Aldi Ashby 20

Tony with his hoody

After a year’s absence, the Aldi Ashby 20 Road Race made a welcome return on Sunday 24^th March.  Held under blue skies and pleasant temperatures for running, although there was a cool breeze blowing it was nothing compared to the second blast of the Beast from the East that cancelled the 2018 Ashby 20 and generally wreaked havoc with the UK racing calendar twelve months ago.

One of the best known and longest running 20 mile races in the country, the event is very popular as a pre-spring marathon training race, falling five weeks before the London Marathon. Entry to the 2019 edition was harder than usual as first preference was given to those who had entered the cancelled 2018 race and was declared full not long after entries officially opened in the autumn of last year.

The two lap course on a scenic but undulating route takes runners out of Ashby-de-la-Zouche, through the villages of Packington, Measham, Swepstone, Heather, and Normanton le Heath, and then back to Packington. On finishing at the Bath Grounds, runners are rewarded for their efforts with a famous Ashby 20 hoodie and goody bag.

First of five Grantham Running Club finishers was Tony Johnson who, just a week after a strong run at the Oundle 20, ran four minutes quicker at Ashby to clock a superb 2:15:23. This earned Tony 43^rd place overall and third in the MV50 age category. It was Tony’s quickest 20 mile time since 2011 when he clocked 2:14:57. In that year Tony went on to clock 2:58:57 at the London Marathon, the last time Tony broke three hours for the marathon and a target for this year’s race that suddenly falls into the realm of distinct possibility.

Behind Tony, Liam Vincent continued his marathon preparations with a solid 2:52:43, just ahead of Caroline Davis who, like Tony, was taking part in her second 20 mile race in as many weeks, running well to clock 2:52:56, exactly two minutes quicker than she ran at Oundle. Behind Carlione, Sarah High came home in 3:08:52 and Julie Riggall followed in 3:44:21.

The race was won by Daniel Bagley of Holme Pierrepont Running Club, in a time of 1:51:43. Annie Byrne of BRAT (Birmingham Running, Athletics, and Triathlon Club) was the winning woman in 2:09:47. There were 1231 finishers.