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Sunday 27th December - Severn AC's Christmas Four - Pilot Inn

Gloucester's Christmas Four Mile race kicked-off Tewkesbury AC's 2010 Club championship.
 
On a day blessed with welcome sunshine and improved temperatures of up to 7 degrees, there was a surprisingly high turn-out from the club with eighteen runners toeing the start line. In amongst the regulars were five new members making their official TAC debuts: Gwyn and Anne Williams, Jude Rodrigues, Dave Allen and Dave Mac all took a break from their holiday festivities to display their potenial.
 
Exactly 100 runners started out on the 'out and back' country lane course which featured a moderately steep hill just before the halfway point. The course witnessed some splendid performances from Tewkesbury with a trio of absolute stunners... Rob Jordan, Nigel Tillott and Karen Mason. Jordan taking almost two minutes off his previous years time and in doing so, almost creating an upset by overhauling, not only Mungo Park, but 2009 Club Champion Dan Webb. Tillott impressed throughout the distance and topped it with a powerful surge across the finish line. Mason's performance was more about completion as 2009 tormented her progress with some rotten injury woes.
 
The five deputies all put hard efforts in. Gwyn Williams showing he's not slow out of the blocks with an excellent time. Wife Anne timed well too. Both Dave's run hard together for most of the course and are now very much looking forward to improving as their aim is this years London Marathon. Jude Rodrigues improves by the day and shows potential for some good running in 2010.
 
Club Captain Jon Mansfield had a race long tussle with fellow triathlete Jon Rawlings. This, unfolding over the last mile with Mansfield closing a ten yard gap to pull away over the last minute.
 
Simon Waters lost out against Tillott's fast finishing although, Waters did suffer with stomach cramps. Clive Sentance made a rare appearance, the 16.34 minute 5km runner is seldom tempted to air his legs over the tarmac of late. Dan Webb's run was comfortable, keeping Mungo Park in his rear view mirror and avoiding a possible sprint finish with Jordan.
 
Talented veteran Carol Cowley was sandwiched between smooth running Paul Mason and improving Fran Osbourne. The later continuing her come-back after a dreadful cycling accident. The final mention goes to Club Sectary Steve Wiggall who rounded off 2009 which pleasingly gave him some better luck and fine performances.

Jon Mansfield      7th           23:01
Jon Rawlings       9th          23:09
Nigel Tillott        23rd         25:20
Simon Waters     24th         25:21
Clive Sentance   26th         25:35
Daniel Webb       28th         25:57
Mungo Park        29th         26:00
Rob Jordan         33rd         26:05
Gwyn Williams     38th         26:32
Paul Mason        53rd         28:00
Carol Cowley      55th         28:06
Fran Osbourne    56th         28:23
Steve Wiggall     58th         28:37
Dave Mac           78th         32:27
Dave Allen         79th         32:41
Anne Williams    80th          32:47
Jude Rodrigues  92nd         37:17
Karen Mason     93rd         37:40

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Gloucestershite XC League Match No.3

Tewkesbury School was the venue for the 3rd Gloucestershire Cross-Country league fixture and it was hosted by the local Tewkesbury AC. The hosts pulled-out all the stops to ensure the facilities and, more importantly, the course was up to standard. This proved to be a storming success as the recent wet weather had left the course prime for cross-country tussling and on the day itself, the weather was kind.
A bumper 500 runners arrived at the School, conveniently situated next to Junction 9 off the M5 motorway and Dan Webb, Rob Jordan and their competent team of helpers ensured the smooth running of the days numerous races.
The standard of competition throughout the events was high and to put into context, Tewkesbury's current two best runners Angie Sadler and Jon Mansfield were beaten into 19th and 26th respectively in their events!
Post race talk was mainly regarding to how well the day went with healthy support from the marshals, facilities offering comfort and Orchard Catering suppling some welcome hot soup.

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Temple Guiting 10K

Among the field of 138 runners that finished this race were five members from the club. The runners were warned at the start of the race to take it steady as there was a hill at 4 miles, and a ford to run through which preceded the steep climb. So who if any of the club runners chose to avoid the cold water and opt for the dry route over a bridge!
Jon was up the front of the field and clocked a respectable time to cross the line in fifth place. Next home for the club was Rob in 18th, and Teresa was a little further back in 40th.
Sharon and Clare began the race together but Sharon soon forged ahead of her team-mate as she produced a great run to record a 10k pb. Clare plodded round(her words not mine) to bring the squad home.

RESULTS

5.Jon Rawlings                40.38
18. Rob Jordan                43.54
40. Teresa Roberts         48.24
61. Sharon Pates-Cook  51.42 (pb)
87. Clare Bayley              56.22

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The Beastly Feast

Based at Worcester’s Top Barn Activity Centre, three Tewkesbury AC members supported the first staging of this much anticipated “Tough Guy” style challenge event. Taking in over 11km of incredibly diverse terrain which included natural and man-made obstacles, 200 people of all abilities soon found themselves scrambling under Cargo nets, jumping through pits of mud, rolling over logs and bumping over bales of straw.

Charlotte Mowbray, Debbie Lee and Jon Mansfield were having tremendous fun until the course headed deep into the wild…
Mansfield, leading the field at this point, came to an abrupt stop when the course entered a swollen stream! Seeing his position slip, he rejoined the race and navigated downstream. Chest deep in places, this was to be a new experience for most of the competitors and it was met with a mixture of laughs and screams!

Once back on land, it was a mile or two of muddy trails and Mansfield was able to regain his lead. Further down the field, Debbie Lee was holding on to her lead in the women’s race but her amphibious experience left her laden with mud and water. Lee had to work hard from that point and opting to wear two pairs of leggings, she started to loss ground.

Mowbray, on the other hand, was fairing better and moved ahead of her team mate and along with three other women, including Evesham Vale’s popular Natasha Day, opened the race up.

After four miles the runners were given another tough test as the course meandered through a lake side bog. This was deep and footwear was becoming detached left, right and centre. This section really fragmented the runners. Fortunately the Tewkesbury contenders kept it together.

With a Tewkesbury women’s victory looking swamped, Mansfield held onto a slim lead, perhaps not the best position to be in as the 2009 South West Triathlon champion was first into the unknown and his canny chasers watched and learned. Nevertheless, it was looking good for Tewkesbury as a group of four formed but with one last Cargo net to slide under disaster struck as a helpless Mansfield became tangled. It was a diabolical situation and for the second week ‘running’ he had to settle for a 4th place.

Set to equal the Club Captain, Mowbray was digging-in deep over the later stages and managed to claim an excellent 4th in a competitive female race. Lee, despite her Afro locks tangling under the last scramble net, was close to finish 6th as she continues her healthy return to running after most of the summer with an Achilles woe.

Post race festivities with a hose pipe were joyful and the facilities at Top Barn offered the exhausted finishers all they wanted – within reason!
Many comparisons were made afterwards with other tough events and the 'Suicide Six' was described as “a walk in the park with a 99 in one hand and a balloon in the other”
Feedback from the Tewkesbury three was that it was fun, a good aurae and not that tough?

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Gloucestershire County AAA Awards

The annual Gloucestershire County AAA Awards evening took place on 19 November at Gloucester City Council's civic suite in the presence of The Mayor and Sheriff of Gloucester.

Master of ceremonies was our very own Mick Morris with Lynn Hudson, the County Co-ordinator, ensuring that the dignatories handed over the correct medals. Clubs from all over the county were represented and it was good to see the category awards spread amongst the clubs.

The Mens and Ladies Open team awards went to Glos AC, while the Vet team awards both went to Bourton Road Runners. However it was a very proud moment on 4 occasions to see Tewkesbury AC picking up awards in a number of categories with Mungo Park and Mike Ward leading the way with 1st place in the V55 and V70 categories while Nigel Tillott and Carol Cowley picked up 3rd place awards in the V45 and V55 categories. The evening concluded with everyone socialising over a hot drink and a very nice buffet spread. The 2010 Glos Road Race series begins at the end of January so lets hope at the end of the year we again see TAC represeneted in the awards.

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Blackbridge Cross Country

The second Gloucestershire xc league fixture took place at Blackbridge in typical weather for such a race. There was rain, wind and lots of slippery mud!!
As usual the ladies had the privilege of tackling the course first and within the team there were some new faces representing the club.
Angie led the way for the ladies constantly jostling for a position in the early twenties. Behind her there was a close race between xc stalwarts Carol and Debbie and one of the new faces, Fran. Initially it was Fran who opened up a small gap on the other two but experience of running in these conditions soon paid off for Carol as she overtook Fran as the race progressed. Debbie had to work harder on her birthday to narrowly beat Fran near to the line.
Another new face for the ladies xc team was Sandie who steadily ran the course to come home in 111th place.
In the men’s race the two Jon’s were once again the leading men from the club, with debutant Simon not too far behind.
There was an intriguing battle going on between Dan, Rob, Tom and Tim (with both the latter making their debuts for TAC at xc). Tom set off in front , with Dan, Rob and Tim in hot pursuit. Passing the race HQ for the second time Rob was ahead of Dan , much to the surprise of Carol who was supporting the men along with the rest of the ladies. As the race went into the next lap Dan’s stamina showed as he passed Rob to open up a gap which was never threatened. Both Tom and Tim dropped off the pace as they both found the going harder than expected.
Bringing the squad home was Alistair who was making a rare appearance for the club.

LADIES
24. Angie Sadler          28.04
55. Carol Cowley         30.45
63. Debbie Lee             31.38
64. Fran Osbourne      31.41
111. Sandie Harwood 37.49
120 finished.

The ladies team finished 16th/30 and in the master’s team were 6/17.

MEN.

30. Jon Mansfield     35.45
52. Jon Rawlings       37.10
101. Simon Waters   40.18
113. Dan Webb         41.16
125. Rob Jordan        42.06
148. Tim Abram         44.00
156. Tom Mcdonagh 44.52
175. Alstair Parker     47.06
189 finished.

The men’s team finished 14/19 and 9/18 in the masters

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Forest Trail Series
 
Five Tewkesbury AC runners took part in the first of this Winter seasons "Forest of Dean Trail Series".
 
Guaranteed to get soaking wet, Debbie Lee, Jon Rawlings, Dan Webb and Jon Mansfield all dried their kit out from the previous days Glos XC race in time to get wet-through again at the Mallards Pike venue. Admittedly, the rain stopped shortly after the 15.4km race started but just by standing on the start line during a 10am downpour was enough the saturate the 45 starters.
 
While Webb performed at a more leisurely pace, Lee was able to keep her club mate in sight and that helped to propel her to a fine 2nd placing and 1st Veteran in the ladies race.
 
The two Jon's battled; with the exception of Rawlings pulling away at the 8 mile mark the two ran side by side, almost hitting puddles in tandem. To add to the pressure, they had former Tewkesbury favourite, Andy Hawkins pushing from behind so that meant the two TAC vests had to keep full steam throughout. Eventually, Mansfield squeezed with 400m to go to lead Rawlings over the line. On current form, Rawlings' performance was exceptional and stands out with Lee's as the clubs top performers.
 
In the 10.4km event, Mike Younger took on 52 others and placed a solid 18th. Credit given to Younger as he pulled-up twice after his laces came undone!
 
15.4km
4th Jon Mansfield 1.00.07 hr
5th Jon Rawlings 1.00.12
22nd Dan Webb 1.11.47
25th Debbie Lee 1.13.57
 
10.4km
18th Mike Younger 49.47 mins

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Cirencester Park Off-Road Duathlons.

Lord Bathurst’s quintessential country estate was the destination of Tewkesbury AC’s latest multi-sport migration.
An astonishing number of Tewkesbury athletes entered the expertly staged Duathlons which featured a 2 mile run, a 10 mile MTB ride, and a final 2 mile run. In tandem to this event was a half distance ‘Novice’ event over the same course. The course had become treacherous throughout following several days of storms and heavy rain. Ironically, on the morning of the races, the 310 entrants were treated to windless blue skies!

Because of race rules, no one was allowed to practice over the bike course and this fuelled rumours regarding the toughness of the course - one race marshal advised against simply walking along it while a one local spectator argued that a ‘Fordson Major’ had been swamped down in the lower valley since 1972.
These rumours bounced off the Tewkesbury contingent as they were all fully charged and ready to take on Mother Nature at her most guileful.

Some of the Mountain bikes stored in the transition compound were impressive and some worth in excess of £4000 but, the real head-turner was a 20yr-old shopping bike donned with a rear carrier, long mud guards, smooth tyres and a selection of three gears - a tactical error perhaps, however, Tewkesbury favourite Jackie Arnett was to be the rider and fans of Arnett know that she’s a determined girl and her steed was not going to slow her down.

Tewkesbury’s strength-in-depth meant the club was able to field competitors in the ‘Main’ event, the ‘Relay’ and the ‘Novice’
race. The novice event started off first and that included the club’s vice-captain Elly Smith, Nikki Webb, Katrina Stephens, Gillian Bourton and Jackie Arnett. Their mile run was over tough terrain and if they took their eyes off the trail they were likely to hit one of the many deep pools of mud. The girls did well and it was Webb who led going strongly onto the bike course. Webb’s no stranger to Mountain biking but once the course took her down into the valley it was a real test. The four other girls followed and had mixed fortunes when they hit the deep mud which, when compounded with leafs and twigs, gave allsorts of mechanical problems. It was expected that 99% of the days cyclists would take a tumble at some point and that point for Arnett was when her cycle her hit a fallen tree - she was hurt and started to lose blood but stuck to her task and moved on with Bourton at her side. Similar woes were affecting Smith and Stephens - both fairly new to off-road biking; they managed the fallen tree but went onto land in the soft mud in various other stages. With the Novice bike race almost completed, spectators were bemused to spot the Arnett-Bourton duo riding along the Park’s tarmac entrance road; it later transpired that the cheeky pair had taken a wrong turn and found the road to their liking - one of the marshals claimed that the pair had entered the Horse & Hounds Inn only to be turned away having no funds!

With just the final mile run to complete, the mudded girls all made it across the finish line - after a very, very tough test.

The Main event had a big field and featured some vastly experienced Mountain bikers. Tewkesbury had some mildly experienced off-road cyclists in Ian Hughes, Dan Webb, Ali Parker and to an extent Jon Mansfield and Michelle Laws. The expert was Simon Osbourne who was in a relay team with wife Fran.
Richard Cowley, Debbie Lee and Roy Northcott were also about to be tested - to the max!

After the first two mile run, Jon Mansfield and Angie Sadler were leading the Tewkesbury charge. Sadler handing over to her relay biker Ali Parker.
Once all the competitors were cycling their two five mile laps, the front runners soon caught the Novice wave and for the next hour or so there were pockets of mayhem around the course - at one point, over a 20 metre section, no less than four cyclists were upside down in the mud! Debbie Lee lost count after hitting the ground ten times! Even the talented Michelle Laws went down - ironically, it was the sight of one her team mates taking a tumble which lead to her own downfall. Hughes and Mansfield went horizontal too at almost the same spot - Hughes becoming tangled in the undergrowth and Mansfield becoming airborne before feeling his knee hit a rock. Northcott had trouble too, not least with the mud, grass and twigs that morphed his bike into something unrecognisable. Parker faired better while Osbourne and Webb covered the course miraculously without collapsing down.

Richard Cowley was a stand-out performer; part of the Cowley relay with Carol, he had basically cycled for just five minutes the day before on his loaned MTB. As Carol waited yearningly, reports were coming back that her cyclist was seen several times walking the course in the reverse direction!
Other sightings included him assisting struggling (female) competitors with their mud laden bikes. Credit to Richard as his Good Samaritan nature came through - he also dropped his pump four times! We understand Carol saw the funny side to it?

The final two mile run was tough after the bike exploits. Laws differed as she felt better. Sadler, Cowley and Fran Osbourne flew around with ease but for the rest, covered with their blood, sweat and tears, those last two miles were painful.
Once the race was over there was joy for Tewkesbury as Michelle Laws found she won the Veteran Womens race and Fran and Simon Osbourne won the Relay - both wins against some strong competition.

Main Event
10th Jon Mansfield 1.16
21st Fran/Simon Osbourne Relay 1.18
36th Angie Sadler/Ali Parker Relay 1.22
95th Dan Webb 1.31
128th Ian Hughes 1.36
138th Michelle Laws 1.38
185th Carol/Rich Cowley Relay 1.49
188th Debbie Lee 1.49
209th Roy Northcott 1.56

Novice Event
61st Nikki Webb 1.08
64th Gill Bourton 1.14 (5 min penalty)
65th Jackie Arnett 1.14 (5 min penalty)
66th Elly Smith 1.18
67th Kat Stephens 1.18

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Chocolate Biscuit

The weather was no deterrent for four club members as they tackled the muddy conditions around Plock Court.
Luckily during the race the rain stopped and the wind slackened as the four runners separated into two separate battles within the main race.
Both Jon’s were higher up the field of 41 runners with the club captain having the better stamina to cross the line in 5th place and 34 seconds ahead of his team mate, and they both earned a packet of biscuits for their efforts.
In the other inter club battle, Nigel’s plan of having a steady run were scuppered when Rob lead him over the first lap of three. But Nigel showing his superior strength passed Rob and opened up an unassailable lead to have a comfortable 55 second winning margin.
TIMES.
5.   Jon Mansfield 24.07
8.   Jon Rawlings   24.41
17. Nigel Tillott  26.54
20. Rob Jordan  27.49.

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Tewkesbury AC Guy Fawkes 5

Tewkesbury AC's GF5 race was once again a successful event for 2009 in this the 25th Anniversary year for the club.

8 o’clock, the rain was lashing and the wind was blowing, the forecasters had got it right this time but the show had to go on as the mile markers and the caution signs were set in place.

9 o’clock saw the early birds arriving, the school gymnasium was transformed into the now familiar impressive race HQ

11 o’clock and as the rain finally relented a fantastic field of nearly 350 athletes lined up and warmly applauded our special guest for the day, Lightweight Double Sculls Olympic Gold medallist, Zac Purchase, who then marked the occasion by sounding the hooter. The race was on!

