Coventry's Half Marathon, Coventry, West Midlands

After an extended sabbatical, Coventry welcomed half marathon runners to the city with a new course, new date and new title, widely ignored incidentally, thanks to innovative use of the possessive apostrophe (which, somewhat bizarrely, formed the inspiration for the event website and race finishers’ medal). Hoping to capitalise on entrants preparing for a spring marathon with the new date, having previously been an early autumn race (and once held in May) Coventry’s half marathon controversially took place on Sunday March 23^rd 2014, the same day as the popular BHF Warwick Half Marathon and the less popular, but equally local, Stanford Hall Half Marathon.

Just over 2000 runners tackled a new course, which, after a small loop of the city centre, headed in a generally uphill direction for the opening eight miles as runners headed out northwest towards Corley, before enjoying a long gradual descent back to the finish outside the Transport Museum. Avoiding the wintry showers, conditions were cool and windy, with the biting wind into the runners’ faces for the much of the opening half of the race, especially on the exposed greenbelt section as runners left Allesley. Despite the early (9am) start, crowd support was enthusiastic on a course that is surprisingly rural, and the race was well marshalled, with runners enjoying the benefit of fully closed roads for the entire duration of the race

First of nine Kenilworth Runners home on a highly successful day for the club was Connor Carson. Playing down his expectations shortly before the start, Connor ran a superb race to finish ninth in a chip time of 1:15:06. This bettered his PB by one second, set at the Kenilworth Half Marathon in 2011. The only disappointment for Connor was that he was agonisingly close to breaking 75 minutes. Next home was Matthew Kingston-Lee, who has been in heavy marathon training, and suffered slightly as a result of this and also a troublesome injury affecting his left leg. Nevertheless Matthew ran well to finish fourteenth in 1:17:32.

Richard Broadbent had hoped to run around 1:31 at Coventry, so was surprised and delighted to run an impressively even paced run which saw him finish 44^th overall and third in his age category, clocking 1:24:42. Following Richard was Wayne Briggs, who was making his race debut in the green vest of Kenilworth Runners. Enjoying the shouts of come on Kenilworth! en route, Wayne knocked a massive 4:52 off his previous PB with new figures of 1:26:07. Another recent Kenilworth recruit, Stewart Underhill was delighted to take 90 seconds off his previous PB, clocking 1:32:03.

The first of three Kenilworth ladies to finish, Claire Goult revelled in being told the race was downhill after eight miles – laudably ignoring the incline for the opening stages of the race. Despite cursing a cheeky climb in the race’s final mile, Claire ran fantastically to shatter her old PB over four minutes, clocking 1:36:59. This earned her a fifth place finish in her age category.

Following Gwyn Davies (1:41:26), who was pleased to finish the race in one piece, there was yet another PB for Kenilworth Runners as Stephen Payne ran excellently to clock 1:42:28.

It was a memorable day for two more new club members who both made their half marathon debuts, Angela Dowden ran well to finish in 2:15:20 and Joeann Niblett ran 2:26:54, having only started running with Kenilworth’s Wednesday morning group a year ago.

The race, supported by Decathlon and featuring Stroke Association and Zoe’s Place as its nominated charities, was won by Notts AC / Nene Valley Harriers’ Aaron Scott, who complimented his training towards a hopeful sub 2:20 spring marathon with a 1:08:50 clocking. The winning lady was fellow Nene Valley Harrier Philippa Taylor, who finished in 1:21:53 and cemented her reputation as one of the fastest V45 runners in the country.

