The Easy Runner Blog

RICHARD Peters will be left thinking what he might have achieved but for problems he has suffered with his Achilles tendon injury that has hampered his training since the summer.
The heavy course certainly wasn’t to his liking and exposed his lack of stamina so his 10th place in the Under 20 men’s race was a fine effort.
“It was a frustrating race for Richard,” said coach Mike Down.
Peters just over-took Stroud AC’s immensely talented teenager Tom Curr in the home straight while Westbury Harriers’ Joe Dalgleish was 65th.

U20 men: 1 Richard Goodman (SB) 19:39. WEST: 10 Richard Peters (B&W) 20:14; 65 Joe Dalgleish (WH) 21:46.

IN the senior men’s race Tom Russell’s hopes of making the team ended when he suffered a heavy fall and lost is place in the leading group, eventually slipping back to finish 29th.
Top local runner was his Bristol & West AC clubmate Phil Wylie in 25th while former Bristol runner Kevin Heywood was 22nd and top west runner.
In addition to the soft going the 8.1k for women was always going to be a little short for Claire Hallissey but she can take heart from finishing less than a minute behind the front runners, whom she was catching towards the end as she claimed 14th.
Kate Goodhead faded after a strong start to finish 23rd, just holding off the fast-finishing Rebekah Randell in 27th.
McCain Cross Challenge, Sefton Park, Liverepool, incorporating the trials for the European Championships - Senior men (9.8k): 1 Michael Skinner (Blackheath) 28:36; 2 Moumin Geele (NEB) 28:37; 3 Ben Whitby (WSEH) 28:40. WEST: 25 Phil Wylie (B&W) 29:45; 29 Tom Russell (B&W) 29:53; 40 Robbie Bugden (B&W) 30:15; 69 Tom Merson (B&W) 31:09; 73 Steve Gallienne (B&W, U23) 31:16; 92 Steve Mitchell (B&W, U23) 31:44; 123 Sam Dalgleish (WH, U23) 32:50.
Senior women (8.1k): 1 Hayley Yelling (WSEH) 26:26; 2 Freya Murray (Chester) 26:37; 3 Jessica Sparke (WG, U23) 26:53. WEST: 14 Claire Hallissey (B&W) 27:47; 18 Rose-Anne Galligan (Gloucs, U23) 27:53; 23 Kate Goodhead (B&W) 28:09; 27 Rebekah Randell (B&W) 28:19; 42 Imogen Ainsworth (B&W, U23) 29:32.

WESTBURY Harriers’ Debbie Marsden finished fourth woman in the Brent Knoll hill race won by Weston AC’s Naomi Eaton.
Top man was Bath multi terrain specialist Tom Fisher while leading local runner was Nailsea Running Club’s John Mason in eighth, one place and 12 seconds ahead of Westbury’s John Terry.

Brent Knoll 5.5 miles hill race, Burnham-on-Sea – men; 1 Tom Fisher (unatt) 39:51; 2 Gerry Hogg (Trull Troggers, M40) 41:01; 3 Jason Kilduff (uunatt) 41:10; 4 Rob Hayes (unatt) 41:40; 5 Paul Rose (YTRR, M40) 42:03; 6 Mark Fisher (Taunton) 43:37; 7 Pete Clark (Weston) 43:55; 8 John Mason (NRC) 44:03; 9 John Terry (WH) 44:15; 11 Martin Bird (NRC, M40 3rd) 45:07.
Women: 1 Naomi Eaton (Weston) 48:50; 2 Angel Felix (Unatt), W45) 51:19; 3 Jane Coker (Les Croupiers, W45) 51:29; 4 Debbie Marsden (WH) 52:50. 121 finishers.

FROM a field of almost 400 runners Bristol & West AC’s Tom Merson won the Bicton Blister 10.5 miles multi terrain race in east Devon with a time of 61mins 31secs while Weston AC’s Phillipa Stephens was fifth woman (76:45).

