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Last Entry for 2007 - Skittles at the Rugby Club......

Angels fly away with winnings!

Tewkesbury AC's annual Christmas skittles was a super success this year. The evening was perfectly put together by Rob Jordan, just as he has done on previous occasions.
The 2007 event was boosted by what many of the attendees described as "the finest curry ever tasted". Club member Robert Knight, a professional high-class caterer, really treated the club and also the many guests attending.
After the fantastic spread of fine Indian cuisine was gobbled up, some serious skittles took place with the famous 'Killer' knock-out competition the main attraction. With nearly forty people taking part and a prize fund of nearly £40 on offer there was little Christmas spirit and even less generosity as it became every player for themselves. During the tense final stages of the game, it become a tussle between three ultra-distance runners in the shape of Phillip Howells, Kim McCafferty, Michelle Laws and 'normal' runner Debbie Lee (the later claiming to have never stepped onto a skittles alley before the night). As balls rolled out, it was the two 'Angles' athletes who played against one and other for the big cash prize. There was absolutely no luck involved as on-lookers were bowled over with their talents. In the exciting finale, it was the novice player who flew away with the funds to top a rewarding night for the popular Angels.
Keep watch for news of our next social gathering as Club Captain Cathy is already planning!

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Xmas Race - Pilot Inn

Thursday 27th December

The Christmas four mile race hosted by Severn AC marked the first event in Tewkesbury AC's club championship for 2008. That being the case, a healthy proportion of runners taking part were from the Tewkesbury & District club and, despite being sandwiched in the festive period, some fine performances were on display.
It was Rob Knight who lead the club home after breaking away from Jon Mansfield and Stuart Dudfield. Knight narrowly missed the podium to place 4th while Mansfield and Dudfield placed 9th and 10th respectively. Mansfield gingerly racing after sitting out 10 weeks with tendentious. And good running from Dudfield who has teamed up with wife Cathy to embark on their London Marathon training for 2008.
Nigel Tillott finished 13th over the Pilot Inn course and Barry O'Driscoll dipped under 28 minutes to finish just ahead of club captain Cathy Dudfield.
Carol Cowley brushed off a recent virus to lead home a sub 30 minute group featuring Rob Jordan, new member Paul Mason and Neville Simpson. Jordan has been extremely active in local races of late and new boy Mason plans to get in on the action a.s.a.p.
Also gingerly racing after injury woes was Steve Wiggall with super seventy veteran Mike Ward completing the Tewkesbury performances with a impressive 33 minute run.

Rob Knight  23.55 minutes
Jon Mansfield  24.37
Stuart Dudfield  24.48
Nigel Tillott  25.28
Barry O'Driscoll  27.59
Cathy Dudfield  28.10
Carol Cowley  28.49
Rob Jordan  28.55
Paul Mason  29.45
Neville Simpson  29.46
Steve Wiggall  30.23
Michael Ward  33.22

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Plock Court XC

Saturday 22nd December

Rob and Nigel took part in the 5 mile handicap race at Plock Court on Saturday 22nd.
The four lap course consisted of the lower part of Plock Court and the small field known as the Bull Field.
The Tewkesbury pair were given their individual handicaps with Rob setting off 7 mins 45 secs behind the scratch runner and 2 mins 15 secs ahead of Nigel.
Rob set off and the gap between them could be measured on where each one was in the Bull Field. On the first lap Rob was crossing the bridge to leave the field as Nigel was also on the bridge but entering the field.
On lap two Nigel had closed the gap a bit more and despite losing a shoe in the mud, he passed his club colleague at the end of lap three.
Both runners completed the course to record the folowing times.

Nigel Tillott    32mins 05 secs
Rob  Jordaan 35mins 24 secs.

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Gloucestershire Cross Country League

Saturday 15th December

The third race of the county cross country league was switched from the Pittville Park course to the Blackbridge venue.
As the men stood cheering on Carol, there was a lot of moaning about the weather, mainly from Brad our overseas import who is more used to the warmer climate of Australia. He also mentioned that he was looking forward to tackling the mound, which reminded him of some small hill back home known as Ayres Rock, and to have such fond memories of it he even took a photograph of it on his phone.
I digress, back to the races. Due to illness, shopping trips and injuries Carol bore the mantle of being the only lady from the club to take part in this race. For most of the race she led the two Deborah's from the Angels club only to lose out to them on the final sprint to the finish. It looks as if Jon's coaching techniques have paid off for the Angel runner.
Now it was the turn of Carol to cheer on the boys and become the clubs bag lady, by looking after all the warm clothes that awaited their return.
On the first lap of three the Tewkesbury men were soon strung out amongst the field of runners. Jon on an overdue outing in the racing world set off steady and at one point I had a moment of grandeur as I thought I could beat him, when he dropped a few metres behind. As he passed me with ease he told me he had got blocked on one of the tight corners, which allowed me to open up a small gap on him. So it was not down to my fast pace that led me to dream of claiming his scalp after all, still it was a good feeling to have led him for what seemed like a good 100m.
After leaving me behind he quickly caught up with Dan, and the three of us stayed relatively close together throughout the remainder of the race. On the second lap Dan wrapped up like a Christmas present, to avoid being cold, lost a shoe in the mud, which gave me hope of catching him, but afterwards he told me he did it deliberately to tease me.
As for the others, I only managed to catch sight of Nigel who for his first outing of the season kept his pace steady not knowing how far to push himself. Ahead of Nigel were both Brad, and Clive Sentence who was making his return to the cross country team since racing in Nottingham.
The final member of the team, and making his debut in the Tewkesbury colours was new boy Nick Matthews who got encouraged across the line by the rest of the team. Having seen what we are really like at races we hope he continues to run and has not been put off by the seriousness of the runners!!

52nd.   Bradley Crouch   37.18
70th.    Clive Sentence    38.53
86th.     Nigel Tillott        39.36
121st.   Dan Webb         43.45
122nd.  Jon Mansfield     43.46
126th   Rob Jordan         44.24
148th   Nick Matthews    48.54

There were 148 runners, the team came 12th out of 15

32nd Carol Cowley  31.08 (out of 67)

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Sunday 9th December

Club Captain Cathy reports on a new challenge called the Andy Reading 10k.

Stuart, Nigel and myself travelled to Chesterton near Oxford for what was advertised as a fast and flat 10K (I beg to differ!!). We were fairly lucky with the weather managing to dodge the rain but we were still faced with blustery conditions. Approximately 3 Km of the course was around an airfield which was very waterlogged and provided a strong headwind in places.
Needless to say this did not slow Stu down as he started strongly and continued throughout to gain yet another Pb with a time of 39:33 minutes...
Knocking 57 seconds from his previous best time!
Nigel set out to break the elusive 40 minute mark but found the conditions quite tough, unfortunately missing out again with a finish time of 40:45 minutes though he his still determined to get there.
Myself, one of those bad days we all have... I started well but mid-race felt unwell and had to stop twice which I don't normally like to do but didn't have a lot of choice. However, over the final 2 Kilometres I managed to pick myself up and finish strongly though with a disappointing time of
47:16 minutes."

Overall Positions:
37th Stuart Dudfield- 39:33 minutes (PB) 54th Nigel Tillott - 40:45 174th Cathy Dudfield - 47:16

416 finishers
Winning time 31:31 minutes.

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Saturday 8th December

Two big annual events took place last week in the Tewkesbury AC calendar. The club's AGM and the County medal awards.

At the Gloucestershire county ceremony the Mayor of Gloucester presented medals to five runners from Tewkesbury for excellent 2007 performances in their age categories. In the veteran(V) 70 year old category Mike Ward won the gold. Joining Ward on top of the podium was Carol Cowley who also won gold in the V55 category. Silver medals for Angie Sadler and Phillip Howells who finished runners-up in the V45 and V55 respectively. While Mick Morris capped his come-back year by winning the bronze in the V60. A splendid evening for the runners who did the Tewkesbury club, which is the counties smallest, proud.

Tewkesbury's AGM marked the end of a historic year the club. Outstanding victories and athletic performances from both men and women in various events both home and abroad were amongst the highlights of 2007. The AGM centered around the swansong of the chairman. After 25 years with the club Josh Gilder has now handed over his chairmanship to Mick Morris. Mr Gilder has been an inspiration throughout the club's history and now becomes a life member. A truly delightful man and good friend to many, he was presented with a gift of thanks from his club.
The 2007 club awards took place which was 'club person of the year' to Jon Mansfield. The club's handicap series 1st place to Anne Robinson with Nikki Webb 2nd and Stuart Dudfield 3rd. The 'Queen of the roads' competition was won by defending champion Angie Sadler with Carol Cowley 2nd and Cathy Dudfield 3rd. The Veterans shield was won by Clive Baker with Nigel Tillott 2nd and Angie Sadler in 3rd. The Club Championship was won for the third year running by Jon Mansfield with Clive Baker extremely close behind in 2nd. Stuart Buchan secured a fine place.

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Sunday 25th November

Chilly 10Km

Tewkesbury's Sue Bruce edged her come-back to competitiveness a little further after a visit to Castle Combe race circuit. The youthful looking veteran finished 4th female overall in the "Chilly 10km". Far from race fit, Bruce recorded 41 minutes, which is good by any standards. More importantly, after missing last season through injury, her post-race condition was sound so this race became another solid step towards her desired fitness for 2008.

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Saturday 24th November

Tewkesbury AC's Phillip Howells reached an amazing landmark by completing the Pembrokeshire off-road Coastal Marathon on Saturday 24th November. It marked his 60th marathon (or ultra) and 14th and final for 2007. Truly an astonishing achievement. To compound the sixty year old joy he scooped the 1st place V60 category award. His 60th year and his 60th race " both a great feeling and satisfyingly symmetrical" said the accomplished athlete. His race time of  4hrs 41 minutes placed him 30th overall over what was a stunningly beautiful course, mostly along the coastal path and held in extremely strong winds with blustery showers and some heavier rain. Tough but very rewarding - highly recommended for anyone looking for a stern challenge in outstanding scenery!

5.4k-
5th Stu Buchan - 21:52

10.4k-
26th Rob Jordan - 48:14
 
15.4k-
29th Cathy Dudfield - 1:09:39

30th  Stuart Dudfield - 1:09:41

40th Barry O'Driscoll -1:13:06

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Gloucestershire XC series - Leamington Spa

Saturday 17th November

The club was represented at the second county cross country fixture held in Leamington by eight runners, none of whom had ran there before.
Unfortunately only two ladies were present with club captain Cathy Dudfield being joined by Anne Robinson. With the ladies race starting at 1.45 the men were able to cheer them on as they tackled the course for the first time.
Despite losing a shoe in the mud as she traversed the stream Dudfield completed the two lap course in 36 minutes 39 seconds. Robinson came home with a smile on her face in 42 minutes.
Having been warned by the women about the hill which had to be climbed three times the men set off in anticipation.
Bradley Crouch kept former club member Andy Hawkins company for part of the race while being hard chased by both Rob Knight and Stu Dudfield. All three continued to be separated by only a few seconds and it stayed this way as they crossed the finishing line, with Crouch crossing first to be soon followed by Knight and then Dudfield who has continued his good form of late.
Dan Webb got around the course passing other runners in the closing stages of the race to clock a time of 51mins 42 seconds.
Warming up for the Cornwall marathon which he was running the following day, Phil Howells overtook Rob Jordan just before climbing the hill for the last time and pulled away to record a time of 54.18.
Bringing up the rear 18 seconds behind Howells, Jordan shuffled across the line to complete the teams first participation in this event.
All the runners enjoyed the day and hopefully are all looking forward to the next cross country league fixture which is taking place on Saturday December 15th, at Pittville Park in Cheltenham.

Ladies - Short course
30th Cathy Dudfield 36.39
66th Anne Robinson 42.43

Men - Long course
54th Bradley Crouch 45.27
57th Rob Knight 45.36
58th Stuart Dudfield 45.36
113th Danny Webb 51.38
133rd Phillip Howells 53.53
137th Rob Jordan 54.31

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The Chocolate Biscuit Race

Saturday 10th November

Amongst the field of 48 runners tackling the four mile course around Plock Court, Tewkesbury AC fielded a team of eight including Tewkesbury's newest member, ex-Loughborough student Chris McMahon.

McMahon's first race was eventful as his competitors ran three laps of the huge sports field, he completed two and thought he had finished only to realize he had a third of the race to finish. Nevertheless, McMahon ran well and showed potential that with a little more regular training will be displayed.

At the front end of the race and first home for the club was Rob Knight in 10th place which secured him a prize in organizing club Severn AC's wide prize structure. Just three places behind finished Stuart Dudfield to take 13th place in another outstanding race to add to his incredible season (so far). One of Tewkesbury AC's Ultra-distance stars Adrian Lavery came in just ahead of debutant Chris McMahon.

