Folksworth 15

First outing for long sleeved top

Eighteen members of Grantham Running Club made a great start to the 2017 road racing campaign with a strong showing at the Folksworth 15 mile race on Sunday 22nd January. Runners were treated to blue skies, albeit with temperatures barely above freezing for the popular early season test for distance runners.
First home for GRC was Matthew Kingston-Lee, who bettered his previous best time set in 2014 by eighteen seconds, finishing seventh overall, and second V40 finisher, in 1:28:21. He commented afterwards: "It was a fairly lonely race to be honest. I passed a runner at two miles, pulled clear, but barely saw another competitor for the rest of the race. All I had to keep me concentrated was my watch and the support of the marshals and spectators."

Some of the GRC team

Chris Limmer followed in 1:32:09, pleased with thirteenth place and a time several minutes better than his pre-race prediction. Also happy with his run was Gav Meadows – 1:44:34 was four minutes faster than his effort in 2016, Matthew Williamson was thrilled with 1:47:33 – the furthest he has ever raced and Andy Atter showed great form as he concentrated on marathon pacing, yet still clocked an assured 1:48:23. Rob McArdle (1:54:30) was a fine fifth in the V55 category, just beating home Pete Bonner (1:55:25), who a day earlier celebrated his 200th parkrun finish at Belton House.​

Holly Durham was the first of five female GRC finishers, clocking an excellent 1:49:58, which placed her fourteenth female and fourth in the FV35 age category. She was followed by Catherine Payne (1:51:13), who ran superbly to be seventeenth female and first in the FV50 age category.

Injury meant a DNF for Jaime

SJ Willis (2:00:38) was ninth in the FV35 category; Sarah High (2:05:00) a highly creditable fourth in FV50; and Caroline Davis was tenth in FV45, clocking 2:10:21.
Other GRC finishers: Paul Davis – 1:53:33; Ben Mason – 2:00:34; Gordon Geach – 2:05:22; Andrew Spencer – 2:05:24; Neil Emerson – 2:10:57; Liam Vincent – 2:14:07.
The race was won for the fourth year in succession by Aaron Scott of Lincoln Wellington AC in 1:19:16, with Suzy West of Eye Community Runners the first woman to finish in 1:37:45. There were 426 finishers.

(Member of the month in red)

Position	Time	Name		Category		Grading
7	01:28:22	Matthew Kingston-Lee		MV40		81.04%
13	01:32:09	Christopher Limmer		MSen		74.21%
70	01:44:35	Gav Meadows		MSen		66.05%
88	01:47:34	Matthew Williamson		MSen		63.58%
94	01:48:24	Andy Atter		MSen		63.45%
108	01:49:59	Holly Durham		FV35		69.58%
113	01:51:14	Catherine Payne		FV50		77.82%
128	01:53:34	Paul Davis		MV45		66.23%
134	01:54:31	Robert McArdle		MV55		71.70%
143	01:55:26	Peter Bonner		MV40		61.55%
182	02:00:35	Ben Mason		MSen		58.45%
185	02:00:38	Sarah Willis		FV35		63.95%
223	02:05:01	Sarah High		FV50		72.88%
229	02:05:23	Gordon Geach		MV50		63.75%
230	02:05:25	Andrew Spencer		MV50		63.73%
257	02:10:21	Caroline Davis		FV45		64.80%
263	02:10:59	Neil Emerson		MV55		62.12%
280	02:14:08	Liam Vincent		MV40		54.26%