An impressive run by Worcester AC’s Christopher Wilson, who led the way finishing in a storming time of 25 minutes 35 seconds. Gloucester AC’s Steve Milward, not feeling his best, still managed to take second. Paul Richards made his journey over from Neath Harriers worthwhile by completing the podium. The top ten again included regulars and former champions, Severn AC’s Dave Lander and Dennis Walmsley from Bourton, the latter scooping the MV40 prize.

The ladies race saw an incredible performance from Gloucester AC’s Gemma Turtle, coming within one agonising second of the course record to take first place and 8th overall in a time of 27 minutes 36 seconds. Laura Kent from CLC Striders was second, with Nikki Wetherley of Almost Athletes finishing in third place proving she’s anything but almost.

Despite the weather conditions earlier in the morning, the race enjoyed the representation of 32 running clubs from as far away as Cornwall to our very own contingent of Tewkesbury athletes, who although missing out on the prizes this time produced fine performances, with Mike Primett narrowly beating Nigel Tillot to the finish line by just 2 seconds.
Sandie Harwood was first lady back for the home club ahead of new members Alison Trainor and Jacqueline Fowler.
Other new members running the race for the first time were Mike Younger, Sue Baker who sprinted the last 200 metres to the encouragement of hubby Clive, and what must be the performance of the day, MV70 Phil Taylor, who powered to an awesome finish in 43 minutes. Mungo Park, Roy Northcott and ever present Mike Ward completed the Tewkesbury line-up.

Post-race festivities back at Tewkesbury School were enjoyed with the privileged company of both the Borough and Town Mayors and of course Zac Purchase, who presented the prizes and delighted the crowds with his treasured Olympic Gold medal.

Huge thanks to all involved.

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Great South Run by Stuart Buchan

While most Tewkesbury runners were concentrating on half marathons and KotR points in Stroud I took my annual pilgrimage to Portsmouth for the Great South Run.  For the first time in 6 years it was actually a pleasant day come race day on the Sunday morning - sunny and dry, but a very gusty wind along the coast road as per usual.
The flat and fast 10 mile course takes you through the Historic Dockyard, past HMS Victory, through Old Portsmouth Town and then the City Centre before a final couple of miles along the seafront. The race was started by David James (Portsmouth and England goalkeeper) as I took my place on the start line along side Mo Farrah, Stephen Mokoka, Luke Kibet and a host of other top runners (well almost alongside) with the other 21,000 entrants.  Running conditions were pretty good apart from those last 2 miles running into a gale along the Esplanade to the finish.  My race went fairly much to plan and expectations covering the 10 mile course in a time 72.32 minutes, before retiring to the British Heart Foundation (for whom I was running) hospitality tent for tea, cakes, biscuits and chocolate!  Mo was by this time already back in his hotel having lunch!  If anyone saw the race live on Channel Five the mens race was a cracker with Mo Farrah and Stephen Mokoka battling all the way in a sprint finish to the line with Mo just edging it by 1 second in a time of 46.25 minutes.
My girls, Alys and Liesl, both took part in the Junior South Run on a rain and wind lashed Saturday morning to pick up their medals with Alys just missing out on a PB (due to the atrocious weather) and Liesl taking part in the Junior run for the first time.
The training now starts for 2010!  with my wife Jayne promising to swap her supporter role for participation in next years event!

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The Stroud Half Marathon

Known as the biggest race in Gloucestershire, the Stroud 1/2m has always been popular with Tewkesbury AC - not least because it's traditionally the final event in the club's 'Club Championship'.

Not normally regarded as a tough course but when the wind blows, the runners always seem to feel the full force and more often than not, it's a negative effect on performances. Today's race had the wind and to compound the effect, showers of rain fell throughout the morning.

Twenty club members lined the start amongst a sell-out field and within two hours Carol Cowley was celebrating, yet anther, category win in her V55 race. The win adds to an amazing season for the club treasurer.  In the V70 Cat, Mike Ward came in as runner-up which is very creditable as the 73yr old had been poorly over the past few weeks.

Outside of the prizes, Tewkesbury had some real star performers out: Ed Bishop, Steve Anderson, Mike Younger and Sharon Pates to name but a few, all excelling over the slightly undulating 13.1 mile course.

However, it was another of Tewkesbury's new female members who deserves the plaudits for her mornings efforts... Fran Osbourne, who suffered a terrible cycling accident this summer, showed tremendous determination by completing her first race for TAC successfully.

The most exciting contest within the club, apart from Leigh Bichard and Carol Cowley, saw a string of six runners tussle for finishing places around the 90 minute mark. It ended with Nigel Tillott holding-off, the strong running Ed Bishop. Dan Webb who, only a week before ran an outstanding Marathon with Jon Mansfield, was on Bishop's tail. Paul Lockyer was up-against-it, running through the pain barrier with a back-injury which he received during his School's Cross-Country! Credit to Lockyer as he still made it around the course. Completing the line of six were Steve Anderson and Mungo Park with the later collecting more Glos County Series points in his V55 category. Just off the six, was another new club member, Phil Miles. He more than achieved his goal with a great run.

Mike Younger's club debut was impressive. He just finished ahead of improving Steve Wiggall, who in turn lead Ali Parker and Paul Mason across the line.

Anne Robinson broke the two hour mark for the second time over the Stroud course and Jonathan Teague, keen on dipping under the same mark, just missed out on this occasion.

1.20.21 Jon Mansfield
1.28.39 Nigel Tillott
1.29.02 Ed Bishop
1.29.32 Daniel Webb
1.29.46 Paul Lockyer
1.32.21 Steve Anderson
1.35.53 Mungo Park
1.37.13 Phillip Miles
1.41.01 Leigh Bichard
1.41.26 Carol Cowley
1.41.16 Mike Younger
1.41.45 Steve Wiggall
1.47.02 Ali Parker
1.49.04 Paul Mason
1.53.48 Fran Osbourne
1.58.01 Sharon Pates
1.59.38 Anne Robinson
2.02.56 Jonathan Teague
2.08.39 Michael Ward

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Men’s Health Survival of the Fittest

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Augrabies Extreme Marathon

On a totally different scale have a report on the Augrabies Extreme Marathon in the Kalahari desert which I successfully completed last week. This is a 237kms (148 mls) in 7 days self-reliant race in which all food and other items needed to survive, other than water and tent, are carried in a rucksack on your back; mine started out at just under 15kgs in weight, but was mercifully rather lighter by the end of the event. Temperatures this time of year (being Spring south of the equator) can get up to 50 degrees C and higher, although the weather was relatively mild this year and temperatures ranged from ‘only’ mid-30s up to 45; still quite warm! Given the very rough terrain, the heat and the rucksack this is certainly quite a challenge of fitness at the best of times, but my body chose the day before we started to come down with some sort of virus!!

The race doc allowed me to start on condition that I took it easy in case my heart beat became too rapid in the conditions, which was not hard since I felt rather rough and unable to do much more than walk from slow to brisk, and rarely in danger of breaking into a run! The seven days became a mental rather than physical battle to keep going, which I was particularly motivated to do because I could not afford the hotel bills had I dropped out!

I finished a promising last on the first 28km (17m) stage in just over 6 hours, and last again next day on the 34km (21m) stage in 8-18. On day 3 I was a little better and managed my best day, running reasonably well to finish the 20km (13m) stage in 41st place (out of 70) with 2-37. The 4th stage was the long day, 82km (51m) which was a race of 2 halves for me. The first 40km I went OK, then felt quite ill again and struggled for hours, to finish just after midnight in 18-53 and utterly bu**ered! The feet were quite nicely blistered by this point as well.

We then had a rest day, before the 5th stage of 48km (30m) in which I finished well by previous days standards with 55th place in 9-26 (I had the company of a lovely South African lady called Retha for inspiration and we helped each other overcome the blisters and sore feet to finish together).

Having hung on each day, I must admit that by the last stage I did not have much left, and it was with an ever slower pace that I eventually ground out the last 25km (16m) in a scintillating 7-05, last again and not quite compus mentus for a while, but relieved and satisfied to have finished. It was an amazing experience and a privilege to see the wild and rugged Kalahari in all its glory, and now I have recovered somewhat I can savour the experience of a demanding challenge completed – with a lovely leopard-based glass trophy with my name engraved in the front to commemorate it as well. My final finish position was 62nd of 69 finishers in a total time of 52-21-00; an average speed of well under 3 miles an hour! Hard to believe how that could be possible, but the terrain is not exactly your normal off-road type, with deep sand in dried up river-beds, steep boulder-strewn gorges (up and down) and rocky half-formed tracks comprising most of the route. Ordinarily, I think a finish place in the 30s to 40s would be more likely for me, but even then it would have paled against the world class times of the top three finishers who covered the whole distance in less than 24 hours total. My business partner Edward in our ‘Ed & Phil’ business (for which the race was also a promotion as well a personal challenge and to raise money for COCO - Comrades of Children Overseas) finished well ahead of me with 54th place in 46-22-00 despite getting a cold himself in the last couple of days.

Another remarkable race for the memory banks, and my 89th marathon/ultra. Have to get my mental and physical energies back pretty quickly since we are tackling the Beachy Head/Greensands/Dublin marathon triple this next weekend! Maybe I’ll learn one day?

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Fast times in Abingdon!

Only two of the original three entrants to this years Abingdon Marathon made it to the start line – Supervet Mike Ward having to pull out a few days before with illness. Nevertheless, Jon Mansfield and Dan Webb more than made up for the loss with two incredible performances.

Both runners had both been a little short on long training runs in their preparation for the Oxfordshire event. However their training Periodisation, Nutrition and race day Mentality was faultless.

It was a special event for Webb as he revisited his hometown to receive family support and even the '2nd Abingdon Scouts' were out to support – Webb being a dedicated member over 20 years previous!

Mansfield was first to cross the finish line in 2hrs 47 minutes taking over 10 minutes off his previous best time for the Marathon but it was Webb who stole the show by taking 25 minutes off his best ever 26.2 mile run with a sub 3.15 minute run, an excellent result for the runner who was aiming to crack the 3.30hr mark!

In addition to these headliners, former Tewkesbury AC runner & Gloucester RFC Physiotherapist, Luke Anthony also had a day to remember as he joined the party by setting his new pb by going under the 3hr mark.

23rd  Jon Mansfield  2.47 hr
133rd  Dan Webb    3.14 hr

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Round-Rotherham 50 miler

Report from a trip yesterday (17th Nov) ... Alistair  Parker and I (Angie) travelled to Rotherham to run 'Round-Rotherham 50miler' ....  off road race, with having to map one's way round! different terrain, from ploughed fields, styles, woods.... a testing course!  I managed to get off course 10miles from home! adding a detour of extra 3miles and losing I guess 40mins......BUT still kept strong and came in FIRST - LADY!!

Angie Sadler 8hrs 23mins
Alistair came 11hrs 30 mins

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Lone Tewkesbury Runner heads off to the Swindon Half - by Nick Matthews

Just to let you know I ran the Swindon Half marathon on Sunday and recorded a course best of 1:47:38, and close to my personal best of 1:47:09. Not bad considering the very hilly course.

For club information the event is extremely well organised with ample free parking just a minute walk from the start line. There is great support all around the course, and ample toilets and showers. The goody bag is also always good.

I think next year we should try hard to get more club members to give it a go next year as its only 45 minute drive from Tewkesbury. Next year race is on the 10/10/10.

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EDF Birmingham Half Marathon

The EDF Birmingham Half Marathon came under a worldwide spotlight as it doubled as the 2009 1/2m World Championships. 200 Elite professional runners from all corners of the globe joined the 10,000 amateurs gathered in the city centre for the event dubbed “the race for climate change”. This being quite appropriate as 13.1 miles of Birmingham’s roads were closed to traffic for the day!

Tewkesbury AC’s involvement in the event centred on the clubs newest couple, Dave Beddoes and his fiancée, Alison Trainor. Beddoes’s exploits were of particular interest as the 41yr old runner started running just three months ago and up until the event itself had never ran further than 10 miles! Nevertheless, with healthy determination he started off under the signal from Dame Kelly Holmes and set about covering the surprisingly undulating course ahead. Trainor, on the other hand, had a different challenge ahead; the more experienced of the two, she had been unwell the week before and unfortunately, improved little in time for the 10am start.
At the two mile mark, she ordered her novice fiancé to push on without her as she contemplated whether to continue. As it so happens, she did continue and against the odds still crossed the finish line in a reasonable time of 2hrs 28 mins in 9,006th place while Beddoes faced and felt new experiences when he found the trickiest part of the course as it twisted and turned up towards the Bullring – it was touch and go at the 12 mile mark, however, he made it and flowed into the crowed finish area after 2.hrs 12mins claiming 7,626th place.
Howard Brown, another new runner, was also out on the streets of “Britain’s 2nd City”. Having benefited from a couple of sessions with the club recently, Brown came in 9,678th  recording 2hr 29mins and reportedly enjoyed his morning’s work as he also scooped a considerable amount of charity bounty (as did the aforementioned couple)  – making it all the more worthwhile.

The huge crowds were disappointed to learn of the late withdrawal of Paula Radcliffe. However, the mood was soon to be lifted (particularly amongst
ladies) as news filtered through that Tewkesbury AC’s pugnacious Captain, Jon Mansfield, was to make a surprise appearance. He did too, and made his last effort before resting-up with club mates Mike Ward and Dan Webb for Abingdon’s Marathon the following weekend.

70th Jon Mansfield  1 hr 19 mins
7626th Dave Beddoes  2 hr 12 mins
9006th Alison Trainor  2 hr 28 mins
9678th Howard Brown 2 hr 49 mins

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Cotswold Farm Park - Glos XC League Meeting No.1

A rather dissapointing turn out at the first XC of the season saw just 5 ladies and 4 men make the trip to the Cotswold Farm Park to compete with the best in the county.

First home, for the Ladies, was our very own international athlete Angie Sadler coming home in 17th place in a very good time of 27:49. Not far behind and slowly recovering from injury was Debbie Lee, this was Debbie's first run for some time. Despite that she showed her natural talent as she tore through the course. Nikki Webb, Elly Smith and Gill Bourton showed everyone what Tewkesbury AC is all about; you don't have to be the fastest athlete in the county, as long as you turn up and try your hardest and judging by the looks and grimaces on display, these three certainly put everthing they had into the race.

For the men, the usual suspect, Jonny M, led the boys home again in 17th place in 34:25 (extra lap for the men), John Rawlings was next back for Tewkesbury managing to finish the course this year (don't ask him about last year), Dan Webb struggled to maintain the pace but crossed the line strongly with Leigh Bichard bringing the contingent home after another fine performance from the Tri specialist.

Ladies

Angie Sadler 17th 27:49
Debbie Lee 57th 32:33
Nikki Webb 94th 38:49
Gill Bourton 98th 41:45
Elly Smith 99th 43:41

Men

Jonny M 17th 34:45
John Rawlings 44th 37:05
Daniel Webb 85th 40:13
Leigh Bichard 129th 44:51

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Oldbury 10 mile

It was 'The morning after the night before' for the Tewkesbury AC runners at Thornbury's flat and fast 10 mile race based at the Oldbury Power Station. The night before was the Tewkesbury club's 25th Anniversary Party and for Jon Mansfield, Dan Webb, Nigel Tillott and Simon Waters their race preparation could have been better.
Suffering the ill-affects the most were Webb and Mansfield. However, it was Waters who had the most eventful morning; training for his first Half Marathon at Stroud later this month, the Bishops Cleeve based runner started to receive terrible pain from his foot after 7 miles of racing.
Crossing the finish line concerned, his worst fears were later confirmed as the young up and coming runner was diagnosed with a broken bone in his foot
- meaning around weeks of recovery!
Nigel Tillott maintained his tradition of crossing the Oldbury 10 finish line in 1hr 06 mins while Webb and Mansfield came through the test with top marks as they both focus on the Abingdon Marathon also later this month.

15th - 60.15 minutes Jon Mansfield
61st - 66.24 Nigel Tillott
93rd - 69.53 Simon Waters
111st - 72.19 Dan Webb

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Cheltenham 10km

This inaugural 10km race staged within Prestbury Park race course drew half a dozen runners from Tewkesbury AC. The course covered most parts of the famous Gold Cup course and on foot, it was far from easy-going; a strong wind developed and in addition to the undulations in proved to be more challenging than most would have expected.

Facing the biggest hurdle was surely Kay Beams. Beams, a new runner within the Tewkesbury stable, was still suffering the affects of some recent intense dental work. Nevertheless, she finished in a respectable time for a novice.
Also facing a hurdle, this time the affects of the night before, was Dan Webb. His performance was a little below-par however, essential training as his countdown begins to the Abingdon Marathon in two weeks time. Joining Webb at Abingdon is Jon Mansfield who managed to secure a top ten finish to lead the Tewkesbury contingent.
Steve Wiggall and Wes Reid had good runs and tackled the gusty conditions well.
Tewkesbury latest recruit, only joining that week, Jude Rodrigues, showed great potential and determination on his club debut. He's an ambitious runner so watch this space...

6th Jon Mansfield 36.30 minutes
37th Dan Webb 43.02
81st Steve Wiggall 46.40
171st Kay Beams 53.12
273rd Jude Rodrigues 63.19
283rd Wesley Reid 64.20

327 ran.

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Cirencester 10Km

14 Members of Tewkesbury AC took a little Jaunt over to Cirencester for the most Scenic 10K in the area. One or two were suffering with colds and sore throats, but that didn't stop them donning there running shoes and getting to the rather crowded start line.

Sprinting to the front at the sound of the muted horn was Dan Webb, he was quickly overtaken by in form Simon Waters before returning the favour at about the 7Km mark, Webb managed to keep this lead to finish first for Tewkesbury in 39:39 with Waters breathing hard behind in 39:57. Next back was Nigel Tillott who was feeling a little jaded after a Mexican and several pints the night before, not the best race prep!!!

