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Brecons Sleepwalker

Not content with running up the side of mountains two Tewkesbury AC athletes took on the Sleepwalker race in the Brecons on Saturday.  Hardly a sleepwalk as this full on race consists of a 20 mile self navigation race starting in pitch darkness at 6pm with a total ascent of over 2700 feet.  Torrential rain and gale force gusts of upto 45mph on the moors added to the fear, sorry excitement. First home was David Lane in 24th place in 3.34 hrs with a recovering from injury Chris Walsh in 86th place in 4.31 hrs.

110 entrants and the event was won in a time of 2.43 hrs.

http://www.fieldandrurallife.tv/home/viewvideo/261/showsevents/sleepwalker-night-race-2011.html

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Benidorm ½ Marathon

The Costa Blanca was the venue for Caroline Thomas to race her first Half Marathon; the Tewkesbury AC runner, who had her first taste of road racing in Staverton’s Runway 10km six days prior, had Jon Mansfield for company in the lively resort of Benidorm.

As well as meeting-up with several other UK running clubs, Cheltenham’s “Almost Athletes” were in town, not only for the race, but to also savour the glorious weather and the legendary nightlife. It wasn’t until the day before that the Tewkesbury pair realised that they were to be savouring the nightlife earlier than expected as the 6pm race start meant that sunglasses were excessive and carrots would be for lunch!
Despite protests from Mansfield, the race warm-up more or less consisted of six hours sunbathing on the beach – this was a prerequisite that Thomas had insisted before even entertaining the thought of any running.

Both runners had dedicated 4-6 weeks of specific training ready for the 13.1 challenge and confidence was high. Mansfield was particular with how his race would unwind but from the start it became tangled – arriving with insufficient time, he had to start back within the masses and he was soon to pick-up on the lack of etiquette to be found in European events. Nevertheless, after five miles of ducking and diving he caught sight of the illuminated cyclist accompany the third placed female and by the tenth mile he had joined the second place lady. With a scattering of fellow Brits still in front, it was all too little too late for the veteran triathlete as the course took it’s toll and although the spectator support was dense, he struggled to finish strong enough and had to settle with an official finish time of 81 mins and 12 seconds.

In contrast, Thomas showed no novice traits – her race was a resounding success... as the night sky filled with fireworks at the sound of the gun, she soon found herself in the good company of “Almost Athletes” Karen Galpin. Thomas was unaware the Cheltenham runner had ran a 3.26 Marathon this Autumn and obliviously ran the first ten miles together. Having not run further than 12 miles before, she became the brightest star on the night with a galloping effort to cross the spectacular finish line in 98 minutes – Tewkesbury’s best women's 1/2m of the year. Whether it was the adrenaline or euphoria, Thomas then raced the two miles back to base and then hit the dance floor (running)!

74th Jon Mansfield 1:21 hr 12 secs (31st V35-44)

617th Caroline Thomas 1:38 hr 51 secs (10th F17-35)

1,800 started.

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Report from Phil Howells

My last marathon/ultra result of the season and my 126th marathon/ultra in total, was the Beacons Ultra 45mls, two tough laps over the Brecon Beacons a week ago. This was my third attempt at finishing this race; I rarely do not finish, but in the last two years I suffered respectively from being ill and then having my back seize up on me with muscle spasms last year (so bad they took me to hospital for a while) so this year it had to be 3rd time lucky! Fortunately it was, and I finished in the respectable time of 10hrs 51mins and 91st place of 125 finishers (with quite a few withdrawals after 1 lap). This was my 23rd marathon or ultra this year (11 marathons and 12 ultras with 3 of those over 40 miles and another 3 of 50 miles or more); not too shoddy a season eh, including a 12 hour PB distance of over 57mls, 3 course PB times, 1st O60 in the Cheltenham Tri, 1st O60 in at least one of the Ultras and 3rd O60 in the season long UK Ultra Championships with a total of 44 races so far and a few more xc races still to come. My OAP season is coming up in 2012 and I am hoping to improve on that 3rd O60 position in the UK Ultra Champs as my main target for the year.

The week before that I stepped down a distance to run with my Step-Daughter Kate, who was running her first half marathon after taking up running a couple of years ago (inspired, she says, by watching me in some marathons, which is great). We agreed months ago that I would run with her to help with the right pace, so she duly completed her run in the Poppy Half in Bexhill on Sea, running the whole way (first time she had run continuously for more than 7.5 miles) for a time of 2 hrs 24mins and so comfortably beating her 2.30 target. Very rewarding and emotional for us both after thinking of my wife, her Mum, who died of cancer 14 years ago, I have attached a great picture of us finishing together – a lovely way for her to celebrate and me to complete my 46th half marathon! (Note the coincidence that our numbers formed a palindrome, amazing eh?)

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Runway 10k

A good turnout for the last KOTR run of the season saw 10% of the field made up of Tewkesbury AC athletes.

Trying to get the last few points avaliable, and training for the upcoming Bendorm Half was Johnny M who finished first for the club in 36:13, next home was Paul Lockyer who broke the 40 min barrier in 39:45, closely followed by Gwyn Williams in a fantastic sub 40 time of 39:55. This was Gwyn's first sub 40, and was done with one shoe trailing laces all the way.....

Club Captain Dan Webb finished 3 mintues further back who just about held of Nigel Tillott who decided to take it easy whilst suffering with a bad back. Shortly after Nigel came Mungo, with another fine run under his belt but still maybe just feeling the effects of a long year and a Marathon not to long ago. Paul Mason had a steady 10K with Fran Osbourne coming home 1 min later and taking 3rd Female overall. The soon to be a 'chuckers girl' Caroline Thomas followed Fran over the line just 6 seconds adrift.

Jude Rodrigues had an absolutley storming run, wiping 5 minutes off his PB and leaving club secretray Steve Wiggall trailing in his wake. Rachel Labdon and Caroline Corbett brought in the contingent for Tewkesbury in some very respectable times to set a bench mark for next season.

Jon Mansfield 00:36:13
Paul Lockyer 00:39:45
Gwyn Williams 00:39:55
Daniel Webb 00:42:30
Nigel Tillot 00:42:54
Mungo Park 00:43:02
Paul Mason 00:43:37
Fran Osborne 00:44:51
Caroline Thomas 00:44:57
Jude Rodrigues 00:49:12
Steve Wiggall 00:49:34
Rachel Labdon 00:51:14
Caroline Corbett 00:56:38

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XC League Match 2

The second Gloucestershire League Cross-Country event took place on the Black Bridge course in Gloucester City.
 
