%
143	1:49:12	Caroline	Davis	FV45		65.87%
150	1:49:56	Sarah	High	FV55		72.18%
169	1:52:20	Sinead	McDonnell	FV40		62.23%
176	1:52:44	Martin	Carter	MS		52.63%
210	1:56:04	Rachael	Smith	FV35		57.59%
211	1:56:07	Nicola	Cottam	FV45		62.60%
234	1:58:24	Paul	Durham	MV60		63.52%
253	2:00:27	tommy	Napier	MV55		58.48%
262	2:02:03	Jacqueline	Jacobs	FV50		58.92%
308	2:10:38	Rosalind	Sadler	FV35		53.51%
324	2:13:04	Amy Elizabeth	Potter	FS		49.40%
354	2:19:31	Louise	Fenton	FS		47.43%
369	2:23:55	Julia	Colville	FV45		49.49%
371	2:25:43	Vicky	Willan	FV35		49.90%
372	2:25:45	Sue	Swann	FV45		50.47%
373	2:26:10	Magaretta	Murray	FV55		55.76%

 

Rotary Shakespeare Half Marathon

Guess who?

Ready for a town centre start

GRC’s Robert McArdle joined almost two thousand runners in last Sunday’s Shakespeare Half Marathon. Taking the chance to experience world famous Stratford-upon-Avon and to run amongst some of the most historical buildings in the country and through miles of beautiful Warwickshire countryside. Starting in the centre of the town, opposite Shakespeare’s old school, taking in sights such as the River Avon, Holy Trinity Church (home to the grave of William Shakespeare) and the Royal Shakespeare Theatres. The route passed through quintessential English villages, where chocolate box thatch roof cottages, hump back bridges and pretty dry stone walls are a joy to behold. The tourist books fail to mention the infamous Greenway section where runner’s mind is tested to breaking point and the endless quotation from the Bard including “Now bid me run / And I will strive with things impossible” from Julius Caesar. On a surprisingly hot day Robert completed the thirteen point one miles in 99:59 which was 199^th overall and fourth in his age category. Aylin Doerpinghaus finished as 384th lady.

Position	Time	Name		Category		Grading
199	1:39:59	Robert McArdle		MV55		71:22%
1293	2:08:46	Aylin Doerpinghaus		FS		51.13%