Whissendine 6

After the cold harsh spells in winter and the recent heat wave it is fair to say that the runners of Grantham Running Club have got used to running in extremes of temperature during 2018. The Whissendine 6 on Friday 6th July was no exception as a small group of runners took on the rolling hills on the Leicestershire/Rutland border.

The course teased runners with a quick descent and the route offered legs very little respite from either the ups or the downs. Coupled with temperatures still in the 20s and humidity which was as high as at any point in the summer it meant that it was far from PB conditions. This didn’t stop some fantastic performances though from the green and black army.

Suzanne Britz was first woman home in an official PB of 52:00. On the back of some hard training she was understandably delighted! GRCs other woman finisher once again proved that age is no barrier. Julie Braker struggled in the conditions but still finished first in her age category in 57:01.

There were also a few men running in the race. Chris Limmer had a number of years of experience of running in the Leicestershire Road Running League which raced on courses of similar profile to the Whissendine 6 and was keen to resume a few rivalries with runners from some of the clubs taking part. Setting off just shy of the leading pack he quickly found himself in 6th and within sight of a couple of runners ahead.

Chris held back a little in the middle of the race so as to not let the conditions impact on a strong finish and this worked. He was able to not lose too much ground on those ahead and held onto 6th in 35:42. About 90 seconds off his PB but a good run in the conditions.

Not far behind Chris was a small gaggle of green that spurred each other on through the testing final miles. Rob Howbrook was around a minute off his PB but finished a highly commendable 24th place in 40:38. Just 15 seconds later a smiling Scott Jones finished which was a first-class performance from him (which was apt given he had the race number 1). Scott somehow got a PB as did Peter Bonner who followed in just over 40 seconds later.

Finally finishing for GRC was Robert Braker for whom time was not important after slowing to support his wife Julie through the race. His time of 55:55 is still a very very good time on the day.

All runners highly praised the local Friday race which offered runners a complimentary beer and glass for finishing. There was also a barbecue at the finish for runners and spectators to enjoy in the summer evening sun.