Both Tewkesbury teams were up against a wealth of quality runners from over a 50 mile radius of the shire. On a day which featured favourable weather, it was the club's women who impressed the most. Caroline Thomas, Carol Cowley and Suzanne Tharme all worked hard to keep within three minutes of leading Fran Osborne. Osborne's 6.6km run was strong but she believed the previous nights club training session had taken the spring out of her stride. Finishing one minute behind, Cowley and Thomas ran their now typical side by side race with each having a period leading. It wasn't until the final 200 metres a breakaway happened and it was Thomas who pushed the pace to impress. Tharme finished shortly after and it was absolutely clear that she didn't give 100% - she gave 101%.
Tewkesbury's fairer sex finished 15th from 24 teams - most noticeable was beating Gloucester AC (A team).
 
47th Fran Osborne 30.00 minutes
59th Caroline Thomas 31.03
61st Carol Cowley 31.09
73rd Suzanne Tharme 32.47
 
The Club's men raced over the longer 10.25km lapped course. Only having enough runners to field a vets team, they finished 8th from 16 teams. Jon Mansfield was closely followed by Ed Bishop. XC Captain Rob Jordan had his standard strong race while Phillip Howells made the team - just 6 days after completing the Snowdon Marathon.
 
26th Jon Mansfield 38.40 minutes
69th Ed Bishop 41.33
135th Rob Jordan 48.07
164th Phillip Howells 55.23

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Stroud Half-Marathon

The 30th annual Stroud 1/2m witnessed Carol Cowley flying to a fantastic win in the V60 category. Beating her nearest challenger by five minutes, Cowley showed-off her new race specific shoes (fitted by Gloucester Sports) and timed 1.41 hr to cross the line in 463rd place overall.

Leading the Tewkesbury club amongst a talented field, Simon Waters ran well to record his second sub 80 minute 13.1 mile race is seven days (he ran seven seconds quicker in Cardiff). Some distance behind, Jon Mansfield had a relatively excellent race. Positioned in a heated group he managed to break away and time 1.21 hr.

Nigel Tillott lead a train of strong Tewkesbury runners; his 1.30 finish was just ahead of Paul Lockyer. Established triathletes Roddy Gosden and Stuart Bird were pushed all the way on a windy morning by Club Captain Dan Webb who, like 5th place V60 runner Mungo Park, was running again after a Marathon the previous Sunday.

Gwyn Williams had a fine run trimming over five minutes from his 2011 Cardiff time. Experienced veteran Neville Simpson’s performance was a success finishing under 1.49 hr.

Debatably Tewkesbury’s toughest athlete finished in 1,167th place: Alistair Parker, who has completed the Marathon des Sables or “the toughest foot race on Earth” crossed the Stroud town centre finish line in 2.01 hr.

21st Simon Waters - 1 hr 19 minutes
38th Jon Mansfield - 1.21
160th Nigel Tillott – 1.30
178th Paul Lockyer – 1.31
204th Roddy Gosden - 1.32
217th Stuart Bird – 1.33
227th Daniel Webb – 1.33
315th Mungo Park – 1.37
336th Gwyn Williams – 1.38
463rd Carol Cowley – 1.41
695th Nev Simpson – 1.48
1,167th Ali Parker – 2.01

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Relay good win for TAC

Paul Lockyer, Ed Bishop, Rob Knight, Simon Waters and loan signing Andy Laker came together to run the Nottingham Marathon Relay Challenge.
Lockyer led the team off providing a strong run keeping pace with the illustrious Serpentine Running Club team.
After a smooth change Serpentine edged ahead. However, they had not counted on Ed Bishop’s focused and composed running style which ground down the London club.
They surrendered the lead and after the changeover Tewkesbury released speed merchant Rob Knight. Knight’s power opened up an impressive and unassailable lead. Waters took over and gave a professional account of himself.
After a six year running hiatus Laker didn’t give an inch and led the Tewkesbury club to a unbelievable win on the banks of the River Trent.
They were almost 6 minutes ahead of their closest rivals Serpentine and they also beat the mythical Smurfs.

Pos RaceNo Time Team

1 MR13 02:54:03 Relay Good Team (Tewksbury AC)

2 MR27 02:59:52 Team Serpie

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A report on Tewkesbury AC at the Chester marathon yesterday.

Three Tewkesbury athletes left in the dark (perhaps literally and metaphorically?) at 5.30am on Sunday 9th October for the Chester marathon. Two were as runners in the race, one an experienced marathon runner and one a first-timer and the other, an international long distance runner in her own right, as helper and supporter keeping the motivation going for when she recovers from her recent foot operation and also taking the chance to visit her daughter who lives in Chester.

For rapid half-marathon Steve Anderson, 50, (with a sub 1-30 to his credit) this was his first foray into the ‘mythical’ longer distance and since his preparation had been less than perfect – partly due to the demands of a young baby son! – he had asked Phillip Howells, 64, to run with him in the early miles to help set a steady pace. For Phillip this was simple; unfortunately his pace these days can only be described as ‘easy’ for faster runners to follow! However, it was his 123rd marathon or ultra and his 49th traditional road marathon, so he has lots of experience to call on to ensure Steve would not be going too fast early on! After some pictures for the record taken by fellow long distance runner Angie Sadler (who will be out of running for a few more weeks yet as her foot continues to heal) the race with some 4,000 competitors set off from Chester Racecourse (the oldest in the country apparently) to wind through the historic city streets between ancient Roman walls before heading off into the countryside for a very pretty and rolling course that took part in two countries (England and Wales).

On an ideal cool and cloudy day which threatened rain which never actually materialised – probably due to the strong winds that posed a tough headwind challenge at times - the pair reached halfway in 2-02-40 which was about as planned, but by the 14 mile point Steve was feeling fresh and raring to go! A quick consultation together and both agreed he could up the pace substantially with only 12 miles to go, which is exactly what he did - to such good effect that he finished nearly half an hour ahead of his veteran companion!

Steve finished his first marathon in a very creditable 3-47-22 (chip time), 3-48-58 (gun time) for 724th position and a ‘negative’ split of some 18 minutes – he will never do that again!! Phillip jogged home in 4-14-47 (chip), 4-16-24 (gun) for 1,357th place, with mission accomplished!

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Cotswold Farm Park Relays 08/10/11

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Plock Court Relays 01/10/11

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Arlingham Pass

Always popular with Bank Holiday runners, the Arlingham Pass race covers a pretty country lane course near the banks of the River Severn. Five club members toed the start-line and it was Simon Waters who set the pace for Tewkesbury AC. Waters ran well enough to keep Jon Mansfield at bay and clock a very respectable time. Mansfield trailed 30 seconds behind however he did take the V40 title.

The battle royal took place deeper into the race between Debbie Lee, Carol Cowley and Rob Jordan. These athletes have been shoulder to shoulder this year only on this day Jordan took the glory by some distance. Lee, despite struggling to hold her pace late on, managed to lead Cowley over the line and finish 3rd Female. Both Lee and Cowley were glorious in their respective categories.

