GRC Virtual Series – Round 1 (5K)

Nim inside her PB

An impressive 55 members of Grantham Running Club took part in the opening event of the club’s 4 race series. With no races on the horizon due to COVID-19 restrictions the club has looked for other ways to motivate its runners and the virtual series has proven a popular solution. Tasked with the unusual prospect of ‘racing’ alone, members were given a two week window to cover the distance as fast as they could on a course of their choosing.  Not allowed to choose routes in the town centre or along the canal towpath where social distancing is difficult, most runners opted to run along the surrounding lanes of Grantham.

The outright winner was the ever impressive Johnny Palmer with a time of 16:33, over a minute ahead of his nearest rival Grant Davies (17:38). Despite running the course around 4seconds long by his watch, Johnny was pleased with the win and to be running fast again. Grant, running for his 2^nd club was delighted with his time which was well ahead of his official PB set in 2018.

Also running for her 2^nd club was Jenny McBain who opted for a course near her home in Bicester.  Jenny was the standout performer, claiming maximum points, snatching the Outright Ladies, Age Grade (79.98%) and the VF40 age category.  Her time of 19:12 was a massive return to form despite struggling with a persistent hip injury which is hampering her speed training.  Taking the

Great time for Jonny

number 2 spot outright was Holly Durham who was pleased with her time of 21:27 which is within range of her 2019 best. Then it was the fast improving Naomi Jepson-Rivers who stormed to a 22:55, nearly a minute ahead of her official best and clearly reaping the rewards of her recent high training mileage.

Age category winners were Dean Riggall (VM40, 19:30), Caroline Davies (VF50, 23:34), Gerry Hyde (VM50, 19:40) and Paul Jepson (VM60, 23:19).

Other results;  Phil Devine (18:27), Matthew Williamson (18:59), Joe Diggins (19:01), Andrew Pask (19:09), Sam Jepson-Rivers (19:21), Ben Hatherly (19:39), Andy Atter (20:09), Jack Dodwell (20:12), Stefan Latter (20:12), Gav Meadows (20:41), Alan Carley (21:08), Richard Payne (21:19), Paul Rushworth (21:22), Stuart Pick (21:27), Sam Dodwell (22:14), Mark Hillson (22:55), Warren Stark (22:57), Hannah San Jose (23:57), Chris Armstrong (24:01), Antony Boyle (24:52), Vicki Ball (24:53), Helen Brown (25:25), Sarah High (25:29), Tommy Napier (25:33), John Nevard (25:37), John Southwood (25:49), Peter Storey (26:03), Jacqueline Anderson (26:11), Sylv Hull (26:36), Alison Clark (26:56), Fraser Marshall (27:30), Stephen Fay (28:13), Mark Rice (28:21), Hayley Staff (28:27), Kate Marshall (28:55), Emma Duncan (29:35), Henrietta McCabe (30:08), Sara Pask (30:10), Tracy Webb (30:17), Diana McDonald (31:06), Vicky Willian (32:10), Edina Burns (33:12), Emma Fleet (33:28), Yvonne Buckley (35:16), Becky Rice (35:37).

Next up for runners is the daunting prospect of ‘racing’ a 10k alone where another round of points will be all to play for. 

Oundle 20 -

With the cancellation of so many races both locally and nationally in the 48 hours prior to the start of the third Oundle 20 on Sunday 15^th March there was a weird atmosphere amongst the runners that stood on the start line. A number of runners were just wanting to enjoy what they (rightly) felt was to be their last organised race for a number of months given how the pandemic had developed in other countries like Italy. A few others were grateful that the spring marathons they had entered were no longer happening as their training had been less than ideal and it meant they could run the challenging undulating course without any pressure of having to run a certain pace.

Sub 2 for Jonny

It is fair to say that these thoughts were on the minds of a number of the Grantham Running Club members taking part as the race started. Featuring very little flat sections but no significant climbs instead containing rather long gradual uphills that went on for several miles. Particularly the four miles between Wansford and King’s Cliffe which runners would take on around the halfway point into the race.

First in for GRC a week after his excellent run at the Cambridge Half Marathon was Jonny Palmer. Taking part in his first 20 mile race, he set off with the leading pack in sight and ran as high as third. Finishing fourth in 1:56:49, just over a minute and a half behind the race winner Phil Martin of Peterborough and Nene

Warren smashed his PB

Valley AC, Jonny set the tone for some great performances and personal bests, which were all the more remarkable when the weather turned about an hour into the race with driving wind and rain right into the faces of the runners.

