Peterborough Grand Prix: Race 5 Werrington

Three and a half PB's for the GRC team

Records tumbled as ten athletes from Grantham Running Club took part in the final race of the Peterborough Grand Prix season, not only were personal bests at stake but this was the decider for the prizes for the best 5k runners in Cambridgeshire and the surrounding area. With conditions better than expected Jonny Palmer set the fastest time ever for a GRC member with his best 5k to date in a time of 16:21 surpassing his 2016 mark by some 17 seconds. As if to show that there is no such thing as a specialist distance is club road running Jonny is also GRC’s fastest over the marathon and the 100 mile distances. Next home was Peter Bonner taking part in his 5^th  5k in 5 days clocking 19:10 on heavy

PB and club record for Jonny

legs. Not far behind in 19:28 was Rob Howbrook having already tied up his series win some two weeks previously and despite two races in Lincoln the previous evening he held on to secure the clean sweep in his age category with first MV60 at all five of the Grand Prix races. On countback he was awarded the Male Vet 55 prize as he was also faster than all those in the age group below his.

First of the women from the club was Sarah Chynoweth lowering her own club record by 16 seconds with a 19:30 which secured her the spot for 3^rd lady on the night. Sam Dodwell is having a great season with a PB almost every second time he races and it is a mark of how much he has improved that his 20:53 was just “a good run” despite being about four minutes faster than the same point in 2018. With the gap between Catherine Payne and the second placed runner in her age group a mere five points Catherine had to finish no more than four places behind her rival to secure a series win to match her positions in 2016 and 2017. Despite not being able to race at full pace due to illness Catherine also managed another win in her own age group but was awarded the Female Vet 40 prize as her positions were better than those in the two groups below her.

Robert McArdle’s time of 22:31 was about where he normally is but Naomi Jepson-Rivers matched a PB set a few weeks previously to the second leaving her wondering if there was anywhere on the course she could have shaved that second off! Stuart Baty had a great run and was rewarded with a 15 second PB in an official time of  23:56. The club’s final runner home was Paul Jepson in a painful 25:46 with a pulled hamstring picked up in a 10k cross country race a few hours previously.