5th Simon Waters
7th Jon Mansfield
20th Rob Jordan
22nd Debbie Lee
23rd Carol Cowley

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Angels 10KM

The Angels Beacon 10km event took place on a busy weekend; with the Cheltenham 1/2m taking place on the same day just a few miles North, the target event for Tewkesbury AC runners had to be with the Angels. Taking place at Haresfield, Mike Ward was showing the youngsters just how long they have left in the game - now in his mid seventies, Ward went on to perform another run in great shape. Another timeless athlete, Phillip Howells went one better by cycling from Ledbury to run a fine race before cycling back home! Equally, Jon Mansfield completed the Cotswold Triathlon just 45 minutes before making the start line in the Haresfield village.

Aiming for a good time over the 10km course, Simon Waters finished just outside 37 minutes. He was joined in the top ten by Mansfield, who on the day, claimed the V40 prize.
The club's best performance of the day came from one of the girls. Fran Osborne smashed her personal best 10k time and headed home with her category prize. Enjoying a race long tussle with Mungo Park it wasn't until the later stages that the more established 10km athlete managed to push pass the strong running triathlete. Osborne's run form this year has been outstanding and this is promising news for the Cross-country season.
Rachel Labdon returned to racing after a brief hiatus with an encouraging show. Working hard to stay ahead of Howells, she pushed Carol Cowley and Steve Wiggall over the partly undulating course. Cowley made it a hat-trick of prize winners for Tewkesbury AC by completely dominating her impressive age category.

5th Simon Waters - 37.01 mins
7th Jon Mansfield -37.37
41st Mungo Park - 43.27
44th Fran Osborne - 43.41
55th Steve Wiggall - 46.15
59th Carol Cowley - 46.39
70th Rachel Labdon - 50.09
75th Phillip Howells - 51.22
96th Mike Ward - 58.31

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Race the Train

In the famous "Race the Train" event in Tywyn, Wales, Nigel Tillott was the unluckiest of the 1,000 runners who tried to catch the iconic steam masterpiece. After 14 miles of tough running, Tillott was seconds off the pace as he desperately watched the runner in front become the last person to catch the train. Tillott did take some comfort in clocking his best time (1.48hr) to date over the challenge - next year should be interesting.
Popular husband and wife runners, Gwyn and Anne Williams were there too. Gwyn was just 11 minutes behind Tillott as Anne, who has a knack of completing crazy challenges, finished strongly in 2hrs 31 minutes.

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Try a Tri - Pitville Park

Success for Tewkesbury AC at the 6th annual ‘Tri-in-the-Park’Cheltenham.
Based at Pittville Park, 170 entrants started with a 400m pool swim followed by a 10km off-road cycle and finished with a testing 2.5km run. Tewkesbury had four athletes on show, enough to contest the team prize in addition to individual titles.
Novice Simon Waters was first of the TAC quartet to start. After an excellent swim, Waters dashed through the transition only to realize that he had slipped his footwear on the wrong feet... undeterred he cycled on and to the surprise of spectators, he hit the run without correcting his attire. However, he must have done something correct as he recorded the second fastest run time of the day and still finished his first triathlon in 52nd place.
Phillip Howells and Wes Reid started the race having experienced several triathlons previously and this showed; both men had smooth races with Howells in particular having a strong cycle section which added to his impressive time and 2nd V60 placing. Reid finish just six minutes behind Howells and was soon to praise Cheltenham Triathlon Club for organizing such a fine competition.
The race also featured in the 2011 South West triathlon series and this was an added bonus for Jon Mansfield. Mansfield completed the Tewkesbury team by smashing the course record to take 1st place with minutes to spare.

Tewksbury AC’s team placed an impressive four.

1stJon Mansfield 31.25 minutes
52ndSimon Waters 41.02
117thPhillip Howells 48.03
153rdWesley Reid 55.55

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Cotswold Relay 2011

Tewkesbury Athletic Club made their biggest impression to date in this years Cotswold Way Relay. The famous event, now in it’s 19th year, covers the full 103 miles of the Cotswold Way from Chipping Campden down to Bath Abbey. The course terrain is 90% off-road as the runners follow the Waymarked acorn signs up and down the most glorious parts of the area – extremely tough going in (most) places however, when the time comes to take a‘breather’, spectacular views relieved some of the discomfort!

Teams took on the race in 10 scheduled stages throughout the day. Taking on the challenge for 4th time Tewkesbury’s coordinator Jon Mansfield pulled together three teams -  a first for Tewkesbury.  30 capable runners all set themselves up for what Mansfield describes as ‘the running extravaganza of the year’. The club’s strength in depth meant that the three teams were entered as “Mixed” which required no less than three female runners in each team. In the strongest team, the Prestos, runners were selected to perform to their strengths and by doing so were able to mount a competitive challenge as the fastest team. The second team was named the Vivaces and the third team aptly named the Andantinos.