Mungo Park and Steve Anderson were tussling for the next spot with Park leading home the pair with a respectable 42:08 and cementing his Gold for the County Champs (I Think). Carol Cowley excelled as usual with another fine performance, claiming the LV55 category prize. Other excellent results on the day were had by Roy Northcott who posted a fantastic Personal Best beating his previous time by 1Minute 40 Seconds finishing in 47:29. Smooth Running Vice Captain Elly Smith had a good run as did Gill Bourton both finishing with respectable times in the heat.

A special mention for Anne Williams who was on course to post a great time, but went to the aid of a runner who was in distress, after making sure her fellow athlete was in safe hands, Anne crossed the line in 1:04:39.

50 Daniel WEBB 39:39
55 Simon WATERS 39:57
67 Nigel TILLOTT 40:50
90 Mungo PARK 42:08
99 Steve ANDERSON 42:36
127 Stuart BUCHAN 44:14
158 Carol COWLEY 45:47 and LV55 Winner.
185 Roy NORTHCOTT 47:29
307 Sharon PATES 52:38
308 Jonathan TEAGUE 52:45
390 Nikki WEBB 57:18
457 Elly SMITH 1:01:29
474 Gill BOURTON 1:02:58
499 Anne WILLIAMS 1:04:39

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Cotswold Challenge

Fresh from her gold medal team performance in the Commonwealth Championships 100km race held on 19th September, Tewkesbury AC’s star endurance runner Angie Sadler, along with team mates Phillip Howells and Alistair Parker, celebrated her achievement with a ‘short’ recovery event by participating in the Cotswold Challenge race on Saturday 26th September. Promoted by the Long Distance Walking Association, this 20th anniversary version of the very popular event catered for marathon runners by incorporating an additional 1.5 mile loop to the normal 25 mile route to allow the runners to count it as a full marathon completion.

It was a lovely, perfect early-autumnal day for the tough, but outstandingly scenic off-road route, much of which follows the Cotswold Way path. Angie finished running comfortably in 5hrs 45mins, Phillip finished in 6hrs 10mins and Alistair came home in just under 7hrs after suffering with a sore foot for the last 10 miles or so.

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Angie & Company take on the World

A great result for the club annuls and records yesterday as members of Tewkesbury AC had a memorable and emotional day at the Commonwealth Championships supporting Angie Sadler realise her great talent and dedication to earn a Team Gold medal in the inaugural Commonwealth Ultra Running 100km Championships. Representing England she finished 4th lady in 8hrs 32mins 56secs and with her team mates Emma Gooderham (2nd lady in 8hrs 4mins 9sec) and Heather Foundling-Hawker (5th lady) they beat the much fancied Scottish ladies team in a close race to secure the Gold team medal. This was yet another outstanding result for Angie and surely one of her finest performances to date, especially in beating women near half her age to achieve it. Her great strengths, recognised by the team selectors, are her pace judgement, her calm and confident big event temperament and her dependability to deliver a strong performance, all of which played a recognised key role in the team result.

Team Tewkesbury had a strong contingent of supporters there to see her. As well as me, Kat Stephens, Gill Bourton, Sandie Harwood, Mich Laws, Ian Hughes and Adrian all made the journey to the beautiful Keswick, Lake District location that was the dramatic backdrop to the Championships. Our esteemed Chairman Mick Morris was also there, working on the event in a official capacity. Whilst Mich, Ian and Adrian were in bike mode and competed in an open mountain bike mode on Sunday, the rest of us competed in the Open 10km race that covered the first and last 5kms of the 100km course, delivering a closely compacted team performance.

The highlight was a PB time for Kat Stephens in 1-06-42 and 56th place, and this despite a brute of a 2km long and very steep hill (this was the Lake District after all!) in the first 3kms. Finishing one place ahead was Gill Bourton in 1-04-31, in 51st place was Sandie Harwood with 58mins 13secs and just one place ahead, Phillip Howells in 52mins 28secs. ‘Champion’ performances all and very motivating to know we had the rare distinction of competing on the Commonwealth Championships course at the same time as some of the world’s elite long distance runners.

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Adventure Racing

On Saturday 5th Sep a few intrepid members of the club decided to break out of their comfort zones and tackle an adventure race. Roy Northcott, Nick Matthews and Paul Mason plus a non TAC member entered as a novice team of 4 in the final Questars trio adventure race of the year at nearby Pershore. Signing up too late for the trio but entering the novice duo race were Michelle Laws and Ian Hughes. The duo event involved trail/road running and mountain biking, with the trio event also including kayaking. The idea was to navigate to check points to collect as many points as possible in the 5hr time limit. Roy and his team decided to back their strength (?) and run first and were among a very small number of teams to make it to the top of Bredon Hill. Due to their given kayaking time slot they ended up running for about 2 ½ hrs (covering about 15 miles) which Roy in particular found hard going, suffering with cramp towards the end. The kayaking was supposed to provide some welcome respite for the legs but relaxing it wasn’t as discomfort and unfamiliarity with the discipline made for hard work. Still, they did well to reach 5 out of the 6 kayaking check points and still get back in the allotted time to avoid a hefty 50 point penalty for lateness, something a number of other teams fell foul of. Following this it was on to the final discipline – mountain biking but with limited time left only about 12 ½ miles were covered. A decision to pick up a some extra points on the way back to the finish meant a few time penalties were incurred for going over the 5hr time limit. Having covered a total of about 30 miles the team were pretty shattered and glad to get to the end. When the results were announced the team was pretty pleased to come 18th out of 70 novice trio teams, 11th out of 30 men’s novice trio teams and only 100 points behind the winners with 474 points. They even managed to outscore (though they were in a different race class) the endurance legends Mich and Ian, who seemed to struggle a bit with the navigation side and managed 410 points, coming 19th out of 31 novice duo teams. It was a great day and with a bit more thought as to their race tactics the Roy, Nick and Paul are pretty sure they could challenge for the top places. Bring on the next one!!

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Autumn Five Mile

Jon Mansfield and Kevin Emmerson ran the seasons last event at the White Horse and both had surprisingly good results. Mansfield ran his best five mile race in over four years while Emmerson scored an impressive personal best for the distance. Despite suffering from an overheating bouffant, under the glorious sunshine, he timed 42.36 minutes to place 2nd V55.

6th Jon Mansfield 28.30 mins
29th Kevin Emmerson 42.36 mins

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Chippenham Half Marathon

All eyes were focused on the Tewkesbury AC Social Sectary as she took on her first 13.1 miler. Katrina Stephens made an impressive debut with an outstanding time of 2.33 hrs. Post-race she was left wanting more and now the Marathon distance beckons.
Phil Taylor, the club's very fit V65 runner timed 2.30 hr and Nigel Tillott ran sub 90 minutes as he looks ahead to the Stroud race in October.

112th Nigel Tillott 1hr 29min 20sec
1286th Phil Taylor 2.30.39
1305th Katrina Stephens 2.33.29

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Woodchester Park

Probably the most scenic and tranquil event locally also, the most brutal!  Jon Mansfield, Simon Waters and Dan Webb made the trip and went through an unforgettable experience over a course within the grounds of Stroud's Woodchester Park. Almost 8 miles, the three came through in good spirits as they all used the run as hard training for goal races in October.
Results:

7th Jon Mansfield 53.41 minutes
38th Simon Waters 1 hr 01.51 mins
53rd Dan Webb 1 hr 05.13 mins

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Harsefield Beacon 10K

The Angels annual Beacon race took place last Sunday. A 10km road run which must surely rate as the flattest Beacon race in the country! Based in Haresfield, the event featured as a county series race and as part of the popular Tewkesbury Club Championships.
With many other events taking place that day, Tewkesbury AC still fielded eleven runners. Blessed with warming sunshine, the course followed a couple of undulations before levelling out for the last 7 kilometres.
Tewkesbury's Simon Waters picked this race to trim his 10km personal best (PB). His determined running meant that by the 5km he was easily on target to blast under 40 minute mark and despite losing time against an unwelcome headwind over the later stages, his crossed the finish line in 39.29 minutes. His great performance was matched with PB's also for Nikki Webb and Elly Smith - two of the club's most improved runners this year.
Steve Anderson had one of his best runs to date as he finished just four places behind Dan Webb. Nigel Tillott also had a good run, one of his seasons best thus far. Mungo Park got the result he wanted as his County Championship campaign strengthens.

The clubs only prize winner was Carol Cowley as the evergreen talent took the veteran 55 title. Just missing out in the category prizes, Suzanne Tharme and Jon Mansfield both had creditable runs - Tharne had a competitive race with two other strong ladies. Mansfield made the top ten with 37.16 mins having completed the Cotswold Triathlon less than an hour before.
And finally, Katrina Stephens continues to impress with a hard-earned 68.01 minutes to secure 115th place.

10th Jon Mansfield 37.16 minutes
19th Simon Waters 39.29
23rd Nigel Tillott 39.54
28th Daniel Webb 40.30
32nd Steve Anderson 41.08
35th Mungo Park 41.37
60th Carol Cowley 45.59 - 1st FV55
77th Suzanne Tharme 50.01
94th Nikki Webb 55.02
111th Elly Smith 63.38
115th Katrina Stephens 68.01

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Worcester Half Marathon

Over 200 runners tackled this new testing half marathon with three brave souls from the club on the starting line.
The runners had to cope with the two lap circuit which included 4 hills(2 on each lap), and
at the off Rob and Clare ran together before Rob eased ahead.
There were places on the course where Clare could see how big the gap was between herself and Rob, and with just over 3 miles to go, there was roughly 3 minutes between them.
However over these final 3 miles the faster finishing Clare almost managed to close the gap, but Rob just had enough strenght in his legs to desperately hang on. Another half a mile or so and the outcome would have been different.
Making up the trio was Anne Robinson, who had only decided to run the race a few days earlier and therefore did very little training for it.
Anne completed the course in just over 2 hours and staggered to joinher exhausted club mates sprawled out on the grass.

Rob Jordan      1hr 55
Clare Bayley    1hr 56
Anne Robinson 2hrs 02

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The last of the Pilot series took place with 111 runners on the starting line. There were four members from the club among that large field of competitors.
At the off, Carol, Barry and Clare managed to get a clear run, whereas Rob got boxed in. As the race progressed Rob chipped away at the lead his fellow team-mates had over him by firstly passing Clare, then Barry and finally Carol. This formation was how they crossed the finishing line.
Rob in 18th recorded a pb, Carol (27th), beat Barry (30th),by 30 seconds and Clare (54th) seemed disappointed not to have improved on her time.

18th Rob Jordan       27.08
27th Carol Cowley    28.10
30th Barry O'Driscoll 28.40
54th Clare Bayley     31.51

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Arlingham Passage 4.4 mile race.

The last Bank Holiday of the summer saw the 15th annual staging of Severn AC's popular little event in the Severn-side village of Arlingham. For Tewkesbury AC it also featured as a Club Championship points race. Thirteen runners lined-up at the start ahead of a spectator-friendly run which looped through the village a couple of times and touched the bank of the River Severn.
Although a low-key event, it still attracted a talented field with Great Britain International and National Masters athletes amongst the favourites.

Tewkesbury's runners were competitive, especially with one and other. Club Captain Jon Mansfield squeezed into the top ten after confirming his return to racing. But it was further down the field where the real action
developed: A train of five Tewkesbury runners traded tactics throughout the race - Clive Sentence, Nigel Tillott, Ed Bishop, Dan Webb and Mungo Park all kept pace with each other for most of the course and it wasn't until the last mile that the finishing order took shape as Dan Webb crossed the finish line with a comfortable 10 second gap over Nigel Tillott.

Debbie Lee featured in her first run since May this year and finished as Tewkesbury's top female as she lead Nikki Webb who, herself had another fine race.

Brothers Ben and Wesley Reid both had good runs. Relaxing shooting Pool before the start Ben, again, had the better of his older brother.

Club Sectary Steve Wiggall couldn't quite match Rob Jordan. Jordan, running over his favoured shorter distance, finished with a 40 second advantage over Wiggall.

Still considered a novice but unquestionably talented, Kevin Emmerson made short work of the distance. Emmerson, yet again, starting off at the front of the race in his trade-mark debonair style, soon found his comfortable pace to finish with a late flourish.

9th  Jon Mansfield            25:15 minutes
18th  Daniel Webb            27:40
19th  Nigel Tillott              27:50
20th  Clive Sentence         27:58
22nd  Ed Bishop                28:30
24th  Mungo Park             28:45
33rd  Rob Jordan               30:45
35th Steve Wiggall            31:24
43rd Debbie Lee               34:14
45th Kevin Emmerson       36:08
46th Ben Reid                   36:25
47th Nicola Webb             36:56
51st Wes Reid                   44:52

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TRACK and FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Fifteen members from the club made up the team at the Track and Field Championships held at the Prince of Wales stadium in Cheltenham.
The first event saw the ladies quartet take to the track in the 4x100m relay, along with three other teams.

Leading off in a rare appearance for the club was Charlotte, who safely handed over to track debutante Clare. Clare then passed the baton onto Carol who in turn passed it to Nikki. The ladies safely negotiated the handovers to bring the baton home in a time of 75.6 seconds.

In the men’s race there were two teams representing the club with the A team consisting of Rob Jordan, Dan, Steve and Ian, while the B team were Paul Mason, Simon, Mungo and Paul Lockyer.

The fastest man on either team, Dan, gave the A team a lead that was almost closed down by Paul on the fourth leg for the B team. But Ian hung on to give the A team victory over the B team by 58.8 to 59.3

With the next event the 10k, only four club members decided to join the field of 18 runners to run the 25 laps of the track. Joining Dan and Paul Mason at the start were Nigel and Phil. First home for the club was Nigel, with Dan only a place behind. Paul followed home in 14th while Phil was last over the line in 18th.

8th. Nigel Tillot 40:13, 9th Dan Webb 40:42, 14th Paul Mason 46:50, 18th Phil Howells 49:02

The mile race was split into three heats with the club represented in heats 1 and 3.
Dan, Paul and Simon were given the task of competing in the faster heat, where Paul was out sprinted over the last 100m to finish in 4th, Simon came 5th and Dan 7th.

4th. Paul Lockyer 5:24.7, 5th. Simon Waters 5:31.7, 7th Dan Webb 5:57.0
Heat 3 saw 5 of the squad take to the track, and at the sound of the gun Clare shot to the lead from the outside of the starting line. After 150m Rob took the lead which he maintained to the finish. Four of the others all finished within a minute of Rob, with Clare achieving her aim of getting under 7 minutes.

1st Rob Jordan 6:04.5, 4th Steve Wiggall 6:22.8, 6th Carol Cowley 6:39.1, 8th Clare Bayley 6:58.1, 9th Phil Howells 7:27.2

The final event of the evening was the 4x400m relay. Our ladies were up against 4 other teams and once again got the baton safely round in 5mins 46.2.
Charlotte once again led off to give Clare a breather after just completing the mile race, and the team was completed by Nikki and Carol, and they finished in 4th place.

In the men’s race the teams were changed around, with Paul Lockyer, Simon, Mungo and Dan in the A team, and Steve, Rob Knight, Rob Jordan and Paul Mason made up the B team. Nigel and Phil also took part as part of a Corinthian team.

The A team won silver in 4:33.4, while the B team got home 19 seconds later to claim bronze.

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White Horse 5km (4th of 4)

This years final fixture in the White Horse 5km series doubled-up as the
2009 Gloucestershire 5km championships.

Tewkesbury AC supported the event with a very much mixed bunch of runners, of those, Mungo Park (Male V55), Carol Cowley (Female V55) and Mike Ward (Male V70) all came away with respective Gloucestershire Gold Medals or Biscuits.
In addition to the clubs medal success, some outstanding running was witnessed as several Tewkesbury athletes lower their personal best (PB) times over this classic distance. Over a 'forgiving' country lane course, Simon Waters and Dan Webb both trimmed their PB's to go further inside the
19 min mark. All the encouragement they needed was supplied by Jon Mansfield as teased ahead on his return to running after an untimely six week injury hiatus.

Having "raced the train" the previous Saturday, Nigel Tillott had a much easier run; sandwiched between Webb and Park as he crossed the finish line in 19.16 minutes.
Rob Jordan had the advantage on his favoured shorter distance over work college Cowley. And Phillip Howells finished strongly to record a sub 24 min finish.

Experience Mike Ward lead a trio of Tewkesbury girls to the finish, with the ever-improving Nikki Webb only seconds adrift as she squeezed under 26 minutes as her successful form continues. Also showing good form were Elly Smith and Jackie Arnett. The pair ran a tactical race which paid off for Smith as she ponced on unsuspecting Arnett with a powerful turn of speed with the finish line in sight.

Jon Mansfield = 17:55 minutes
Simon Waters = 18:19
Dan Webb = 18:51
Nigel Tillott = 19:16
Mungo Park = 19:32
Rob Jordan = 21:25
Carol Cowley = 21:37
Phil Howells = 23:53
Mike Ward = 25:26
Nikki Webb = 25:50
Elly Smith = 27:49
Jackie Arnett = 27:53

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A report on successfully running the whole of the Cotswold - Way....

Nic Lewis from Almosts, Simon Barnes from Cotswold runners club in Stroud & I  (tewks ac) started out from Chipping Camden on wed 5th August at 8am in the pouring rain ---- ran to Painswick (48miles) arrived 6,15pm , stopped over in my in-laws house and started out in the moon light at 5am yesterday (thurs 6th) -- knowing we had 60miles ahead of us.... arrived in Bath 6.30pm after 23 hours of running.  - all three of us came in tired but felt strong after a very wet and slippery 105mile hard terrine.... 'We did it'!!!  a long way but well worth it'!! well from us ultra's

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Report by Nigel Tillott

Whilst the rest of you were concentrating on the molehills of the Bugatti ,I undertook my first and probably last fell race. Advertised as 9 miles but my Garmin showed it as just less than10 this consisted of an ascent of Fairfield and all of its 2800 feet aswell as satellite peaks from near Ambleside in the Lake District. The race started just after a heavy storm , but conditions then became sunny. After ½ mile of undulating trail there is  a sharp ascent up Nab Scar, with even the most hardy reverting to  a walk. After that it became slightly easier, but my first real lesson is that in Fell Running there appears to be no set route as such provided you hit the checkpoints  and the runners started going off in slightly different directions – my problem who to follow. Whilst some undulations were missed I`m not convinced the long grass and bog  experienced as an alternative was any better especially with a 45% sideslope.