BRISTOL & West AC runners Katie Knowles and Eleanor Wimshurst came within a whisker of qualifying for the Great Britain Under 20 women’s team for the European Cross Country Championships, in Dublin, on Sunday week.
With the top six in Saturday’s trials race in Liverpool likely to be selected Knowles and Wimshurst finished seventh and eighth respectively just five seconds off sixth.
“It is probably the highest I have ever finished in a competition like that so I am very pleased,” said 17-year-old Wimshurst, who can have another crack next year.
Sadly for Knowles this was her last chance as she now moves into the senior women’s age group.
“I was very pleased with my run on Saturday because I didn’t expect that,” said Knowles. “I was only five seconds outside the qualifying for the Europeans but I was not aiming that for that so it was quite a surprise and a nice boost to the confidence.”
Knowles also avenged her defeat at the hands of Wimshurst at the British Milers’ Championships the previous week.

U20/17 women: 1 Emelia Gorecka (AFD, U17) 14:45; 2 Kate Avery (Shildon) 14:58; 3 Jess Coulson (Stockport) 15:13; 4 Beth Potter (Glasgow) 15:18; 5 Lily Partridge (AFD) 15:19; 7 Lauren Howarth (Leigh) 15:23.
WEST: 7 Katie Knowles (B&W) 15:28; 8 Eleanor Wimshurst (B&W) 15:29; 50 Emily Merrick (B&W) 16:48.
U15 girls: 1 Abbie Hetherington (Carlisle) 10:56. WEST: 11 Loren Bleaken (TBAC) 11:18.

RICHARD Peters’ is a dark horse for the European Cross Country trials at Sefton Park, in Liverpool, tomorrow.
The 19-year-old Bristol & West AC runner, who has been troubled by an Achilles tendon injury, made a late decision to enter after finishing third in the British Milers’ Club Championships on the Bristol Downs last weekend.
“Rich produced what was surely his best ever cross-country performance at this level,” said coach Mike Down.
“Not surprisingly it has encouraged him now to enter the European Under 20 trials race this weekend, and if he can repeat this form over the longer 6.7K distance, which admittedly will take some doing if the going is heavy, he could be knocking on the door of at least the top ten.”
Also aiming for a top ten finish in the Under 20 women’s race will be the Bristol & West AC trio of Eleanor Wimshurst, Katie Knowles and Annabel Gummow.
“You just don’t know what might happen there and if one of the girls comes up trumps then they might not be far away from making the team,” added Down.
In the senior men’s race it will be interesting to see how Tom Russell fares just a week after his impressive victory in the BMC Championships.
“As I’m in the senior ranks now there will be no pressure on me so we’ll see what happens,” said Russell.
Likewise team-mates Phil Wylie, who finished 11th at the McCain Challenge in Gateshead and will relish the soft going in Liverpool, Tom Merson and Robbie Bugden will all be targeting the top 25.

KATE Goodhead will be fired up to finish top local runner in the senior women’s race in Liverpool.
Denied the chance of victory in the BMC event last week after a mix-up in the laps the mountain running international is determined to make her mark in the 8.1k race.
“I think Kate is really going to go for it without being too stupid,” said coach Chris Frapwell.
Claire Hallissey never gives less than 100 per cent but may struggle on the going while Rebekah Randell is relishing her trials debut.
“It is the first time I have done a trials race and I have no idea what to expect, except it will be very fast!” said Randell.

FOR off-road runners the Brent Knoll 5.5 miles race, the 12th and final event in the Somerset Series, is staged on Sunday (11.30am) from the BASC ground, in Burnham. Entries are taken on the day and for further information see the race website at: www.burnhamharriers.co.uk

THE inaugural Avon Athletics Network master class coaching session tomorrow is already a success.
Much to the delight of new director Tim Snowdon the maximum limit of 24 coaches have already registered for the session at the WISE Campus, Filton High School, where they will receive expert tuition from GB sprint and relay coach Roger Walters.
“The session was full within three days so that was fantastic,” said Snowdon.

* The next Avon Athletics Network master class will be held on Sunday December 13th at Brislington Enterprise College (10am – 1pm) and will focus on strength and conditioning.
Numbers wil be limited and anyone interested should contact Tim Snowdon at: Timothy.Snowdon@uwe.ac.uk

Entries are now being taken for the South West Cross Country Championships at Bicton College, near Exmouth, on Sunday January 10th.
The event incorporates an Inter Counties event comprising the seven west counties – Avon, Cornwall, Devon , Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire – as well as a club team championships.
Entry forms can be downloaded from either: www.englandathletics.org or www.midlandathletics.org.uk. Runners can also enter online at: www.race-results.co.uk/resukts/2010