As it finished, the Prestos not only made the podium in third place but incredibly recording the club’s best ever time by breaking the 14 hour mark! The Vivaces and Andantinos joined the party too with excellent finishing times and more impressively having all runners finish their stages within the ‘cut-off’ times – this proved difficult for several of the 74 teams/740 runners taking part!
The Relay started in Chipping Campden for Stage No1 at 0700hrs. Running for the Prestos, Ed Bishop set-off into the charming early morning dew to reappear just 1.33hrs later for Tewkesbury’s first top ten finish. Bishop, who ran this stage in 2010 was more than happy to finish in an even better time for 2011. Adrian Bull covered the 11.9 miles in 1.42hrs and loved every minute while Roy Northcott displayed his established stamina to end the stage several minutes later. Three splendid performances to start the teams off.
Stage No2 from Stanway House is arguably the toughest challenge of the day – a challenge with not just an odd hillock here and there but long, steep climbs and frightening descents. Although the runners do get a brief respite after passing Belas Knap there’s no escaping the headwind into the finish on top of Cleeve Hill. The club’s best runner was chosen for this; in-form Simon Waters started strongly and looked to be holding a top five placing only for the Cotswolds to consume it’s first victim as the talented Waters suffered with sickness to leave him weakened. At the half-way water station his challenge had been reduced to just making the finish, he did of course and held on for a top twenty placing – by anyone’s standards a good finish but Waters was far from pleased. Dave Lane faired better on the day, his run going exactly to plan as his enjoyed taking on his favoured terrain. The Andantinos had a last-minute replacement flying the flag: Without time to deliberate Anne Williams ran the course with only part knowledge of what to expect. Although inadvertently taking some trails she showed her tenaciousness by ensuring she made the 2.12hr cut-off time with minutes to spare – Williams heroics, climbing 525 meters, made a valid claim for the club’s best performer.
Stage No3 was a little shorter and starting on Cleeve Common the race organizers classed it as an “easier” stage. With this in mind Tewkesbury had three ladies on the start-line. Established Cotswold Way runner Carol Cowley was joined by Amanda Martin and Fiona Nesfield. With Martin only recently returning to competition after three years of injury it was always going to be close over the finish-line at Seven Springs. The three finished with less than four minutes between them with Cowley leading the way. Cowley later said that she ran well and that she needed to as the three were never far apart.
At 1030hrs Stage No4 runners left Seven Springs and faced a daunting task; not only the longest distance, it’s also demanding. Heading out towards Coopers Hill, this course was not for the novice. Exciting James Bingham set-off for the Prestos: Already proving to be a great athlete, there was never any doubt that he would be challenging the leaders. It wasn’t until the very end when the drama unfolded as Bingham appeared but from a different course! Once the time-keepers had realized what had happened he was sent back on the right course and also given a 90 second penalty and that pushed the Presto man back into 8th place. With more course knowledge Dan Webb cut a good time for the Vivaces over the 12.67 mile course. His time showed a healthy improvement on his 2010 mission on the same stage. Barry O’Driscoll had recced the course and was under no illusion that he was not going to use all he had. His 2.00hr finished was excellent.
Just before noon Stage No5 started from Cranham Corner. Tewkesbury’s popular ‘Hash’ runner Bradley Crouch was joined by the experienced Cotswold runner Ian Hughes and multi-sport athlete Chris Walsh. Crouch’s recent good form was evident as he had a great run with Hughes also having a pleasing experience. Cotswold novice Walsh was hot on Hughes’s heels over the 11.74 mile route finishing less than 20 seconds later. The stage win went to Olympian Dan Robinson.
Leaving from Ebley Mill at 1300hrs, Stage No6 was classed as "medium severity". Talented Paul Lockyer had fine company in Gwyn Williams and Chris Yoxall. It was never going to be easy to split the three as their form was evenly matched. The stage was notorious to navigate and that was advantage Lockyer – but the Cotswolds wanted another victim... already consuming Waters for breakfast, on the lunch menu was fellow History teacher Lockyer. Leading the way for Tewkesbury an eye-witness reported seeing “an unrecognizable runner stumbling across Dursley High Street”  however, at that point Lockyer had covered eight miles and the end was nigh. Having made it to the finish in under 80 minutes another eye-witness described the Tewkesbury hero as “delirious”! Two minutes later Yoxall came home. A stellar effort from the lad fresh from his Loughborough exams. Less than a minute later Gwyn Williams followed. Inspired by the news of his wife’s earlier effort Williams made a strong Cotswold debut.
Stage No7 from Dursley was viewed with much excitement. Starting at the bottom of a barely runable climb Caroline Thomas, Suzanne Tharme and Karen Mason did have the shortest distance to cover but had painful climbs in three places, including one so steep a ladder has been built into the bank side. Thomas was out to prove her selection in the Prestos was not favouritism and that Mansfield had opted for her Yorkshire trail running ability rather than her being his fiancée. The end result was good for Thomas as she eclipsed previous Tewkesbury stage times and squeezed inside the female top ten. The Vivaces had in-form Tharme to rely on; her performance was impressive, being the fourth school teacher in the teams, she bettered her result from 2010 by several minutes. With Mason in the Andantinos, her famous knack of completing hard courses was displayed again by excelling with the two before her.
Setting off from Wotton-under-Edge at 1500hrs, Stage No8 went for 12.05 miles. This is offend described as the toughest of the toughest and although the extra ingredient of warm sun was missing, there’s very little respite en route to Old Sodbury. Within the first 10 minutes of the start the teams have nearly 500 feet of climbing to tackle. Team coordinator Jon Mansfield was joined by Paul Mason and Teresa Roberts. This was Mansfield’s fourth attempt on Stage No8 and he can clearly recall two times prior where he considered quitting the sport. However, despite an early start taxiing team runners and then hosting an a stage water-station he was optimistic. His run planned out well as he stuck with the leader over the first five miles before settling for a distant runner-up spot. Mason was to follow less than 20 minutes later. His run was impressive, although missing a path, he stayed strong until the finish. There was never any chance of Roberts not making the cut-off time of 2.12hr. She came smiling down to the finish with 12 minutes to spare.
Leaving Old Sodbury to Cold Ashton, Stage No9 saw Nigel Tillott set-off with Caroline Corbett – some confusion was within the Vivaces as their man Mungo Park had simply vanished and despite efforts, he could not be found. An early conclusion that race nerves had sent the talented architect into hiding was later changed as it transpired that Park had simply got the day wrong and was in unison with his lawn mower as Tillott and Corbett ran on. Both runners excelled with respectively great performance with Tillott just outside the top ten and Corbett, who had a late stage change, surprised her team with a good showing over the 9.2 mile route.
The final Stage descended into Bath before crossing the finish outside Bath Abbey. Described as an 'easier' stage it did have a share of testing terrain. Michelle Laws who ran No10 the previous year flew this year and clocked 78 minutes to seal 3rd place for the Prestos in Tewkesbury’s best Cotswold Way relay time to date. Laws also claimed 4th place female in Bath. Following through the funnel of spectators Vivaces runner, Debbie Lee showed good form as did Mike Younger as the veteran impressed by keeping Lee in his sights and producing a  'piece de resistance' for Tewkesbury.
Tewkesbury Prestos new record of 13.53hrs works out at a pace of around of 8 minutes a mile, which given the nature of the miles, is a fantastic achievement.
The Vivaces time of 16.03 and the Andantinos time of 17.05hrs clearly indicate just how dedicated, capable and hard-working the runners of Gloucestershire’s smallest club are.
Results;
Prestos – 3rd mixed team & 12th overall
Vivaces – 14th & 41st
Andantinos 24th & 58th
74 teams entered.

Stage No1 (19.2km)
8th Ed Bishop 1hr 33 mins 15 secs
29th Adrian Bull 1.42.54
46th Roy Northcott 1.55.56

Stage No2 (19.0km)
19th Simon Waters 1.40.23
30th Dave Lane 1.48.59
60th & 14th female  Anne Williams 2.09.38

Stage No3 (13.2km)
33rd & 11th female Carol Cowley 1.18.03
47th & 19th female Amanda Martin 1.21.36
43rd & 16th female Fiona Nesfield 1.20.15

Stage No4 (20.4km)
8th James Bingham 1.31.54
32nd Daniel Webb 1.48.15
51st Barry O’Driscoll 2.00.09

Stage No5 (18.9km)
19th Bradley Crouch 1.28.30
43rd Ian Hughes 1.41.57
45th Chris Walsh 1.42.14

Stage No6 (14.0km)
17th Paul Lockyer 1.19.06
33rd Gwyn Williams 1.22.13
28th Chris Yoxall 1.21.45

Stage No7 (11.6km)
37th & 9th female Caroline Thomas 1.07.38
47th & 14th female Suzanne Tharme 1.10.29
68th & 25th female Karen Mason 1.28.08

Stage No8 (19.4km)
2nd Jon Mansfield 1.26.06
27th Paul Mason 1.44.54
58th & 14th female Teresa Roberts 2.00.58

Stage No9 (14.8km)
11th Nigel Tillott 1.10.29
N/A Mungo Park Gardening 1.57.00
60th & 21st female Caroline Corbett 1.40.08

Stage No10 (15.7km)
25th & 4th female Michelle Laws 1.18.12
47th & 14th female Debbie Lee 1.25.22
52nd Michael Younger 1.26.44

http://www.cotswoldwayrelay.co.uk/

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Malvern Joggers (Welland) 10Km

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Ridgeway 40

Tewkesbury AC long distrance runner Dave Lane travelled to Wiltshire on the 7th May for the annual Ridgeway 40 mile run. This cross country run takes competitors from Overton Hill, Wiltshire to Streatly in Berkshire via the Ridgeway.
Torrential down pours for the first 2 hours soon turned into hot humid 20 degrees and a head wind to finish.

