There’s no place like home.

Home Sweet Home

Andrew Pozzi at the Stratford track earlier in the week

Andrew Pozzi pays us a visit

Paul Bearman

I received an impromptu request from Andrew Pozzi to have a training session on his home track before jetting off to Florida for some warm weather training and early season competition in his build up towards hopefully qualifying for the European championships and his 4th Olympics.

With the school closed on Bank Holiday Monday I managed to negotiate access and with an early start and it was just like old times with me pacing up and down the track chatting, videoing and critiquing for a couple of hours.

The years may have flown by but the buzz of hanging out with Andrew never goes away especially as he is still a proud member of Stratford AC.

Still just as determined as ever.

Eating Disorders
 Hopefully next week’s newsletter will feature an article about eating disorders. The content could be distressing for some individuals to read about. More information and support regarding eating disorders can be found at https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk

Alison Gravelsons
Junior Welfare Officer
 

Emily Carr

Susan Hunt

Gloucester Half Marathon
 

 

When I saw that there was a new Gloucester Half Marathon event being launched at the end of March, I thought it would be fun to do.  Unlike previous Gloucester races that I’ve done over the years (laps of muddy lanes, starting and finishing at industrial parks), this one promised a closed road circuit through the city centre, out past the docks and back along the canal.  The timing was also good as it would be a chance to get in a pre-marathon long run with company and applause.


These plans often don’t seem such a good idea on race morning, especially with a 9am start on Easter Day after an hour’s less sleep thanks to clock change and nursing various niggles from completing 20 mile races on the previous two weekends.  

But 90% of success in life comes from showing up – so I did, along with over 2000 others (around 800 for the 10k and 1200 for the Half) and, as always, I spotted John Butler.

Having neglected speed training in favour of Endurance over recent months, my ambition was to complete the race at quicker than normal long-run pace.  Sub 2-hours seemed like an ambitious target; but the 2 hour pacer seemed like a nice guy, so for the first 6 miles I stuck to him like a limpet to a rock.  

I felt surprisingly OK, so increased my pace and gradually pulled away from him.  When we reached 10 miles (parkrun-to-go), we hit the promised “canal”.  Not a muddy, sloppy narrow towpath sort of canal; but a big wide ship canal with a smooth flat path which was lined with cheering supporters (some of whom I knew from previous running adventures).  

With an eyeballs-out effort, showing off in front of race supporters, dog-walkers and shoppers, my final 5k was my fastest of the race and I was over the moon to finish in 1:57.  By no means my fastest half; but a sign that there may still be life in the old dog yet.

Fellow club member James Cottriall completed the half marathon in 1:19 and  in the 10k Jamie Hawkins recorded a time of 44:20 and John Butler 1:14.38 

I basked briefly in post-race glory, treating myself to a celebratory cup of food-truck soup before remembering that it was Easter Day.  I rushed home to put on the roast, where I found my spouse still in his dressing gown and university-son still in bed (the advantage of a 9am start is that the family don’t even notice you’re out).

A library photo of Ben Kruze and Matt Burdus-Cook

 

The Derby 10k
 

Report – Matt Burdus-Cook

The 2024 Derby 10k was held on 23rd March. Ben Kruze had run and enjoyed the event previousley and was joined this year by Matt Burdus-Cook, with both runners wanting to get an early spring 10k under their respective belts.

The race starts and finishes at Derby County’s Pride Park soccerball stadium and the field of nearly 3000 runners made for a very lively and enjoyably memorable race-day atmosphere.

The course is a slightly undulating, but holds the potential for fast times when it is not windy. It was not however, not windy … It was most definitely decidedly not, not windy, with conditions nicely cool, but some significant headwind sections requiring one to run with ones actual head, tucking into whatever pack of similarly paced athletes were in the vicinity.

Ben finished 5th overall winning the MV40 category in a time of 32:45, with Matt finishing 2nd in the same age category and 13th overall in 35:17. Both have run faster 10k times this year, but both were also very happy with their respective times given the blustery conditions, and where the race fell in the training schedule vs. the main 2024 race calendar.

The race winners were David Bishop (no club listed) in 31:18, and Laura Bailey (no club listed) in 37:28.

With the race under their respective belts as planned, both runners headed to the doughnut stand and each could be seen leaving the stadium with their finishers medals and a 4 doughnut luxury selection box in hand. The onward celebratory doughnut consumption and subsequent necessitated belt loosening remains the subject of speculation.