Cambridge Half Marathon

 

Gav Meadows "respectable 1:36:58"

With large events now back in full swing, several Grantham Running Club members travelled to take part in the Cambridge Half Marathon on Sunday 17th October. Nearly 10,000 competitors ran the streets of Cambridge taking in the sights along the way. Fantastic support from the large crowds kept everyone going on a perfect day for running which brought out fantastic results for GRC competitors.

 

First to finish was young 2nd claim member Alex Curtis finishing in an eye catching 1:25:24, setting a new PB by over 3 minutes. He also achieved UK rankings for the distance - 4359th overall and 46th in the under 20 age category.

 

Following closely behind was Andrew Pask who also broke the 90-minute barrier clocking 1:27:21. This was less than 2 minutes slower than his PB set in 2018 making it his fastest half marathon for 3 years. He also achieved UK rankings for the distance - 5537th overall and 976th in the V40 age category. He commented after the race that the course was more challenging than he expected because of the winding streets and bridges.

 

After a significant gap, Gav Meadows crossed the finish line next for GRC. Perhaps a little over optimistic about his form and fitness on the start line, a slightly quick first mile meant the rest of the race was a struggle to maintain some sort of consistent pacing. He managed to just about cling on for a respectable 1:36:58.

 

Stefan Latter followed a few minutes later in 1:40:44 - a performance which left him a little disappointed. However, the time was secondary for Stef as his main focus was raising money for Crohns in Childhood Research Association (CICRA) - a charity very close to his heart. The £1000+ he raised was more important than any other numbers on the day.

 

Richard Litchfield finished seconds later and was the second athlete on the day to run his fastest half marathon for 3 years - an impressive 1:41:04. Nicola Ruston-Litchfield clocked a stunning 1:42:52.Mark Edwards was some way off his PB with 2:04:36. However, an improvement of more than 12 minutes over his Robin Hood Half Marathon performance from the previous month is a very promising sign.

 

Despite struggling with injuries over recent months, Kate Marshall’s 2:06:45 clocking was a new PB by almost 4 minutes. One can only imagine what she would have produced with uninterrupted training! A sub 2-hour performance is surely a matter of time.

 

Bringing up the rear for GRC was Tracy Webb who, like most of us, is still trying to find some form and fitness after the motivational struggles of lockdown. Whilst not close to her best, her 2:21:01 performance is something to build on as she sets her sights on the Monsal Trail Half Marathon in November.