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TEWKESBURY AC ON TOUR TO THREE COUNTIES

Runners from Tewkesbury Athletic Club represented the club across three counties on Sunday in events varying from four miles to a marathon.

Competing closest to home in Gloucestershire was the team of six who took part in the inaugural Aviator 4 organised by CLC striders. The four mile course starting and finishing at Staverton Airport was promoted as flat and fast but the team was united in its view that the course had its challenging inclines.  The gusty wind, which felt strongest in the finishing straight, added an extra dimension to the challenge.

First home for Tewkesbury was Gwyn Williams who crossed the line in 16th place in a time of 26:41. Behind him for Tewkesbury was Rob Jordan who finished in 28:25. Anne Cowley was first home for the women's team in a time of to take the LV60 title in a time of 30:05.  Three minutes later Karen Mason completed the course in 34:33 and thanks to some very encouraging pace making by Mike Ward. who finished in 35:57, Caroline Corbett crossed the line in 35:43 to complete within her target time of 9 minute miles.

In Worcestershire, Wes Reid and Jude Rodrigues represented Tewkesbury AC at the Gunpowder Plot 10k in the village of Crowle. Intrigued by the title, Wes discovered that the name comes from the fact that the race passes Huddington Court, where the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 was first conceived. After Guy Fawkes' arrest, some of the plotters fled to Crowle to hide but were eventually captured by government forces. The original owners of Huddington Court, brothers Robert & Thomas Wintour, were also in the gang. They were arrested and sent to the Tower of London where they were hung, drawn & quartered!

Jude and Wes fared better in Crowle than the poor Wintour brothers tackling the undulating country roads around the Worcestershire village in the breezy but sunny conditions. A downpour shortly before the start of the race did not dampen our spirits for the 523 strong field. Jude almost came a cropper before he'd even started after he ran into a fellow competitor who for some reason, decided not to start running when the hooter sounded and instead just stand completely still and check his watch! Nevertheless, Jude shook off the collision though and came in first for the Tewkesbury duo in 54:43. Wez wasn't far behind and came in at 1:05:51.

In Warwickshire, three athletes from Tewkesbury took on the Stratford Marathon. After his exploits at the Virgin London Marathon two weeks previously, Paul mason had a nice steady run and completed the course in 3:48.

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Report from Philip Howells

Tewkesbury AC 's oldest long distance runner has enjoyed  a busy few weeks on the marathon and ultra marathon running scene.  Philip who celebrated his 64th birthday last month, has entered the season - long Run Further UK Ultra Running Championships to see if he can win the over 60 category award and in the first of his counting events, the Hardmoors 55 miles along the Cleveland Way in Yorkshire, he was  he finished in an arduous 15 hours  and was 3rd in the over 60 category. 

He was not too disappointed because he is still building up to full fitness after  virus and back problems for much of the second half of 2010 and early 2011 which  affected his ability to cover long distances.  He was pleased to put down a championship marker and at least finish; he is now looking for big improvements in the next events. The rules require at least 4 finishes in 3 distance categories (one ‘short’ ultra up to 35 miles, one ‘mid-distance’ 35-45 miles and one ‘long’ distance over 45 miles and one other in any distance).

He has continued preparation for the next counter, the 33 miles Marlborough Downs Challenge on 14th May by putting in some long distance training runs and a couple more long distance races. First of these was the Crawley Track 12 hour race in which he recorded a personal best distance of 57.40 miles (92.38km, which is nearly 230 laps of the track!) despite a painful calf muscle pull which nearly necessitated withdrawal from the race, so he was very pleased with that result.

Then in company with club mate Angie Sadler, fresh from her recent 100km race representing England, he competed in the Bath Beat 26.7 miles off road event and although still having to nurse the calf injury, he recorded 6hrs 47mins to Angie’s 5hrs 40mins.

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TEWKESBURY AC BLOOMS AT BLAISDON BLUEBELL 1OK

Tewkesbury's in-form athlete Simon Waters led his team with the front at the Blaisdon 10k and stormed home in the final uphill climb to seize second place in the Bank Holiday Monday fixture.

Simon was in third place at the half way point of the challenging, undulating road race organised by Severn AC but he picked up the pace to finish strongly in a time of 37 minutes.

Behind Simon for Tewkesbury was team captain Daniel Webb who sliced 50 seconds off his 2010 time to cross the line in 42:03. Cheered on by his wife and young son in the sunny, windy conditions, Steve Anderson finished just over 60 seconds later and won the the prize for the first V45 outside the top 10.

Mungo Park finished in a time of 44.10 to take the prize for the first V55 outside the first 10 finishers and he was followed two minutes later by Rob Jordan in 46.24. Carol Cowley was the first woman home for Tewkesbury, and third home overall, in 48 minutes and was first in the LV60 category. A minute later was the rapidly improving Rachel Labdon who took the first prize in the LV40 category. Jude Rodrigues and Caroline Corbett ran side by side by the vast majority of the race but, spurred on by the possbility of a PB which he duly achieved, Jude kicked for home and finished in 57:03 compared to Corbett's 57:56. By way of compensation, in a surprise outcome, Corbett scooped the first prize in the LV45 category. 

The team was cheered on throughout by fellow Tewkesbury AC members Fran Osborne and Debbie Lee who had made thetrip to the Forest of Dean village on two wheels. The support was much appreciated and the final the outcome for the day was the team prize for the three-strong women's team of Cowley, Labdon and Corbett.

