Bake Off Beckons

Written by Mike Eldridge on 19/03/2020. Posted in News

Not content with being a super talented runner, it would seem that Bake Off may beckon for Georgie Campbell, after she produced this wonderful cake for the Cross Country presentation evening.

Slim pickings this week and I suspect for many weeks to come.

On Thursday evening there was a lovely event at The Pavilion when our junior XC team members were presented with awards and medals for their part in the most successful season in the club’s history.

3 of our members did manage to take part in a couple of events that did take place, the Bath Half Marathon and Banbury 15 and there are reports on both of those.

Please do your best to keep fit in these trying times but more importantly, take care.

Best Wishes

David Jones

Ready for the presentation.

The 3 individual age category winners together with team manager Paul Hawkins display their trophies.
L to R – Alex Adams, Paul, Georgie Campbell and Tessa Parkin.

Some of the older endurance runners after the presentation ready for their training session

Cross Country Presentation Evening.

Last Thursday evening saw some 70 plus junior athletes, along with sundry parents, coaches etc, totalling approximately 120 in all, gather together in The Pavilion for a presentation to our athletes for their part in the most successful junior XC season in the club’s history.

It turned out to be something of a last hurrah before the hibernation to come.

Over the full season we came second in the league, close behind Wolverhampton & Bilston, in addition to which we also won five individual medals, three of them gold, and four of the age group teams won medals – both under 11 teams, the under 13 girls and the under 17 women. Two of our other teams finished just outside the medals, in 4th place.

At the last fixture of the season there were problems with the chip timing and also the weather was horrendous. As such, the league were unable to present any of the medals or trophies. Rather than our athletes having to wait until our Awards night in October, it was decided to present them with their just rewards sooner rather than later..

Adrian Mason

Bath Half Marathon

Report – Adrian Mason

I ran the Bath Half Marathon this weekend. It went ahead by the skin of it’s teeth and I was elated with my result!

After a very difficult decision with all the ‘Covid-19’ precautions being rolled out across the world, the organisers took the decision to “Run the Bath”!.

With the announcements on Friday and Saturday that all the big spring races were being cancelled/postponed, it wasn’t a decision taken lightly, but from the 15,209 runners signed up, they still finished with 6,827 runners crossing the finish line.

The day was WET as was most of the UK but this didn’t dampen the atmosphere. The officials put on a great event and the streets were still lined with plenty of spectators. Marshals, starting corrals and drinks stations were also spot on.

To say that I am elated with my result is an understatement. It is however testament to all the encouragement and coaching from the club and all my training miles paying off. Since i’d just learnt of Manchester Marathon being postponed, I unleashed everything I had in the tank and “Ran the Bath” (pun intended :))

The course ran slightly long according to many of the runners watches, or we all went too wide around the corners!, but I was extremely happy with my finish time and knocked ~6 minutes off my previous official PB. I finished in 264th (41st in my age category) with a chip time of 1:23:54. The race was won by Paul Pollock in a time of 1:04.14.

Louise Stewart and Dave Maundrell. Photos courtesy Barry Cornelius.

Banbury 15.

Report – David Jones.

Another race that went ahead last weekend was the popular and long running Banbury 15. This is a seriously rural race that is both picturesque and pretty undulating. For our club members it was also the second race in this year’s Grand Prix competition.

What this meant for our members who competed, Louise Stewart and Dave Maundrell, was maximum GP points for them both as 1st female and male runners from the club.

I’m guessing this was the longest race Dave has competed in for some time so he must have been delighted to just dip under 2:30, by finishing in a time of 2:29.43.

On the other hand, for budding ultra runner Louise Stewart, this was virtually a sprint and she should be equally pleased with her time of 2:32.20, finishing just 4 places behind Dave

The race was won by Sullivan Smith in 1:24.28 and the first female finisher was Joanne McCandless in 15th place with a time of 1:35.11. 219 runners completed the course.

And Finally

More photos from the Cross Country presentation.

Paul Hawkins presents the U11 girls with their medals.

The U11 boys proudly display their medals.

The U11 girls – all smiles.

Annie Silvers collects her trophy for finishing 5th in the U11 girls age category..
Not my greatest moment as a photographer.

Charly Marshall with her trophy for finishing 4th in the U15G age category.

The U13 girls.

The U17 women with cake !