Sleaford Half Marathon

Twenty five members of Grantham Running Club made the short journey to Sleaford to take part in the town’s half marathon on Sunday 5^th May 2019. A year on from the 2018 edition that took place in the midst of a heatwave, this year’s event took place in conditions that were chilly even for a typical Bank Holiday weekend, although thankfully runners, marshals, and spectators were spared the hail storms and the worst of the arctic winds that swept through the region on the Saturday. While more sedentary folk may have bemoaned the cool conditions, they provided a catalyst for an extraordinary day of success for the GRC, with no less than fourteen setting new personal best times.

First to finish for the club was 2018 Sleaford Half Marathon runner-up Matthew Kingston-Lee. Not quite able to match the achievement this time around, third placed Matthew had a somewhat lonely race minutes ahead of the nearest competition but not quite able to keep up with the second placed finisher after they had run the opening three miles together. Blaming post Manchester Marathon fatigue after the race, Matthew’s finishing time of 1:16:22 is a season’s best but surprisingly slightly slower than his 2018 time, held in much tougher conditions. 

Holly

Tony Johnson (and others to follow) made a mockery of Matthew’s excuses when he finished a superb ninth overall and first V50 runner, clocking a season’s best 1:24:04 just a week after running 2:59 at the London Marathon. With the race being the sixth round of the club’s Grand Prix Series, Tony will move considerably up the standings with his gold standard 81.75% being his highest ever age grade with the club.

Third home for GRC was Peter Bonner (1:27:21), who came away from the race very pleased with a 30 second PB, was partly inspired by battling with Lincoln Wellington AC competitors for a team competition that turned out to not actually exist! Matt Kidd was equally pleased to better his old PB by over three minutes, his 1:28:20 comfortably under the magic ninety minute barrier. Joe Diggins (1:31:36) may have been just outside that landmark time, but his huge fourteen minute improvement from his HM debut at the 2018 Sleaford race suggests that barrier is imminently beatable. Andy Atter, who boasts a 1:27 half marathon PB, was pleased to see his recent form continue to improve - 1:32:41 was thirty seconds quicker than at the recent Belvoir Half.

Holly Durham was the first GRC female to finish, coming home an excellent fifth in the women’s race with 1:34:42, over a minute faster than she ran in March’s Retford Half Marathon. Just as at Retford, she was followed by Joss Smith (1:37:41) who was a fine sixth in the women’s race. Kevin Kettle (1:37:58) finished shortly after, claiming fiftieth position overall and bettering his PB by 93 seconds. Simon Smith (1:39:09) whose previous PB, like Kevin’s, came from the 2018 Worksop Half Marathon, also benefitted from the flatter, quicker course, to better his old best by nearly three minutes.

Stefan Latter was not in the best of health suffering from a chest infection and began to struggle from

the seven mile marker. Nonetheless his 1:41:50 was a minute quicker than his previous PB. He was one of many to praise the slick organisation from the hosting club Sleaford Striders, who deserved to receive greater participation than the 301 runners who finished the race.

Caroline Davis is another runner who has raced extensively in 2019 and has shown no signs of slowing. Just a week on from the London Marathon, her second marathon in April, Caroline stormed around the Sleaford course in 1:47:05, an improvement of over a minute on her old HM PB. Very much a novice in comparison, Martin Rodell followed Caroline in 1:49:37, a near five minute improvement on his debut half marathon at Boston three weeks prior.

Behind Martin, Nicola Cottam (1:51:55) ran very well four weeks on from the Manchester Marathon to better her old PB by over four minutes. In quite possibly her first ever race, Kate Bland ran well to break two hours, clocking 1:55:41, 42 seconds ahead of Julie Gilbert (1:56:23) who was ‘chuffed’ to smash that barrier and her PB by over five minutes, despite running both the Manchester and London Marathons.

Rachel Pattison bettered her old PB by some sixteen minutes with a fine 2:05:04 and Hazel Dunthorne (2:05:33) was nearly two minutes up on her old best. Tracey Smith (2:07:45) showed no ill effects from her marathon debut at Peterborough in April with a pleasing four minute improvement on her old PB. Henrietta McCabe finished closely behind on her half marathon debut in 2:08:25, with Kate Marshall next to cross the line in 2:10:41, nearly two minutes faster than her previous best HM time.

Completing the compliment of GRC runners were: Nicola Fahy (2:13:44); Belinda Baker (2:16:01); Ros Sadler (2:17:19); and Louise Kennedy (2:32:40), who was able to celebrate a seventy second PB in her second ever half marathon at the club’s well attended ‘Beer ‘n’ Bling’ event later that evening.

The race was won by Wayne Lathwell of Lincoln Wellington AC in 1:13:11 with Emma Hodson of Cambridge University Hare and Hounds the winning woman in 1:20:01.

The Beer and Bling evening