Deepings Rotary Club 10K

The 33rd annual Deepings Rotary Club 10K, held on Sunday 19th May, saw nine members of Grantham Running Club make the trip with the lure of a flat and fast course in mind.

Starting and ending at Deeping St James’ Rugby Club playing fields, the course winds through a housing estate for the opening 2K before taking on a circular loop of the Parish of Frognall on very flat, but exposed ‘B’ roads that were partially closed for the event. Race day dawned calm and dry with a touch of hazy sunshine - near perfect running conditions were counteracted by increasing humidity in contrast to recent unseasonal coolness.

First home for GRC was the indomitable Tony Johnson, whose recent form across a multitude of distances goes to further confirm his excellence in the sport. Finishing in a season’s best 38:41 he placed inside the top ten, placing ninth, yet was only the sixth fastest male veteran runner on the day.

Peter Bonner followed in 40:52 having started strongly but fading in the closing stages. Citing a lack of meaningful training of late, it was still sufficient to claim a top twenty finish. Feeling decidedly dejected with his race after coming home in 43:21, Sam Jepson-Rivers was still feeling the effects of a chest infection that contributed to being some fifty seconds down on his recent performance at Langtoft.

Sam’s father, Paul Jepson, returned to Deeping St James for the first time in several years to clock a solid 52:04. In the early stages of the race he had elected to pace his daughter-in-law, Naomi Jepson-Rivers, before running his own race in the latter stages. Naomi responded to the paced council with another sterling performance to clock her fifth successive 10k PB. Slicing another 42 seconds off her previous best set at Langtoft, her time of 52:32 is quite an improvement for a runner who had not broken the hour at the turn of the year!

Behind Naomi, Claire Fritz had a little struggle with blisters and the humidity in the latter stages of the race, but was pleased to cross the finish line in 01:05:53. Alex Platt built on her recent 10K result at Langtoft with a 39 second improvement to clock 01:08:20, revelling in the thrill of racing.

Closely following Alex, Vicky Geeson (01:08:50) and Gillian Cardus (01:08:49) crossed the line practically arm in arm, both outside their bests but happy to run in more pleasant conditions compared to the cold 10K race at Lincoln. Gillian in particular was pleased given it was only her second ever 10K and firmly resolved to be back again, not least because of the free cake and refreshments put on by the local Church group at the end of the race in addition to a brightly coloured medal for her and the 211 other finishers. The runners noted that the warm community atmosphere at the start and end of the race compensated somewhat for the lack of support out on the course itself.

The race was won by Steve Robinson of Helpston Harriers in 33:50, with Karen Smith of St Bees Triers the winning woman in 40:28.