Cathy Dudfield was the clubs solo women and didn't she do well by winning her V35 category. The club captain beat the clubs cross-country captain by 15 seconds -  Rob Jordan, who's just returned to action after a spell of illness. Jordan also completed a demanding speed session the night before! Over the last lap Phillip Howells did his best to close Jordan down but ran out of time, but if there was another lap then the tables would have been turned. Completing the contingent of club runners was Neville Simpson who was competing in his first cross country race for a long, long time.

RESULTS & TIMES

10th Rob Knight 23:34

13th Stu Dudfield 23:57

19th Adrian Lavery 26:27

23rd Chris McMahon 27:20

26th Cathy Dudfield 27:56

29th Rob Jordan 28:13

30th Phil Howells 28:48

32nd Neville Simpson 29:21

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Sodbury Slog

Super sixty year old Phillip Howells travelled down to South Gloucestershire to take part in the tough going but ever popular Sodbury Slog. Howells is more at home in the tougher events and this 10 mile off road challenge with mud and water crossings was easily tackled by the Tewkesbury AC Ultra distance specialist. 1017 entrants crossed the finish line and 348th place in a fine time of 1hr 28 was a good performance by any standards.

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Sunday 4th November 2007

Tewkesbury AC Guy Fawkes 5

2007's Guy Fawkes 5 was even more bumper than the previous years. A new record number of pre-entries laid the foundations for a successful day for race organizer Pete Foster.
It was a foggy morning in Tewkesbury but, there was little foggy about events in Walton Cardiff Lane. This is where nearly 400 athletes of all shapes and sizes eagerly waited for the 11am starting signal.
Once wheelchair racer Ed Glazier had wheeled into action to safely complete the five mile loop, the main race was started. At the head of the race Cheltenham's Andy Prophet pulled away from the masses and dipped under 5 minutes for the first mile. The lead was never challenged and the in-form runner had a good morning to take the win in a fine time but, some distance from the long standing course record.
It was the ladies course record that was under extreme threat. That threat was Welsh multinational champion Catherine Dugdale. Oozing class, Dugdale's lead over in-form Jane Wassell was comfortable. However, the women's leader looked to have missed the chance to set a new record and it wasn't until the last few hundred yards that the cross-country specialist glanced her stopwatch and calculated that her target was within reach. A dash to finish line ended in agony as the Swansea star equaled the standing record!
With the winners clear, the windless conditions meant that good performances throughout the field were achievable. That there was and it was home club Tewkesbury AC who had plenty. Noticeably, Stuart Dudfield and Bradley Crouch. The later achieving his seasons ambition by smashing the 30 minute mark. Cathy Dudfield who sat most of the year out with a broken foot bouncing back to collect 1st place V35. County medal contenders, Phillip Howells, Mike Ward and Carol Cowley were amongst some of the super efforts from Tewkesbury AC.

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Sunday 28th October 2007

Great South Run

Tewkesbury AC's  Stuart Buchan travelled down to Portsmouth for his 5th  consecutive time to run in the Great South Run.

Joining the 12,000 other  runners who were subject to some terrible weather, Buchan was hoping for a  PB. However, with the extreme winds and drizzle it was always going to be  tough work.

With England goalkeeper starting the race, the first 8 miles  went well for the Gloucestershire man but, it was the last 2 miles - into  the storm along the seafront which destroyed any PB hopes. Crossing the  finish line 262nd in a time just outside of his target was a sterling  performance given the conditions.

Making it a family affair were daughters Alys and Liesl running in the Junior South Run and Mini South Run respectively. Fortunately in better conditions, it was Irish legend Sonia  O'Sullivan who fired the starting pistol on the day before the main event.

262nd Stuart Buchan 1hr 08.37 mins

11,585 finished.

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Tuesday 23rd October

Worcester Beacon Race - Brad Reports.................

Well a little slow in reporting the Worcester Beacon race, but it is better late then never!

On the 23 of October 285 nutters with myself included, ran a very scenic and somewhat hilly 7 mile race up the Malvern Hills.

The winner was a very impressive 43:04 and the first lady was very respectable 55:28. Fortunately I managed to improve on my previous years time by just over two minutes and cross the finish line in 53:23 (36th overall), which I was quite cuffed with.

I fully recommend this race as it is very rewarding crossing finish line, with several spectators cheering you up the Malvern Beacon spurring you on to the finish line.

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Sunday 21st October

Stroud Half Marathon

It's the counties biggest race and Tewkesbury AC made a big impact!

In what's now becoming a familiar headline, it was the ladies who were winning titles.

A beautiful blue sky greeted the eager eleven TAC runners on the start line with the current Gloucester half marathon champion leading the charge. With over 1,500 starting, Clive Baker crossed the line in 21st position behind a mix of international, elite and top club athletes.

Tewkesbury's top lady came in the great shape of Angie Sadler. The Ultra-distance talent worked hard to secure 2nd place in her 45-49 category and out run all but one of her competitive challengers.The tastiest in-club race battle was between two of the clubs form runners. Racing stride for stride Nigel Tillott and Stuart Dudfield were unseparable until the final stages. Tillott crossed the line with a four second advantage however, the performer of the day was Dudfield as he smashed another personal best by breaking the 1hr 30 minute mark with two minutes to spare.

Slowly continuing her running come-back, gifted Sue Bruce set herself the target of crossing the finish line without aggravation. The smooth moving distance runner had a pleasing morning accomplishing her aim.

Club web-master Dan Webb finished just outside the 1hr 30 minute mark (1 Second Outside my pb.......). Webb held off Stuart Buchan who had recently recovered from a virus.Sixty year old ultra-distance all-rounder Phillip Howells ran another good race and he was chased all the way by Club Captain Cathy Dudfield.
Dudfield, like her husband before her,  impressed with a finishing time just outside her personal best.

Bredon's Carol Cowley was the golden girl again as she defended her 55-59 title with style and a clean pair of heels as her nearest rival was over a minute adrift.Popular Anne Robinson epitomized the art of running as she ran with controlled effort and broke the two hour mark with perfection.Despite the large field, Tewkesbury AC finished 4th in the female team competition - very commendable given the (other) talent on display.

21st Clive Baker 1hr 17mins 44 seconds
152nd Angie Sadler 1.27.53
155th Nigel Tillott 1.28.05
157th Stuart Dudfield 1.28.09
165th Susan Bruce 1.28.32
239th Danny Webb 1.31.35
256th Stuart Buchan 1.32.07
466th Phillip Howells 1.39.29
473rd Cathy Dudfield 1.39.40
541st Carol Cowley 1.42.08
1066th Anne Robinson 1.59.18

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Saturday 7th October

Burnham on Sea Half Marathon

Tewkesbury AC's Jon Rawlings made a rare racing appearance in the Burnham-on-Sea Half Marathon.

The 13.1 mile distance is not Rawling's forte however, eye brows were raised as the former Somerset resident claimed a top ten spot in a splendid finishing time of 1hr 23 minutes.

I think that is Jon in the background?

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Saturday 13th October

Gloucester XC League

Tewkesbury AC continued their unprecedented support for the new cross-country season.

Following their adventures with strong teams travelling to Nottingham and closer to home at Plock Court in Gloucester, XC Captain Rod Jordan fielded a colourful team of twelve for the Gloucestershire league meeting at Blackbridge, Gloucester.

All twelve runners performed with excellence on a remarkable team day. As far as results go, well it was the veteran ladies who got the best result - they finished runners-up on the day by the smallest of measures. Absolutely brilliant on a highly competitive day which brought together xc runners male and female, young and old of a high standard.

The Tewkesbury men's team placed a fine top ten.

Ladies - Short course
14th Angie Sadler 28.42
28th Michelle Laws 30.24
44th Cathy Dudfield 32.20
69th Anne Robinson 36.15

Men - Long course
34th Clive Baker 35.37
65th Ian Baker 38.39
70th Stuart Dudfield 38.53
98th Ian Hughes 41.16
104th Adrian Lavery 41.47
110th Danny Web 42.27
121st Rob Jordan 43.38
131st Phillip Howells 45.27

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October 7th 2007

Oldbury 10

The Oldbury Power Station 10 mile took place on October 7th. In splendid autumn weather which was almost windless, seven Tewkesbury AC athletes displayed their talents.

The event was the Avon championships but more significantly it was the penultimate TAC 2007 club championship event.

The Tewkesbury line-up featured the new Gloucester 1/2 marathon winner, Clive Baker. Baker, in outstanding form all season, found his legs wanting on this occasion as the 44yr old who came in first for the club finishing his run just outside the hour.

In total contrast, there was excitement five minutes behind; Jon Mansfield was pursued throughout the course by team mates Nigel Tillott and Stuart Dudfield. The pair have had good seasons to date with the later in repetitive Pb (personal best) form.  Pb's were expected but not the huge time reductions, especially from Dudfield who aimed to break 70 minutes. Mansfield crossed the line in 66 minutes with Tillott and Dudfield just 20 seconds behind. Dudfield's delight was obvious as his crossed the line with clinched fists aloft.

Never one to be outdone, the Club Captain, Cathy Dudfield capped a fine month of come-back achievements easing around the flat and fast course to finish just seconds ahead of V55 Queen Carol Cowley. Mike Ward, the club's favourite 70+ veteran completed the team and the course in fine form.

17th Clive Baker - 1 hr 00:31mins
53rd Jon Mansfield - 1.06:05
56th Nigel Tillott - 1.06:22
57th Stuart Dudfield - 1.06:26
139th Cathy Dudfield - 1.16:19
141st Carol Cowley - 1.16:28
209th Mike Ward - 1.27:09

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October 6th 2007

Midland Counties AA Cross Country relays - Rob Jordan Reports......

Eleven runners from Tewkesbury AC, travelled north to represent the club, and the county, in the Midland Counties AA Cross Country relays held at Bramcote Park, Nottingham.
Although it remained dry the 6km course was testing with a couple of uphill sections that included steps!!

The best result for the club were the women who finished 6th out of 19, wheres the men's A team came somewhere in the pack and the B team had the honour of finishing last.

Highlights of the day;
Dan's bright orange shoes, Dorothy will be after you.
Cathy's moist flapjacks.
Ian wearing Rob's vest, not an ideal fit.
Brad & Dan enjoying ice creams after the race.
The passengers being a bit nervous when the minibus clipped the kerb. I swear it was only the once.
Michelle's glare as she finished the course and straightening curly hairs on someones sweaty body.

Overall the day was enjoyable and beware i have future trips planned.

Clive Baker: 20.03
Clive Sentence: 20.37
Brad Crouch: 20.55
Dan Webb: 23.48

Adrian Lavery: 23.09
Ian: 22.31
Rob Jordan: 24.34
Phil Howells: 25.57

Angie Sadler: 22.36
Cathy Dudfield: 25.59
Michelle Laws: 24.10

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Sunday 30th September

Bupa Great North Run

Husband and Wife duo Nikki & Dan Webb, made the long journey up to Newcastle for this annual event. Nikki had trained hard for this half marathon and it showed in a excellent time of 2 Hours 10 Mins 42 Seconds, She also raised a fantastic amount of cash for the NSPCC. Dan missed out on a pb but still ran a respectable 1 Hour 35 Mins 23 Seconds.

Results as follows:

1,392 - Daniel Webb 1:35:23

17,816 - Nicola Webb 2:10:42

50,000 Ran

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Gloucestershire XC Relays

Tewkesbury AC continued their annually strong showing for the Gloucestershire XC relays by fielding three colourful teams. Fine performances' from both men's teams against strong competition with a debut race for Ian Baker. No relation to Clive but husband to Trish Baker. Great to see Bradley Crouch involved in the action too.
The Tewkesbury ladies did achieve a rewarding result, clinching the Glos County Silver medal in the ladies open category.

Tewks A:
Clive Baker - 10:36 mins
Stu Dudfield - 11:19
Brad Crouch- 11:08
Clive Sentance - 10:45     Total time - 43:48

Tewks B:
Adrian Lavery - 12:00
Ian Baker - 11:22
Rob Jordan - 12:49
Barry O'Driscoll - 12:39     Total time - 48:50

Tewks Ladies:
Angie Sadler - 12:18
Anne Robinson - 14:30
Charlotte Mowbray - 13:38
Cathy Dudfield - 13:29      Total time - 53:55

Ladies team were 4th overall and 2nd in the county championships.
Cathy Dudfield taking the 1st FV35 prize. While Angie Sadler ran away from her V45 rivals with ease.

Ultra-distance starlet Michelle Laws had a good weekend. She handled a cold virus to take the women's runners-up spot in the JW memorial 30 mile event.
Splendid time of 4hrs.15mins for the Stratford canal path course.

