The Easy Runner Blog

PAT Foley was delighted to finish 40th overall of 1491 finishers in Sunday’s Grizzly but probably less impressed to later find that he had been awarded the prize as top woman!
The Portishead Running Club member appeared in the official results as top woman in a time of 2hrs 52mins 03secs, 38 seconds clear of Elizabeth Kendon.
Perhaps the organisers thought it was Patricia Foley who was the new champion and this column’s suspicions that something was astray was confirmed by Matt Crocker, who revealed there is still only one Pat Foley in the club – and he is very much a man.

WESTBURY Harriers took full advantage of racing on ‘home’ soil at Blaise Castle to pick up a hatful of awards in the final
race of the 2009/10 Gwent Cross Country League season.
From the senior women to the novice girls the Harriers had plenty of reason to celebrate as individual and team prizes were handed out.
While some overall prizes had still to be confirmed Westbury’s roll of honour read as follows:

1 Senior women second.
2 The senior women’s B team won the reserve division title.
3 Ellie Leather is the new novice girls’ champion
4 Poppy Thompson won the Under 13 girls’ title
5 Emma Jones is awaiting confirmation that she finished third in the Under 13s
5 Novice girls squad of Leather, Alana Sherman, Fenella Ford and Jenna Kelley won the team title
6 Zoe Barber was runner-up in the U17s age group
7 The Under 15 girls’ squad of Lauren Ellis, Iris McNeill and Kelly Leat are also expected to be named champions.

* For full results see today’s Bristol Evening Post

THERE was also plenty for Bristol & West AC to celebrate at Blaise Castle with wins for Tim Wallis and British junior international Eleanor Wimshurst, now recovered from injury, in the senior men and women’s races.
Also Bristol & West runners Miranda Sadler (U15 girls), Olivia Sadler (U17 women) and Sean Hazel (U20 men) claimed victories, with Hazell wrapping up the overall league title. Wallis’ run earned him second place overall in the league with Olivia Sadler leaping from seventh to third.

SOPHIE Voller was the top local runner in yesterday’s Bath half marathon.
The 32-year-old Westbury Harrier smashed her PB by almost two minutes with a superb time of 83mins 07secs.
Her previous best was 84:50, which she ran last October in the Cardiff half marathon and that was a huge two minutes plus quicker than the time she ran in bath last year.
Indeed, over the past twelve months Voller has gone from running 87mins 24secs for 25th woman in the Bath half to 83:07 and 17th place.
Surely she must now start looking at breaking 82 minutes.

Women: 1 Michelle Ross-Cope (Stoke, W35) 72:07 (PB); 2 Susan Partridge (Leeds) 72:44; 3 Joice kandia (Kenya) 75:12; 4 Deborah Walters (B’field, W40) 75:17 (PB); 5 Kat Grimmett 75:18; 6 Fiona Clark (Reigate) 75:50 (PB); 7 Genet Measso (Ethiopia) 77:13; 8 Lynn Cox (Tip) 77:13 (PB); 9 Gladys O’Neill 77:14; 10 Louise Gardner (Lancaster) 77:18; 11 Rachel Gibbs (Bed) 77:43 (PB); 12 Emma Stallard (CAC, W35) 79:15 (PB); 13 Tina Oldershaw (W40) 80:17; 14 Anne-Marie Hutchison 80:18; 15 Georgia Wood (TBAC) 81:22; 15 Nicola Meekin 81:31; 16 Joanna Rodriguez (Woking) 82:29; 17 Sophie Voller (WH) 83:07 (PB): 18 Jo Thompson (TBAC, W50) 83:08; 19 Jenny Moore (Wells, W45) 83:39; 20 Caroline Hawkins (TBAC, W40) 84:02.

PHIL Parry was the top local runner in the men’s race as the experienced Bristol & West AC runner finished 27th in 70mins 46secs.
“That was more respectable,” said Parry, who has struggled to re-discover his best form recently.
But surprisingly it wasn’t good enough to earn him the veterans’ over 45s prize with Wells City Harriers’ Jon James smashing his PB to clock 70;37 and finish two places ahead of Parry.
There was also a terrific run by Great Western Runners’ Tom Fewster with a big PB of 70:51 for 28th.