Eventually the top was achieved . Actually I didn’t find the ascent too bad. Coming down was my problem.My technique was found wanting as I needed  firm footing whilst a whole army of people I had beaten to the top seemed to float past me. I thought I may gain some revenge with a flat run in but alas  the flat was no more than 200 yards and the damage had already been done by then.

Nevertheless I was pleased to  have completed the run and would have settled for sub 2 hours at the start (time 1.57)

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Chunder Mile (it was messy)

Hot on the heels of Wednesday's Bugatti Beer race was Saturday's "Chunder Mile".  A special event hosted by Gloucester AC at the Blackbridge Track. Competitors taking part in this challenge were put to the test by drinking a pint of fizzy alcohol, which may have been Lager, Cider or perhaps Alcopop, then taking on a 400m run before repeating the sequence three more times - the end result would be 4 x 400m with a pint at the start of each lap of the track i.e. four pints.

After much debating between apprehensive Tewkesbury AC runners, Dan Webb lead his drinking-runners to the Track for the 8pm start. Pete Foster and Jon Mansfield teamed-up with Webb to go into the great unknown. Supported by an enthusiastic team of helpers in the shape of Amanda Martin, Phillip Howells, Elly Smith and hubby Don, the Tewkesbury trio were in no position to back out. Up against some other local clubs as well as the infamous Glos AC social animals, Tewkesbury's reputation was on the line if trio failed to cross the finish line...

Webb's preparation had been far from perfect as only a short time before the event, he had tucked into barbequed sausages however, he was suitably dehydrated. Mansfield's prep was a little better having only succumbed to a box of Thorntons Continental. Foster by contrast, had done his homework; having spent the morning watching YouTube clips of similar events, he even had a 'dry' run by downing a pint of water against the stopwatch!

As the drinks were laid out, it was evident that the crowd size had double the potential 25 or so competitors and worryingly, more than a few camera lenses were on show. The Tewkesbury three found themselves amongst a formidable line-up including established binge-drinkers Elliott Prince, Ian Summers, Lorraine Ryan, Alistair Wakefield and Mark Ingram as well as some high quality runners, Simon Barnes, Steve Millward, Nick Cousins, Gemma Collier and Lee Smith included.

Webb and Foster's race plan was built around Fosters Lager while Mansfield had chosen Dry Cider. Some of the women were to drink Blue Vodka (in slightly smaller measures) but one of the main considerations was a drink with the least fizz, this, later became a deciding factor regarding how much actually stayed in the stomach!.

From the start the first pint was easy. Mansfield and Webb soon became runners while, interestingly, Foster sipped his lager and enjoyed a chat with excited spectators. Needless to say, he was 'last out of the blocks'. The race soon became fragmented with runners heading off in all directions. At the halfway stage, Steve Millward, having won Wednesday's Bugatti race and just two hours earlier, won the Cranham Chase race, found himself way ahead with just Mansfield for company. Foster's steady early pace started to pay dividends as he ignored his injured knee and focused in on Webb who, at this point was dealing with his BBQ sausages (again).

Tewkesbury's team of supporters reached fever pitch as Club Captain Mansfield was first to start the final 400m. With Millward left in a terrible state as his dream of a hat-trick of race wins became a dreadful nightmare, Mansfield started the savor his second race win of 2009, with arms aloft and composing himself ready for the paparazzi, the last 200m was to be his stage, only from out of nowhere Gloucester AC's Millward ripped past the bemused triathlete to shatter his dream!

Meanwhile, amongst the on-going disarray, Tewkesbury still had a race to finish. Webb, who's track talents are well known to us all, was under pressure from, not only Foster, but his own Fosters in hand. Pete Foster's slowly but surely tactics had got the better of Webb as he crossed to line just 9 seconds after a joyful Foster.

The event had to be seen to be believed. The atmosphere was terrific throughout and is sure to be well supported by Tewkesbury next year?!?

2nd Jon Mansfield 7.24 minutes
23rd Pete Foster 13.34
24th Dan Webb 13.43

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Bugatti Beer 10K

The 2009 staging of Cheltenham Harriers Bugatti 10km was one to remember for Tewkesbury AC. Although four club members had to pull-out before the start, an astounding 24 runners represented the club, this goes down as one of the biggest turn-outs in the clubs' 25 year history. The course situated between Winchcombe and Alderton, tracked through the villages of Gretton, Alstone, Dixton and Prescott Hill. The most challenging sections greeted the runners just pass the halfway stage where a series of ascents and descents tested both lungs and legs.

Tewkesbury's swiftest legs on the evening belonged to Mike Primett as he was able to finish the village lane course in 37th place in 40.31 minutes. Dan Webb followed after he had overhauled both Ed Bishop and Simon Waters in the closing stages. Fresh from running a personal best 1/2 marathon at Newent, Steve Anderton just piped Mungo Park in the run-in to the finish.

Paul Mason continued to have the advantage over Carol Cowley. Cowley, the club's leading female on the night, also maintained her advantage over old rival and work college Rob Jordan. Stuart Buchan had a solid run as he continues to find his form during an indifferent season thus far.

Finishing in 166th place in a time 49.12 minutes was one of the best performers on the night, Nick Matthews. He ran really well managing to put time between himself and close rival Roy Northcott who particularly found the course hard. Matthews also lead home the Bayley family trio; Tom following a minute later before wife Clare, herself performing well, 3 minutes later with their oldest son crossing the finish line just 8 seconds outside the hour mark.

Charlotte Mowbray made a rare appearance. Mowbray, returning to her home village during her University summer holidays, ran well as she was able to lead Suzanne Tharme by over a minute, which is no mean feat!
Mike Ward had a good night as he continues to shine at a youthful 73yrs old. Ward lead both Sharon Pates and Jonathan Teague around the course in times comfortably under the hour.

Enjoying great form of late, Nikki Webb continued to impress with another fine race. Webb also finished cleanly under an hour and almost a minute ahead of new member Jacqueline Fowler. Only joining the club last month, Fowler has already been tipped as one to watch.

Finishing just outside the hour but pleased with her performance, Gill Bourton is showing all the signs that she's returning to her best after some recent niggles. Following Bourton came popular vice-captain Elly Smith, not exactly pleased with her own run however, determined Smith finished another 'Classic' Gloucestershire race safely and promises to impress in the near future.

37th Mike Primett 40:31mins
47 Daniel Webb 41:12
49 Ed Bishop 41:22
51 Simon Waters 41:32
80 Steve Anderton 43:48
81 Mungo Park 43:50
105 Paul Mason 45:44
120 Carol Cowley 46:22
131 Rob Jordan 46:57
144 Stuart Buchan 47:42
166 Nick Matthews 49:12
185 Tom Bayley 50:16
201 Roy Northcott 50:59
210 Charlotte Mowbray-Pratt 51:41
223 Suzanne Tharme 52:44
239 Clare Bayley 53:47
260 Michael Ward 55:27
277 Sharon Pates-Cook 56:49
280 Jonathan Teague 56:56
283 Nikki Webb 57:04
299 Jacqueline Fowler 58:50
310 Jamie Bayley 1hr :00:08
344 Gill Bourton 1:04:24
353 Elly Smith 1:08:20

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Gloucester Half Marathon

A bumper field of runners took part in this years Gloucester Half-Marathon.
Amongst those who took on the undulating Newent based course were two Tewkesbury AC's members; Steve Anderson had a fabulous run as he recorded a new personal best time. Anderson was pleased to cross the finish line in 70th place in a surprising 1hr 35 minutes. New member, Phillip Taylor, started his first 13.1 mile race for many years. Running in the V65 category, he finished in 2hr 07 minutes which placed him 306th overall and an outstanding runner-up in his veteran category.

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Plock Court - Track Session

In a bid to raise funds and the profile of the proposed new 8 lane running track at Plock Court, our Chairman Mick Morris organised a open track meet.

Impressive performances were on show from Tewkesbury, although we all got beaten by a 9 year old lad, who did a 5:43 mile time on grass !!!!!.

Results were as follows:

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Considering all important points were on offer, it was a quiet night as far as Tewkesbury AC were concerned at Bouton for the annual 1 Mile sprint.

Lining up with the young ones in the fun run were Paul Lockyer, Dan Webb, Nikki Webb, Mick Morris, Carol Cowley, Mike Ward, Simon Walters, Nigel Tillott (plus 2 sons and 1 daughter) and Mungo Park.

First back for Tewkesbury in a very fast 05:16 was Paul Lockyer, closely followed by Simon Waters in 05:19. Dan Webb pushed hard at the line to record 05:30 and beat last years time by 4 seconds. Nigel Tillott and mungo had a titanic tussle for the line, with Tillott beating Park by 1 second and 1 place, Tillott needed to be quick as the first of his two sons (Christopher) came home just 12 seconds after his dad in 05:40, with Andrew Tillott recording a very respectable 06:17. Next back for the Tewkesbury crowd was Carol Cowley wo after treading over some peskie kids on the start line, finished in a strong 06:30, however this was tempered by Liz Hulcup (fellow V55 runner) finishing 1 second ahead. Mick Morris sprinted home in 07:10 just before running back up the course to present the county medals. Nicola Webb eased over the line in 07:26 looking like she had just gone out for a brisk walk, instaed of a 1 mile race!!!! Tewkesbury AC's oldest runner also made the mile look easy, but dashed away before picking up his prize as he had to pop to an all night rave (shame on you Mike). The Smallest competitor on the night for Tewkesbury AC was Emma Tillott who ran in with her dad in a great time of 15:24.

1 Mile Race

19 Paul Lockyer 05:16
21 Simon Waters 05:19
26 Daniel Webb 05:30
32 Nigel Tillott 05:38
33 Mungo Park 05:39
51 Carol Cowley 06:30
63 Mick Morris 07:10
69 Nicola Webb 07:26
71 Mike Ward 07:42

1 Mile Fun Run

35 Christopher Tillott 05:50
47 Andrew Tillott 06:17
89 Emma Tillott 15:24

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24 Hours is a long time in Athletics !!

Two of Tewkesbury AC’s most experienced ultra distance runners tackled their first 24 hour race last weekend, choosing the well established East Hull Harriers event based on the athletic track of Costello Stadium in Hull for their baptism into a greater daily distance than either had previously attempted.  Both anticipated exceeding 100 miles in the time, which would entail completing more than 400 laps of the track in order to achieve this landmark. Angie Sadler was using the race as base-endurance preparation for her participation in the Commonwealth Ultra-Running Championships to be held in Keswick, Cumbria, in September and for which she has already been selected for the England team in the 100km race. Phillip Howells had targeted completing a 24 hour this year as part of his year’s objectives, so this was his chosen event.

The weather forecast was mixed; hot sunny weather for the first day, with heavy rain and strong winds expected as darkness fell for the night-time element of the race. Full of anticipation, the two lined up with the other 45 starters at 10am on Saturday 11th July, with the watching crowd swelled by the large number of lap recorders required to ensure each competitor’s distance was accurately recorded. Although many runners may think a long distance track race would be boring, both Angie and Phillip, who have both previously run races up to 6 hours on a track, knew from experience that they are very sociable events because every-one can and does encourage each other and supporters are able to see and help their runner each lap.

Both were aware that a steady pace strategy was the correct approach, which for Angie in particular meant being very disciplined to run at a mile pace some 2 minutes slower than her normal speed. This was to prove very successful as the race unfolded. However, after some 8 hours in the heat, during which time a mere 40 miles or so had been covered and only a few laps separated the pair, each confided to the other to feeling ‘pooped’ and wondered how on earth they could manage another 16 hours of running!   This was where their ultra running experience was called upon, knowing that part of the ‘charm’ of long distance running is the ups and downs of feeling great and exhausted at different times, and that just keeping going, ensuring good hydration and regular eating to recharge energy, is the key to ultimate success. As the hours passed, both moved slowly up the result board, so that around half-time Angie had risen to 4th place overall and Phillip was lying 10th.

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White Horse 5K

On a wet Thursday Evening 5 members of Tewkesbury AC braved the miserable weather to run in the third of four Whitehorse 5k's.

The pace was impressive with the winner home in under 15mins, Dan Webb wasn't far behind though a he smashed his pb for the distance to finish 30th Overall in 18 minutes 53 Seconds. Mungo Park also with a pb and V55 winner eased over the finish in his first sub 20 mins, whilst Rob Jordan beat Carol Cowley home in now what is becoming a regular occurrence, Cowley did however set a pb and won her category also. Last for Tewkesbury, but by no means least was our fresh faced Vice Captain of the club, Elly Smith, Elly set a fantastic time of 28 minutes 36 seconds.

Update: Mungo & Carol both set Club Records.

Dan Webb 18:53
Mungo Park 19:49
Rob Jordan 21:19
Carol Cowley 21:25
Elly Smith 28:36

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Evesham 10K

Tewkesbury AC runners traveled to Evesham en masse to take part in their annual 10km race. The High Street was closed as the Mayor started 650 excited runners. The course left the High Street before lapping the River Avon passing the famous boat club, around a vibrant Bandstand and finally racing into the "Race Village" situated on Crown Meadow.
They were some fine performances from Tewkesbury and three or four really impressive, almost virtuoso displays.
On a course which was predominately flat, the surface and sharp turns, meant that personal best 10km times were to be few and far between. However, great form from Nikki Webb, Gill Bourton, Katrina Stephens and Leigh Bichard meant they were within the few who did PB.
As part of the TAC Club Championship, this race was ripe with points and looking for a good harvest was Club Captain Jon Mansfield: his race ended abruptly at the 5km with a muscle injury.
First to finished for TAC was Paul Lockyer. Talented Lockyer was the only Tewkesbury runner to break the 40 minute mark on the day with Nigel Tillott and Simon Waters just over the desired 40.
Club Championship leader Dan Webb took full advantage of Mansfield's DNF as he finished his second race of the weekend. Webb finished with a 11 second advantage over club mate Steve Anderson.
Ian Hughes and Michelle Laws made the most of their stay in Evesham; Hughes getting the better of Laws on this occasion however, Laws by coming 10th female overall was the first of the Tewkesbury ladies.
A tight contest between Rob Jordan, Carol Cowley and Leigh Bichard was witnessed. Bichard set a PB but the demands of a heavy race calendar left him wanting as Cowley pushed-on in pursuit of Jordan who finished in a creditable 45 minutes.
Ben Reid bounced back after a recent dip in form to run strongly while late entry, Sandie Harwood, found the later stages taxing. Jonathan Teague came through the event while not 100%, this giving 73 year old Mike Ward the advantage. Finishing strongly within the hour mark Sally Jordan and Nikki Webb lead the competitive duo of Elly Smith and Wes Reid. Club vice-captain Smith lead Reid throughout the race - only for Reid to pounce with a late burst of speed to take the placing ahead of Smith. Gill Bourton's return to good form continues with another quality run to be proud of.
 Completing the Tewkesbury display, Katrina Stephens fought the affects of a hangover with a courageous display. Stephens ran a smooth race and was pleased with one of her finest performances to date.

27th Paul Lockyer 39.31 minutes
40 Nigel Tillott 40.26
45 Simon Waters 40.43
69 Daniel Webb 42.19
72 Steve Anderson 42.30
100 Ian Hughes 43.25
119 Michelle Laws 44.23
140 Robert Jordan 45.19
148 Carol Cowley 45.36
179 Leigh Bichard 46.40
322 Ben Reid 52.27
377 Sandie Harwood 54.13
394 Michael Ward 54.52
423 Jonathan Teague 55.38
431 Nicola Webb 55.48
471 Sally Jordan 57.49
546 Wesley Reid 1hr 01 min 52
547 Elly Smith  1.01.53
555 Gill Bourton 1.02.33
588 Katrina Stephens  1.08.10

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Pilot Inn 10 Mile

Very Hot & Humid was the conditions for the Pilot Inn 10 Mile on Saturday, Dan Webb dragged himself away from the German Grand Prix Qualifying to lead the Tewkesbury AC contingent home, he had planned to pace Mungo Park to ensure Mungo beat Almost Athletes Rival Ken Sears to the finish line, but as it was Ken failed to show, so Park took the V55 prize and maximum points in his stride (a lengthy one at that !!!)

Following Mungo home was the smooth operator himself and V75 winner Mike Ward, running alongside Mike for the entire race was the improving Sharon Pates Cook with a fantastic run. Last home for Tewkesbury AC was our newest member Phil 'the power' Taylor, Phil took the undulating course with ease and finished strongly.

Daniel Webb 71:20
Mungo Park 72:32
Sharon pates Cook 94:26
Mike Ward 94:26
Phil Taylor 100:10

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Aerospace Five

Hot conditions greeted the Tewkesbury AC contingent on the start of the Aerospace 5 mile at Bishops Cleeve on Thursday evening. Despite a welcome breeze picking-up just before the gun sounded, most of the runners suffered below par performances.
The Tewkesbury club still managed to run off with some category prizes with Jon Mansfield (V40), Carol Cowley (FV55) and Mike Ward (V70) rewarded for their efforts.
Of the TAC runners who made the short trip over, it was Dan Webb who shinned the brightest. His race went so well that he managed to lead a chain of eight fellow club runners into the finish, including Ed Bishop and Simon Waters on this rare occasion (the later feeling the affects of the heat). Mungo Park had to work hard to finish ahead of Paul Mason who ran relatively well. Steve Anderson crossed the finish line just seconds behind Waters and comfortably ahead of club sectary, Steve Wiggall, who himself recorded one of his best results for sometime.
Normally suffering in hotter weather, Carol Cowley coped excellently on the night and deservedly won the her veteran category. Phillip Howells had a solid 40 minute run to lead Ben Reid. Reid, possibly the biggest casualty of the heat, was 5 minutes short of his target time! Mike Ward held firm to take another win in the V70+ division. Completing the team, Wes Reid worked hard all the way round the course which took in Southam, Woodmancote and Bishops Cleeve, to finish just outside the top 100.