Gun Position	Name	Chip Time
9	Connor Carson	1:15:06
14	Matthew Kingston-Lee	1:17:32
44	Richard Broadbent	1:24:42
55	Wayne Briggs	1:26:07
117	Stewart Underhill	1:32:03
357	Gwyn Davies	1:41:26
393	Stephen Payne	1:42:28
1522	Angela Dowden	2:15:20
1692	Joeann Niblett	2:26:54

Ashby 20 mile Road Race

Ashby 20 mile Road Race             

A dozen athletes from Grantham Running Club took part in the 25th anniversary race in the Leicestershire Countryside on Sunday, although it is normally regarded by many as the last warm-up race before the London Marathon changes in the athletics calendar meant that it could only be used as a training run by those hoping to do the 26.2 miles in the next few weeks. First home Paul Rushworth eased back a full five and a half minutes from his 2013 pace. Ben Hatherley was almost back to his old form after an ankle injury as second GRC runner to finish followed by Andrew Pask enjoying one of his easier runs after throttling back for the first ten miles. The ladies section was led home by Holly Durham standing in at the last minute for her sister Penny, who had to withdraw with a knee injury, closely follow by Abi Schofield who became the first GRC runner to top the UKA rankings as the fastest U23 in the country this year at 20 miles. Catherine Payne distance completed the ladies team who were runners-up in the team event behind Bedford Harriers.  Here are some of the runners after the finish (Left to Right) Catherine Payne, Ben Hatherley, Robert McArdle, Paul Rushworth, Ben Mason, Andrew Pask, Scott Jones and Holly Durham

		Time
Paul Rushworth		02:20:51		Male
Ben Hatherley		02:26:35		Male
Andrew Pask		02:31:08		Male
Holly Durham		02:32:31		Female
Abi Schofield		02:33:14		Female
Ben Mason		02:35:13		Male
Scott Jones		02:37:30		Male
Catherine Payne		02:37:44		Female
Robert McArdle		02:40:07		Male
Nick Payne		02:46:39		Male
Andrew Spencer		02:56:33		Male
Gordon Geach		02:59:10		Male

Stamford Valentines 30k

  Stamford Valentines 30k

Grantham Running Club had 13 athletes out at this year's Stamford 30k race. Although this is primarily are race for those wanting to test themselves before a spring marathon it does have a romantic side with couples being invited to run as a Valentine pair for special prizes. New member Wendy Tremain decided it would be the perfect gift for husband Marc to celebrate his posting back to the UK from Afghanistan to enter as a couple and enjoy the hilly countryside in South Lincolnshire together. Unfortunately Wendy twisted her ankle tripping into a pothole in the road during an evening training run in the early January and had been very limited in her training for what was going to be the longest race in her life. Despite this she was determined to complete the race and after sending Marc off to run on his own managed to finish the race in just a few minutes outside her revised target time.

Further up the field there were impressive performances and debuts, Matt Kingston-Lee was 15th in a personal best of 1:52:38, Andrew Pask was 4 minutes quicker than last year followed by Gordon Geach and Scott Jones also recording PBs, top placed club member was Catherine Payne who was runner up in her category. Full club results below;

Matthew Kingston-Lee	M		01:52:38	PB
Andrew Pask	M		02:13:51	PB
Abi Schofield	F		02:17:57
Ben Mason	M		02:19:57
Holly Durham	F		02:20:21
Gordon Geach	M		02:23:28	PB
Scott Jones	M		02:26:11	PB
Catherine Payne	F		02:27:40
Robert McArdle	M		02:29:42
Nick Payne	M		02:29:51
Marc Tremain	M		02:36:42
Andrew Spencer	M		02:40:53
Wendy Tremain	F		03:33:44

Parkrun and Ripper

Parkrun Newark

At this week's run Abi Schofield became the fourth different runner from Grantham Running Club to win the ladies' race in recent weeks firmly establishing the club as having the best strength in depth of quality female athletes in the area. On a day when conditions underfoot were treacherous Abi was able to use her cross country experience to good effect finishing clear of the second lady Penny Hodges also from GRC. Despite the mud and deep puddles GRC's Gordon Geach and Mark Hillson recorded PB's with Gordon finishing first in his age category.