Simon Waters37.00 2nd overall, 1st SM
Dan Webb 42.03
Steve Anderson 43.00 1st V45
Mungo Park 44.10 1st V55
Rob Jordan 46.24
Kevin Emmerson 52.00
Jude Rodrigues 57.13 PB

Carol Cowley 3rd woman overall and 1st 48.00 LV60
Rachel Labdon 1st 49.00 LV40
Caroline Corbett 56.57 1st LV45

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TEWKESBURY SCOOPS THE BULK OF THE SILVERWARE AT PEOPLETON SCENIC SIX

Five Tewkesbury AC athletes took top honours in their age groups at the 10th staging of the Peopleton Scenic Six.
Leading the charge for the trophies was Jon Mansfield who was second overall in the race in a time of 38:03 and the first V40 home. Just over a minute later Rob Knight was the first in the V45 tofinish the race which started as two miles along country lanes before continuing down a dirt track and into fields for the final four miles.
A fantastic run from Fran Osborne won her the psition of third female overall and title of the first female V45. In a time of 46:38 Debbie Lee won the V40 honours and Carol Cowley was the first female V60 to cross the finish line in 49:26.
Also running for 14-strongTewkesbury team were final year Loughborough University student Chris Yoxall who was the third man home for the club in 41:01, Rob Jordan in 46 minutesand Steve Wiggall in 48:27. In her first run for the club Linda Younger recorded a time of 51:42, the same time as husband Michael.  Four minutes later Sharon Pates crossed the finish line followed by another strong run from Karen Mason in 58:04 slicing four minutes off her 2010 time, Caroline Corbett finished in 59 minutes more than seven minutes faster than last year's race and Jude Rodrigues was last home for Tewkesbury in 65:49.

Results...
2nd  (1st V40) Jon Mansfield 38.03 mins
7th   (1st V45) Rob Knight 39.36
13th Chris Yoxall 41.01
42nd (1st FV45 )  Fran Osborne 44.52
59th Rob Jordan 46.00
70th (1st  FV40)  Debbie Lee 46.38
88th Steve Wiggall 48.27
104th(1st  FV60) Carol Cowley 49.26
126th Michael Younger 51.42
127th Linda Younger 51.42  
 178th Sharon Pates 55.19
201st Karen Mason 58.04
205th Caroline Corbett 59.00
237th Jude Rodrigues 65.49

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News from the Chedworth Roman Trail run…
 
A demanding 10 mile multi-terrain race in scenic Cotswold countryside. Six miles north of Cirencester. The course runs through parts of the Stowell Park Estate, the Coln Valley and close to the well-known Chedworth Roman Villa. The first and last half mile are on road but the remainder is on a mixture of farm trails, footpaths and woodland hills. The river crossing just after half distance made for a classic multi-terrain course.
Simon Waters lead the Tewkesbury AC finishers with a top ten finish - confirming that he’s the athlete to beat in the club. Jon Mansfield followed Waters in an encouraging 12th place but almost two minutes adrift. Mansfield has now been given the all-clear to train again after a troublesome operation four months ago.
In-form VLM (Virgin London Marathon) bound Paul Mason impressed for the second week by overhauling Steve Anderson - neck and neck until the run-in, Mason really is in great shape taking advantage of Anderson's dip in form due to family commitments.
Michelle Laws made a surprise appearance for Tewkesbury and ran a very fine race, even showing Ian Hughes a clean pair a heels!
Carol Cowley and Karen Mason completed the TAC contingent, Cowley holding strong at the finish to keep challenges at bay while Mason completed another demanding race with a smile.
 
10th Simon Waters 1hr 05 mins
12th Jon Mansfield 1.07
58th Paul Mason 1.15
60th Steve Anderson 1.15
77th Michelle Laws 1.16
95th Ian Hughes 1.18
176th Carol Cowley 1.25
283rd Karen Mason 1.40
330 ran

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4k X Country County Championships

Debbie Lee and Fran Osborne sped around the 4k X Country County Championships at Plock Court this afternoon. Well pleased with r times. Fran16.34 winning County Gold V 45 and well up the field. Myself 17.18 PB winning County Silver V40 missing Gold by 6 seconds.

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ANGIE SHINES FOR TEWKESBURY AND ENGLAND

International ultra distance runner and Tewkesbury AC member Angie Sadler ran her fifth race for England when she took competed in the Anglo Celtic Plate Home International Team race in Perth on Saturday.
There was a strong field of athletes from Ireland, Wales and Scotland taking on the 100k distance and Angie completed the race in eight hours 43 minutes. "I was pleased," said Angie. "I paced well and tried to keep eight minute miling and felt I ran a srong race.  That distance certainly tests everybody's ability! It's lovely to run my fifth race in an England vest."

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TEWKESBURY LOG SPLINTERING PERFORMANCES IN THE FOREST

Team Tewkesbury logged a pile of splintering performances in the Forest of Dean Half Marathon on Sunday. First home in his inaugural race for the athletic club was James Bingham in a speedy 1:26:50. Roddy Gosden followed him just two minutes later and the competitive rivalry between Paul Mason and Club Captain Dan Webb took another twist in the ongoing saga when Paul put in a late sprint in the finishing straight to rob Dan of the winning feeling he had been getting used to. Paul finished in 1:34:10 which was 54 seconds faster than his team mate. 

Another new Tewkesbury AC recruit Adrian Bull was next home for the club in 1:38:33 and he was followed less than seven minutes later by the club's oldest competitor in the race Carol Cowley who claimed first place in the FV60 category. In quick succession there was Steve Wiggall, Rachel Labdon and, returning from injury, Michael Younger who all finished in three minutes of one another. Crossing the finishing line in 1:53:46 was Anne Williams, who with Paul Mason, Roddy Gosden and Dan Webb, were pleased with their performances in preparation for one of their 2011 highlights, the challenging Bala Triathlon in June.

The final Tewkesbury new recruit Fiona Nesfield crossed the line in 1:54:09 followed by Gwyn Williams in 1:54:56. Karen Mason ran a spirited race to finish in 2:10:22, knocking a full 17 minutes of her 2010 time in the same event and Caroline Corbett recorded a half marathon PB to finish in 2:10:39 which is a couple of steps in the right direction in her aim of hitting the two hour mark for the Tewkesbury Half Marathon in May.

James Bingham 1:26:50
Roddy Gosden 1:28:22
Paul Mason 1:34:10
Dan Webb 1:35:06
Adrian Bull 1:38:33
Carol Cowley 1:45:06 (first in her FV60 category)
Steve Wiggall 1:49:06
Rachel Labdon 1:51:07
Michael Younger 1:52:03
Anne Williams 1:53:46
Fiona Nesfield 1:54:09
Gwyn Williams 1:54:56
Karen Mason 2:10:22
Caroline Corbett 2:10:39 

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Rhayader 20

Topping up the training for Marathon and other slightly longer runs, Paul Mason, Dan Webb, Angie Sadler ams Michelle Laws, journeyed over to Rhayader for the 'Round the Lakes' 20.

One of the most scenic runs to exist in the british isles, but tough!!!!, at 2 miles you start to climb a hill, at 5 Miles you stop climbing. Webb thought he had broken away from Mason at this point only to find Mason on his shoulder, Webb however pulled away slowly on the descent to build up a nice lead, over the next 10 miles Mason dug in and slowly clawed back the distance to get within 50 meters at the 16 miles mark, Webb noted Mason was closing and tried to kick again, but had very little left in the tank, however this was enough as Mason had even less. Webb crossed the line in 2:37:18, with Mason finishing in 2:40:47.

