Thoresby 10

Some of the GRC Beginners 2016 class with their finishers medals.

Grantham Running Club stormed to success at Thoresby 10 trail race on Sunday. The club was well represented, with seventeen of its members tackling challenging inclines and undulating terrain to complete the off road race through the beautiful grounds of Thoresby Hall, north Nottinghamshire.
Participants chose to run a distance of 10k or 10 miles along the old military roads, woodland tracks and grassed paths of the country estate. Bright sunshine and very little wind meant competitors enjoyed near perfect race day conditions, with the courses ascents made tricky by recent rainfall.

Penny, Paul and Mark

The club dominated the 10 mile race, led home by Paul Rushworth in a time of 1:14:27. In a sound performance, Penny Hodges was first lady home for the club, securing the prize for third female overall, closely followed by Mark Hillson. Between them the trio claimed first prize for team performance, with Sarah High, Jaime Garcia and Adrian Walker claiming the second prize for the 10 mile team performance. Sarah High maintained her recent run of solid performances for GRC with a first in her age group, with Peter Bonner putting in a credible performance in his 10 mile debut securing 14th place overall.

Graduates from GRC's 2016 beginners programme overcame the challenging 10k course, their achievement all the more impressive as six months ago they were all new to running. Grantham Running Club beginner's co-ordinator Penny Hodges says; "Their progress has been absolutely phenomenal. When they started the 10 week programme they were unable to run continually for more than a minute. In only 6 months they have progressed enough to complete a challenging 10k. It's gratifying to see just how much their hard work and perseverance has paid off and they did it all with huge smiles on their faces."

10 mile Results:

Sarah getting her prize

Paul Rushworth 1:14:27, Peter Bonner 1:14:45, Penny Hodges 1:18:01, Mark Hillson 1:19:23, Adrian Walker1:20:08, Jaime Garcia 1:24:21, Sarah High 1:24:44.

10k Results:

Jonathan Lill 59:45, Andy Barradell 1:00:47, Sue Swann 1:03:21, Adam Jacobs 1:03:23, Angela Carr 1:09:17, Belinda Baker 1:12:36, Sally Exley 1:12:35, Yvette Taylor 1:12:54, CJ Walker 1:18:15, Helen Barradell 1:21:54.