Runners-up spot too for Jon Mansfield at the Cheltenham Triathlon. Champion in 2004, 2005 and 2006, Mansfield put his 40th birthday celebrations on hold only to be beaten by 19yr old Gloucester talent Mark French. The birthday boy was rewarded by a handshake from the new champ after he claimed a 20 second advantage over the Tewkesbury old hand. Just seven days before, Mansfield had raced to 2nd place in the Newent Triathlon. On that occasion losing out by 15 seconds.

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Cirencester 10km

Husband and wife, Danny and Nikki Webb crossed the finish line in 43 and 60 minutes respectively. Rob Jordan ran well to finish in 46 minutes and County sectary Mick Morris also ran well to come in 4 minutes later. Mike Ward, one of the morning's most senior athletes completed the course in 52 minutes and just one second ahead of Anne Robinson who had a fine run to place 253rd from 433 finishers.

"Stop-Press"....It was Stuart Buchan who ran in first for the club. The race officials had missed him finishing and therefore omitting him from the result - well done Stu.

60th Stuart Buchan - 41.33 mins

68th Angie Sadler - 42.10

85th Dan Webb - 43.10

135th Rob Jordan - 46.18

222nd Mick Morris - 50.20

251st Mike Ward - 52.03

253rd Anne Robinson - 52.04

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Stourport 10km

Nigel Tillott joined second-claim Tewkesbury runner Simon Hall at the Worcestershire 2007 10km championships. Tillott showed excellent consistency to finish his sixth 10km run within seconds of each other. His ultimate goal is to break the 40 minute mark and over the demanding Stourport course he finished agonizingly in 40.03 mins! Evesham based Hall displayed his talent to finish top ten.

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15th - 16th September

The Pitchcroft 10km at Worcester race course was another rearranged event. And it was here where Nigel Tillott continued his season-long ambition to break the magical 40 minute mark. Prior to the start of the 10km, the Fun Run took place and Tilliott was inspired as his 9yr old son Chris raced to victory in 1st place. Emma, his 2yr old daughter was the final finisher. So, already the Tillott family had starred. The main event was again agony for the proud father as his missed his target by seconds. Despite a sprint finish, the clock recorded 40.09 minutes. It placed him 11th and ambition remains.

In the New Forest Marathon Angie Sadler accompanied Phil Howells as they both recorded 3hr 40 minutes to place 110th and 111th respectively.

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Great Scottish Run

2nd September 2007

On Sunday 2nd September Stuart Buchan joined over five thousand starters for the Great Scottish Run 10k event. Set in Glasgow, it was none other than Sir Jimmy Savill who fired the starting pistol. Buchan had a fine run to record 41.59 minutes and place 166th from the 5,636 finishers.

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Wolverhampton Half & Marathon

2nd September 2007

Whilst Stuart was up North Phil Howells completed his 11th 2007 long distance race in Wolverhampton as the 60 year old finished in 88th place overall. His marathon time of 3hrs
41 minutes gave him the third V60 in a competitive veterans field. Daniel Webb also made the trip to Wolverhampton to stroll round the Half Marathon course in 1 Hour 56 mins (keeping my mate company !!!!!)

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MacMillan 10k Tree Trot

One of the most beautiful runs in Gloucestershire, the annual MacMillan 10k Tree Trot at Westonbirt Arboretum, took place on a lovely Saturday evening through the picturesque woodlands. Stuart Buchan was happy with his efforts to time 42.51mins, placing 23rd out of 307 finishers.
Stuart Dudfield featured too, accompaning his wife and club captain Cathy Dudfield around the course as she continues her return to racing, finishing in times of 50.11 and 50.12 respectively.

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The infamous 'Grizzly'

Was tackled by three Tewkesbury AC runners. The event is a  tough 19.5 miles over cliff-top paths, three long treks along pebble beaches, steep Devon lanes and tracks with a couple of sections of deep - and I mean deep! - and squelching mud. Ultra-distance specialists Angie Sadler, Michelle Laws and Phillip Howells enjoyed the Devon experience. Sadler ran with her usual excellence, finishing 111th from 996 finishers in a time of 3hrs 4mins, 11th lady and first in her vet 45+ category. Michelle Laws ran consistently and strongly to finish 263rd in 3hrs 25mins, while Howells unexpectedly faded in the last 7 miles to record 3hrs 58mins and 539th spot.

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Castle Combe Duathlon

5th September 2007

Club Captain Cathy Dudfield has well and truly evicted the spiders from inside her racing shoes. Only recently given the go ahead to start running again after a show-stopping foot injury, the Tewkesbury AC runner has toed the start line three times in ten days. Her most recent appearance was by far the most significant. Teaming up with Jon Mansfield and Stuart Dudfield she took on the Castle Combe Duathlon staged around the racing circuit in Wiltshire.

The race started with a swift 2 mile run before mounting cycles and recording 10 miles on the motor circuit. To finish, another equally swift 2 miles.

Racing at Castle Combe for his 15th time, it was Jon Mansfield who lead the club home. He was followed by Stuart Dudfield in a surprisingly fast time considering he competed hard just 3 days prior.

Wife, Cathy showed absolutely no signs of being a multi-sport virgin as she covered the last mile as easily as she did the first. Crossing the finish line with a huge smile, it later transpired that the club captain suffered a mechanical failure and cycled with just one gear - and it was the hardest one to push too!

The evening closed with the end of season awards and Tewkesbury AC played a big part as Mansfield won the overall vets title.

Jon Mansfield - 46 mins

Stuart Dudfield - 53 mins

Cathy Dudfield - 1hr 01 min

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Forest of Dean Duathlon

2nd September 2007

Stuart Dudfield took on a new sporting challenge when he travelled with Tewkesbury AC club mate Jon Mansfield to Coleford.

Coleford was the centre stage for the annual Forest of Dean Duathlon. The challenge was a 5km trail run then straight into a 15km bike ride through the villages of Lydbrook and English Bicknor and then straight back into another 5km run.

The race organisers had arranged for multi-world champion triathlete Spencer Smith to take part and the end result was a foregone conclusion, although Tewkesbury's Mansfield did lead the race for 20 seconds!

Duathlon newcomer Dudfield, who's been displaying unprecedented levels of fitness this summer, was over flowing with confidence on the start line. His race went better than expected as he was able to race hard throughout.

The cycle course took in some steep climbs and both Tewkesbury athletes stayed strong and remained able-bodied to finished the final run in good shape.

3rd Jon Mansfield - 56 mins

17th Stuart Dudfield - 1hr 03 mins

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The Beacon 10km

2nd September 2007

Five Tewkesbury AC members turned out for the Beacon race staged at Haresfield.

The main focus was on Nigel Tillott who was on target to smash the 40 minute mark. So far, it's remained elusive to him after recording times of 40.10 and 40.03 just a couple of weeks prior. Tillott ran well but a sub 40 minute 10km run remains elusive for now as he crossed the line in 40.14 Agonisingly close however, on a fairly undulating course it's a great time.

Club mate Angie Sadler recorded a time several minutes off her best, best explained by the huge ultra-distance challenges she has been tackling this year. Yet testament to her ability, she scooped the 1st prize in her category.

Carol Cowley leads the county in her age category these days and just missed out by seconds on a another trophy. Club Captain Cathy Dudfield is going through the process of finding herfeet again after ten weeks out with a broken foot. She took just 50 minutesto complete the course. The fifth runner home for the club was Mick Morris who finished in good shape.

Nigel Tillott - 40.14 mins

Angie Sadler - 42.31

Carol Cowley - 47.00

Cathy Dudfield - 50.22

Mick Morris - 54.50

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Arlingham Passage 4.4m Race.

27th August 2007

Tewkesbury AC runners baked in pleasing Bank Holiday weather during the 14th annual staging of the Arlingham Passage run.

Set in the delightful village on the River Severn estuary, the main attraction was the club captain’s return to competitive running.

Cathy Dudfield chose the relatively easy course to start her come-back after breaking her foot back in spring. The London Marathon heroine came through the 4.4 mile test successfully and displayed her fine form and splendid technique with ease to record of time of 35 minutes. Her efforts won her a category prize to compound her joy.

Club mate Stuart Bucham performed well after suffering stomach discomfort in his last race although during this race he developed a back pain near the finish.

Rob Jordan ran perfectly to beat fellow Tewkesbury runner Barry O’Driscoll while Jon Mansfield recorded nearly two minutes slower than his previous course time to lose out to the winners.

5th Jon Mansfield 25.55 mins

17th Stuart Bucham 28.49

27th Rob Jordan 31.58

28th Barry O’Driscoll 32.12

37th Cathy Dudfield 35.20

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Frampton 10km.

22nd August 2007

The popular Frampton Cyder race has finally taken place.

Organising club Stroud AC needed to rearrange the fixture due to this summer's adverse weather and chose a fine Tuesday evening.

Half a dozen Tewkesbury AC runners were fortunate enough to get a starting place in the regular sell-out event.

Of the Tewkesbury contingent one performance stood out - Stuart Dudfield hacked almost one minute off his personal best (Pb) for the 10km distance. Far from Pb form, the Glos Policeman had been indulging in cross-training of late, sacrificing run sessions for the swimming pool and regular cycling rides. Dudfield's running had clearly benefitted as surprised supporters looked on as the 41 minutes mark was smashed when he crossed the finish line in 40.30 minutes.

In contrast, Nigel Tillott had been targeting a 10km Pb for two years, with the emphasis on breaking the 40-minute mark. It was agony for Tillott as he recorded a new Pb however, a 40.03 finish time means his challenge continues to the next race.

Carol Cowley was left a little agonized too as the talented veteran runner just missed out on claiming first place in her V50 category. The gap from her rival was just 16 seconds.

At the front of the race, Jon Mansfield came in first for Tewkesbury in 16th position while Stuart Bucham had an indifferent experience as stomach cramps effected his efforts.

Rob Jordan completed the team with a fine run which included a jaw-dropping sprint finish.

16th Jon Mansfield 36.29

62nd Nigel Tillott 40.03

67th Stuart Dudfield 40.30

108th Stuart Buchan 43.02

167th Carol Cowley 46.11

173th Rob Jordan 46.24

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County Track and Field Championships.

24th August 2007

Thanks to Rob Jordan's persuasive phone manner, four of Tewkesbury's fastest and most elite athletes (Rob, Steve, Clive S, Barry) took on the might of some of Gloucester's skinniest teenagers in the 4 x 100 m relay.

The venue was the Olympic standard track at Blackbridge, home to some of Gloucestershire's most blood thirsty mosquitos. (I ended up with at least seven bites - none of which is currently less than 1cm in diameter...........).

Despite the advantage of being on the inside and the opportunity to pursue the Gloucester girls in the next lane, we were unable to actually catch any of the other teams. However, the baton was passed flawlessly and we finished in a respectable 58.5 seconds, earning us a county bronze!! To celebrate, Barry and Clive entered the track 10K, where they were joined by Phil.

Lap counting issues meant that Barry and Phil's times (and distances!) are somewhat uncertain, but Clive clocked 4th place in 38:27, earning a bronze medal as third MV40. Phil then ran the mile in a fraction over 7 minutes, as well as a leg in the 4 x 400 relay.

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BODDINGTON 50KM

Gloucestershire's No1 ranked ultra-distance runner, Tewkesbury AC's Angie Sadler smashed the 4 hour mark in the Boddington 50km ultra-run. The Treddington based star of the 'long distance' headed a team of three Tewkesbury runners.

Adrian Lavery clocked 4hrs 12 minutes, while Phillip Howells ran astonishingly as the veteran 60 year old timed 4hrs 33 minutes.

Both mentally and physically demanding, the run consisted of a 14 lap circuit around the Gloucestershire village of Boddington. It was Sadler's third appearance at the event and she placed 6th in the female race and 16th overall.

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GLOS 5KM CHAMPS - HARDWICK, GLOS

Four Tewkesbury stalwarts competed in the rescheduled County 5km Road Champs - rescheduled twice and finally staged at the Pilot Inn after the published Whitehorse venue suffered from renewed flooding on the course. It also incorporated a rescheduled County Road series event following the cancellation of the Bugatti 10k.

Rob Jordan, the 'youngster' of the team was first to finish, but not far ahead of the other three team members, all of whom were 'super-vets' over 60. Congratulations go especially to Mike Ward, who was the first O70 in the race and is the new County O70 5km Champ.

Times were:

Rob Jordan 22-01

Phillip Howells 22-50

Mike Ward 23-58

Mick Morris 24-13

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Cranham Boundary Chase 5.8

Sunday 12th August 2007

Hot, hilly, but no flood water anywhere, as I headed out to this delightful race that always is a tester owing to an almost complete lack of flat bits apart from the second mile. Lack of quality training showed as I was passed by 5 others on the final incline, but I was overall reasonably pleased with a time of 38:30.