8th Jon Mansfield = 29.22 minutes
34th Dan Webb  =33.30
35th Ed Bishop = 33.51
41st Mungo Park = 34.11
44th Paul Mason = 34.58
45th Simon Waters = 35.00
47th Steve Anderson = 35.12
60th Steve Wiggall = 36.25
66th Carol Cowley = 37.24
87th Phillip Howells = 40.55
94th Ben Reid = 43.05
96th Mike Ward = 44.30
104th Wesley Reid = 51.53

Meanwhile...

Three Tewkesbury AC members jumped on two wheels to take part in a novice Time-Trial race. Hosted by Cheltenham and County Cycling Club, the 10 mile race format takes shape as each rider sets off at one minute intervals and rides as hard as they can - ultimately to catch the rider in front and avoid being caught by the rider behind.
Suffering from running related injures, Peter Foster and Debbie Lee joined Sandie Harwood. All three rode well and enjoyed the fine conditions to record brilliant times on their first outings. By far the most impressive was Lee by winning the novice female event. Her ride was that good, she even beat Foster!  Currently managing a Knee injury, Foster, who enjoys a good ride, rode without 'Aerobars' (a handle bar attachment which allows the rider to maintain a low aero position similar to a downhill skier).
This may have been a disadvantage on the night but, Lee's time advantage was... big!

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Park hits the hills in Bourton

One Tewkesbury runner clearly took a wrong turn, and found himself on the start line of the aptly named Bourton Hilly Half at 6.00, when most sensible TAC runners were beginning to think about lining up cold beers. Despite a controlled and sensible start (for once), Mungo Park soon found that the hills, heat and humidity of Bourton and Great Rissington were not conducive to that ever illusive sub 1:30 half marathon. In fact 12 minutes slipped past before he finished in 1:42. 
A fantastically scenic route with little traffic, it was a fine course, which would have been even finer on a cool spring morning! 
Park was 85th out of 280, and 5th MV55.

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Cotswold Relay 2009

Once again, Tewkesbury AC reveled in the joy of adventure running in the 2009 Cotswold Way Relay. The club made it's event debut in 2008 and for this year Angie Sadler pulled together two exciting teams. Including some runners from last years Cotswold Way Relay (CWR), two quality teams were built with the emphasis on a competitive "Mixed team" and a slightly less competitive "Men's team". For the Mixed team the club had to enter at least three females to qualify.
The Relay started in Chipping Campden for Stage No1 at 0700hrs. Running for the Mixed team, named "Tewkesbury Titans" talented distance star, Michelle Laws set-off into the charming early morning mist to reappear just 1.40hrs later. While running for the second Tewkesbury team, named "Spartans" Barry O'Driscoll covered the 11.9 miles in 1.51hrs. Two splendid performances to start the teams off.

Stage No2 from Stanway House is arguably (along with Stages 4 & 8) the toughest challenge of the day - challenges with not just an odd hillock here and there but long, steep climbs and frightening descents . For this Stage, two tenacious talents were lined-up to star; for the Titans, Tim Shattock made the course in 1.44hr and Ian Hughes running for the Spartans timed 1.54hr for the 11.8 mile course which climbed 525 meters in total.

Stage No3 was a little shorter and starting on Cleeve Common meant the ascending was almost maxed-out. Ed Bishop, in great form of late, zoomed through the stage in just 1.02hr. While Ali Parker also made good time on the 8.2 mile course in 1.17hr

With the real time approaching 1030hrs, the late June mini heat wave started to lift the mercury to 22'Celsius and with little wind to cool the runners the 67 teams standing at Seven Springs faced a daunting task - Stage No4 is the longest of the CWR. Heading out towards Coopers Hill, this course was not for the novice. Nigel Tillott set-off for the Titans like he did the previous year. Having the expert course knowledge he was dismayed to see runners around him cutting the course - whether knowingly or not, will never be known. However, credit to the Tewkesbury man as he stuck to the full 12.67 mile course and put in a great run in the warming conditions. Unbeknown to most of the Tewkesbury club, Spartans runner, Neil Miles had never run beyond 6 miles before! Therefore it was a surprise and also relief to see the elite Squash player emerge from the woods towards the finish. Worst for wear, no question about that, but surely one of the most heroic displays of the day. Tillott recorded 1.44hr and Miles recorded 1.49hr - admittedly over a slightly shorter distance as the emerging Tewkesbury man innocently followed runners ahead of him.

Just before noon Stage No5 started from Cranham Corner. Guest runner Dave McGrath was a last minute replacement for the Titans and he joined Paul Mason competing for the Spartans. With 11.74 miles to cover, the Titans timed well after an excellent effort from experienced McGrath. Mason also performed well as the warm conditions made running that extra bit harder. 1.26hr and 1.40hr respectively.

Leaving from Ebley Mill at 1300hrs, Stage No6 was classed as "medium severity" but with the mercury now touching 26'c it was always to be tougher than first expected. Talented Paul Lockyer took to the course for the Titans. Lockyer, one of the club's leading runners, finisher in 1.15hr however, that time did include an extra hill as a small group of runners went astray. Throughout the day there were confirmed reports of teams losing their way along the way and and in most cases gaining a significant advantage. However, it seemed that when Tewkesbury inadvertently went astray, they did so by covering extra miles! In the Spartans team, Stuart Bucham ran relatively well; having had back problems for most of the year, he finished the 8.7 miles in 1.30hr.

Stage No7 from Dursley was viewed with much excitement. Titans star Carol Cowley was well matched against Spartans Leigh Bichard. Covering the shortest distance of the day and also benefiting from some welcome shaded sections both runners excelled. Experiencing the afternoon sun at it's hottest as they ran around the Golf course, it was Bichard who found his form in time to be able to lead Cowley to the finish in 1.05hr. As it later transpired Cowley had become a CWR angel as she guided lost runners back on course (rumors of her giving piggy-backs were found to be false!). Cowley's finish was just 3 seconds off her 2008 timing and with the heat making the 2009 event so much harder, it goes down as a fantastic achievement.

Setting off from Wotton-under-Edge at 1500hrs, Stage No8 went for 12.05 miles. Within the first 10 minutes of the start the teams have nearly 500 feet of climbing to tackle. This,combined with the afternoon sun shinning down on the westerly side of the Cotswolds, contributed to Stage No8 having the days' record for teams unable the make the cut-off time - 14 runners failed to reach Old Sodbury before 2.12hr cut-off. Fortunately, both of Tewkesbury's teams made good time. For the Titans, Jon Mansfield competed. Enjoying a 'purple patch' with his running, all was to end as the Triathlete failed to shake-off a hip niggle before the start and endured a frustrating 1.32hr run. Spartans runner Clive Sentence, an off-road enthusiast, enjoyed the challenge immensely. Covering his longest distance for 12 months, the later stages took their toll, nevertheless he's already looking forward to next years event.

Leaving Old Sodbury to Cold Ashton, Stage No9 saw Dan Webb start for the Titans. Webb had enjoyable 9.19 mile run - he even passed Olympic Marathon runner Dan Robinson! (- rumor was that the GB No1 runner was taking on Stage No5, instead he spectated on Stage No9). Spartans Roy Northcott also enjoyed his first taste of the CWR.

The final Stage, No10 descended 550 feet into Bath before crossing the finish outside Bath Abbey. Described as an 'easier' stage it proved all to be relative as Double Team Captain Angie Sadler produced a magnificent performance, quite literally the 'piece de resistance' as she was the first female to finish the event - claiming a limited edition bottle of Champagne for her efforts. Following Sadler, the Spartans final runner Phillip Howells sealed the event for Tewkesbury with another swift finish.
After Tewkesbury finished 3rd place Mixed team at the first attempt last year with a total team time of 14hrs 16 minutes, they managed to trim 10 minutes off to record 14hrs 06 minutes but just off the podium this year. The Spartans recorded an impressive 16hrs 15 minutes to finish 40th overall from 67 teams.

Results...
Stage No1
28th/5th female Michelle Laws = 1hr. 40 minutes
48th Barry O'Driscoll = 1.51

Stage No2
24th Tim Shattock = 1.44
47th Ian Hughes = 1.54

Stage No3
6th Ed Bishop = 1.02
39th Ali Parker = 1.17

Stage No4
26th Nigel Tillott = 1.44
30th Neil Miles = 1.49

Stage No5
7th Dave McGrath = 1.26
30th Paul Mason = 1.40

Stage No6
17th Paul Lockyer = 1.15
47th Stuart Buchan = 1.30

Stage No7
37th/9th female Carol Cowley = 1.09
29th Leigh Bichard = 1.05

Stage No8 
8th Jon Mansfield = 1.32
42nd Clive Sentence = 2.03

Stage No9
22nd Danny Webb = 1.16
51st Roy Northcott = 1.36

Stage No10

7th/1st female Angie Sadler = 1.14
31st Phillip Howells = 1.27

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Cheltenham Circular Challenge

Tewkesbury AC took the honours at the Cheltenham Circular Challenge on June 14th, coming home in first and second places!!
The two teams consisted of Rob,Charlotte,Paul, Karen,Sally,Carol,Nikki,Clare and Sharon.
Over each stage the times improved to such a degree that a phone call was hastily made to Clare and Sharon to quickly get to the start of the last stage earlier than expected. Apparently during their stage they had time for an ice lolly, was this the influence of Carol?
Despite the heat all the runners made it safley back and gathered at the finish(Prestbury Park), to join the club runners who had ran the entire length of the course. These mad people were Angie,Ian,Michelle,Barry and Sue.
During the discussions of the event Ian, after suffering a reaction to running through the grass,had his legs washed down with water by Sally. I believe photos were taken!!
But having done just the first stage i'd like to congratulate those mad fools for doing the whole lot, and  also congratulate those that made up the relay teams for completing the stages without getting lost.

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Bredon Bash

Tewkesbury AC's first every showing in the annual "Bredon Bash" was an all-round measured success. The event, billed as an informal challenge, was in fact a well organised hill race. Evesham & Vale Running Club invited Tewks AC to join them and other neighbouring club, Stratford AC, to tackle a course which climbed Bredon Hill from Elmley Castle and across to the Bredon Tower before looping and tracing the trail back down to the Cricket Club HQ where a splendid display of culinary delights awaited. The distance was just under 6 miles and the £2.50 entry fee proved outstanding value.
The start line featured some familiar faces including former Tewks runner, Simon Hall. Hall, having already recorded a 34 minute 10km this year was the man the follow. Over 50 runners set off along a short strip of road before turning into the fields to start the ascent towards the Cumulus humilis. Hall and Jon Mansfield were first to start the climb but it didn't take long before the pair were reduced to walking. This pattern was repeated as the long chain of runners followed - the only exceptions were the more experienced hill runners, including Angie Sadler and Phil Howells. As the race matured, a group of three passed Hall and Mansfield and as the course levelled, the lead trio had disappeared.
As the runners headed towards the Tower, what breath they had remaining would have surely been taken away as the view to the north was worthy of at least a passing glance. However, the terrain required the visual attention more as loose stone and tree roots were in abundance. By the time the race had reached the Tower, Mansfield had pulled his way back to second place with a gap of 150m from the leading man.
Meanwhile, as the wind across the top welcomed the runners, the women's race took shape; surprising leading Tewkesbury's Sadler, cyclist Emma Gill was having a glorious run. Gill, who's family have farmed on the Hill for years, knew the terrain extremely well and as Sadler ran with caution due to the following weekend's Cotswold Way event, Gill made the most of the situation to lead one of the areas top off-roaders.
One of the many highlights of the evening was the route back down where the runners could offer encouragement as they passed in opposite directions, admittedly, not all the runners could find words and were simply reduced to a grunt!
Tewkesbury's Mansfield, fresh from a runners-up spot the night before at Mallards Pike, had caught the lead runner before the start of the descent and despite some hectic downhill running the pair were neck and neck on the level. The final 400m developed into a sprint with Mansfield crossing the finish with a 5 second advantage. The winner remained star-shaped on the bowling green before checking all limbs were still in place!
Hot on the tail of the race favourite, Ed Bishop came along the finishing straight. He looked composed as he cruised across the line just 9 seconds after Hall. Shortly after Bishop finished, Dan Webb had enough left in the tank to produce his specialty sprint finish - gaining two places in doing so. Angie Sadler looked assuringly comfortable finishing her run in 47 minutes as second placed female.
Having experienced the brutality of the run themselves, Mansfield and Webb made their way back along the course to sight the remaining runners as they flowed from the hill. It was a welcome sight as Roy Northcott appeared leading his team mates Phil Howells and Nick Matthews down onto the finishing straight. Sandie Harwood was the 45th runner to cascade through the final field and looked in great form as she picked her pace up the claim 44th place.
A brief moment of concern was then experienced by the onlookers when reported sightings of a stray Tewkesbury runner, heading off-course, were received back in the village. The runner transpired to be Kevin Emmerson. After being drawn back onto the right track, team mates were relieved when his bouffant was spotted bouncing through one of the lower meadows towards the finish. All credit to the Highnam based athlete, having run an extra mile, he recorded the longest distance he's ever ran - and that's on the back of a 5 mile PB performance the day before.

1st Jon Mansfield 40.37 minutes
8th Ed Bishop 44.37
13th Daniel Webb 47.12
15th Angie Sadler 47.21
30th Roy Northcott 53.16
33rd Phil Howells 53.57
34th Nick Matthews 54.40
44th Sandie Harwood 1hr 01.33
47th Kevin Emmerson 1hr 04.48

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Mallards Pike 5 Mile Trail Run

Now an annual tradition for Tewkesbury AC, the Wednesday evening off-road event nestled in the Forest of Dean, attracted a group of 26 from Tewkesbury with 19 taking part in the challenging 5 mile run.  Following a track which cuts through the Forest, the first half of the distance features a slight incline with the remainder, a rewarding gentle decent.  The final 500 meters is the events 'piece de resistance' as it encircles the beautiful lake.
Not for the first time in this running extravaganza, Tewkesbury's hero's and heroines stood-up to be counted... at the head of the race Jon Mansfield and Angie Sadler both managed to seal runner-up spots.  Mansfield claiming second overall after holding-off last years winner but losing-out to the victor by some margin.  With last years women's winner, Debbie Lee taking a supporting role, it was left to her team-mates to keep the title in Tewkesbury hands - Sadler, back on a shorter course ran well to finish 21st overall as Gloucester ACs' in-form Lorraine Ryan finished with just a 61 second advantage.
Also joining Mansfield in the top ten, Paul Lockyer, running at Mallards Pike for the first time, performed well to beat several strong runners, including Tewkesbury's own Ed Bishop, also tasting the Forest delights for the first time.  Bishop had a tough contest on his hands and regular Forest runners Nigel Tillott, Mungo Park, and Dan Webb all keen to improve on previous years efforts. Crossing the finish line first was Bishop with Tillott, Webb and Park following.
Second place female in 2008, Carol Cowley ran much better in 2009 timing 35 minutes to place 6th female.  As did Paul Mason who recorded 33 minutes, a huge improvement from 12 months ago, and on this occasion gaining the upper hand on Cowley.
Three more new club members also made their ways to the Forest lake with Simon Waters making the biggest splash with an exceptional race.  Waters is improving rapidly and recording 32 minutes at the finish line is very promising.  Also making waves, Ben Reid really produced a great performance; new to distance running, he surprised several onlookers as he worked he way strongly around the course to record 37 mins.  Tewkesbury ACs' newest recruit, super-veteran Phil Taylor, looked great in the black & yellow colours of Tewkesbury and proved his fitness with a fine run.  Taylor finished just behind fellow super-vet Mike Ward.  Experienced Ward, ran very well.
Thrilled by recording a new course PB was Wes Reid.  Improving on his run last year, he join his brother Ben by pulling out a fine performance.  More PB's were to follow; Nikki Webb used her course knowledge and improved fitness to out-smart team-mate Kevin Emmerson.  The two entangled several times during the later stages and race tactics played a key part as Webb dropped Emmerson just before the finish to record a PB.  Popular 'celebrity look-a-like' Emmerson had a fantastic run nevertheless by also recording a PB.  However, his own race tactics were questioned as it became evident that he had stopped mid-race to pick flowers!

Further down the finishing order, three girls epitomized Tewkesbury's idealic strength-in-depth, Gillian Bourton, Katrina Stephens and Jackie Arnett combined in a cocktail of performance, pain and pleasure.  All three gave their best efforts and were rewarded with euphoric scenes at the end.

2nd Jon Mansfield 28.55
10th Paul Lockyer 31.10
13th Ed Bishop 31.59
14th Simon Waters 32.10
15th Nigel Tillott 32.15
19th Dan Webb 32.34
21st Angie Sadler 33.20
28th Mungo Park 33.35
29th Paul Mason 33.42
44th Carol Cowley 35.49
50th Ben Reid 37.22
75th Mike Ward 42.07
76th Nikki Webb 42.21
77th Kevin Emmerson 42.23
87th Wes Reid 45.09
92nd Jackie Arnett 47.56
97th Phil Taylor 49.13
98th Gillian Bourton 49.43
103rd Katrina Stephens 53.32

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More News

Angie and Phil ran the Otmoor Challenge last Saturday, on a lovely route around the Otmoor nature reserve with a mix of road and off-road over a long half marathon distance. It is based in Oxfordshire on the annual village fete of Horton-cum-Studley. It was the 30th anniversary event and one that Phi has run 6 times before and Angie 3 times – on 2 of which she was the 1st lady. This year she was 4th lady and 1st lady vet 45 with a time of 1-34-06 and 54th overall. Phil ran and finished strongly in a quite pleasing time of 1-48-04 for 159th place out of a field of some 300 starters.

Phil then ran a new ultra race the next day – the Northants ‘Shires and Spires’ Ultra over 34 miles – and finished in a quite sedate time of 8-53-04, running with his business partner Edward Chapman who has just come back from two long distance races in S Africa and is still recovering from that. The route was a very rewarding one over lovely rural countryside with some sweeping views across the county.

