Ponton Plod

Nineteen runners from Grantham Running Club tackled one of the three distances on offer at the Ponton Plod, an LDWA Challenge type event starting at Great Ponton on Sunday 15th September - a day that was perfect for enjoying the stunning countryside we live near.

The 12 mile route was the choice of the trio of first timers Helen Brown, Sylv Hull and Wayne Baxter, the latter two have recently set PB’s at the Newton's Fraction Half Marathon and were able to contrast this run to the more formal discipline of the road race. They might have entered with trepidation but by the end they were converts describing the atmosphere as having a relaxed vibe, the route as well signposted and having fantastic organisers. Being able to run as a group made the miles fly by and the slower pace meant they were actually able to enjoy not only the view but the food on offer especially when they got back to Great Ponton Village Hall.

Wayne joins Sam, Matt and Jack after the run

The 17 mile version was the most popular choice among the GRC members taking part with eleven of them completing the course. Treating it as a race and with family bragging rights on the line cousins Matt Kidd and Sam Clark set off at speed with Matt in the lead for the first 14 miles before Sam eventually caught and overtook him as the toll of the ploughed fields and the climb out of Harlaxton took its toll on their legs. Sam would hold on to finish 5th in 2:24 with Matt a couple of places and three minutes behind. The next two home for GRC were Berlin bound Gav Meadows and Jack Dodwell on their final long run before the marathon, both trying not to take too much out of themselves and certainly not picking up an injury on the uneven ground. It was Gav's first experience of running the wobbly bridge and one that certainly surprised him. Experienced ultra walker Andrew MacAllister came in half an hour later delighted to finish after a massive mileage week clocked up on holiday.

Running as a group Nicola Cottam, Julie Gilbert, Rosalind Sadler and Rachel Pattison enjoyed a comfortable day finishing together in 4:07 with the pairing of Kate Marshall and Tracy Webb just three minutes behind.

The 27½ mile version attracted five of the clubs experienced ultra runners. After a hiatus of eight years Jason Blair returned to distance running to find it was as hard as ever. With sub 3 hour marathons under his belt on the world famous Berlin and Boston courses as well as South Africa’s Coast to Coast he found this as tough as they come with the mixture of self-navigation, hills and underfoot conditions. Despite this his time of 4:49 was a great debut on the 'Plod' and good enough for 7th position. He was followed by Catherine Payne and Robert McArdle completing their final long run before the Chester Marathon whose time was perhaps a touch flattering as they know the course well and lost little time in trying to keep to the route.

Next finisher was Nick Payne completing his 102nd marathon, Nick described the course as tougher than it looks as the sheer number of stiles and gates break up your rhythm, meaning that attempts to go faster or make up time on the tarmac sections are largely futile. He also added it was great to have a race like this one virtually on your doorstep as often he would have to drive for hours to and from a race.

The final runner was Craig Drury taking part in his first marathon distance race in the UK. Although an experienced orienteer he managed to miss the second checkpoint and ended up running over 29 miles retracing his steps because failing to get his card stamped would have invalidated the run. He was able to catch sight of Nick for the final miles and shared the gate opening duties as they worked their way back in just over five hours

. Full GRC results below;

An alternative to running gels at one of the checkpoints

Position	Name	27.5 mile Route	Time
7	Jason Blair	Grantham Running Club	4.49
8	Catherine Payne	Grantham Running Club	4.51
9	Robert McArdle	Grantham Running Club	4.52
12	Nick Payne	Grantham Running Club	5.11
13	Craig Drury	Grantham Running Club	5.12
Position	Name	17 mile Route	Time
5	Sam Clark	Grantham Running Club	2.24
7=	Matthew Kidd	Grantham Running Club	2.27
20	Gavin Meadows	Grantham Running Club	2.47
22=	Jack Dodwell	Grantham Running Club	2.54
44	Andrew MacAllister	Grantham Running Club	3.18
65=	Nicola Cottam	Grantham Running Club	4.07
65=	Julie Gilbert	Grantham Running Club	4.07
65=	Rosalind Sadler	Grantham Running Club	4.07
65=	Rachel Pattison	Grantham Running Club	4.07
69=	Kate Marshall	Grantham Running Club	4.10
69=	Tracy Webb	Grantham Running Club	4.10
Position	Name	12 Mile Route	Time
23	Helen Brown	Grantham R C	2.18
24=	Wayne Baxter	Grantham R C	2.19
24=	Sylv Hul	Grantham R C	2.19

Sam enjoying his day out!