Former member Andy Hawkins also took part, but despite beating me claimed it was one of his worst performances ever...........

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White Horse 5km

19th July 2007

Severn AC's monthly 5km event drew another high class field. With a plethora of students on the start line, Tewkesbury's best runners had to work hard to stay within the top 30 as the leading 20 runners ran through the first mile marker in under five minutes.

Included in Tewkesbury AC's team of five was Luke Anthony, the Gloucester RFC physio ran confidently throughout and was rewarded by breaking the 17 minute mark. Anthony paced himself in a colourful group containing Welsh international Cath Dugdale who, took the ladies victory.

Following his team mate, came Jon Mansfield just 7 seconds behind.

Amanda Martin crossed the finish with an 8 second advantage over Rob Jordan. Martin ran a 'seasons best' to finish 8th female and collected a well earned prize for a top performance in her new veteran category.

Phillip Howells had a fine run to record 4th place in a competitive V60 race. Howells is setting himself up for this weekend in which he will run both the Boddington 50km AND Bourton Mile challenge!!

28th Luke Anthony 16.59

31st Jon Mansfield 17.06

75th Amanda Martin 21.09

76th Rob Jordan 21.17

98th Phillip Howells 22.45

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AeroSpace 5

5th July 2007

The Tewkesbury AC runners took on their most local event over in Bishops Cleeve.

The AeroSpace 5 mile takes in an undulating course through the villages Southam and Woodmancote. However, due to the recent downpours the traditional starting line was water-logged and therefore avoided. This meant the racing distance was reduced to 4.6 miles. Good news for some as the start used to be over rough grass.

Ten runners set off for the club and two finished with category titles. Angie Sadler made the return to shorter distance racing after taming the huge Comrades ultra-marathon. Sadler's two closest rivals had both hoped the recent 54 mile energy sapping challenge would have left her beatable, especially over a shorter distance event. Sadler left them both disappointed as she had plenty of speed to take the veteran ladies title with comfort.

Carol Cowley won the 50+ title after a recent succession of nearly wins. Even more satisfying on such a chilly, wet evening.

First to finish for Tewkesbury was Luke Anthony. He ran well to place 15th just ahead of Jon Mansfield. It could have been a different story had it not been for the leading bunch of seven runners realising that they had gone 'off course' and having to double-back on themselves. Most bizarre as four of them were from the organizing club Cheltenham Harriers!

Nigel Tillott came in at 41st in his final preparation race before Monday's Frampton 10km.

Stuart Buchan came in just ahead of the two veteran ladies winners and Phillip Howells was followed home by Mike Ward and Mick Morris

Anne Robinson completed to ladies team with a reassuringly smooth performance. Robinson later became more popular as she treated club mates with some homemade chocolate cakes.

15th Luke Anthony 25.55 minutes.

17th Jon Mansfield 26.08

41st Nigel Tillott 28.25

52nd Stuart Buchan 29.34

54th Angie Sadler 29.50 (1st LV)

75th Carol Cowley 32.09 (1st L50)

95th Phil Howells 34.13

116th Mike Ward 36.03 (2nd V70)

119th Mick Morris 36.22

131st Anne Robinson 38.43

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South West Duathlon Champs Castle Combe

4th July 2007

Jon Mansfield won gold in his new veteran category at the 2007 South West Duathlon Championships.

Staged at the Castle Combe racing track in Wiltshire, the challenge was a 2 mile run, 10 mile bike, 2 mile run, 10 mile bike and a final 2 mile run. Mansfield timed 1hr 26 minutes to bring the title back to Gloucestershire for Tewkesbury AC, finishing in tenth position overall in a field littered with relay teams plus a few podium finishers from this years world championships.

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Bourton Hilly Half

30th June 2007

Wet weather greeted entrants in the 4th annual "Hilly" in and around Bourton-on-the-water.

The Saturday evening Half Marathon attracted a record attendance. With the race being part of the Gloucestershire Road Race series, Tewkesbury AC's Mike Ward and Phil Howells were aiming to collect points to add to their respective season totals.

Ward raced the course for the first time and true to recent form, he excelled again to finish in 1hr 54 minutes. Pleasingly inside his target time and hot on the heels of his main V70 rival. So, second in his category and 185th overall.

Like Ward, Howells was a course virgin. The demanding climbs and descents were of little concern to the V60 man who, only recently returned from racing the ultra distance Comrades Marathon in South Africa. His legs had partly recovered and were able to place him 107th. Howells enjoyed his relatively brief 1hr 41 minute run which placed him 4th in his category.

Jon Mansfield was experiencing the "Hilly" for the fourth time. Knowing exactly what to expect, Mansfield still found it tough and especially so after 10 miles. Fortunately for all, the final two miles are pleasantly flat and he was able to hold on to his 12th position and clock 1hr 23 mins.

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White Horse 5km

21st June 2007

Our Captain reports from her sofa... Three members took part in the White Horse 5km race, in what was a large strong field of competetors. First home for the club was Tewkesbury's top runner Clive Baker. He is continuing his recent top form & ran very strongly to finish 15th in a time of 16.44.

Next up was Stu Dudfield who also had an excellent run especially with the little training he is doing of late(i'm to blame for that, he's had to turn into a house husband while i'm off my feet). He finished 48th in a time of 19.08.

Amanda was the third member to finish in what was her first race after the FLM. She ran really well as she has also eased back of late with her training. She came 70th in a time of 21.39. Both Clive & Amanda both won biscuits in the V40 prize catorgory.

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Mallards Pike 5

20th June 2007

The Forest of Dean was treated to a festival of running when Chepstow Harriers staged their annual multi-terrain race.

Eleven senior athletes from Tewkesbury AC lined the start for the well organized charity event and, as in previous years, the club made a significant impact.

The course, set at Mallards Pike, covers 5 miles around the forest trials before a spectacular loop around the lake. The first twenty runners to loop the lake included six from Tewkesbury with Clive Baker making the podium while Jon Mansfield, Rob Knight and Luke Anthony all made the top ten.

Nigel Tillott ran well to hold off Stuart Dudfield who, is enjoying a plethora of personal best performances.

Hotly pursuing Dudfield came Stuart Buchan in 23rd spot. Dan Webb finished looking fresh. Steve Wiggall used the race as part of his rehab after slowly recovering from an injury set-back. A rare error from Carol Cowley almost proved costly. In the heat of the race, the Bredon athlete turned left as her close rivals turned right. Quick to respond, she corrected her footing and restored an eight second gap over her pursuers. Cowley triumphed in the ladies veteran 50 category.

Enjoying her first event for the club, Nikki Webb glided over the undulating course and showed clear potential. Watch this space!

As the seniors ran off into the forest, the popular children's half mile race started. Repeating Master Bruce's runners-up spot in 2006 was Master Tillott who finished a clear second showing his proud father how it's done! With fine hospitality on offer from the host club, support and Flapjacks from the club captain, the club had a night to remember.

Roll-on next year.

3rd Clive Baker 28.28

7th Jon Mansfield 29.28

9th Rob Knight 29.45

10th Luke Anthony 29.56

14th Nigel Tillott 31.55

20th Stuart Dudfield 32.42

23rd Stuart Buchan 33.07

29th Danny Webb 33.37

44th Steve Wiggall 36.23

51st Carol Cowley 37.08

82nd Nikki Webb 44.24

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Comrades Marathon

17th June 2007

An unprecedented three members of Tewkesbury AC flew off to South Africa to compete in the famous Comrades Marathon which was held on 17th June.

The 89km/56 mile race is a legend in its home country and attracts over 10,000 runners each year for a route that is never flat and takes in five major hills as well as lots of 'rolling' ones between the cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg. Durban is on the coast and Piertermaritszburg is at an altitude of about 2,500 feet, with the highest point on the course at around 3,000 feet.

Because the route changes direction each year, they are known as either 'down' runs or 'up' runs. 2007 was a 'down', and tackling the race for the first time were club members Angie Sadler and Michelle Laws, while going for his fourth start (with 2 ups and 1 down completed beforehand) was 60 year old 'veteran', Phillip Howells.

Although Michelle's travel arrangements proceeded to plan, the journey for Angie and Phillip was a nightmare, with three changes of flight schedules needed before they arrived a day late and exhausted with just 2 hours to spare before registration closed.

Despite the stress and weariness of the journey, Angie delivered an outstanding run of pure class to record a remarkable 7hrs 42mins 51secs, to finish 714 overall (from 10,003 finishers within the strict 12hr cutoff deadline), 23rd lady (from 1,758 women finishers) and 7th in the 40-49 women vets category. By any standards an excellent debut at such a demanding event and one which underlines her increasingly recognised pedigree as an ultra distance runner. She earned a much coveted 'Bill Rowan' medal for her run (awarded to all finishers who record between 7.5 and 9 hours) only missing out on an 'elite athlete' Silver medal (awarded for beating 7.5 hours) by 13mins. (The top 10 runners are given a Gold medal - the winning time this year was a 'down' record of 5hrs 19mins.)

Michelle ran strongly and conservatively to meet her target of a sub-10 hour run with 9hrs 56mins 28 secs and 4,426 overall to secure a Bronze medal (for finishers between 9 and 11hrs - the remainder get a Vic Clapham copper medal; those outside 12 hours get nothing, even if just 1 second outside - it is pure pathos to see several hundred runners miss the cut-off, especially when just yards from the line, a feature which is a strong part of the unending attraction and drama of this great race).

Phillip also just secured a Bronze (his third) with 10hrs 56mins 30secs (for 6,997 place overall), satisfied with a finish, but also very disappointed to have an 'off-day' and unaccountably struggling from just 10km into the race after winning a Bill Rowan the previous year and hoping to improve, rather than go almost exactly 2hrs slower! However, at least it was mission achieved in that all three runners finished to justify the long months of hard training; thought are now already on the up run in 2008?

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Man v Horse Bradley Crouch reports...

Just and recovering from another running Man Versus Horse 22 mile marathon..

I fully recommend this race, it is a nice multiterrain race running on some hilly terrain and a couple of streams added to for the entertainment.

This year there was around 50 horse, 250 solo runners and 60 Teams of three entering Man Versus Horse. Due to the heat this year there where several retirements, with around 15 horses, 50 runners and 1 team not finishing.

This year one man and two teams managed to beat all the horses, the solo runner winning the race in 2:20:30. I managed to finish further down the field coming the 38th runner, 12th horse and 17th relay team in a time of 3:10:42. Unfortunately struggled last four miles, walking, jogging, but fortunately managed to beat my previous years time by thirteen minutes.

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Cloud Cuckoo 5.5

6th June 2007

A strong contingent of Tewkesbury AC runners took part in the 5.5ml Cleeve Cloud Cuckoo Land race over the ups and downs of Cleeve hill on Wednesday 6th June. The course, which starts and finishes at Cleeve Hill Golf Club, is all off-road and takes in several steep climbs and a couple of fast descents to pose a severe challenge for runners - any lack of hill fitness is soon exposed on this unforgiving route. Six Tewkesbury runners braved this course on a hot and sunny evening, with Clive Baker (in 6th place overall) and Angie Sadler (second lady and first lady over 40) putting up the strongest performances.

Full results:

6 Clive Baker 38-32

18 Bradley Crouch 39.04

37 Angie Sadler 41-26

41 Stuart Dudfield 42.07

68 Phillip Howells 65.51

105 Helena Turner 58.48

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Otmoor Challenge

2nd June 2007

Angie Sadler and Phillip Howells competed in the multi-terrain Otmoor Challenge (based on a local fete in the picturesque Oxfordshire village of Horton-cum-Studley) on Saturday 2nd June as part of their final preparations for the 56 mile Comrades Marathon in S Africa on June 17th.

A 13.5 mile jaunt around the lovely Otmoor nature reserve, it was held on a typically flaming June hot day which made appreciation of the countryside all the more rewarding. Angie was the defending ladies champion and was well in the lead in the ladies competition this year when she and half a dozen male runners were sent off course by some half a mile due to a moved arrow (a shame, because this is a well organised event with an enthusiastic following, but even the best organisation cannot cope with kids playing what they see as a huge joke!) so she eventually had to be satisfied with 5th placed lady and 2nd lady over 40 in a time of 1-42-48 and a position of 62nd from a field of nearly 300.

Phillip finished in 1-49-20 with 93rd place. Both felt that the outing was a good workout for the big challenge in less than two weeks time.

We have also just had the result of the Marlborough Downs 33 mile Challenge which Angie Sadler, Michelle Laws and Phillip Howells ran on Saturday 20th May. We all took it fairly steady and just as more 'on our feet' preparation for Comrades than as a serious race, but we all finished with respectable times - Angie and Michelle in 60th and 61st places respectively in 6hrs 37mins 58secs and Phillip in 64th place with a time of 6-46-57. It was held on a sunny, windy day with occasional showers and took us across historic and stunningly beautiful countryside, including passing the famous white horses cut into the hillsides and passing through the 2,500 BC stone circle at Avebury (much older than Stonehenge and the most important bronze age temple in Europe).