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Running News

Three fine results from this years Malvern Half-Marathon; Steve Anderson finished in 1hr 35 minutes. Sharon Pates crossed the line in 1hr 56 mins, while Clare Bayley, the star performer, managed to record a new personal best for the distance by beating her Tewkesbury 1/2m time by six seconds.

74th Steve Anderson 1.35.18
286th Clare Bayley 1.50.46
389th Sharon Pates 1.56.49

At Severn ACs' Whitsun Five mile race Jon Mansfield raced as the only Tewkesbury athlete and finished well inside the top ten in under 30 minutes.

This years Westonbirt Arboretum event was a sell-out with 660 runners taking part. The trail run meandered 10km through the tress and gardens providing a testing run. Angie Sadler managed to claim 3rd place in the women's field with 40 mins 08 seconds. This placed her in 34th place overall. Finishing in 6th place, Jon Mansfield clocked 36.52 mins.

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Aldridge 10K

Last Sunday Wes travelled up to Walsall to take part in the Aldridge 10K. The road race took in many parts of the outskirts of Walsall and the surrounding countryside. The race itself was started by 14 year old double gold winning paralymic swimming star Emily Simmonds but although the conditions were extremely wet as the rain poured down throughout Wes managed to put in a good performance finishing 416th in a time of 61:02.

Next up for Wes is the Stourbridge Stumble 10K.

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Pilot Inn - 4 Miles

Tewkesbury fielded five members at the latest Pilot Inn 4 mile series. First back was Dan Webb in this his fiirst run from this location, he recoded a respectable 26:02 finishing in 18th out of 102 finishers. Next to finish was Carol Cowley in 28:27 who yet again pushed out Rob Jordan who finished in 28:36 (stay on her shoulder Rob !!!), next home was Clare Bayley in a very good time of 31:29 and looking fresh as a daisy. Finishing fifth for Tewkesbury was the ever youthful Mike Ward with a new sporty look, (hair band and sports glasses) who finished in 33:36.

The proceedings actually finished in the Pilot, with a swift round of drinks, Nice.

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Castle Coombe Duathlon

Four members of Tewkesbury AC toook a trip down to the Castle Coombe Race Circuit, to compete in on of this years Duathlons. This particular event consisted of a 2 Mile run around the track, followed by 5 laps on the bike (10 Miles) and finishing with another two mile run. Jon Mansfield as always was the stronger of the crew coming back in about 47 Minutes, somewhere of his best, and beaten into third vet position by some outstanding competitiors (next time Jon). following Jon home was Daniel Webb in his first Duathlon at Castle Coombe, he was in second place of the four Tewkesbury contingent at the end of the first run, but was soon overtaken by Alistair Parker on the 10 mile ride, as the Tewkesbury Tri star showed his experience and tucked down low, as Webb was taking in the scenery (some nice bikes), Webb however managed to claw Parker back on the second run with about half a mile to the finish line, Webb finished in 55 Mins ish , with Parker in about 57 Minutes, this is a very respectable time for Alistair, as he cycled to Castle Coombe from Tewkesbury to comptete (some 60 Miles) as part of a training regime, Alistair in competing in an Iron Man event in Switzerland some time soon (good luck Alistair).

Last home for Tewkesbury, but by no means least, was the ever youthful Debbie Lee. Debbies second Duathlon on this course she had a very strong cycle stage and followed it with a strong second run to come in on the hour.

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Cleeve Cloud Cuckoo

Paul Mason and 5 others from the club ran the 5.5mile Cleeve Cloud Cuckoo Land race, undulating runs will never seem the same again with what seemed like almost vertical climbs, approximate times are:

Paul Lockyer 38 mins
Ed Bishop 39 mins
Paul Mason 42 min 50
Ben Reid 47 mins
Wes Reid 60 mins
Brad Walsh retired

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Edinburgh Marathon

Three Tewkesbury runners made the journey north to run the Edinburgh Marathon, and had a tough time as the city experienced record temperatures for May, of 25 degrees. Nick Matthews, running his first marathon, was the star performer, coming in at 4:04:06, having run a steady pace throughout the distance, despite the heat and a minor dust storm around mile 18. Roy Northcott and Mungo Park were both affected by the heat and faded off the pace after mile 18 - 19. Northcott, whose half marathon time was the same as Matthews, came in at 4:16:01, while Park, who had run steady 8 minute miles up until mile 18, was disappointed with a time of 4:02:34. The event suffered from a lack of water, as thieves stole 7,000 bottles and 4,000 energy gels overnight, but the atmosphere was good, and the Tewkesbury runners enjoyed some recovery fluid in the grandstand bar of Musselburgh racecourse, overlooking the finish.

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Severn AC 5km Series - first of four

Six Tewkesbury Athletes arrived on a slightly chilly evening at the Whitehorse in Sandhurst for Severn AC's first of four 5Km summer series.
First back for the club was Dan Webb in a reasonably good time of 19:28. Webb was neck and neck with Paul Mason for the first half of the race, Mason continued to fight all the way, and it showed with a Fantastic first sub 20 minute 5Km.

A quick trio of Tewkesbury runners was headed by the ever youthful Carol Cowley who finished in 21:50 which is her course pb. Not far behind was Rob Jordan in an apparent dissapointing 22:02 followed quickly by Debbie Lee in 22:16.

A sprint finish was as usual on the cards for Karen Mason who finished strongly in 28:23.

Daniel Webb 19:28
Paul Mason 19:58 - PB
Carol Cowley 21:50 - Course PB
Rob Jordan 22:02
Debbie Lee 22:16
Karen Mason 28:23

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Boddington's 5Km & 50Km

Tewkesbury AC's Angie Sadler and Phillip Howells both ran in Boddington's 50km race. Covering 14 laps of the Cheltenham village, Sadler managed a top ten placing with a time of 3hrs 51 minutes. She was also runner-up in the female race. Howells finished in 18th place with 5hrs 3 minutes giving him 1st position in the over 60's race.

On the same day the organizers staged a 5km run. Tewkesbury's Nigel Tillott scooped the third prize with a fine 19.32 minutes run. He was followed by his son and wife in 7th and 18th places respectively.

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Berkeley 10km - Monday 11th May 2009

Monday evening's 10km road race saw a quality line-up of runners setting-off over a fast two lap course. The event featured in the Gloucestershire Road Race Series and with vital points at stake, Tewkesbury AC's Mungo Park, Mike Ward and Jon Mansfield, all holding good positions in the series, were in the race to collect points.
The South Gloucestershire village course is where Mansfield set his 10km PB. However, four years later, in the 2009 race it was Park who charged around and crossed the finish line with an outstanding new PB of 40 minutes
34 seconds. Park's fantastic form has come just at the right time as he starts to taper for the Edinburgh Marathon in two weeks time.
Mansfield by contrast, with his blisters still burning from the eventful Tewkesbury 1/2m, wasn't expected to break any records so was pleased to end his run in 15th place.
Mike Ward ran a strong race. The 73yr old tussled with the strong winds to record a very respectable 51 minutes 37 seconds

15th Jon Mansfield 36.55 mins
48th Mungo Park 40.34 (2nd V55)
144th Mike Ward 51.37 (5th V65)

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Tewkesbury Half & 5 Mile

As very much expected, there was a large display of Tewkesbury AC runners involved in the annual Tewkesbury Half-Marathon. Benefitting with 'home'
advantage, course knowledge and the very little travelling involved, a total of 27 club athletes took part in the 13.1 mile event and the Five Mile Fun Run. This day become the largest turnout of runners in the clubs history!
The big interest was in the 1/2m with several runners taking on the event for the first time and some even taking on their first 1/2m! The windless sky and a blessing of warm sunshine made wonderful conditions for most of 1000 starters.
With so many shining performances from the Tewkesbury club it's difficult to single out the most impressive. However, the most admirable displays must have been from Jackie Arnett, Elly Smith and Clare Bayley who all achieved wonderful personal goals. Sharon Pates, Suzanne Tharme and Angela Compton covered the distance easily within two hours and all showed tremendous ability and impressive tenacity.
The faster Tewkesbury runners were headed by Rob Knight. Knight ran through the finish in 24th place, giving the Stoke Orchard man third place in the V45 category. Mike Primett followed Knight after a splendidly stylish run.
Primett is one of the club younger runners and is fine form of late. Also finding good form, Ed Bishop; he was part of a quartet of strong Tewkesbury regulars. On this occasion he just lost out in a tight contest with Nigel Tillott and Dan Webb - two famously faster finishers, especially over the last few yards.
Angie Sadler came in seconds later. However, Sadler a former winner, was more that happy with her fourth female placing as she soon becomes a fabulous 50 year old gazelle.
Another recent new face in the Black & Yellow Tewkesbury AC colours, Steve Anderson came in strongly.  Crossing the crowded finishing line next for the club, and excitingly smashing his personal best time in joyful style, triathlete and now, established runner, Leigh Bichard. This was a great moment for all to see as the diligent trainer had been working hard on technic and stamina for several months. His efforts paid off with an excellent run over the newly routed 13.1 mile course.
Paul Mason enjoyed the day as did club sectary Steve Wiggall. Jon Mansfield and Jonathan Teague had a little bad luck with Mansfield dropping out of the top ten with sore feet after five miles. Both runners are sure to bounce back.
Nick Matthews and Roy Northcott had their normal close contest, this year it was Northcott who had the advantage. While experience ultra-runner Phillip Howells added another finishers medal to his impressive collection, new member Elaine Vincent, returning to sport after a break showed what potential she has by flowing along the course with little concern. She finished in-between brothers Wesley and Ben Reid. Although far less experienced, it was Ben who took the honours with a hard working effort.

In the Five Mile Fun Run Tewkesbury had three entrants. All star performers on the day with Carol Cowley taking the third female spot. Nikki Webb and Karen Mason both had equally impressive races by recording fantastic times.

In addition to the record-breaking turn-out, the popular club gazebo was a hub of activity with a fabulous team of helpers and well-wishes.

24th Rob Knight 1.24
42nd Mike Primett 1.27
58th Nigel Tillott 1.29
59th Ed Bishop 1.29
60th Daniel Webb 1.29
65th Angie Sadler 1.29
128th Steve Anderson 1.34
143rd Leigh Bichard 1.37
191st Paul Mason 1.39
253rd Steve Wiggall 1.43
254th Jon Mansfield 1.43
290th Roy Northcott 1.44
353rd Nick Matthews 1.47
427th Clare Bayley 1.50
496th Suzanne Tharme 1.54
497th Phillip Howells 1.54
528th Angela Compton 1.56
538th Sharon Pates 1.56
657th Ben Reid 2.03
747th Elaine Vincent 2.09
837th Jonathan Teague 2.18
844th Elly Smith 2.19
917th Wesley Reid 2.27
918th Jackie Arnett 2.27

12th Carol Cowley 36.00 3rd
62nd Nikki Webb 43.35
89th Karen Mason 46.11

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Pilot 4 Mile Series, 7th May

A record number of 90 runners took part in the first of the 4 mile series on a damp drizzly thursday evening, with 6 TAC members being on the start line.
Paul was quickly away, with Rob spiritly attempting to chase him down, but there was no serious threat to the club's leading runner on the day. Debbie also chased hard and couldn't close the gap once the lead had been established. Clare making her debut at the event enjoyed her run in readiness for the Tewkesbury half in a couple of days time. Mike having ran for most days of this week put in a good performance, and finally Karen(also debuting?) made light work of the distance finishing with a sprint.

12. Paul Mason 26.45
21.Rob Jordan  28.46
24.Debbie Lee  29.32
38.Clare Bayley 32.52
44.Mike Ward    33.52
62.Karen Mason 36.46

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Blaisdon Bluebell 10K

A Bumper turn out of 13 Tewkesbury AC runners turned out for a Bank Holiday Monday Jaunt on the edge of the Forest of Dean.

Rob Knight took the honours coming in 7th overall, and earning himself a pack of biccies. Next home was Simon Waters in a very good time of 40:19, just missing out on a sub 40 minutes, but still impressive over this undulating course.
Quickly following on the heels of Simon was Ed Bishop who just managed to close out Nigel Tillot, finishing 4 Seconds in front and taking the V45 Title. Nigel probably lost 10 seconds at about the 1 mile mark as he was side swipped by a Peugeot 406 Estate into the hedge which tore off his Garmin watch and with it a hole in his hand, with the encouraging shouts from the passenger seat ringing in his ears Nigel pressed on undettered.

Following Nigel, and trying to keep up with him was Mungo Park, Dan Webb & Steve Anderson, Dan let Mungo pull away using the excuse that he had done a marathon the week before, forgetting however so had Mungo..........., the Bushley Trailblazer also took the V50 Category just to rub it in, Steve Anderson dug in hard (almost revisiting his breakfast in the process) to finish ahead of Dan and with it getting sixth place for Tewkesbury in the Mens team prize (more biccies).

Paul Mason was next back looking strong, finishing is a very good 43:17 he then decided to pop back down the course to cheer on his better half. Rob Jordan was leading Debbie Lee by 30 Meters at the turn, but that advantage had revesed itself by the time the finish line had appeared with Debbie finishing 4 Seconds ahead of Rob and taking 3rd Ladies spot.

Ben Reid also known as 'whose that guy with a Tewkesbury vest on' at the Aerospace 5 last year, finished in a respectable 52:13, following Ben home was the ever present Mike Ward, yet again Mike took home the V70 prize, I just hope I can run that fast in 10 Years, let alone 35 Years.

The second of the Reid brothers (Wes) just finished ahead of Karen Mason, both had been winding each other up around the course, but it was the ex rugby star who took the plaudits.
Karen finished strong and with it the V40 category prize, and was very happy with her time of 60:21 to bring home a fantastic turn out by the club.

• 7th Rob Knight 37:39
• 10th Simon Waters 40:19
• 11th Ed Bishop 40:29 - V45 Winner
• 13th Nigel Tillot 40:33
• 17th Mungo Park 41:25 - V50 Winner
• 18th Steve Anderson 41:44
• 20th Daniel Webb 41:47
• 28th Paul Mason 43:17
• 36th Debbie Lee 46:55 - 3rd Lady
• 37th Rob Jordan 46:59
• 47th Ben Reid 52:13
• 48th Mike Ward 52:56 - V70 Winner
• 54th Wes Reid 60:16
• 55th Karen Mason 60:21 - V40 Winner

Mens Team Winners first Six, I was seventh :-( , no biccies for me.

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Shakespeare Marathon

As the masses ran through the streets of London, Stratford-Upon-Avon staged their own annual marathon. Named the Shakespeare Marathon, with 1,000 starters and 2,000 starters in the Half-Marathon race starting in tandem, two runners from Tewkesbury AC lined-up for the 26.2 mile course. Over a partly-undulating road route with the remainder covering seven miles of disused railway line, Jon Mansfield and Phillip Howells had some tough running before them. Both runners completed the 2008 event and knew what to expect, especially over the testing last five miles.
After struggling with the previous Friday's track session, the pair were both sceptical. Howells especially, as he was still feeling the effects of his dreadful Snow-Plough collision while in the Arctic circle. Once the race had got going their scepticism was unwarranted as the pair flowed. Mansfield was inspired having a former TAC star, Simon Hall, at the head of the race. Hall pulled-out after 17 miles which temporarily unsettled Mansfield before he re-focused on the final off-road section and reeled in several exhausted finishers to claim 15th place in a personal best time.
Meanwhile, Howell's running only got stronger as ticked off the miles and finished inside his pre-race target of sub 5hrs

Both runners achieved their set goals with Mansfield cracking the 3hr mark and Howells completing his 80th marathon.

15th Jon Mansfield 2.57 hrs
726th Phillip Howells 4.40 hrs

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Hot news from the London Marathon...

Tewkesbury AC FLM runners had mixed results today. However, the good results were more than good!

The fastest runner was Angie Sadler, returning to London after insisting that she would never do it again because it lacked challenging hills!
Sadler set off to target a sub 3.15 hour finish and did with ease. Her pace maintained throughout as you would expect from an Ultra-distance runner, and crossed the finish line in 3.10hr, far from her best, however with her 50th birthday days away she's right up there with the best of British.
Sadler was the quickest but the most impressive and in some ways surprising was the performances of Carol Cowley and Anne Robinson. Cowley made her marathon debut at Stratford-on-Avon last year and timed 4hrs over the tougher course. A year later, the 58yr old blazed through London to finish in 3.46hrs. Meanwhile Anne Robinson ran a perfectly smooth race, new to marathon running, she made the finish in 4.13hr.
Mungo Park and Dan Webb finished in 3.39 and 3.40 respectively with Park the happier of the two. Ahead of them finished Paul Lockyer but Lockyer had aimed higher and lives to fight another day.
Barry O'Driscoll ran fairly well and vows to be running 26.2 miles soon.

Angie Sadler 3hr 10mins 29secs
Paul Lockyer 3.39.28
Mungo Park 3.39.56
Dan Webb 3.40.40
Carol Cowley 3.46.53
Baz O'Driscoll 3.52.02
Anne Robinson 4.13.45

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Leipzig Half-Marathon

Tewkesbury AC's up and coming star Clare Bayley travelled to Germany to take on the popular Leipzig half-marathon. Bayley, having just overcome an untimely foot injury, completed the course in 1hr 59 mins 41 seconds -  a little outside of her personal best time for the distance on this occasion however, considering the injury woe, a pleasing time. With 2,121 runners taking part, she placed 167th in the female field and 22nd in her age group.

Others in the Pic are Clares big bruv (Richard) his wife (Silke) and their running chum (Ulrike), It was Clares big bruv's first half marathon and he only took up running last August! Silke did a 10k run and Ulrike did the half too. Tewkesbury AC have gone Interantional !!!!!!!!!!!

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Cornwall Costal Marathon.

In their latest 'Endrancelife' Costal Marathon Michelle Laws and Ian Hughes travelled down to Cornwall for another literally breath-taking marathon.
While Law's run was short of her expectations on this occasion finishing 4th female and 15th overall, Hughes continued to impress. His race went excellently as the Cheltenham based athlete ran strongly to finish in the top 25. Over the last 12 months Hughes has become an accomplished distance runner with a hat-full of impressive results in some of Britain most challenging events.