Rauceby Ripper

Three of GRC's members made the short trip to Rauceby near Sleaford for this very muddy off road nine mile race. First home with a top thirty finish was Iain Brown in 59:13, Lucy Roberts clocked 73:59 with Yvonne Taylor taking 95:05.

Folksworth 15

 In the first of the warm-up races in preparation for this season’s spring marathons Grantham Running Club were represented by six runners at this year’s Folksworth 15 near Peterborough. On a hilly course three experienced runners were making their debut at this rarely raced distance of 15 miles. First home was male senior Matthew Kingston-Lee in sixth place in an extremely high quality field of 500 runners. Also running well was Paul Rushworth with a top fifty finish but the biggest improvement of the day was made by Andrew Pask who reduced his PB for the distance by six minutes! Full results

Position						Time
6		Matthew Kingston-Lee			M	01:28:40	First Timer
49		Paul Rushworth			M	01:42:41	First Timer
74		Andrew Pask			M	01:46:06	PB
141		Gordon Geach			M	01:53:59	First Timer
159		Robert McArdle			M	01:56:12
191		Catherine Payne			F	01:59:55

Newark Park Run

Despite slippy underfoot conditions all three of GRC’s athletes grabbed personal bests at this Saturday’s Parkrun in Newark. Quickest was Gordon Geach in 23:01 followed by Mark Hillson in 23:28 and Yvonne Taylor in 32:59

Wellingborough Dirt Run

Andrew MacAllister, a member of GRC’s Cross Country Team, set a time of 54:32 in the aptly named Wellingborough Dirt Run last Sunday on one of the muddiest courses ever.

Keyworth Turkey Trot Half Marathon, Keyworth, Nottinghamshire, Sunday 8 December 2013.

 

Grantham Running Club’s Matthew Kingston-Lee bettered his own club half marathon record when he finished eighth at the Keyworth Turkey Trot on Sunday 8th December.  Behind Matthew, fellow club mates Ben Hatherley and Kevin Baker set impressive personal bests on a tough hilly course.

 

The 31st Keyworth Turkey Trot Half Marathon was a remarkably popular event with its entry limit of 1000 runners filled this year in just nine hours. With funds raised going to the 1st Keyworth Scouts Group, the event is a fine example of a slickly organised community supported race, with generous crowd support on what was a near entirely rural course. Weather conditions were fine for a December event: sunny and relatively mild, with just a stiffening breeze hampering runners at times on a fairly exposed hilly route. Finishers of the race were rewarded with a memento mug - presented by none other than Father Christmas himself - with free soup and other hot beverages offered for the weary runners.

 

First home for Grantham Running Club was Matthew Kingston-Lee. A swift opening downhill mile saw him lie in around twelfth place when he struggled badly on the first climbs of the race at around three miles. He rallied well though in the middle section of the race when he began to haul in runners ahead of him and at ten miles found himself eighth and around 30 seconds up on his schedule to break his existing half marathon PB of 1:16:46, set at Milton Keynes in 2010. Some tough climbs in the final miles however saw him finish just outside his best, albeit in a season’s half marathon best of 1:17:01. This bettered his old club record set at this year’s Robin Hood Half Marathon by eleven seconds.

 

Behind Matthew, Ben Hatherley was pleased and somewhat surprised, considering a distinct lack of recent training, to clock a new PB of 1:29:06, bettering his old best, set at the Newton’s Fraction Half Marathon in 2012, by seventeen seconds. Behind Ben Mason (1:38:00), Kevin Baker was delighted to take two minutes off his old PB, clocking 1:38:47. He credited the improvement to the club’s Tuesday night hills and interval sessions which he has been excelling at in recent weeks.

 

Robert Howbrook, taking part in only his second half marathon, found the course tougher than his debut at Peterborough in October, nevertheless he ran well to finish just over a minute slower than his best with 1:42:36.

 

Behind Nick Payne (1:45:18), Lucy Roberts was the first of two GRC ladies to finish, coming home in 2:09:36. Yvonne Taylor showed considerable determination with a finishing time of 2:30:36.