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Bank Holiday Success!!

Fabulous Baker boy grabs victory!

Tewkesbury AC runners had an action packed bank holiday.

Without any doubt, the big news story is that Clive Baker became only the second runner, within our recent history, to win a road race .

Baker's glorious moment took place at the 12th annual Whitsun 5 mile race staged at Sandhurst, Gloucester on Monday 28th May.

Weather conditions were unkind to the small group of five Tewkesbury runners who took on the event. The rain had stopped in time for the 11.30am start and right from the gun Baker set his race out. Alone at the head of the race with just the lead bike for company, the V40 man pulled away from a chase group of four runners. Despite completing a 12 mile training run the day before, Baker remained unchallenged and hit the finish line in a new personal best (Pb) time.

The chase group, by now fragmented, followed and it was another podium place for Tewkesbury as Luke Antony clocked a Pb time in third place. Jon Mansfield came in 4th followed by Stuart Dudfield and Neville Simpson in 11th and 22nd respectively.

1st Clive Baker 28.14 (Pb)

3rd Luke Anthony 29.11 (Pb)

4th Jon Mansfield 29.38

11th Stuart Dudfield 33.38

22nd Nev Simpson 36.15

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Gloucester Triathlon

The 9th 'Tri Team Glos' Triathlon took place Sunday 27th May .

The event returning to its Brockworth venue after extensive refurbishment.

Two Tewkesbury AC members took part and it was hardly triathlon weather as stormy conditions effected the 200 plus entrants. Barry O'Driscoll made his return to multi-sport racing after sitting-out the previous weekends Tewkesbury Triathlon. Having shaken off a virus, O'Driscoll wasn't going to let the worst possible conditions get in his way. However, his race started badly when his swim counter miscounted his distance and ordered him to swim two extra lengths! The strong swimmer complied with the race official and clocked-up 450 meters of swimming. Obviously, the wet weather affected the cyclists the most as corners became slippery and brakes became ineffective. O'Driscoll's 10 miles of cycling was safe and he went on the enjoy the 6.25km run.
Jon Mansfield raced in his new veteran category. Despite being just 39, British Triathlon rules state the athletes age at the year end governs the category. Mansfield's race went well and it needed to as the Gloucester event was part of the South West race series and two leading Vets from Glastonbury and Exeter were looking for glory. But it was glory for Mansfield as his rivals headed south with minor prizes.

Jon Mansfield 58.15 mins
Baz O'Driscoll 1hr 18 mins

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Bath AC Hilly 10

Mike Ward reports....

On Sat 26th May I ran the Bath AC Hilly 10 after an enjoyable curry meal in great company the night before. Many thanks to Cathy again for arranging another club social evening which Pam and I always enjoy.

Why the Hilly 10 some ask? Well, because I am a member of the South West Vets I like to run their series of championship events over different distances at attractive venues such as Exmouth, Bath, Bournemouth,Portland Bill etc. This years 10 mile championship race was in the Bath Hilly 10.

The course for the Hilly 10 is in the countryside south of Bath and only 47 miles of motorway/dual carriageway from Churchdown.

The weather for the race was superb(unlike the rest of the week-end) and there were 141 entries which is about normal for this event. The course is 8 miles of country lanes and 2 miles of main road to finish. A beautiful undulating course with outstanding views from the summits. The 3 main villages on route were set in hollows so brakes had to be applied on descending with preparation for the climb outs. Not knowing the course beforehand I was apprehensive but as I progressed through the race I enjoyed it. The were some good stretches for nice running BUT the last mile was 16% uphill and I finished in 1.30.16 - 112 of 141.The winning time was 58.58 and apparently there is a £200 bonus prize for anyone dipping under 50.00. So get cracking lads!.

The highest award is 60+ but as I was 1st 70+ Bath AC kindly presented me with a bottle of nice wine.

In conclusion!!!!!! this was an enjoyable country race and now I know the
course hope to do a lot better next time around.

Now the Bath Hilly 10 is over I shall have to start some serious training
for Bourton Hilly 1/2 in June!

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White Horse 5km

17th May 2007

31st Jon Rawlings - 16.58

34th Jon Mansfield - 17.11

45th Luke Anthony - 17.40

47th Rob Knight - 17.50

65th Nigel Tillott - 18.44 (Pb)

68th Stuart Dudfield - 18.51 (Pb)

73rd Stuart Buchan - 19.16 (Pb)

75th Danny Webb - 19.29 (Pb)

81st Adrian Lavery - 19.43

101st Rob Jordan - 20.57

117th Phil Howells - 21.53

123rd Steve Wiggall - 22.09

132nd Mike Ward - 23.48

136th Mick Morris - 24.32

140th Darrell Summers - 25.25

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Eastnor 7

13th May 2007

Brad couldn't face the Tewkesbury half, so settled for a jaunt at Eastnor:

"What a glorious day for running this Sunday, whilst most people had finished the Tewkesbury half marathon I was still struggling to get motivation to get out of bed for the Eastnor Seven since I partied the night away at friends 30th (boy it was a struggle).

The race started at 11.00 am and the rain was bucketing down so numbers where a bit thin on ground with only 154 runners .I managed to get around and come 15th in a time of 50:17. The winning time was very fast 42:15, so it was good minute a mile faster (very scary thought).

In the end of the day the race was brilliant scenic run around Eastnor Deer Park, some nice bits of mud to keep me interested, what more could one man want.

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Tewkesbury Half Marathon

13th May 2007

The annual Tewkesbury Half Marathon conjured up some special performances from the sixteen Tewkesbury AC runners who were out on show amongst the 936 starters.

Combining superb recent form with his talent, Clive Baker came in 6th and 2nd vet in 1.17 hr. Breaking from his normal conservative start, Baker set off from the gun fast and held his pace throughout confirming his position as Tewkesbury's top runner.

Jon Mansfield held off Rob Knight over the last mile to finish just ahead in 1.23 hr. Both runners took time to regain composure at the end. Nigel Tillott has returned to where he was before a month out with illness and had a great run to finish in 1.27 hr. Delighted 19yr old Mike Primett ran in at 1.29 hr with minimal training due to University studies.

Seconds away from his personal best (Pb) was Stuart Buchan at 1.30 hr. There was also a Pb for Stuart Dudfield by almost two minutes - especially impressive as the PC was working a night shift before hand! Lots of cheer from wife Cathy on her crutches clearly made an impact. Sandwiched between the two Stuart's was Danny Webb. The double charity London Marathon runner timed 1.31 hr. Baz O'Driscoll, who recorded Tewkesbury's quickest London Marathon time last month, had a fair run with limited training of late at 1.34 hr. The workaholic has now set his sights on the local Triathlons for next month. Ultra distance runner Phil Howells dipped inside the 100 minute mark to finish in 1.39 hr. Come-back man Neville Simpson had an outstanding run, surprising himself amongst others to finish in 1.40 hr. Defending ladies Vet55 champion Carol Cowley won her event again in 1.41 hr. Recently recovered from back niggles she matched her time from last years race. Mike Ward, the clubs 72yr old talent had a battling finish with a fellow Vet 70 and won but, still had to settle for second in 1.50 hr. Finally, Wes Reid had a pleasing experience and finished in 2.16 hr.

5 mile fun runners were...
Darrell Summers finishing 41.11 mins to finish in 77th place.
Newly married Helena Turner recorded a fine 45.23 mins just days after her
honeymoon to come in 128th

6th Clive Baker 1:17.13

19th Jon Mansfield 1:23.51

20th Rob Knight 1:23.51

52nd Nigel Tillott 1:27.42

68th Mike Primett 1:29.05

80th Stuart Buchan 1:30.14

98th Danny Webb 1:31.34

102nd Stu Dudfield 1:31.44

131st Barry O'Driscoll 1:34.59

211st Phillip Howells 1:39.19

235th Neville Simpson 1:40.28

253rd Carol Cowley 1:41.07

477th Mike Ward 1:50.37

850th Wes Reid 2:16.33

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Crowle ‘Gunpowder’ 10km

Two Tewkesbury runners headed north to race in this popular Worcestershire event.

Simon Hall and Wes Read joined 470 other runners on the start line and it was Hall who found himself at the sharp end. Running rapidly, the Evesham based athlete missed a podium place by seconds to finished fourth. Hall’s tactics were to work his way up through the field and this he did. However, he was left with the feeling that he missed out on third, as the in-form runner knew he could have pushed harder.

Wes Read, in contrast, planned this event in to tune for his local half-marathon this coming Sunday. The former Rugby star came in at 369th.

4th Simon Hall 35.30

369th Wes Read 59.39

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GNR places on offer!

Once again the Great North Run has reserved places for club athletes for the race on 30 Sept 2007. We have 2 guaranteed places. Qualifying times are:

Men: 1:25
Women: 1:40

and this is over the last 12 months. The down side is that you do have to pay the entry fee. If anyone is interested however then contact Steve W by 25 May at the very latest.

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Stroud Beer Race

2nd May 2007

Phillip H reports...

A few of us missed the club run this evening to honourably represent Tewkesbury AC in the Stroud Beer race, which despite it being relatively local, was also a first time run for 4 of the 6 runners taking part.

For those others of you that don't know the course, it is a tough test, run over Minchinhampton Common just outside Stroud over 3 laps for a total of 7.1 miles, with one steep hill and a long drag each lap to face (literally, since a stiff breeze whistled down the long uphill drag to make it a little more challenging!). All the club runners finished in the first half of the field of 105 finishers:

7th - Luke Anthony 44.17

11th - Rob Knight 46.15

20th - Nigel Tillott 48.31

22nd - Angie Sadler 49.12 (2nd lady and 1st lady vet O40)

42nd - Rob Jordan 54.22

43rd - Phillip Howells 54.35

Satisfied with respectable performances, we enjoyed the free beer earned for each finisher as the sun set in a superb array of golden and red colours over the horizon.

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Shakespeare Marathon

29th April 2007

Two runners from Tewkesbury AC made the short trip to Warkwickshire to run in the Shakespeare Marathon in Stratford-upon-Avon last Sunday 29th April.

The headline performance was from Clive Baker who is in fantastic form. Despite being the wrong side of 40 years old, the experience distance runner ran just over a minute outside his personal best time for the marathon distance of 26.2 miles. The Stratford course is regarded as a 'slow' course and depending on the runners ability, would be 2-10 minutes slower than a flat course such as London. His impressive finishing time of 2hrs 53 minutes resulted in an 11th place overall. His time is the fastest this year for a Tewkesbury runner. With his local half marathon to come in two weeks time, his home fans could be in for a treat.

Joining Baker at Stratford was Adrian Lavery who too had a pleasing race although a little slower than he had anticipated. Again, the nature of the course and the warm air played its part. Lavery's time of 3hrs 24 minutes placed him in 122nd place.

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Offa'a Orror

29th April 2007

Phillip Howells reports on the 'Offa's 'Orror', a 20km off-road event along part of Offa's Dyke in the lovely Wye Valley starting and finishing by the ancient ruin of Tintern Abbey.

Three club members took part: Angie Sadler recorded 1.39.29 for 41st place, 5th lady and first lady vet O45, Mich Laws was 79th in 1.47.34 and Phillip Howells 105th in 1.51.14, from a field of about 250.

It was the first time running of this great event for the 3 of us (although a target for some time!), but all would recommend it to anyone liking to run in beautiful scenery with the odd hill thrown in! It is actually something of a fell-type race with several very steep ascents and descents, which were tricky enough to get down safely in the beautiful sunny and dry conditions, but obviously an interesting challenge when wet (studs are normally de rigeur!). Hard to imagine why King Offa decided that a dyke made sense along some of this terrain (and indeed, history is also unsure of its purpose?), but it provides an ideal opportunity for both a clever play on words and some excellent 'toughening-up' running (maybe the famous king had a Nostradamus type premonition that it would eventually be properly appreciated by us 21st century adventurers?).

The run-in is along the river, but at some 4 miles was a deceptively hard sting-in-the-tail that caught a few unawares and left all us runners grateful to at long last see the ruins re-appearing around yet another river bend. A free drink and handsome goody bag were adequate rewards for a tough, but extremely satisfying and enjoyable event.

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Tresco Marathon

22nd April 2007

Angie Sadler and Phillip Howells competed for Tewkesbury AC (along with two other ultra-running friends).

