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Berlin delight for Wraight and Kipchoge!

Despite a string of injuries hampering her preparation, Vicki Wraight was pleased to finish the BMW Berlin marathon on Sunday, one of the Marathon majors.  She completed the 26.2 miles in 4:41:26 to finish 7073rdout of more than 23000 finishers.  As Vicki says “It’s not every day you can say you competed in the race where a new world record was set!”  Kenyan, Eliud Kipchoge took an amazing 30 seconds of his own world record to finish in an incredible 2:01:09.

Trails and trains in Wales

Carolyn Nation (Kaz) thoroughly enjoyed her run in the Trailffest half marathon in Porthmadog in Wales finishing 147th in 3:27.08 on a stunning but extremely tough course.  All runners start up the mountain at 710 feet, arriving by a scenic steam train which certainly attracted Kaz, who has been waiting three years to take part after several Covid postponements.  It may finish by the sea but runners face many very steep, challenging climbs along the way, described by Kaz, as “Grizzly-esque”.

 

Jurassic jaunt

Closer to home, Sarah Herfet also took to the hills in the Jurassic 10k, her first proper race for months.

It was a gruelling course spanning the undulating yet magnificent Jurassic coastline with the beautiful sunlight bouncing off a glistening sea.  Sarah was delighted with her 1:17:37 time and ninth female to finish, especially given this included an extra half-mile loop after a wrong turn!

 

A hat-trick of PBs on the roads of the south-west

On Sunday Tim Sibley travelled to Barnstaple to take part in the Barnstaple Half Marathon organised by North Devon Road Runners.  The fast, flat course takes runners out and back along the Tarka Trail with a loop around Fremmington.

Tim was pleased to finish in a PB in 1:34:12, 33rd from 225. He was seventh V50.

Laura Kerr and Fiona Pyle warmed up for next week’s London marathon at the Bradley’s 10k in Exmouth on Sunday morning. Laura was an excellent twelfth female coming in in a huge PB of 49:13. Fiona also secured a PB finishing in 1:00.46.

Weekend parkrun events

On another glorious Saturday for parkrun, Joel Seward was first finisher in Seaton in a PB of 16:36 with Richard Hardy coming in third, in 16:46, his first sub-17 finish.

A special mention  for the inaugural junior parkrun in Axminster.  The Stopline Way junior parkrun began on Sunday with 18 parkrunners, aged 4 to 14 taking part.  Sarah Shepley, the new Event Director, has worked tirelessly to raise the funds to enable this to start, including a generous donation from The Grizzly.  Many AVRs were amongst the volunteers this week and if any members would like to help in future weeks please email: stoplinewayjuniors@parkrun.com

AVRs make a splash at the Honiton Hippo

Eleven AVRs took on the  Honiton Hippo; a tough, hilly off-road challenge of more than 7 miles with many river crossings to navigate.

Eleanor Wood was an impressive third female finishing 26th in 1:04.54.

Despite a 50k stomp across Dartmoor last weekend, James Hawker came in 43rd in 1.10.28.  Louise Harrison finished very strongly in 51st in an excellent 1.14.00. A very muddy Suzi Blackett  was 65th in 1.18.49 having taken a plunge in one of the rivers.

Kelly Giles was 76th in 1.21.18 with Simon and Lindsey Freathy together  in 88th in 1.26.17. Helen Holmes struggled with her nutrition and had a tough final mile finishing 94th in 1.28.06 followed by Rachel Hiscock in 109th in 1.38.58, Denise Burgess in 111th in 1.39.23 and Shirley Salter with a big smile on her face in 113th in 1.40.28.  A total of 138 runners took part in the race organised brilliantly by Howard Bidmead and Honiton RC.  All the results:

http://www.honitonrc.com/uploads/9/8/9/3/9893707/hippo2022resultprovisional.pdf

Glorious One-two at Glastonbury for AVR

Richard Hardy took the win in a huge PB of 34:13 at the Glastonbury Levels 10k, ran on a fast, flat out-and-back course on traffic-free roads. In a brilliant AVR 1-2, Joel Seward took second place in 34:37, also a PB.

Ian Kinnersley was second M60, 22nd  in an excellent 43.19.  The fourth AVR, Louise Rawlins was very pleased with her 57:12 as it was a minute quicker than last year.  The race, organised by Mendip AC, attracted 98 runners.

 

Lush Leonardslee

Rob Collier and Sam Summers took part in a pilot event for the Brighton Marathon trail series 10k held at Leonardslee Gardens, near Horsham in West Sussex. It was a hilly route of shale paths through woodland in the stunning setting of a grade 1 listed garden. Rob came in ninth and first M50 in 43:21 with Sam completing it in 1:25.19.

 

 Seaton parkrun

 At Seaton parkrun on Saturday conditions were perfect for a fast run and local youngster Innes Fitzgerald took full advantage smashing both her own female course record and the age-grade record for Seaton with her 16:17 second-place finish, just two seconds behind Wayne Loveridge who finished in a lifetime best of 16:15 as he managed to just hold on for first finisher.  AVR’s Rik Tumber was seventh finisher in a PB of 19:02.

Frost smashes PB at Great North

Matt Frost competed at Sunday’s Great North Run, a half-marathon starting in Newcastle and finishing along the seafront in South Shields.  Matt finished in an excellent 1:23.20, 450th, a huge personal best which bodes well for the upcoming London marathon.  The ever-popular Great North Run again attracted more than 50,000 runners.

Golden Cap-tens

Andrew Snook was a brilliant second in the Cap-ten, Bridport Runners’ ten mile race over beautiful Golden Cap, Thorncombe Beacon and Stonebarrow.  He finished the hilly trail run in 1:24.22, just three seconds behind the winner, Adam Kidson from Exeter Harriers. Eleanor Wood was the only other AVR in the race which included a 675m climb and she was a superb fourth woman (first F60) in an incredible 1:50.27.

Alpine success

Richard Jackson completed the Ultra Marathon Wildstrubel 50, part of the UTMB world series in Crans-Montana through the northern Alps of Switzerland.

The race runs from Adelboden at the heart of the Bern canton through to Crans-Montana in the Valais canton.  It runs in the famous Via Alpina through the well-tended alpine pastures of the Bernese Oberland to Lenk, followed by a magnificent but demanding 1400m+ climb to the Rawil Pass (2,427m).

The last downhill sections are along the Lake Tzeuzier to reach the vertiginous and splendid Bisse du Ro.  Richard completed the race in 8hr 33 min finishing 65th in the 45-49 age category.

Seward storms to success in the Run Exe Series

Last Tuesday Matt Frost and Ron Seward took part in the final race of the Run Exe 5km series.  The six-event series of 5k races has taken place during the last six months with the fastest four counting for each runner.  This week Matt was taking it steady prior to the Great North Run whilst Ron was struggling following injury.  Matt clocked 18:30 on the night finishing 14th but for the series he was an excellent fourth.  Ron finished the final event in 24:21 and brilliantly secured first place for the M70 category.

Another parkrun PB for Joel

Joel Seward improved his parkrun personal best to 16:42 at Saturday’s Seaton parkrun where he was first finisher.  The event held a minute’s silence to remember Her Majesty The Queen prior to the run.  Congratulations to Alan Morbey who reached the 50-milestone.