The race won by V45 Tom Hartley of Barrow Runners in 1:13:19, with Katherine Fitzpatrick the first lady to cross the finishing line in 1:26:36.

Keyworth Turkey Trot Half Marathon, Keyworth, Nottinghamshire

Grantham Running Club's Matthew Kingston-Lee bettered his own club half marathon record when he finished eighth at the Keyworth Turkey Trot on Sunday 8th December.  Behind Matthew, fellow club mates Ben Hatherley and Kevin Baker set impressive personal bests on a tough hilly course.

The 31st Keyworth Turkey Trot Half Marathon was a remarkably popular event with its entry limit of 1000 runners filled this year in just nine hours. With funds raised going to the 1st Keyworth Scouts Group, the event is a fine example of a slickly organised community supported race, with generous crowd support on what was a near entirely rural course. Weather conditions were fine for a December event: sunny and relatively mild, with just a stiffening breeze hampering runners at times on a fairly exposed hilly route. Finishers of the race were rewarded with a memento mug - presented by none other than Father Christmas himself - with free soup and other hot beverages offered for the weary runners.

First home for Grantham Running Club was Matthew Kingston-Lee. A swift opening downhill mile saw him lie in around twelfth place when he struggled badly on the first climbs of the race at around three miles. He rallied well though in the middle section of the race when he began to haul in runners ahead of him and at ten miles found himself eighth and around 30 seconds up on his schedule to break his existing half marathon PB of 1:16:46, set at Milton Keynes in 2010. Some tough climbs in the final miles however saw him finish just outside his best, albeit in a season's half marathon best of 1:17:01. This bettered his old club record set at this year's Robin Hood Half Marathon by eleven seconds.

Behind Matthew, Ben Hatherley was pleased and somewhat surprised, considering a distinct lack of recent training, to clock a new PB of 1:29:06, bettering his old best, set at the Newton's Fraction Half Marathon in 2012, by seventeen seconds. Behind Ben Mason (1:38:00), Kevin Baker was delighted to take two minutes off his old PB, clocking 1:38:47. He credited the improvement to the club's Tuesday night hills and interval sessions which he has been excelling at in recent weeks.

Robert Howbrook, taking part in only his second half marathon, found the course tougher than his debut at Peterborough in October, nevertheless he ran well to finish just over a minute slower than his best with 1:42:36.

Behind Nick Payne (1:45:18), Lucy Roberts was the first of two GRC ladies to finish, coming home in 2:09:36. Yvonne Taylor showed considerable determination with a finishing time of 2:30:36.

The race won by V45 Tom Hartley of Barrow Runners in 1:13:19, with Katherine Fitzpatrick the first lady to cross the finishing line in 1:26:36.

Nene Valley 10 2013

Nene Valley 10

Despite the slippy underfoot conditions cause by an overnight leaf fall the athletes from Grantham Running Club recorded some great times on this classic ten mile course round Peterborough. First home was GRC new boy in the form of his life clocking 57:20 to set his second PB in as many weeks, followed by ultra-runner Paul Rushworth in his personal best of 65:19. There were also PB’s for Andrew Pask and Scott Jones while Andrew MacAllister and Wendy Tremain made their debut at ten miles.

 

00:57:20		Matthew	Kingston-Lee		M
01:05:19		Paul	Rushworth		M
01:07:44		Andrew	Pask		M
01:10:13		Scott	Jones		M
01:13:36		Abigail	Schofield		F
01:13:36		Catherine	Payne		F
01:13:56		Robert	McArdle		M
01:29:35		Andrew	MacAllister		M
01:31:48		Wendy	Tremain		F
01:47:43		Yvonne	Taylor		F

Regards

Robert McArdle

Mob: 0788 7796 991

www.granthamrunningclub.co.uk

Stamford 30k

There are 453 places left