Here's Phil's report:

We didn't have the heat of London, but the course is a really tough one with four climbs on each of the 7.5 laps, so 30 climbs in all. This is perfect terrain for Angie of course and she not only finished an impressive 2nd overall and first lady, but she also set a new ladies course record of 3-14-53, behind only a now 3 times winner at Tresco, Bob Brown, who is famous for winning the Race Across America last year and has other extreme long distance runs to his credit. He recorded 3-02-58. As you can imagine, Angie was treated as very much the star during the presentations, with lots of glassware to bring back in her baggage (the large trophy, once engraved with her name for posterity, has, rather thankfully, to stay behind on display in the HQ Island Hotel on Tresco).

Phillip Howells finished in a reasonably respectable 3-35-56, a few minutes slower than last year, but still 11th overall and 3rd vet over 50, 2 days after his 60th.

The event is the total antidote to London, with a maximum of 125 competitors, totally traffic free concrete paths and stunning views across the Scilly isles each lap. Tresco is one of the 5 inhabited islands in the Scillies and most runners get transported by boat from the main island of St Mary's on the morning of the event. Since the tides were very high this year we had to be landed directly onto a sandy beach from the prow of the boat - as if we were invading Romans or Vikings! Quite an experience in itself! There can't be many marathons starting in such dramatic fashion?

You feel as if being treated like royalty, such is the enthusiasm for inhabitants and visitors for the event. Each finisher gets presented individually with their medal by at least one or two celebrity guests, and since the race was instigated by the Head Chef on the island's 5-star Island Hotel, whose daughter has Cystic Fibrosis and for which charity cause each runner has to raise at least £300 to compete, the post-race banquet is an amazing feast; a truly sumptious spread. Every runner also gets a shower and free massage within rooms in the hotel immediately after the finish. Highly recommended to anyone who would like something a bit different, including a very pleasant weekend in the lovely islands.

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FLM

22nd April 2007

You can read about our captain's exploits here, but read her own report first!

The 2007 Flora London Marathon turned out to be memorable for all Tewkesbury AC runners, some more than others!! 5 members took to the start in the warmest FLM on record, all feeling the effects of the conditions.

Amanda started from the Elite line and experienced the 'preferential treatments', having brass handles on toilet doors and carpets to walk on!! She started off well and on target for a 3:15hr finish but unfortunately due to the heat and her feeling unwell had to pull out around half way. This was unfortunate as she has been running well of late.

London vet Barry led the Tewkesbury contingent home in a strong time of 3:30:43s. He had intially set a target time of 3:15s but again due to the conditions had to reassess this but still finished satisfied with his performance.

Next up was Stuart B who completed his first FLM after last year's disapointment. Despite some injury worries on the run up to the race he produced a fine consistent run to complete in a time of 3:37:00s.

Tewkesbury AC newcomer Dan was third home for the club in a time of 4:00:37s. He also suffered with the conditions but battled on, just missing the 4 hour mark but well inside his first effort a few years ago.

Completing the team was myself who finished in a time of 4:11:19s and with a broken foot!! No doubt you have all read the local press so i won't bore you with the detail. All i will say is that 'I WILL BE BACK.....SO WATCH THIS SPACE!!!'

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Easter 10km

7th April 2007

Jon M reports from this KoTR event...........

Severn AC's popular 10km race was well supported by Tewkesbury AC runners this Easter. The short trip to Sandhurst was even more worthwhile for Tewkesbury prize winners Angie Sadler, Carol Cowley and Mike Ward.

On what proved to be an historic day for the event in which, new course records were set and perhaps, more significantly, the host team being rarely eclipsed as the best on the day.

The race set-off in beautiful spring sunshine and the Tewkesbury athletes were soon tactically covering the two-lap country lane course with several neck and neck tussles.

London Marathon bound Stuart Buchan aimed to break to the 40 minute mark finishing time. He raced closely with the club's leading lady, Angie Sadler. Sadler went on to finish in 40.01 mins and place 4th place overall female behind Wendy Jones's new course record. Buchan couldn't hold his team mate but, did run a personal best time.

Danny Webb, another London bound runner fought hard to overhaul club treasurer Roger Bennett. Bennett was wise to it and out stepped Webb on the line.

Jon's Rawlings and Mansfield found themselves isolated up against former TAC star Andy Hawkins. The new Severn AC team runner ran hard throughout and the two TAC runners, who, had both just returned from Spanish cycling training camps suffered after 5km. Rawlings dropped off at 6km while Mansfield hung-on to surge ahead of Hawkins over the final 400m.

Noticeably the performer of the day was Neville Simpson. The V50 runner is finding his form again recording a two minute improvement on last month's Bourton 10km race. Outstanding Simpson was able to out-run Carol Cowley on this occasion as the LV55 winner ran with a back niggle. However, Cowley still recorded her second category win of the week.

Rob Jordan, who's become a regular at the White Horse finished just outside 45 mins. He was pushed all the way by ultra runner, Phillip Howells.

All making rare race appearances, Mick Morris, Mike Primett and Web-master Clive Sentance had pleasing runs. With only limited training beforehand, Sentance crossed the finish line unruffled as did Mike Primett. Morris, the Gloucestershire AA sectary found time to fit the run in and was pleased with his fitness after a long injury come-back period.

18th Jon Mansfield 36.20

23rd Jon Rawlings 36.59

37th Clive Sentance 38.34

45th Angie Sadler 40.01

48th Stuart Buchan 40.28

52nd Roger Bennett 41.06

53rd Danny Webb 41.07

60th Mike Primett 41.46

75th Rob Jordan 45.10

76th Phil Howells 45.18

77th Neville Simpson 46.11

78th Carol Cowley 46.12

98th Mike Ward 50.03

114th Mick Morris 52.43

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Peopleton Scenic Six

Wes Reid enjoyed his 1st race of the year and travelled to Peopleton near Pershore to take part in the Scenic 6.

The race takes place on country lanes, accross streams and through fields with plenty of sheep on view. He completed the course in a pleasing time of 1hr 4mins.

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Crawley 6 hour track race

Let me tell you, you've not lived if you have never run a long distancetrack event! Persuaded to support a fellow long distance runner putting on a12hr and 6hr track race for charity at her local K2 Leisure Centre in Crawley, West Sussex, Tewkesbury runners Angie Sadler and Phillip Howells opted for the shorter(!) option and duly set off at 6am on Saturday 31st March for this new experience in ultra-marathons as part of their preparation for the 56 miles Comrades Marathon in S Africa in June. By the time of the start at 10am (there was a huge 20 runner entry) the 12hr runners (another 25 starters) were already 3hrs into their run, so early signs of fatigue were already evident in several competitors - reminding us of the joy of what was to come!

Running a timed event for distance on a track, rather than the more usual distance event for time, is quite a different experience. It is actually quite complex since you need a recorder for each lap for each runner; so the 'crowd' of spectators was more than half made up of some 20 recorders who sat opposite the start/finish line alongside the track, huddled against a cold and biting wind despite it being a sunny day. You have to make sure you and the recorder are known to each other and then ensure you acknowledge each and every lap done so your correct distance is recorded - made really challenging as runners lap others, as well as for most of us, getting multiple-lapped by the leaders.

It was very windy day, so we had the additional pleasure of a head-wind each half lap, ie. every minute or so for those of us averaging around 2 minutes or so for each 400m lap. In contrast to the recorders, who remained well wrapped-up all day, the faster runners soon had to remove the over-clothing we started in as we became very warm with the effort. In case you think it is boring to run around a track dozens of times, the organiser was at great pains to point out that we changed direction at halfway, so you can imagine the excitement and anticipation rising as the 3 hour mark (6 for the 12 hour-ers) approached and then arrived, with a few minutes of confusion as runners were suddenly 'racing' in two directions, with the competitors coming back at those yet to turn not sure whether they should run inside or outside the runners they were now facing!

However, traditional order (running single file along the first white line on the outside of the first lane to allow you or others faster to pass on the inside) was soon restored and concentration on the job in hand restored. At least the headwind was now on the opposite straight for a change! In fact, these events are quite good fun. There is a great sense of camaraderie and most people know each other, so it is something of a big social occasion with lots of banter and encouragement to keep you going - and you are all in similar pain after a few hours, no matter how fast you are running!

Both Tewkesbury runners had strong finishes, a testament to good current fitness, with Angie recording a very impressive 3rd overall (and of course first lady) with 43mls 1,575yds (some 175 laps) and Phillip recording 37mls 297yds (about 149 laps) for 10th place in what was his 50th marathon/ultra-marathon distance race.

Apart from heavy legs (running on a completely flat and 'giving' track surface is much more demanding than on road and actually means you usually run slower over longer distances) and shoes covered in red dust from the track surface, both runners were more than satisfied with the experience - anyone want to join us for the 12hr next year??

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Chedworth Roman Trail

1st April 2007

This year's event took place in relatively better conditions from previous years. Most of the mud had dried and the stream crossing was just knee deep. The wind, on the other hand, was as wild as always. Tewkesbury AC were in the prizes with V55 runner Carol Cowley winning her category (and she bettered the V50's best runner). The Bredon based athlete ran a splendid race finishing just 52 seconds ahead of her nearest rival in 1hr 24 mins. First home for the club was Jon Mansfield in 1.06 hr. Rob Knight came injust 3 minutes later with Stuart Buchan completing the 10.5 mile off-road course in 1.15hr. This was an especially pleasing performance for Buchan who will be racing the London Marathon in just three weeks time.

15th Jon Mansfield - 1.06

27th Rob Knight - 1.09

61st Stuart Buchan - 1.15

154th Carol Cowley - 1.24

307 finishers.

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KoTR update

1st April 2007

This coming Saturday afternoon sees the 6th club points event. The Severn AC Easter 10km run starts at 3pm (1500hrs). Race headquarters is at the White Horse Inn (formerly The Globe) in Sandhurst. Entry is exclusively on the day with a relatively small fee. The 10k course is renowned to be 'quick' and a popular Pb race.

Today's Chedworth Roman Trail race was the 5th event of the year. With the TAC results fed into the computer, Clive Baker and Angie Sadler have set the pace over the first third of the races.

Clive B - 36 points
Luke - 32
Stuart B - 32
Jon M - 32
Barry - 21
Angie - 18
Jon R - 16
Stuart D - 15
Carol - 14
Simon - 13
Andy - 12
Neville - 11
Rob J - 11
Rob K - 11
Amanda - 10
Cathy - 10
Nigel - 10
Danny - 7
Roger - 7
Mike - 5
Charlotte - 4
Helena - 4
Bev - 3
Peter - 3
Phillip - 3

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Bath Half Marathon

25th March 2007

Angie Sadler reports on an excellent run in Bath...

Four Tewkesbury AC runners completed the course. After a chilly start the conditions were ideal for the 10,000 runners! Fist home was myself Angie Sadler 1hr 27mins (ran really well!) 5th Lady Vet
Stuart Buchan 1hr 30mins 29sec
Phillip Howells 1hr 43mins 58sec
Martyn Cox 1hr 57min 17sec

Stuart adds "I took my place amongst a field of over 8,000 runners for the Bath Half Marathon on Sunday in pretty good running conditions. I managed to maintain a good pace all the way round and a good sprint finish enabled me to record a VERY pleasing time of 1:29.55, just breaking the 1hr 30min mark for the first time! A PB by just over 3 minutes and a place of 516 (out of 8,165 finishers).

"The race was well supported with some great crowds cheering you on around the course, plus of course my own personal cheerleaders which made all the difference in the finishing straight!

"After the recent injury niggles and a poor Gloucester 20 run it was a real confidence boost before London to run such a good time and more importantly with no injury worries."

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Forest of Dean Half Marathon

25th March 2007

Eight members turned out for the annual Forest Of Dean Half Marathon. Although the morning was a little chilly we all soon warmed up after tackling the many climbs. There were many good results with my 'training advisor' Clive Baker having yet another excellent run coming home first for Tewkesbury in a great time of 1:21:06. Clive also picked up 3rd place for V40 category. Only seconds behind was one of our newest members to the club, Luke. He is also in great form clocking a time of 1:22:32. Next home was Barry who is training hard for London and ran a pleasing time of 1:37:15. Chasing Barry was the much improving Dan who said he was hoping for a sub 1:45 but finished in a great time of 1:37:41. This is also good London training for him.
Next back was hubby Stu who ran with myself (but this time I let him beat me to the line!!). He had a very comfortable run finshing in 1:38:54, i then crossed the line in 1:39:20. I was very pleased with this as again it was a good prep run for London and was over 3 minutes faster than last years time. Carol also had an excellent run finishing 2nd in the V50 catorgory in a time of 1:43:24, also quicker than her time last year.
Leaving the best to last, Rob J had an excellent run as this is one of the furthest distances he has raced for some time.He finished in a time of 1:45:09.