15th Michelle Laws 4 hrs 54 mins
23rd Ian Hughes 5 hrs 20 mins

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Tredworth Road Race

In the 63rd annual Tredworth street race, Tewkesbury AC's Debbie Lee impressed by covering the 4.3 mile distance in 31 minutes 24 seconds to snatch the runners-up spot. Overjoyed with a substantial improvement on her previous best time for the event, Lee's happy to be at her best again after having had emergency dentistry over the Easter holiday period.

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Easter 10km

Severn AC hosted their splendid Easter holiday 10km race in windless conditions under a beautiful blue sky . Perfect for the outstanding seventeen runners who raced for Tewkesbury AC. The event, starting at 3pm and being part of the club's Championship series, was well contested from start to finish.
With an equal amount of club supporters cheering the runners along the course, the heat of the action developed in the top third of the field.
After Jon Mansfield had shook off a serious challenge from Chris McMahon over the first mile to open up a decisive three minute gap to finish in 36 minutes. McMahon then lead a string of eleven Tewkesbury athletes, each of them hungry to out-run their team mate ahead while fighting to stay ahead of the rear challenge. Over the final mile just five minutes separated the eleven as they all made their final pushes to secure desired positions.
With the finish line in sight it was McMahon who dug in the deepest and crossed the line ahead of a fast running Mike Primett. Both clocked an impressive 39 minutes. The excitement increased as one by one the Tewkesbury runners sighted the finish line and pushed themselves as hard as they could; seconds after Primett finished Clive Sentance crossed the line but only just ahead of a tremendously strong finish from Nigel Tillott. As the crowds cheered louder, Dan Webb came in stylishly to lead Tim Shattock by 20 seconds. Shattock himself was under pressure from talented Mungo Park. Park, who rarely looks uncomfortable while racing, clearly looked to be at full-stretch.
Most of the Tewkesbury contingent had raced only two days before so extra credit must given. Credit especially to Barry O'Driscoll as he ran powerfully to finish just ahead of Paul Mason, Carol Cowley and Stuart Buchan.
Cowley, took first prize in her category as did Mike Ward taking the veteran 70+ prize. Ward's performance was excellent and by measure, he only finished 7 seconds behind exciting new member Kevin Emmerson. Emmerson, already competing in his second event for Tewkesbury, continues to make an impression.
Nikki Webb ran well to hold off a fine effort from Karen Mason. However, Mason had done enough to take another category first place for Tewkesbury AC.  There were more prizes to follow as Paul and Karen's daughter Chloe, rounded off a spectacular Easter as she collected the first place junior female with an inspirational display.

• 9th Jon Mansfield - 36.37 minutes
• 18th Chris McMahon - 39.48
  
• 20th Mike Primett - 39.54
  
• 22nd Clive Sentance - 40.07
  
• 26th Nigel Tillott - 40.19
  
• 27th Dan Webb - 40.47
  
• 29th Tim Shattock - 41.03
  
• 30th Mungo Park - 41.13
  
• 38th Barry O'Driscoll - 43.23
  
• 40th Paul Mason - 43.33
  
• 46th Carol Cowley - 44.30 (Category winner)
• 47th Stuart Buchan - 45.17
• 58th Kevin Emmerson - 52.20
• 59th Mike Ward - 52.27 (Category winner)
• 65th Nikki Webb - 57.33
• 67th Karen Mason -62.43 (Category winner)
• 71st Chloe Mason - 71.07 (Category winner)

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Peopleton Scenic Six

A fantastic 15 Tewkesbury athletes made the short jaunt over to Peopleton to what must be one of the best looking races in Worcestershire (not counting my handsome features).

Clive Sentance went off fast at the start with Nigel & Mungo neck and neck trying to keep an eye on his heels; 3 miles in though and Clive was feeling the early pace in his legs as Nigel went past to lead the Tewkesbury contingent and never to lose his place at the front. Trying hard to keep up with Nigel was Mungo, who had to let Tillott pull away. As Mungo dropped back so Steve Anderson went past looking fresh, Webb then spotted the 7 foot silver haired fox in the distance, but try as he might Webb could not pull Mungo back.

Next home was Sentance (who at this point looked as though drowning his sorrows in the ford looked tempting), Paul Mason just failed to reign Sentance in only finishing 8 seconds adrift. Towards the middle of the field Buchan & Cowley were having a little battle of their own with Buchan beating Cowley by just 30 seconds; however he couldn't do anything about Cowleys V55 1st Lady prize (another trophy cabinet required....).

Rob Jordan the cross country expert (supporter that is) pipped the ever youthful Pete Foster back (yes you heard it here first, Mr Foster has returned to racing). Following this pair the other teenager in the pack Mike Ward stormed home in a fantastic 54:20 to claim the V65 trophy, even though he was giving 5 years away to his age group competitors.

Sharon Pates looked like she had been out for a gentle stroll in the countryside as she skipped over the line with her hair in immaculate condition and her Gucci sunglasses looking resplendent. Wesley Reid smashed last years time by a massive 5 minutes, he was closely follwed by Sally Jordan who managed to beat two others on the final straight with her usual sprint finish (go Pudsy !!!!!!!!!), Karen Mason runner up in last years Handicapp series made a welcome return to racing and bought home the Tewkesbury crew in a respectable 63:51.

Well done to all.

Results:

• 30th 41.46 Nigel Tillott
• 32nd 42.12 Steve Anderson
• 36th 42.29 Mungo Park
• 41st 42.56 Daniel Webb
• 52nd 43.40 Clive Sentence
• 55th 43.48 Paul Mason
• 98th 47.12 Stuart Buchan
• 103rd 47.42 Carol Cowley
• 144th 51.01 Robert Jordan
• 157th 51.53 Peter Foster
• 188th 54.20 Michael Ward
• 205th 55.31 Sharon Pates
• 266th 62.05 Wesley Reid
• 268th 62.12 Sally Jordan
• 280th 63.51 Karen Mason

P.S. Special mention to Ben Reid (Wes's brother) who crossed the line in 53:34 (get that application form filled in Ben)

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Chedworth Roman Trail 10m

Two of Tewkesbury AC's leading runners took on the familiar Chedworth Roman Trail event. Staged on top of the Cotswold's in dryer than normal conditions, Angie Sadler and Jon Mansfield both had their best ever runs over the demanding course. Admittedly, conditions assisted the 340 runners taking part but there was no escaping the steep ascents and descents through the various woods of Stowell Park and Coln Valley. Sadler, who only days beforehand, raced for England over a 100km road course was pleased to be off-road again and crossed the finish line as 1st veteran woman and 48th overall. Mansfield, in contrast, favours short flat courses. Nevertheless, the club Captain, enjoyed his 4th annual Chedworth challenge as he finished 3rd veteran and 12th overall.

Jon Mansfield 1 hr 03.32

Angie Sadler 1hr 11.10

Thanks to Peter Moss from Chippenham Harriers for the Photo's

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‘Ed & Phil’ efforts thwarted by severe cold in the Arctic

Despite determined efforts and individual performances that did provide some genuine personal reward, the extreme conditions prevented ‘Ed & Phil’ from successfully completing the first of three ultra-marathon challenges they have set themselves for 2009 – the 350 miles in 8 days 6633 ultra-marathon inside the Arctic Circle in Canada that they attempted earlier this month. 

‘Ed‘ (Edward Chapman, 54, from Bude in Cornwall) had to retire on day 2 at around 60 miles, suffering from several nasty frostbite injuries and hypothermia incurred on the awesome Wrights Pass in the Yukon, where winds were in the region of 60 miles an hour in temperatures around -40 degrees plus wind-chill. ‘Phil’ (Phillip Howells, 61, from Ledbury in Herefordshire and a member of Tewkesbury Athletic Club), withdrew on day 4 at the 130 miles point after also succumbing to hypothermia which meant it was not safe or possible to continue further. Both pay tribute to the professionalism and care to safety of the competitors by organisers Likeys.com and their medical support crews, and for their excellent back-up throughout the event.

Despite the disappointment, both nevertheless gained some satisfaction from knowing that they had given of their best, retiring in circumstances really beyond their control and in the context of such fearsomely cold and demanding conditions that of the original 9 starters, 4 had already withdrawn from the event before the first 46 mile checkpoint. Only 4 competitors reached the 120 mile intermediate checkpoint, and only 2, one of these being Phillip and the other the only person to finish the event (34 year-old Chris Todd, an aeronautical engineer from near Devizes), were able to continue past this point.  Phillip is also the only person over 60 who has so far ever attempted either race distance (apparently being seen as an ‘Elder’ by the small community at the 120 mile finish point, who could not understand how anyone, never mind an Elder, would want to attempt to race in the area – a good point, most would no doubt agree?).

This is surely one of the toughest tests of determination and mental strength that endurance athletes could aspire to, witnessed by the fact that only 6 people in the 3 year history of the event have so far made it to the 350 mile finish. Both Edward and Phillip are in agreement that they had an amazing, extremely demanding, but life-shaping experience. The fearsome cold has to be felt to be believed, it is not possible to describe it. After only a few seconds the cold bites through to the bone if you are not properly dressed; there is no margin for error or not getting everything right first time in this environment.

It was -40 degrees C when the race started and it got to -44C a little later. It is a constant battle to keep hands and everything else warm and to ensure your face is protected, and even to see where you are going (the compulsory goggles were almost permanently frozen over with little or no visibility much of the time). It took the first 40 miles or so and somewhat desperate efforts to learn how to cope with it all, during which time there was at least the distraction of the awesome and beautiful Northern Lights to watch in almost disbelief at their amazing colours and movement (when goggles allowed!).

Despite the detailed rehearsals, it quickly became clear that no amount of preparation can get you ready for the brutal cold reality, although both runners’ systems and organisation thankfully worked well enough for them to just manage to get through the initial baptism of cold.

After 23 miles there was the brief opportunity for photographs at the crossing of the Arctic Circle (from which the 6633 ultra name derives – the point is at 66 degrees 33 minutes of latitude) where Phillip also got a photograph of him wearing his Tewkesbury AC vest in what is surely a club first (although not taken wearing shorts or short sleeves at the time!!).

After retiring, both were able to travel with the support crew in vehicles to eventually reach (and walk upon) the famous Ice Road and reach the finish point on the Arctic Ocean at the remote Tuktoyatuk hamlet.

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Draycote Water 5 Mile

Whilst visiting relatives to celebrate his Great Nephew Ashley's 21st birthday, Mike Ward with Ashley ran the Draycote Water 5 Mile (Rugby AC). This one circuit around a resevoir is well known to our Ulra specialists! Mike's time was 41min. Ashley who was competing in his first race did a comendable 32min (he does boxing and is hoping to go in the Royal Marines).
Draycote is a great venue with a traffic free road, but not for PBs. Ultra's, marathon and halfs are held every March.

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Angie wins Silver at the Celtic 100k

A sunny and cool day greeted competitors at the Celtic 100k road race, which took place in Galway, Ireland on 28 March.

The 100km (62.1 miles) road race incorporated the 2009 Anglo Celtic Plate competition between the home nations of Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. Making her debut for England was Tewkesbury Athletic Club’s Angie Sadler and running a fifth time for Wales was Gloucester Athletic Club’s Jeremy Mower.

This was Angie’s first 100km and based on times in shorter races was not one of the pre-race favourites despite having completed the Comrades Marathon (54 miles) in less than 8 hours on two previous occasions. Sadler ran the first 10km with her England colleagues Heather Foundling-Walker and Charlotte Finch.

At 20km she was placed 5th in the women’s race and leading the field was one of the world’s top ultra-runners Margrethe Logavken from Norway. Now ultra running is an interesting game as not only incredible endurance is required, there is huge mental toughness and race tactics. A month before Sadler had a conversation with Mower and told him she would run her own race and let things unfold in front of her.

At 26km Logavken pulled up with injury and Sadler lapped Mower at 46km on the 2km loop course, taking time to have a brief conversation with her fellow county athlete. Mower was suffering with a bad lower back as a result of not recovering from winning the Welsh championship three weeks earlier.

Although Finch was going at great speed ahead of Sadler she did not look comfortable and certainly was working hard early on in the race. At 50km Finch suddenly pulled out and Sadler moved into third place overall. The second half of the race is always toughest and as muscles and ligaments can tighten and your stride length reduce. Sadler passed the half way mark in 3:56:25 and with her efficient running style which was commented on by those racing and watching was able to run the final 50km in 4:28:22.

Angie finished in 8:25:47 comfortably taking third place in the women’s overall and the Anglo-Celtic Plate. Her third place ensured England were again winners of the women’s Anglo-Celtic Plate team prize.

As the race winner Sandra Bowers was from Ireland Angie took home second place in the UK Championship and also won the prestigious Road Runners Trophy a club that most ultra-runners are a member of. Angie who will be 50 in July had gone into the race as back up to the other England runners and has now come out of it as a UK silver medalist and deserves all the respect for such a tremendous achievement.

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Pembroke Marathon

Tewkesbury AC's emerging star of distance running Michelle Laws has, for the second time this year, produced an awesome performance in one of the tough multi-terrain costal marathons. The Cheltenham based starlet crushed the competition over the demanding Pembroke Marathon course. The challenge featured numerous steep accents and flying descents throughout the 26 mile coastal pathway. Such was the measure of her performance, Laws finished in 6th place overall with an incredible 15 minute lead over the 2nd place woman. Laws is in the form of her life and after crossing the Pembrokeshire finish line in 3 hours 51 minutes, she's keen to search out another wild course to tame.

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LEAMINGTON  XC, 28TH MARCH      

The final cross country league fixture took place with nine members of the club travelling to Leamington to represent the club.
For various reasons the ladies couldn’t muster a team, which left Michelle and Carol the chance to run without any pressure and enjoy their debuts at this course. Our very own Pocket Rocket only just got to the start before the runners set off.
Both ladies found the course to their liking with Michelle hardly breaking a sweat as she crossed the finish line in 4th place. Not far behind was Carol whose marathon training put her in good shape for this race as she came home in 16th place.
The seven men from the club set off and the pattern of the race was soon set up. Jon was the club’s leading man, with Brad next with a large enough gap from the others from the club not to be threatened. The most interesting battle came between Ian, Nigel and Mungo. Ian had the advantage over the other two on the first lap but came a cropper at the stream crossing where he took a tumble and never got back on terms with them. Nigel and Mungo kept swapping places with each other throughout the race and even with the final 100m to go it was still hard to know which one would cross the line first. But the ever youthful Nigel dug deep to out sprint Mungo.
Paul had a steady run and was pleased with his efforts, while Phil returned from his Arctic exploits to race in this event and as the race progressed he got stronger as each lap went by.
.
LADIES.  34 FINISHED
4th   Michelle Laws  32:24
16th Carol Cowley    36:21

MEN.  77 FINISHED
14TH  Jon Mansfield     41:45
34th   Bradley Crouch  45:43
39th   Nigel Tillot          47:14
40th   Mungo Park       47: 15
44th   Ian Hughes         48:08
49th   Paul Mason       49:56
72nd  Phil Howells       58:27

As for me (Rob), the cross country secretary, I went a long to cheer the guys and gals on. I must admit I could get used to this role of supporting the runners on and enjoying the cake afterwards. Well it is hard work cheering them on!!  
The xc season has now been completed so it gives you all a rest from me nagging you all to turn out, but the season will soon be here again and for you to receive my pleas to support the cross country races.
Have a good rest and clean your shoes ready for October.
Rob                                                               

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Dan does the Rhayader 20

Hilly but nice marathon training finished in 2:42:42, the hill between 3 and 6 miles was interesting.......

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Wes Picking up the Pace

News has come through that our former Tewkesbury Rugby club star Wesley Reid has had a successful racing weekend; not only did the returning runner break into Saturdays top 50 finishers at the "Grocery Four", he also recorded a personal best (39.53 mins) by breaking the 40 minute barrier for a 4 mile event. In a highly competitive race, featuring a group of the talented 'Birchfield Harriers', Reid's form is developing in time for his annual challenge - the local Tewkesbury 1/2 Marathon on May 10th

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Bath Half-Marathon

Bath's popular spring event witnessed a couple of stellar runs from Tewkesbury AC. In-form Paul Lockyer flew around the 13.1m course in 1.25hr while Roddy Gosden followed-up his great performance at Bourton-on-the-water by crossing the line in 1.32hr
New father Leigh Bichard managed to escape his duties to time well at 1.43hr

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Forest of Dean Trails Half-Marathon

Fabulous conditions in the Forest of Dean for this year's off-road race. A real healthy turn-out from Tewkesbury amongst the near 1,400 starters. Performances and experiances were varied throughout the club, probably the most outstanding was Nick Matthews who broke his personal best for the 1/2m distance and a storming run from in-form Ed Bishop.

16th Jon Mansfield 1 hour 22 minutes.
37th Rob Knight 1.25
102nd Ed Bishops 1.31
108th Nigel Tillott 1.31
182nd Dan Webb 1.35
230th Ian Baker 1.38
246th Barry O'Driscoll 1.38
299th Stuart Buchan 1.41
365th Cathy Dudfield 1.44
366th Stuart Dudfield 1.44
468th Nick Matthews 1.47
495th Roy Northcott 1.48
903rd Ali Parker 2.02

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2009 Gloucestershire Road Race Relays.

This year's Road Relays saw a huge show from local clubs and Tewkesbury AC competed with four teams. The championship's, staged over the Sandhurst course, always offer exciting action. With Tewkesbury being the smallest club in the county it's usually a tough challenge for medals. However, the club Captain's Jon Mansfield and Elly Smith masterly assembled a veteran ladies team to take on all-comers; talented but inexperienced Suzanne Tharme was teamed with Debbie Lee and the brilliant Angie Sadler in what be came an unbeatable veteran women's team to claim glorious Gold Medals.
Tewkesbury's three other teams put on a good show and pushed Gloucester & Severn AC's hard but didn't quite reach the podium. Nonetheless, Mungo Park and Mike Ward topped their respective individual age categories.
Official placings and timings to follow once they are released.