Just behind Angie Sadler and Michelle, were having a gentle jog (as our lone supported and Tewkesbury un-offical photographer - Adrian stated), Angie is tapering for the Anglo - Celtic Plate next weekend where she represents GB in the 100k. Michelle wished she was somewhere else (Bed?) but still put in a fine performance.

Angie and Michelle croseed the line in 2:45:23.

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Grindleford Gallop

Results from Grindleford Gallop, 21 miles across beautiful Derbyshire Dales & Moorland including the grounds of Chatsworth House,
Paul Mason 3:20:21 88th  David Lane 3:24:47 105th  Gwyn Williams 3:31:07 121st - 333 finishers.

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Gloucester 20

The annual Gloucester 20 had four Tewkesbury Athletes in attendance. The course takes in the villages of Little Haresfield, Haresfield and Colethrop in a three lap route.

The slightly cold and damp conditions quickly turned into beautiful sunny skies which caught a few off guard as layers started to come off.

Leading the Tewkesbury crew was Club Captain Daniel Webb, Webb wanted to have a nice easy run, but this game plan went in the bin after about 1 Mile as he dashed around the course in 2:30 mins knocking 15 Mins off his previous 20 Mile PB.

Next back, and probably the happiest of the four was Anne Williams who was aiming to get under 3 Hours, with 200 meters to go Webb told Anne she had about 1 minute to squeeze under her target time, a sprint was the reply, and she crossed the line in 2:56:44 (Webb had got his sums wrong !!!!) a delighted Anne had the biggest smile as she had taken 5 mins from last years time.

The Dictator Twins (ask them yourselves) came in next in quick succession, Barry O'Driscoll was having a nice easy run with Phillip Howells, but need to stretch the legs at Mile 16 to stop a niggle turning into an injury, he crossed the line in around 03:04, following close behind was Phillip in 03:08 which for him was a little run for the Ultra Athlete.

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Glos 5km (ish) Road Relays

A super turnout of 17 Tewkesbury athletes made up 5 teams for the annual 5km Glos Road Relays, Some excellent performances on a very muggy day, where oxygen was at a premium on the course.

Not sure anyone walked away with a PB, however there were Gold Medal Winners for the Ladies Team 1 in both a confusing Senior Ladies Category and the V45 Category ????? Silver awards went to the Mens V50 Team, and Bronze to the Mens Senior Team 1.

Fran Osbourne also pulled out a stella performance to take the fastest female prize in a time of 22-01, taking home a box of chocolates as well as another box in her part in the V45 Ladies team with Carol Cowley and Angie Sadler.

Rob Knight posted the quickest time for Tewkesbury in a stunning 19:03, not bad as he hasn't raced for nearly a year.

Special thanks to Teresa Roberts who stepped in at the last moment to make sure Tewkesbury could field a second ladies team.

Thanks to all that turned out for the club.

Ladies Senior Team 1 3rd Ladies Vet 45 Winners (open race) 1st Ladies V45 (Country Champs) 1st Senior Ladies (County Champs)
Angie Sadler 20:33
Carol Cowley 22:45
Fran Osbourne 22:01 Fastest Lady V45

Ladies Senior Team 2
Debbie Lee 22:22
Caroline Corbett 27:44
Teresa Roberts 22:40

Men’s V50 2nd Men's V50 (County Champs)
Phillip Howells 25:01
Mungo Park 20:35
Alistair Parker 23:04

Men’s Senior Team 1 3rd Senior Men's (County Champs)
Daniel Webb 20:05
Neil Evans 21:21
Jon Mansfield 19:10
Nigel Tillott 20:17

Men’s Senior Team 2
Rob Jordan 20:59
Henry Jordan 23:43
Rob Knight 19:03
Paul Lockyer 19:35

Lisa Wiles - The newest member of Tewkesbury AC

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Bath Half Marathon

Four intrepid Tewkesbury runners headed off to Bath for the 20th running of the race.
With Nigel Tillott still suffering with an ongoing injury and unable to take his place in the Bath half, Rob Jordan decided to have the number to prepare for the forthcoming Forest half.

With Rob was Paul Lockyer and husaband and wife duo, Anne & Gwyn Williams.
On a chilly morning it took the runners a few minutes to cross the start line after the race began with space to run hard to find as the roads were packed with the amount of runners.
The spectators were out in force cheering on the plodders and a smile was brought to Rob’s face on the first lap when he heard one young spectator shout out “Go on hairy man”.

With the first lap completed it was time to head out for a second time where there was more space to run in.

Paul Lockyer was forst home for Tewkesbury in what must be a pleasing time of 1:28:39.

Gwyn really had a go at smashing the 1:30 barrier and was on course all the way to the nine miles and then the wheels fell of the cart. More 9+ mile training runs required !!!!!

Despite this a PB was still recorded and beat last years Bath time by exactly 2 minutes to record a chip time of 1:32:05.

Anne had a similar experience with things slipping away after mile 9 and finished 1:48:47.

Paul Lockyer 1:28:39
Gwyn Williams 1:32:05
Rob Jordan 1:44:23
Anne Williams 1:48:47

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Winter 5 - Sandhurt

Three club members turned out for the Winter 5 mile race held from the White Horse public house in Sandhurst.
Making her debut was Lisa Wiles whose aims were to record a pb and get below 35mins.
Lisa was joined on the start line with seasoned runners Barry O'Driscoll and Rob Jordan.
At the off Rob tried to set a pace for Lisa to meet her goals, however Rob went away at a pace that Lisa couldn’t cope with. Despite not going with the original plan Lisa ran with Barry and at the start of the second loop still had Rob just about in their sights.
The gap between the runners was maintained to the finish and with some final encouraging words from Barry, Lisa clocked a pb as she put in a final push to chase Rob down.
In only her second 5 mile race and third ever on the road Lisa crossed the line as second female to win a packet of biscuits for her efforts.

Rob Jordan        34.52
Lisa Wiles          35:14
Barry O’Driscoll 35:17

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Bourton 10K

Four runners from Tewkesbury AC's team of 13 scored personal bests (PBs) at the Bourton on the Water 10k race on Sunday.
Gwyn Williams sliced a minute of his previous 10k run to record 40:35, just half a minute outside his target time of 40 minutes which he is determined to crack in 2011. Gwyn's wife Anne beat her PB achieved at the 10K in Cirencester Park last September by one second to finish the flat, fast course in 48:12. Paul Mason recorded his 10k PB in a time of 42:29 and Caroline Corbett squeezed under her target 9 minute mile pace to record a PB and finish time of 55.26.

Additional Tewkesbury AC acheivements at Bourton included a first place in the LV60 category for Carol Cowley who finished in 45:40 and Mungo Park was the first MV55 home for Gloucestershire, and fifth overall, in a time of 42:49. 