Next in for the club was Chris Limmer - one of the few from the club to neither PB or run their first 20 mile race. Starting towards the back of the field Chris Limmer chose to run his way though the field and see what would happen. Keen to enjoy the last race for a while he crossed the line in 2:11:45.

FIrst of the GRC PB runners was Dean Riggall who finished 31^st and in doing so beat his previous 20 mile best by seven and a half minutes with 2:20:16. Next was Darren Harley who, on his 20 mile race debut, hung on to finish just five minutes behind Dean in a fine 2:25:30.

Still nursing a minor injury niggle in the build up Sarah Chenowyth gave the race a controlled effort and to clock 2:39:31, finishing 20^th female and 114^th overall. The women’s race was won by Sophie Darling of

Lincoln Wellington AC in a new course record 2:13:22. Warren Stark was next in and he smashed his previous PB from last year’s Oundle 20 by an amazing nineteen minutes with 2:50:49

Caroline Davis was another to set a PB crossing the line in 2:52:25, shaving 31 seconds off from her year old previous best set at Ashby. Four minutes later in 2:56:25 was Women’s Captain Sarah High who remarkably managed to equal to the second her PB set back in 2016.

Tracy clocked 3:55:20

GRC had six participants who had entered the race as part of their training for their first ever marathon and were taking part in their longest race to date. This included Dale Towning (3:09:45) who was followed by Rachel Varela (3:22:00), who had marathon experience having completed the Rutland multi terrain marathon in September 2019. Claire Martin (3:41:26) led home four runners who were rarely out of sight of each other. CJ Walker (3:49:10) was full of praise for her club mate Belinder Baker (3:48:35) for supporting her and she was delighted to break four hours.  Kate Marshall (3:48:26) and Tracy Webb (3:55:20) both enjoyed their first runs at Oundle too even if Kate then felt a sharp pain in her thigh attempting to stretch afterwards! 

With all races postponed or cancelled for the foreseeable future Kate and the rest of the runners have plenty of time to recuperate and hopefully be fit and able to enjoy the pleasures of running while the world battles more pressing matters.

Sleaford Half

Report to follow

Cambridge Half Marathon

Another PB for Jonny

On Sunday 8^th March ten members of Grantham Running Club joined over 11,000 other runners for the 2020 Cambridge Half Marathon. Starting on Midsummer Common before weaving through the historic streets of the city, the course then sent runners out towards the villages of Granchester and Trumpington before finally giving runners a fast final few miles downhill back to the city and to the finish back on Midsummer Common.

First in for GRC and smashing both his PB and the previous club record by nearly four minutes with a superb 1:11:35 was Jonny Palmer. Currently in the form of his life he will sadly not have the opportunity to target a sub-2:30 clocking at the London Marathon in April, but hopefully can use all the miles banked in training to good effect when racing presumably resumes over other distances in the summer.  

Finishing nearly ten minutes later was Chris Limmer. Having nursed a niggle in his shin in the days before the race he took it relatively easy in the twisty and narrow first four miles. He soon got in to his stride though as the route left the city centre and spent a majority of the race overtaking people and was not unhappy with his 1:21:01 clocking.

Gav Meadows showed a welcome return to form after running a well paced race to finish less than two minutes outside his PB with 1:29:46 – his fastest half marathon time since 2017.  Sarah Chynoweth finished exactly a minute later (1:30:46) after slowing in the final stages and was disappointed to not break ninety minutes but should be rightly pleased with another age graded performance above 70%.

Gav back running

Clocking 1:40:40, Craig Drury shaved seven seconds off his eighteen month old PB. Despite the congestion on the course, he was full of praise for the support and atmosphere of the event. Returning too from Cambridge with a PB was Harriet Siebenaller, who took a whopping ten minutes off her half marathon PB, clocking 1:40:01.

Claudette Joint also claimed a personal best by three minutes and was rightly delighted with 1:53:31. Vicki Ball was equally pleased finishing her first half marathon since joining the club nearly two years ago in a time of 2:02:58.

Sandwiched between Vicki and Claudette were Katie Bland and Neil Emerson. Katie ran her thirteenth half marathon in as many months as part of her marathon training and only three minutes outside her PB with 1:55:43; Neil ran his quickest half marathon since 2018 with 1:55:05.

The race winners were both from the local club Cambridge and Coleridge with Victoria Knight winning the women’s race in 1:14:45 and Jonathan Escalante-Phillips winning overall in 1:05:36.