They are now here:

Jon Mansfield 18.02
Mungo Park 19.55
Angie Sadler 20.12
Paul Mason 20.33
Mike Ward 25.08
Barry O'Driscoll 20.47
Stuart Buchan 21.03
Tim Shattock 21.48 (apparently! - prob 19.48?)
Steve Wiggall 22.09
Debbie Lee 22.27
Suzanne Tharne 23.16
Jackie Arnett 23.30 (estimate)
Nikki Webb 27.00
Chloe Mason 29.10

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Ross-on-Wye Ultra

A new Ultra-distance event took place at Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire. 30 miles along the banks of the River Wye and Tewkesbury duo of Angie Sadler and Michelle Laws took great pleasure making the podium as 2nd and third ladies respectively after some fine running.

Angie Sadler 4 hrs 10 minutes
Michelle Laws 4 hrs 11 mins

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Shakespeare Raceway 10k - 7th March

Four members travelled to the neighbouring county of Warwickshire to participate in the inaugural running of the Shakespeare Raceway 10k.
The event took place on the old Long Marston airfield in windy conditions which all four runners found hard, making their times slower than they expected.
At the off Rob got away from Carol and remained ahead of her until about the 6k mark. From here Carol had a slender lead which she increased after the 8k point to eventually beat Rob by 23 seconds.
Both Sally and Wes completed the race with Sally dipping below the hour whereas Wes was just over.

Carol Cowley   46.30

Rob Jordan     46.53

Sally Jordan    58.22

Wes Reid        65 approx.

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Gloucester 20

Gloucester's annual 20 mile race sold-out with over 500 entrants as distance runners wished to test their fitness levels before their spring marathon events. Tewkesbury AC had seven runners on the start line before enduring some freak weather with high winds and stinging rain. Top performances were split between Paul Lockyer, Mungo Park, Dan Webb and with her longest run for years, Debbie Lee.

29th Jon Mansfield  2 hrs 14 minutes
34th Paul Lockyer  2.16
93rd Nigel Tillott  2.28
144th Mungo Park  2.35
158th Dan Webb  2.36
248th Debbie Lee  2.49
281st Stuart Buchan  2.52

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Winter Five Mile - "White Horse" - Sandhurst 28/02/09

Four Tewkesbury runners ran in Severn AC's annual 5 mile event. The highlight being the racing debut's of both Tom and Clare Bayley, both of whom performed much better than expected with Clare only just returning to running after a recent accident. Rob Jordan and Jon Mansfield also raced and lost out in sprint finishes against the fairer sex!

Jon Mansfield 29.04 minutes
Rob Jordan 36.08
Tom Bayley 39.17
Clare Bayley 40.14

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Chilly Duathlon - Castle Combe (Wilts) 01/03/09

Three athletes from Tewkesbury took an active part in this years 'Chilly' Duathlon, comprising of a 2 mile run before 10 miles of cycling around the race track and completing with another 2 mile run.
Chris McMahon impressed the most with a tremendous effort. Despite missing parts of his bike and almost missing the starting pistol, he pushed club mate and current South-West Duathlon champion Jon Mansfield all the way. On this occasion Mansfield took the honors, however, McMahon's storming finish is an indication of his intentions for 2009. Steve Darnell, racing for the second time in seven days, showed zero signs of tiredness as he completed the course with ease.

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Draycote Water 35

Gloucestershire's very own British Masters Marathon Champion Angie Sadler ran for Tewkesbury AC in the popular "Draycote Water 35" 35 mile race running around the Draycote Reservoir in Warwickshire. Sadler finished the course in 4 hours 34 minutes , which is roughly the same time from when she last ran the course in 2007, as third place lady and first place veteran lady.

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Weston Tough Ten

There was no time for donkey rides or sancastle building as Carol, Debbie and Rob travelled down to Weston for this new experience for the ladies. There should have been a fourth member joining in the fun at the seaside but Brad dropped out on the morning of the race due to sore legs.
A delay on the motorway hampered the runner's pre-race warm ups but they were soon into their strides as the race started. Rob got ahead of the two ladies and even overtook former club member Mike Reep for a while.
All three runners found the climb through the wood testing and at just over half way Debbie's strength saw her pass Rob and surge away. On the second circuit it was Carol's turn to pass Rob as they began the climb for the second time, and that was how the position's remained.

Debbie Lee    1hr 17
Carol Cowley 1hr 19
Rob Jordan    1hr 21

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Bourton-on-the-Water 10Km - 22nd February
                                                                           
Bourton's 10km road race never fails to produce exciting news for the Tewkesbury AC press office. The 2009 event lived up to expectation with some colourful exploits.

Great performances came in the shape of Dan Webb and Roddy Gosden. Both athletes returning to terrific form after months of lower limb injuries. Webb impressed as he powered away from in-form club mate Ed Bishop, that was a surprise however, a bigger surprise was Webb crossing the line well within 40 minutes. Gosden, a triathlete, showed no signs of his old achilles woes as he sprinted through the finishing gate like a wild horse.

Tewkesbury's experienced veteran pair of Mike Ward and Neville Simpson gave their normal determined runs with the later picking-up a concerning mid-race injury. Alistair Parker had an enjoyable run as he builds for longer distances while smooth runners Paul Mason and Steve Darnell both ran a good race.

Stuart Buchan and late entry Jon Mansfield are regulars in the Cotswold town and, as always, enjoyed their runs with respectable finishing times but would have liked to have been a little swifter - Mansfield especially as he was truly humbled!

35:31 Jon Mansfield
38:38 Roddy Gosden
39:27 Daniel Webb
40:05 Ed Bishop
42:07 Stuart Buchan
42:01 Steve Darnell
42:47 Paul Mason
45:42 Alistair Parker
46:11 Neville Simpson
51:26 Mike Ward

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Wyre Forest 'Runaround' 8.5 mile

Rob Knight stormed home to success at the Wyre Forest 'Runaround' 8.5 mile race in the Wyre Forest on Sunday Feb 15th, organised by Amazing Feet Running Club, based in Kidderminster.

Rob had his 45th birthday last Wednesday (Feb 11th) and so this was his first run as an MV45 athlete.

The testing course took both himself and Ed Bishop through the heart of the Forest up and down undulating trail paths and along very muddy banks of streams. It was a great event and well worth considering as a target for a team next year. 306 runners finished and Rob finished 10th overall and was the first MV45 home in a time of 58.17. Ed followed in a time of 1.01.13 and finished 28th.

Rob received a trophy and a bottle of bubbly for his achievement, a good time was certainly had by all.

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Special Announcement

Phillip Howells is off to the frozen north of Canada (Yukon and North West Territories) on 7th March to take part in the Arctic Circle 6633 ultra with friend and business partner Edward Chapman. The 6633 event is a 350 mile - 8 Day ultra in the Arctic Circle to temperatures of -40C !!!!!!!!! following on from that Ed & Phil are planning a trip to the Augrabies Extreme Marathon which is a mere 150 miles in 6 days in the Kalahari Desert to temperatures of +40C.

If you would like to support Ed & Phil in this adventure, they are raising funds for the charity 'COCO – Comrades of Children Overseas', details of these events can be found at Ed & Phils website 'www.minus2plus40.com' and support can be given at 'www.justgiving.com/minus2plus40'.

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Punchbowl 'Marathon' Sunday 8th February

Angie and Phil did the 30 miles Punchbowl marathon in Surrey, a LDWA event that attracts lots of runners and is noteworthy for including a circuit around the rim of the famous ‘Devils Punchbowl’ scenic attraction. It was mainly off-road and quite tough with much of the route still covered in 2-3 inches of snow with lots of ice to be wary off. It was a lovely sunny day though, so it was stunning scenery and a beautiful event to take part in. There time was 6hrs 17mins.

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May Hill Massacre

A sell-out field lined-up for the start of the third staging of the infamous May Hill Massacre off-road race. Three athletes from Tewkesbury were up for the test and a what a test it was too! Although the challenge was hilly the real test was the mud. Throughout large sections of the course recent forestry work had turned over fresh mud entangled with Conifer branches. Avoiding the deepest mud meant wading through ankle deep water. With over 500 runners starting and just 469 crossing the finish line, the course had taken it's toll. Fortunately for some, they were assured of a soft landing, others were less fortunate - Tewkesbury's Debbie Lee took a bad fall and dropped off the track, pumped with adrenaline she pushed on to cross the finish before a lengthy spell in the First-Aid tent.
Surprisingly, Lee recorded an out standing time of 1hr 22 minutes to take 181st place. Rightfully pleased with her performance she's now out of action until further notice.
Competing over the nine mile course for the third year running, Bradley Crouch was no stranger to what May Hill had to offer. Crouch, an established tough event specialist enjoyed most of the course but his new racing shoes rebelled as Crouch ended his run with blisters. His time of 1hr 7 minutes gave him 36th place.
New shoes were also christened by Club Captain Jon Mansfield. Struggling during the early accents, Mansfield made up for lost time with some rapid descending and general desperation to reach the finish. His time of 1hr 2 minutes gave him 11th place and 1st place Vet. Handsomely rewarded for his efforts during the presentation as several onlookers questioned the authenticity of his veteran status!

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Gloucester 50km

Angie Sadler and Phillip Howells featured at this years Gloucester 50km race. The event took place alongside the Gloucester Marathon over the undulating Epney course through country lanes.

Sadler's day was special even before she started as this event was her 50th Marathon (or further) and boosted with that milestone she raced perfectly as she dipped under her target time of 4 hours and earned her place on the GB team for the forthcoming championship in March. Sadler finished runner-up in the female field in 3hrs 50 minutes.

Howells, on the other hand, didn't have one of his better days - known for setting himself high standards, his finishing time of 4.37hrs was off his target. Nevertheless a fantastic achievement and needless to say, Howells will be looking to slice off 15 minutes off his next 50km challenge.

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Linda Franks Race

A bumper show of Tewkesbury runners turned-out in support of Cheltenham "Almost Athletes" popular charity run on Sunday. The annual race, now in it's 15th year, increased in size for 2009 as it forms part of the Gloucestershire Road Race Series for the first time and, as always, is a key event in Tewkesbury AC's Championship race series.

The day witnessed improved performances from most of Tewkesbury's runners and significant first outings for Stuart Hollyoak, Chloe Mason, Steve Anderson and taking on his first ever race Kevin Emmerson.
Only joining the club this month, Hollyoak and Anderson showed their previous race experience with solid runs. While it was different story for young novice Chloe Mason, only deciding to switch from the two mile race up to the 4.2 mile race on the day, she showed determination and real ambition as she completed the distance strongly. The club's other novice showed that age is immaterial - 58yr old Emmerson set-out in his first race and experienced a plethora of different emotions, most importantly, post-race he was clearly overjoyed with his new found passion.

Inside the top 50 finishers, Tewkesbury placed nine times with noticeable fine efforts from Ed Bishop and Mungo Park. Paul Mason, who crossed the line in 42nd finally got the better of County Champion Carol Cowley. As did Steve Wiggall as he continues to show signs of good form. However, Cowley did win her familiar three-way battle with Rob Jordan and Debbie Lee. She made sure she had a 15 second cushion ahead of drama behind; Jordan, who twinged his calf muscle during the first mile, had to dig deep to hold off the sprinting challenge from Debbie Lee.

There was determination on display throughout club and perhaps more so towards the tail end of the race as Social Sectary Katrina Stephens gave Vice-Captain Elly Smith a testing race. With both girls developing their speed and technique over the last few months, the final stages took its toll but with the finish in sight, the pair broke and Smith took the finish just ahead of Stephens.

In the two mile fun-run event, Chris Tillott, Lisle Buchan and Christine Wiggall all had memorable times with Master Tillott in the prizes!

9th Jon Mansfield 24.17 minutes
17th Nigel Tillott 26.28
25th Ed Bishop 27.30
26th Mungo Park 27.40
28th Dan Webb 27.59
32nd Steve Anderson 28.17
40th Stuart Buchan 28.58
42nd Paul Mason 29.07
49th Stuart Hollyoak 29.56
55th Steve Wiggall 30.28
58th Carol Cowley 30.44
59th Rob Jordan 30.59
60th Debbie Lee 31.01
93rd Mike Ward 35.06
96th Kevin Emmerson 35.47
111th Sally Jordan 38.28
121st Chloe Mason 40.52
134th Elly Smith 47.10
135th Katrina Stephens 48.28

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ENDURANCE LIFE PORTLAND BILL COASTAL MARATHON - 24th January 2009

Tewkesbury AC was represented by Marathon regulars Michelle Laws and Ian Hughes at the Endurance Life Coastal Trail Marathon at Portland Bill in Dorset.

Another scenic route on a glorious sunny day taking in 2 laps of Portland Bill which included the usual traits of these types of Marathons, mud, treacherous footing and sheer drops to the crashing waves below and although not quite as hilly as the previous Marathons have been in this series, the 3 miles of pebble beach more than made up for lack of steep ascents.

Laws ran an extremely strong and tactful race and although was pursued closely by the 2nd Lady through most of the course, managed to draw on her reserves and pulled away at about the 22-mile point completing her 1st Marathon win.

Hughes had a good run and although missing the start managed to catch up and ran a strong 1st lap, fading slightly in the 2nd lap but managed to finish strongly.

Adrian again was extremely supportive doing a fantastic job of carrying provisions and clothing and also capturing the day’s events on camera.

These events are a tough but rewarding challenge along some of the UK’s outstanding coastlines.  Each has a 10k, ½ Marathon and Marathon to choose from and there are 4 more left in the series, Devon being the next on 21.02.2009 although they are being booked up very quickly, so book early and don’t miss out.

If anyone is interested in coming along, have a look at their website (www.endurancelife.com) and if you have any questions you can email Ian Hughes on ihughes58@aol.com who will be more than happy to answer any questions.

Michelle Laws             4:14 1st Lady (13th Overall)
Ian Hughes                  5:03 59th

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Stratford "Not the Roman IX"

Those fortunate enough to gain an entry in the sold-out "Not the Roman IX" race in Warwickshire included six runners from Tewkesbury AC. The Tewkesbury six all collected 'Club Championship points as they covered the 12km and crossed the finish line. This year, the club was lead by Cheltenham school teacher Ed Bishop who looks to be another promising new recruit for the club.

50.44 minutes Ed Bishop
51.44 Stuart Dudfield
53.53 Paul Mason
53.58 Dan Webb
56.01 Cathy Dudfield
1:04.45 Mike Ward

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Tewkesbury Aquathon Race No1

Perhaps the most anticipated moment of the weekend was Carol Cowley's first attempt at multisport. The talented 57 year old Tewks AC runner is known for doing what she sets out to do and this Aquathon consisting of a 400m swim and 5km off-road run was not exception. Cowley, by all means the genuine novice, raced with sensible caution as she swam through in eleven minutes before blazing the run discipline to finish in 36.01 minutes. This gave the Bredon star 29th on the finishing order and an impressive 4th place female.

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18th January - Riverbank Rollick

Having failed to get in the race at Stratford Rob and Debbie travelled south to Thornbury to tackle the Riverbank Rollick.
Neither runner had previously ran this 8.7mile course, so it was going to be a test of stamina, especially with the overnight rain making conditions even more muddier.
With the narrow start along flooded lanes, both runners picked their way through the field. Rob managed to open up a gap over Debbie, who during the first couple of miles slipped over cutting her knee.(see photo).
Once out on the riverbank the wind was directly in the face of the runners and it was Rob's turn to lose his footing as he tried to avoid the muddier part of the course.
As the race progressed through even deeper mud, Rob's lead began to shrink as Debbie pushed on and as she passed him she asked him why he was walking?
His reply was,'I'm knackered'.
There was less than a mile to go and the slippery course took ut's toll on some runners as they found themselves on their backsides slidding down the wet grass.
Fortunately our two runners were able to stay upright and with a section just before the finish going through a stream, there was a chance to wash their shoes.
Debbie crossed the line two places and 4 seconds ahead of her club mate.
Despite the course being tough, both runners found it enjoyable and for those that like mud it's a race not to be missed.

Debbie Lee 1hr 24.09
Rob Jordan 1hr 24.13

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10th January - Tewkesbury AC host the Glos XC Champs

A Nice Cold Day was had by all.

Pete Strayed a little too far from his post for my liking (I'm waiting for the GF5 for him to get his own back)

Ian is defrosting by a fire somewhere.

Rob is still telling the ladies how to set up a funnel system.

Good Times.

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Gloucester NYD 10 miles.

A frosty, freezing morning meant that the 350 entrants for this years Gloucester AC 10 mile were keen to get it over and done with as quick as possible.. Tewkesbury AC had eight runners in the race with the most impressive performances produced by Nigel Tillott and Mungo Park. Ed Bishop and Stuart Buchan had strong runs timing just outside 70 minutes, while the club's only female runner, Debbie Lee had a successful run albeit not her fastest 10 miles.

20th Jon Mansfield 1.02 hr
59th Nigel Tillott 1.06
85th Mungo Park 1.08
113th Ed Bishop 1.12
120th Stuart Buchan 1.12
158th Barry O'Driscoll 1.15
185th Debbie Lee 1.17
193rd Paul Mason 1.17

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Hereford NYD 10km.

Over an undulating course, Tewkesbury AC's Chris McMahon finished 74th from a strong field in 43 minutes. McMahon's race started well and his first 3km went by in under 12 minutes but the ill-effects of a pre-race cup of tea meant the young triathlete had to ease his efforts.

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Gloucestershire Cross-Country Relay Championships.

Staged at Plock Court, Gloucester, this years races failed to live up to previous years for Tewkesbury; unable to field a women's team, TAC concentration their efforts on a single men's team but a late withdrawal left the club with just three runners to make the team of four. A 'guest'
runner made-up the team and with Dan Webb, Tim Shattock and Jon Mansfield went on to finished 4th overall. Had the 'Guest' runner been a TAC member then the four would have won Silver in the Gloucestershire Championship.
One of the highlights from the day was the successful first post - knee operation run for Dan Webb.

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