Heading the  field for the club at Bourton and finishing 63rd in the field of 464 runners was Roddy Gosden in a time of 38:39  followed by Stuart Bird 10 places further back at 39:21. Steve Anderson was third home for the Tewkesbury just three seconds over the 40 minute mark. Club captain Dan Webb completed the rain soaked course in a time of 42:13 and Steve Wiggall, competing at Bourton for the first time since 2006, finished his incident packed race in 45:32. First he had to avoid being brought down by a runner on his shoulder who fell flat on his face in front of him when he clipped another racer's foot. Then, with just a few yards to to the finish line, a 4x4 pulled out into the course causing Steve to swerve to avoid the car. Finally, with the end in sight, Steve had to take aversive action again when a spectator ran out in front of him.  

Nine minutes behind Steve, and eleventh to cross the finish line for Tewkesbury, was Karen Mason in a time of 54:48 and last home was Jude Rodrigues who claimed he was going to run 9.30 to 10 minute mile pace but, in recording a time of 57:34, did considerably better! 

Roddy Gosden 38: 39  
Stuart Bird 39:21
Steve Anderson 40:03
Gwyn Williams 40:35  PB 
Dan Webb 42:13
Paul Mason 42:29  PB 
Mungo Park 42:49  (5th MV55, 1st Gloucestershire MV55) 
Steve Wiggall 45:32
Carol Cowley 45:40 (1/LV60)
Anne Williams 48:12  PB 
Karen Mason  54:48
Caroline Corbett 55:26  PB 
Jude Rodrigues 57:34

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Weston Tough Ten

Bothe races were cold and wet and orrible (with a capital 'O')

At Weston the runners lined up on the Sand with the wind howling and the rain pouring, oh what fun it was......., then the hooter went, and we forgot all that misery (nearly) and set off down the beach, under the pier (twice) before heading out on the coastal road before hitting the water looged wooded sections.

At the front Simon and Chris set the early pace with Johhny M close behind, this is how it remained till the finish line. Some way back Steve Anderson was being pursuited by Captain Dan Webb, who at the start of the race, was trying to write in his head a shocking report of how XC Secretary Rob Jordan had won at Weston, fortunatley for Webb, Jordan had gone off to fast (again) and was picked off by Mungo Park as well. 6 minutes back, Carol Cowley looked strong as she finished 4 minutes ahead of Mike Younger, and newset member of the club Linda Younger (welcome Linda); Mike has been out with Injury for some time, so was great to see him finish well.

Bringing up the rear of the Tewkesbury Crew was Phillip Howells on what is sure to be a short race for the Ultra distance man, and finally Karen Mason.

Results

Simon Waters 1:04:22
Chris Yoxall 1:08:32
John Mansfield 1:09:29
Steve Anderson 1:12:52
Daniel Webb 1:18:26
Mungo Park 1:19:21
Rob Jordan 1:19:49
Carol Cowley 1:25:45
Mike Younger 1:29:25
Linda Younger 1:29:49
Phillip Howells 1:37:12
Karen Mason - Time not recorded

Dursley Dozen

Three members of Tewkesbury AC represented the club at the Dursley Dozen on Sunday. In the 22nd running of the race Paul Mason was first home for the club in a time of 1.44 followed closely by Gwyn Williams a minute later in 1.45. Thoroughly enjoying the heavy rain and strong winds, first time Dursley Dozen competitor Dave Lane finished the 12 mile course in 1.49 and declared the race will for ever more be in his racing calendar!

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May Hill Massacre

Cold & Hilly

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Linda Franks 5 Mile?

The newly advertised Linda Franks 5 Miles drew in a good mix of Tewkesbury Runners for this local race around 'Up Hatherley' in Cheltenham.

The eight strong crew set off at 10:30 with the rest of the hopefuls, Club Captain Daniel Webb made a fast start (which surprised him a bit as after 400 meters he could still see the leaders), but he soon settled down to a tough but enjoyable run to finish just in front of the First Lady.

Mungo Park was the next back for Tewkesbury after having a little tussle (in running terms) with Rob Jordan for the first couple of miles, Jordan went off with his usual trick of trying to do 4 min mile pace, before realising he is not Roger Bannister (although an uncanny facial resembilance). Park eased past Jordan and continues on good form as he prepares for London.

Club Secretary Steve Wiggall was next home after a pleasing run, Wiggall continues to look very strong, and is one to keep an eye on this year. Carol Cowley finished a mere 60 seconds behind Steve, and of that form will surely clinch the Queen of the Road Title. The final Tewkesbury trio saw Mike Ward leading home Caroline Corbett and Jude Rodriguez; Ward looked comfortable as he pushes back the boundaries for his age group. Corbett showed that the Monday and Wednesday night sessions are paying off as the speed just keeps on increasing, time to work on the stamina to beat the 2 Hour half marathon time. Wrapping it up for Tewkesbury and not to close behind Caroline was Jude Rodriguez, Jude will have his eyes set on Caroline and Mike for the next run as he ticks of each conquest (again in running terms).

Results Below

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New Years Day 5 Mile

The morning after the night before saw the first of the Club Championship races start the new year off with a bang.

The 5 Mile at the Pilot Inn saw 7 members of Tewkesbury AC tackle the out and back route. Terry Haines was there to strart us off with his usual banter and promise of Chocolate Biccies for the lucky few.

New Club Captain Daniel Webb made the early running with a blistering first mile as he tried to shake off his mothers other half down from Gateshead Harriers, this pace was far to hot for the maccum but not for Nigel Tillot who eased past Webb just before the half way point and was not to be caught on his way to finishing in 18th overall and first V45.

Behind Tillot and Webb, Rob Jordan looked to have beaten Mungo Park as Jordan had a clear 50 meters on Park at the turn. fortunatley for Park, Jordan had done his usual trick of going to fast to soon, and blew up in the second part of the race, to allow Park to eat up the 50 meters and reverse it completley by the finish line. Local Barry O'Driscoll looked strong as he returns to his form of a couple of years back, a few more races and he will surely be challenging the 4 in front of him this time out. Club Secretary Steve Wiggall had another impressive race, and was tight on the heels of O'Driscoll on the last couple of corners, Wiggall couldn't quite beat him to the line, and finished a very close 4 seconds at the line.

Bringing up the rear of the Tewkesbury contingent was Henry Jordan the neweset member of Tewkesbury AC, and nephew of Rob. Henry seemed to enjoy the course, apart from the hills, and flat sections, he did mention that he loved the down hill parts......, he beat Club Captain Dan Webb's Mum home, as she went on to win the V60 prize.

Nigel Tillot 31:49
Daniel Webb 32:31
Mungo Park 34:31
Rob Jordan 34:59
Barry O'Driscoll 36:54
Steve Wiggal 36:58
Henry Jordan 46:30