Overall 'Chip Times' and places:

11th Clive - 1:21:06 (3rd MV40)

18th Luke - 1:22:32

176th Barry - 1:37:15

183rd - Dan - 1:37:41

212th - Stu - 1:38:54

220th - Cathy - 1:39:20

322nd - Carol - 1:43:24 (2nd LV50)

359th - Rob - 1:45:09

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Rhayader 20

Three Tewkesbury AC members braved the annual “Round the Lakes” 20 mile race in Rhayader, Wales. On a fine spring day, bathed in warm sunshine under clear blue skies, the three intrepid athletes set out on this undulating trek around the Elan valley. The race is one of the most picturesque events on the calendar, but it’s not for the faint of heart - with almost 2000 ft of ascent and descent, this scenic event provides a testing environment for any runner to pit their wits. The notorious 800 ft steady climb between miles 4 and 6, into a strong and steady headwind, did its best to sap both energy and will, but this presented little challenge to the battle hardened combatants. The wind refused to be quieted and continued to buffet the runners for the majority of the remaining miles around the lakes. Heavy cloud cover and light drizzle greeted many of the entrants before the Elan valley was finished with them.

First club member home was Angie Sadler with a masterly display of hill running in a time of 2:25:17, showing no ill effects from her recent marathon and ultra-marathon exploits. Her time was sufficient to take 2nd place Lady and first LV45. Next in for the club was Barry O’Driscoll, who successfully completed the course in 2:41:32 as another of his hard training runs in preparation for the FLM. Third member home was the evergreen Philip Howells in 2:57:07, just 4 weeks ahead of his 60th birthday and with plenty of ultra-training in his legst. With races like this under their belts, and marathons in London and Tresco to look forward to on 22 April, the Tewkesbury contingent can take great heart from their individual performances.

Positions:

48th Anglie Sadler 2:25:17 2nd Lady, 1st LV45

139th Barry O’Driscoll 2:41:32

228th Phillip Howells 2:57:07

410 finishers – winning time, a remarkable 2:00:44.

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Hogweed Hilly Half

Barry O’Driscoll successfully completed the scenic, undulating Hogweed Hilly Half III. O’Driscoll was participating in the event solely for the hard training it could provide as part of his FLM preparations, and hard training it proved. With over 1400 ft of ascent this scenic rural half-marathon involves several long ascents (300ft +) at mile 1 and 8, some more abrupt ascents at miles 5 and 12, frantic descents down sharp gradients (including the final ½ mile), and sporadic flat sections which mother nature did her best to complicate by throwing in some blustery cross-winds for good measure. As could be expected, this was no PB course!! O’Driscoll ran the full course, more than could be said for many, although some of the climbs instigated a pace slightly slower than walking. Nevertheless O’Driscoll was pleased to finish the course in 1:43:32 for 75th place.

There were 259 finishers – winning time 1:18:54

This is a hard but enjoyable race and the Hogweed Hilly Half IV is definitely one for your 2008 race calendar – great atmosphere, well organised and marshalled, free massage plus an abundance of post-race refreshments.

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Gloucestershire Road Relays

Tewkesbury AC did the business at the annual Gloucestershire Road Race relays, which took place at Sandhurst, near Gloucester over 5km (x3).

A triumphant team of Charlotte Mowbray, Carol Cowley and Angie Sadler won the ladies event. More details to follow shortly, in the mean time congratulations to the Gold medal winning girls!

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Devizes 10km

4th March 2007

Helena Turner set herself a new personal best time over the 10km distance. The Tewkesbury AC runner went under the hour to record 59 minutes - a "really pleasing" performance from the former Bredon based lady.

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Gloucester 20m

4th March 2007

Wet and windy conditions greeted the Tewkesbury AC runners on their arrival in Frampton. The annual 20 mile run is staged around the villages south of the city. This traditional London Marathon (FLM) warm-up race attracted its normal 500 plus starting line-up.

The Tewkesbury runners were all set on using this event as a training race and for most, it was successful.

First in for the club was Jon Mansfield, who, under the guidance of a local physiotherapist he put her treatment to the test. Despite only running nine times this year, he surprised himself to record near identical mile splits to finish in 2hr 24mins.

Barry O'Driscoll ran perfectly. O'Driscoll was the second happy Tewkesbury AC runner to finish. His recent injury niggles appear to have left him - a major boost to his FLM preparations.

Long distance athlete Adrian Lavery had a fair race considering he has been missing out on recent training sessions.

Club Captain Cathy Dudfield finished with a huge smile as she ran over 18 miles for the very first time. Finishing a inside her target time of 2hr 40 mins, the day gave her a massive shot of confidence - ideal for her marathon debut in London.

Dudfield's training adviser, experienced marathon man Clive Baker, was a proud finisher as he recorded the same time as the improving Captain.
Stuart Buchan was hit by a trio of lower limb niggles which affected him midway through the course. Nevertheless, he crossed the line in 2hr 46 mins.

Results

119th Jon Mansfield 2.24hr

171st Baz O’Driscoll 2.30hr

243rd Cathy Dudfield 2.39hr

244th Clive Baker 2.39hr

292nd Stuart Buchan 2.46hr

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Bourton 10K

25th February 2007

An abundance of Tewkesbury AC runners took part in the Bourton-on-the-Water 10km road race. The race included some of the area's top athletes taking on each other and the Tewkesbury club got amongst the prizes with Carol Cowley winning the V55 title. Bredon based Cowley ran away from the competition in a fine time just off her best.

Jon Rawlings had the club's fastest legs on the day, setting himself a target of breaking the 35 minute mark, in which he did with joy.

Rapidly catching Rawlings, Clive Baker performed fabulously as the V40 man finished just outside his lifetime best for 10km. Baker is in great early season form and for the second week in a row, he caught team-mate Jon Mansfield near the 6km mark. Mansfield finished a minute or so slower than last year however, did enough to hold off new member Luke Anthony. Anthony enjoyed his third 2007 event for the club.

Another runner in fine form is Stuart Buchan. The improving runner is the leading the 2007 club championship after another 40 minute run. Jason Draper finished in 41.33 minutes a little ahead of talented Amanda Martin. Stuart Dudfield ran the second half of the race convincingly while wife, Cathy pulled-up with a calf niggle after 5km. Rob Jordan is finding his form again by hitting his target time.

Happy to be back on the comeback trail is Neville Simpson who ran in at 46.07, whilst Veteran 70+ runner Mike Ward completed the course satisfied and Lisa Kane came in at 48.04, close to her 2006 time.

The contingent was completed by Peter Foster who made a dramatic return to racing. Foster had been laid-up with injuries only days before the event and was dreading the thought of having to abstain. Despite going through a bad patch between kilometres 2 and 5, the V45
runner was pleased to time well inside his estimate.

31st Jon Rawlings 34.55

38th Clive Baker 35.24

42nd Jon Mansfield 35.39

48th Luke Anthony 36.09

129th Stuart Buchan 40.23

149th Jason Draper 41.33

160th Amanda Martin 42.02

176th Stuart Dudfield 42.39

215th Rob Jordan 44.19

226th Carol Cowley 44.40

263rd Neville Simpson 46.07

288th Michael Ward 47.23

298th Lisa Kane Tewkesbury 48.04

347th Peter Foster 50.42

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Coastal Marathon

24th February 2007

Angie Sadler and Phillip Howells both successfully completed the scenic, multi-terrain and tough Coastal marathon held in Beesands, south Devon on Saturday 24th February.

In complete contrast to the frigid and gale-swept conditions of 2006, the 2007 version could not have been on a milder day for February. This did not detract from the toughness though, since the route is along the rugged and spectacular coast path for the first 10 miles, from Beesands to East Portlemouth. It then strikes inland over either steep Devon lanes or fiendishly equally steep, but also very muddy, footpaths, tracks and fields until mile 23. It then retraces back along the coast past the nature reserve at Slapton Ley and a return to Beesands, with a wicked flight of cliff steps to traverse up and down in the last mile to complete the challenge!

Times were therefore slow by marathon standards, but more than respectable for the terrain.

Angie run superbly as usual to finish 11th and 4th lady of 133 finishers in 4-23-34, one position lower (although in a much better quality field) but 4 minutes faster than in 2006. The winner only did a 3-58.

Phillip, still feeling the hip and hamstring problems that have plagued him in 2007 so far, slipped back over an hour from his 2006 time, but still finished in a reasonable 5-47-12 and 99th place following a late start two minutes from behind all the field after being held up in the loo queue!

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Draycote Water 35

Phillip H reports.....

As you know Angie and I ran the Draycote Water 35 on Sunday and both finished.

Angie ran another brilliant race, well judged to finish in a pb time of 4.34.02 for 18th place, 5th lady and first lady vet over 45. I ran 'OK' given my current hip and glut problems to finish in 5.43.17 in 45th place - but some 50 minutes slower than last year. Only consolation was that I ran very strongly at the end; at least shows good underlying fitness - sure I'll be flying again once I can sort the problems out (working on it with a local chiro and improving I think?). There were 114 entries for the 35 and 73 finishers.

After the extremely cold, windy and dry, or extremely cold, windy and wet conditions of the last 2 years, this year the conditions were almost 'balmy' by comparison, certainly early on, although it did get cold later as the clouds came over and a strong breeze swept over the quite exposed route, which is of 7 laps around Draycote Water. There was a new marathon event at the same time - something for some club members to think of for next year maybe? Adrian Lovery had entered with us this year for the 35, but unfortunately could not run - had to work instead!

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Forest of Dean Trail series.

The finale of the three race series staged at Mallard's Pike took place on Sunday 18th February.

Five runners from Tewkesbury AC raced in the longest run of the morning over a 15.4km (9.5 mile) distance. A course entirely on the forest trails which were wet and stoney with the occasional muddy puddle.

Clive Baker became the first ever Tewkesbury athlete to break the hour mark. Marathon specialist Baker set off from the start at a relaxed paced near the front of the field. After the first lap, he increased his effort and started to wind in runners ahead, including team mate Jon Mansfield at the 6km point. Baker gave his all during the final stages to ensure a 4th place finish.

Jon Mansfield followed in at 7th place, while Barry O'Driscoll followed in at 21st. O'Driscoll enjoyed his best run of the series and this went some way towards lifting his spirit after being snapped by a speed camera en route (driving that is).

Club Captain Cathy Dudfield had a lot riding on her morning's performance. Dudfield had a chance to scoop into the race series prize fund. However, there was competition with Bredon triathlete, Rachel Hobbs also starting the 15.4km race. This made Dudfield's chances extremely slim as historically, Hobbs has always ran faster. Dudfield's race plan was to run with husband Stuart and although the pair were running well, rival Hobbs had stretched out a long lead during the early stages.

The second half of the race told a different story as the Dudfield's pushed on and soon made up the gap with the fast starting triathlete. The final 200 meters was spectacular as the crowded finishing area excitingly watched the three runners tussle for places. On the finish line, it was the Club Captain who had the speed to drop both Husband and Hobbs and record a stunning personal best time for the event.

The award ceremony saw Cathy Dudfield win £50 and more event silverware for third lady overall in the three race series.

Jon Mansfield missed out by seconds for third placed series male. And Simon Peach, one of our Guy Fawkes 5m race sponsors, won the 10.4km race on the day.

15.4km

4th Clive Baker 58.26 mins

7th Jon Mansfield 1hr 00.47 mins

21st Baz O'Driscoll 1.07.33

28th Cathy Dudfield 1.08.05

29th Stuart Dudfield 1.08.08

180 ran

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Tring 2 Town

10th February 2007

Phillip H reports............


The 45 miles Tring2Town (T2T) was held on Saturday 10th Feb. This was the second of two events held this year since the first (held in January) was oversubscribed.

Angie Sadler and Phillip Howells ran for the club, Phillip's second time but Angie's first. Not only would this be her longest run or race by 10 miles, she was also running it after having had flu with several days in bed earlier in the week!

The course is along the Grand Union Canal and is the last 45 miles of the well known 145 miles Grand Union Race from Birmingham to London (the finish of both is Little Venice, about quarter of a mile from Paddington Railway Station). Unlike last year's crisp, dry but cold conditions, this year the race started in heavy rain, which lasted for several hours before a weak but warm(ish) Sun broke through the clouds. Conditions along the canal tow path varied from slushy mud (there was still a fair bit of melting snow around) to reasonable firm track, but all 'off-road' type conditions. It is actually mainly an interesting and varied route, very scenic in parts.

After a steady start, Angie got into her stride and showed she has lost none of her brilliant early season form with an excellent time of 7 hours 41minutes for 19th place overall, 3rd lady, 2nd vet lady - she was awarded the 2nd lady trophy on the one person one prize rule and was delighted with the result - a great psychological boost in preparation for running the 56 miles Comrades Marathon in S Africa in June.

