Podium finish in Southwell Olympic Marathon Event

Podium finish in Southwell Olympic Marathon Event

Grantham Running Club marathon men Ben Mason and Ben Hatherley were in action Sunday 12^th August, competing at the distance for the second time this year, in the inaugural Morton Olympic Marathon Event. The event, a flat rural 9 lap marathon distance race both on and off road, starting and finishing at The Full Moon pub in Morton Nr Southwell, held on the same day as The Men’s Olympic Marathon, competing were teams of 2 , 3 or 4 and individuals

On a hot summers day the duo had to breach 4 stiles each lap along the route, spurred on by the large and lively crowd gathered outside the pub. The Bens, fresh from a recent endurance event in Derbyshire, ran shoulder to shoulder for 6 laps showing a good pace despite the heat and nature of the course.

With Ben Mason tiring around the 19^th mile, Ben Hatherley stepped up the pace for the last 7 miles sensing a sub 4 hour finish time. With the finish line in sight Ben Hatherley moved up to claim 2^nd place overall in a time of 3hrs 50mins, trailing the winner by 10mins. Ben Mason came home in 5^th spot in a time of 4hrs 12mins. An excellent achievement by both Grantham runners considering they had only entered Wednesday before the event.

Ben Hatherley said “ I thoroughly enjoyed race excellent support from the friendly crowd and very well organised, one for the 2013 calendar!”

Long Tour of Bradwell Fell Race

GRC's Paul Rushworth  returned to the type of race he is more comfortable with completing the Long Tour of Bradwell in 7 hours 10 minutes and 11 seconds. He was especially pleased to finish 35th in this run which included 6,300' of ascent in its 33 miles as he was taken to hospital after the finish with a gash in his head following a collision with a tree.

Thorney 5 Mile Race

Grantham Athletic Club's John Bainbridge was the only local entrant in this out and back course through the countryside near Peterborough completing the run in a time of 40:29 despite the heat

Regards

Robert McArdle
0788 7796 991

Adidas Thunder Run 24 Hours

"Grantham sent two teams to represent the town at the Thunder Run 24 hour endurance event at Catton Park, Derbyshire. The tough event requires each runner to complete a 10 kilometre course before handing on to the next team member. The relay continues through the night with some Grantham athletes completing five laps at race speed and totalling more than 30 miles during the 24 hours. In addition to the high mileage, competitors had to cope with sleep deprivation and manage food intake to ensure their energy levels continued. The route ran across mixed, undulating terrain including forests and competitors wore head torches to light the way during the night sections. This year over two thousand eight hundred runners took part in the event with 187 teams competing in the mixed class. Grantham’s two mixed team’s placed well in 7^th and 34^th place in an event which attracted bigger clubs from across the country. Club Chairman Helen Brown said “This was a real team effort, we really punched above our weight, our athletes revelled in the good natured spirit of the event and we are now inspired to do even better next year”.

      

Team A members: Stuart Sinclair (Captain), Paul Rushworth, Ben Hatherley, Arthur Short, Scott Jones, Catherine Payne, Ben Mason, Mark Hillson. Team B members: Helen Brown (Captain), Robert McArdle, Phil Hall, Gordon Geach, John Ellerby, Lucy Roberts, John Bainbridge, Sarah High. "