WEST: 20 Matt Pullen (CAC) 69:59; 21 Adam Carlson (Torbay) 69;59; 25 Jon James (Wells, M45 1st) 70:37; 27 Phil Parry (B&W, M45 2nd) 70:46; 28 Tom Fewster (GWR) 70:51; 29 Dave Green (B&W) 71:15; 30 Lee Turner (Torbay) 71:55; 38 Allister Sheffield (TBAC) 72:17; 40 Mick O’Doherty (B&W, M50 1st) 72:36; 57 Elliot Prince (Chelt) 75:08; 58 Tom Fisher (unatt) 75:10; 64 Mike Feighan (Exe, M40) 75:41; 66 Richard Spear (Bath Uni) 75:44; 68 Tom Kingsnorth (B&W) 75:53; 75 Mike Towler (AVR) 76:38; 78 Jake Waldron (SWRR) 76:49; 91 David Miller (GWR) 78:04; 93 Paul Cox (TBAC, M40) 78:08; 97 Luke Sturgess-Durden (TBAC) 78:40; 100 Brian Penny (TBAC, M40) 78:54; 104 Dave Buzza (CAC, M45) 79:11; 109 Stuart Curtis (TBAC, M40) 79;27; 115 Adrian Curtis (TBAC) 79:46; 117 Paul newman (TBAC, M50) 79:51; 127 Guy Landon (TBAC) 80:18;

THE stats suggest that the standard of yesterday’s Bath half was one of the best in recent years.
The top five runners, which include west double Olympian Dan Robinson, all broke 65 minutes while the top 21 went sub 70mins.
The leading 30 runners went under 72mins and 54 runners broke 75mins, which in anyone’s language is a very good benchmark.

WESTBURY Harriers senior women will be aiming to end the Gwent Cross Country League season on a winning note tomorrow.
The club host the fifth and final match at Blaise Castle and while the overall title may be beyond them it is not impossible they may overturn the lead held by defending champions TAF Running & Orienteering Club.
“They have a good lead but Blaise is always a tough course, we train on it and have home advantage so we will see what happens,” said women’s team manager Tamsin Chick.
Robyn Edwards, winner of the Ironwood Challenge last weekend, leads the Harriers’ squad with Debbie Cleary and in-form Debbie Marsden in support.
And with Les Croupiers Running Club trailing Westbury by just twenty points it could be a dramatic final match with all three clubs fancying their chances of claiming the overall title.
Even if the first team miss out on the top title the club’s B squad are in pole position to win the reserve division. The squad, which includes Sarah Thorne, Kirsti Robertson, Eithne Noonan, Hayley Johnson and Marilyn Palmer among others, currently enjoys a 169-point advantage over Les croupiers and barring disaster they should wrap up the title.
Great Western Runners will also be out in force as they are incorporating their club championships into the event.

Timetable – 11:50 U11B; 12:00 U11G; 12:05 SM; 12:50 U13G; 1:00 U13B; 1:10 SW; 1:40 U20 &U17M; 2:00 U20 &U17W; 2:15 U15B; 2:25 U15G.

BRITAIN’S top marathon runner Dan Robinson will have a point to prove in the Bath half marathon tomorrow (SUNDAY).
The two-times Olympian has opted to incorporate the race as part of his build-up to the Virgin London Marathon, in which he hopes to secure his place in the Great Britain team for the European Championships in Barcelona but intriguingly he has only run the race once and it wasn’t particularly a memorable occasion for him.
“I last lined up at Bath in either 2000 or 2001 but I didn’t finish the race,” said Robinson. “I had a stomach problem and was forced to drop out which was disappointing.
“Training has been going well and I’m looking forward to racing. As it will be my first race for a while the intention will be to run it at marathon pace. If I can run Bath in a time of around 64 minutes that would be perfect.”
Wells City Harriers’ Adrian Marriott is also using Bath as part of his build-up towards London but has set a more conservative target of 67 minutes after illness interrupted his recent training.
Robinson’s fellow marathon international Tomas Abyu, who finished runner-up and top Brit twelve months ago, is also in the field along with the Africa trio of Ezekiel Cherop, defending champion Simon Tonui or Jean Ndayisenga.
In the women’s race top west hope Holly Rush, of Bath, has pulled out but the women’s race should be intriguing with international duathlete Kat Grimmett, who ran a PB of 73mins 08secs for third in last year’s Bristol half and has stated her aim is to qualify for the marathon at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, entered along with Michelle Ross-Cope and Susan Partridge.
Also the Westbury Harriers’ pair of Sophie Voller and Emma D’Alton will be looking for good times.

WILL the Bath half marathon start on time? That’s the question many runners are asking after the 2009 and 2008 races were delayed.
There were legitimate reasons for the decision to put back the start times for both races but as far as the runners are concerned it means time standing around, getting cold and irritable.
Race director Andrew Taylor really needs Sunday’s race to run like clockwork otherwise the reputation of the race may take an irretrievable bashing.
PS: Sunday’s race is due off at 11am.

PREPARING for the forthcoming Midland 12-Stage Road Relays Bristol & West are sending teams to the Gloucester for the Severn AC road relays tomorrow (SATURDAY).