Since Phillip was chauffeur, she then had to wait several hours for him to finish! On a decidedly 'off' day with hip and hamstring problems he'grovelled' for the first 35 miles, before 'getting going' (after a sit down with 10 miles to go and a stern self-talking too!) to storm the last 8 miles in just over an hour, the last 4 in 30 minutes (a pace that would have given a top 10 place had he been up to it from the start!).

His finish time was 9-58, which was just inside his slowest target time, and despite the hardgoing, was still a 7 minute personal best time!! He was 52nd of 61 finishers. So honour reasonably satisfied and for both runners, tired but elated at the achievement.

With Adrian (Lavery) we now have the 35 miles Draycote Water Race to relish this coming weekend!

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Weston Tough 10

11th February 2007

AndyHawkins and Jason Draper performed in the Weston Tough 10 mile - A multi- terrain run starting on the sandy beach before taking in pavements,s teps, trails and road surfaces. Pre-race rain made sections extremely muddy and tough to tackle. Nevertheless, Hawkins finished just outside the top ten and Draper just outside the top 100 - exceptional results considering nearly 1000 people started the race.

14th Andy Hawkins 1hr 02.58

110th Jason Draper 1hr 11.42

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2007 Club Championship

Jon M explains....

All but one, of the selected Club Championship races now have confirmed dates. A couple of the events have moved from their normal calendar slots. However, the real pleasing news is that we have some splendid races spread throughout the week including, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, with events starting in the morning, afternoon and evening.

The Bourton-on-water 10km is the next race and news has got back to the club that all 550 places have been filled. If you didn't get an entry place then there's lots of other races to plan for. Much, much better races too...

Forest of Dean Half Marathon takes place on 25th March.

Chedworth Roman Trail is on 1st April, a fantastic multi-terrain run which can be entered through Cirencester AC. Enter soon as it's a popular race. Severn AC's Easter 10km takes place on Saturday 7th April. It's in the afternoon from the White Horse Inn in Sandhurst. This can be entered on the day.

Tewkesbury AC's all-time most popular race is on the 13th May. The Tewkesbury Half Marathon can be entered through the Runners World website. Severn AC's Thursday evening 5km race is on 17th May. Enter this one on the night.

Mallard's Pike 5m MT is taking place on Wednesday 20th June. Entry on the night.

AeroSpace 5m is on July 4th. The Cheltenham Harriers event starts in the evening.

Frampton 10km is the one Monday evening run and is organised by Stroud AC. Probable date is July 9th but could be the 2nd!

Bugatti Beer race sells out swiftly, so enter this 1st August event as soon as you see an entry form.

Beacon 10km is hosted by Angels RC and set to take place on 2nd Sept.

Cirencester Park 10km is also in September. The second event organized by Cirencester AC on Sunday 23rd.

Oldbury 10 mile race is back in October this year. The fast course on the 7th is a perfect build-up race for the...

Stroud Half Marathon on 28th October.

If we hear of any date changes or further entry information, it will be publicized. Any quires, please get in touch with me, Steve or Andy

Here's the links to the above races...

www.runnersworld.co.uk/events/viewevent.asp?sp=&v=2&EN=35429
www.stroudathleticclub.org.uk
www.fodac.org.uk
www.thornburyrunningclub.co.uk
www.severnac.co.uk
www.cirencester-ac.org.uk
www.cheltenhamharriers.co.uk
www.angelsrunningclub.co.uk
www.chepstowharriers.org.uk

Yours in Sport

Jon

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Linda Franks 4.4

John M reports...

Runners from Tewkesbury AC had huge success in the annual Linda Franks 4.4 mile race in Cheltenham.

In what can be described as the club’s most prolific day, it was Evesham based Simon Hall who ran the fastest over the two lap course ending at the Reddings village hall. Hall the 2006 victor had a 200 yard lead at the halfway point that meant he was able to cruise the final stages to fully enjoy the winning feeling.

The runner-up was Andy Hawkins, who like Hall duplicated his 2006 efforts. Hawkins is more a longer distance runner and was pushed all the way by another team mate, Clive Baker who completed the Tewkesbury podium clean sweep.

In the ladies field, Angie Sadler defended her title from last year too taking her second race win of the year so far. She came in an excellent 9th position overall.

Luke Anthony and Stuart Buchan made it a total of six Tewkesbury runners in the top ten by finishing 4th and 10th respectively.

Further down the field there were fine performances from 16th placed Barry O’Driscoll and Rob Jordan in 38th. Club captain Cathy Dudfield picked up a niggle mid-race though still finished as the 5th placed lady.

Up and coming Charlotte Mowbray ran very well finishing in 36th place/8th female. Beverly Thomas completed the Tewkesbury contingent in 66th place from over 100 starters.

Steve Wiggall, who’s on the injury comeback trail didn’t want to miss the event so eased around the one lap 2.2 route to finished 50th.

Results (no official times available)

1st Simon Hall

2nd Andy Hawkins

3rd Clive Baker

4th Luke Anthony

9th Angie Sadler

10th Stuart Buchan

16th Barry O’Driscoll

28th Rob Jordan

31st Cathy Dudfield

36th Charlotte Mowbray

66th Bev Thomas

2.2 mile fun run.

50th Steve Wiggall

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Glos x/c league - final placings

Andy H reports...

Following the last league race at Droitwich the final overall standing have now been calculated and it is good news for two of our members.

In the WV45 category the top three are as follows:

1. M Williamson Leamington 17 points

2. A Sadler Tewkesbury 32 points

3. A Lane Bourton 65 points

As you can see Angie finished in an excellent and comfortable 2nd place.

In the WV55 category the top two are as follows:

1. C Cowley Tewkesbury 99 points

2. P Dable Kenilworth 233 points

A brilliant performance from Carol, many congratulations. Well clear of her rival!

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Stourbridge Stagger

4th February 2007

Jason Draper took on the Stourbridge Stagger - a tough multi-terrain race covering 10 miles. Draper completed his toughest race to date, taking on hills, stiles and, of course, mud. Nearly 500 runners enjoyed the scenic 'out and back' route.

A finishing time of 1hr 16 minutes gave the Tewkesbury runner a respectable 69th placing.

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Not the Roman Nine, Stratford

Tewkesbury AC had a lone repersentative in the annual "Not the Roman nine" road race.

Childswickham based Lisa Kane set herself a new personal best time over the 12km country lane course around Stratford-on-Avon. She finished as 14th senior female and 253rd overall in a time of 59 minutes. With a starting line-up of 600 runners, Kane (pictured) did well.

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Glos x/c league

January 2007

Just four Tewkesbury AC runners tackled the final XC event of the season. Staged at Drotwich in difficult conditions over an equally difficult course, it was just Lisa Kane who flew the flag in the women's race. Kane came in 56th position in a time of 34 minutes.

With Andy Hawkins stepping in to help Mick Morris with the organization on the day, Jon Rawlings produced the fastest Tewkesbury run. Rawlings just made the top 40 in a competitive field. Jason Draper came in ahead of Phillip Howells in 118th and 129th place respectively.

Women.

56th Lisa Kane 34.14

Men.

40th Jon Rawlings 40.16

118th Jason Draper 57.18

129th Phil Howells 63.13

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May Hill Massacre

Bradley Crouch reports on the inaugural running of this.........

The May Hill Massacre was run last Sunday for the first time and what a brilliant effort from race organizers. So good is this race I will be placing it firmly on my calendar for next year (definitely in my top five races).

The May Hill Massacre is mainly off-road, with a slight hill to climb and heaps of glorious mud... Fortunately I had a pair of Adidas Swoops which where able to cut right through the mud allowing my feet landed firmly on the ground without slipping (I really, really recommend these shoes).

There were just over 350 runners on the day, I managed a 20th position (1:06:05) with the aid of my new shoes!

Phil Howells came back 186th position (1:24:31).

Winning time was 57:03

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Your club officials for 2007 are:

Chairman Josh Gilder
Secretary Steve Wiggall
Treasurer Roger Bennett
Captain Cathy Dudfield
Road Running Sec Jon Mansfield
Road Race Director Pete Foster
Committee Rob Jordan
Committee Clive Baker
Committee Carol Cowley
Committee Barry O'Driscoll
Webmaster Clive Sentance
Press Officer Jon Mansfield

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FoD trails

7th January 2007

Stuart Dudfield won his very first trophy over a demandingly wet Mallard's Pike course. Dudfield chose to race in the shorter 5.4km course and needed to run hard to stay in contention in a competitive field. He was rewarded for his efforts with third place in the senior men's category.

The Dudfield household had reason for a double celebration later, as wife, Cathy repeated her efforts from last month and picked-up more silverware after finishing third in the extremely difficult 15.4km forest course. Her performance was also rewarded with more points towards a prize purse to be shared after the next race in the series.

Rob Knight made a rare racing appearance as he joined Jon Mansfield also running the 15.4km event.

5.4km Race

5th Stuart Dudfield 24.35

15.4km Race

7th Rob Knight 1.01

10th Jon Mansfield 1.04

34th Cathy Dudfield 1.12

164 ran

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Gloucester 10m

7th January 2007

Six Tewkesbury AC runners took part in the annual 10 mile race just south of Gloucester.

Without doubt, the outstanding performance of the day was by Angie Sadler. The multi-distance talent not only won her vet F45 category but also won the ladies race outright. A fantastic result to start 2007.

Tewkesbury's new recruit, Luke Anthony was the first club member home finishing just outside the top 20. The conditions on the day meant that the final four miles were demanding heading into a strong headwind, in which, most runners lost time.

Stuart Buchan's good form defeated the wind with ease. While Adrian Lavery chose to run the whole course as a warm-up before the start, he still managed to finish the race in less than 70 minutes.

Barry O'Driscoll needed to make some last minute equipment adjustments, which resulted in starting at the back. O'Driscoll worked his way through the sell-out 260 runners to finish inside the top 100 - some tactful training for April's London Marathon!

Phillip Howells completed the Tewkesbury contingent finishing in 80 minutes.

22nd Luke Anthony 1.05 hr

29th Angie Sadler 1.06

44th Stuart Buchan 1.08

68th Adrian Lavery 1.09

83rd Barry O'Driscoll 1.12

143rd Phil Howells 1.20

261 ran

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First 2007 race

Almost a fifth of the starting line-up at The New Years Day five mile race near Gloucester was made up of Tewkesbury AC runners. Ten athletes started 2007 running through the unexpected morning sunshine along the country lanes near Hardwicke.

Toeing the start line too was GB junior star, Emily Pigeon with two of her training partners. With Tewkesbury's best runner of 2006, Andrew Hawkins housebound with a cold virus, Pigeon was never troubled by the TAC contingent as she starred. Nevertheless, the Tewkesbury club also produced star performances...

Ever improving, Nigel Tillott ran an outstanding personal best (Pb) time. Tillott recorded a sub 32 minute time. A real boost as the progressing runner starts his training plan ready for the Prague marathon later in the year.

Stuart Buchan made the short journey to meet the start line. Buchan also covered the 'out and back' course in Pb time.

Helena Turner started the year with a delightful performance. 2007 looks like being a year to remember for the Bredon runner.

The first runner to finish for the club was Jon Mansfield. Mansfield, laden with trifle from the previous night was pushed all the way by team mate, Jason Draper. Draper finished in just under 31 minutes; almost exactly as he has done on the last three occasions on twisty lane course. Angie Sadler, having just ran a testing 19 mile training run, made short work of the morning by scooping her category prize. Fellow ultra-distance runner, Phillip Howells ran in the comfort zone while Neville Simpson made a welcome return to racing after a short hiatus. Barry O'Driscoll followed Roger Bennett over the finish line as both runners had well planned runs.

10th Jon Mansfield - 30.26

13th Jason Draper - 30.56

19th Nigel Tillot - 31.51 (Pb)

20th Angie Sadler - 32.23

21st Stuart Buchan -32.37 (Pb)

25th Roger Bennett - 32.53

34th Barry O'Driscoll - 34.48

40th Neville Simpson - 37.07

53th Helena Turner - 45.22

54th Phillip Howells - 45.23

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Hereford New Year's 10K

Clive S reports.....

After a year of not a lot of racing, my new year's resolution to race a bit more got off to a good start at this well organised and enjoyable event. The rain held off as we headed out of Hereford rowing club and up an incline to the 1K mark. Then it was down hill to the 2K marker, a few undulations to 3K, then a loop round some quiet lanes, before rejoining the outbound course at around 7K. At halfway I was back on for my target time of 39 mins, going through 5K in exactly 19:30. The knowledge that there would be a fast downhill final kilometre kept me going as I managed to pull away from a group of 5 runners, before going through 9k in 35:15 and 10K in 38:46.

This is the first time I've done this race - I can recommend it as a most pleasant way to burn off the excesses of the season!