Truly an unsung hero.

04/09/2025News

Graham Thompson – clipboard in hand.

It’s Monday and I’m thinking to myself there’s not much to report on this week. I’m maybe going to struggle to put together a meaningful newsletter. Silly me. There then followed a flurry of reports reiterating our spread, as a club, geographically, age wise and the diversity of events we compete in.

We start of with Paul Bearman’s fitting tribute and sincere thanks to Graham Thompson, truly an unsung hero of the club. Someone who has given unselfishly of his time and expertise over many years so that so many of us can go out, compete and enjoy ourselves.

Thank you Graham.

Graham’s last time officiating on our behalf was, somewhat fittingly, last weekend’s final Midland League T&F fixture of the season at Abingdon, a fixture that saw our team cap a truly memorable season by winning promotion. Next season will see us taking on the likes of Birchfield Harriers and Stoke AC. Many congratulations to Mike Sheppard and the team and many thanks also to our volunteer officials who helped make this success happen.

We also have a report on the season from successful team manager Mike Sheppard

I mentioned at the start of this editorial the geographic spread of the events that you, our members, compete in. This past week has seen David Teasdale not only compete in the European and Asian Triathlon Championship in Istanbul but finish as a top 3 British athlete and in the top 10 overall. This means he has pre-qualified for next year’s European Championships in Tarragona, Spain.

Meanwhile, over 9000 miles from Istanbul, club member Aussi and adopted Brit Adam Evans competed in the Sydney Marathon. Again, like David, he didn’t just go there to make up the numbers, He finished just outside the top 2% of the 33,000 runners who completed the course, well inside the top 5% in his age category and ran a PB time of 2:54.15. Job done Adam. Job well and truly done.

I also mentioned the age range of our members who have competed recently and at the final fixture of this season’s Quadkids Grand Prix competition at Rugby, many of our Year 4, 5 and 6 juniors collected medals for their superb performances throughout the season. while, also at Rugby, the Rugby Summer Open saw more success for several of our juniors.

One of our most dedicated juniors and someone who is immensely proud to wear the yellow and black vest is U17 Will Hovell. As if to prove the point he packed his club vest and running shoes when he went on holiday …. just in case. Sure enough he found and competed in the Dartmouth Regatta Road Race, finishing in 3rd place overall. Well done Will.

Finally, on Wednesday night it was the September Shakespeare Race with 51 members pounding the streets of Stratford. The overall winner was Jamie Hall in 27:34, with Sam Craig (28:01) and Richard Liggatt (29:37) in 2nd and 3rd places respectively.

The first lady home, by a margin of over 3 minutes, was Santa Pavlika (10th – 33:54 ), followed by Beth Pearson (17th – 37:04) and Suzanne Ross (22nd – 38:12).

Good luck to those competing in Sunday’s Kenilworth half marathon and 5k, good luck also to Simon Dexter-Jones and any others of you who will be competing in the Great North Run, the world’s biggest half marathon with just the 60000 runners competing !

Some of our juniors will be competing in the Youth Development League National Final in Liverpool and our Vets T&F team will be competing in the Midlands A Cup Final at Pingles Stadium in Nuneaton, where they will be competing against the top 2 teams from each region.

Phew – and here was me thinking it was going to be a quiet week.

Take care.

David Jones

The ever watchful eye of Graham, patrolling the scene

Graham Thompson

An unsung hero

Paul Bearman

Graham Thompson isn’t maybe a name so well known across the club but to those of us who organise the Track and Field competitions we are involved with he has been the “go to” man when we are sorting out the Officials and need to fulfil our obligations to comply with league rules.

However, last week Graham informed us that following the Senior League T&F match at Abingdon last weekend. he would be retiring from officiating and thus bringing to a close his very long career, primarily as a top international level volunteer Track Judge.

Graham is a Level 4 Track Judge and level 2 Field Judge and when he approached me a few years back saying about joining us from Leamington it was a punch in the air moment for me, because I considered it a coup having someone of his calibre, knowledge, experience and gravitas joining us and have done ever since.

His support for the club’s activities has been unwavering and Mike Sheppard, Hannah Osborne and I, who are the organisers of our T&F league teams have always valued his commitment, i.e. “if I say I’m going to do it I’ll be there” and that has always been a comfort when trying to pull the often the onerous task of both the athletes and officials teams together for an event knowing someone has that attitude. Sandy Green is cast from the same mould.

Personally, Graham is one of the people I’ve come to rely on in recent times for support, wise words and unparalleled advice and like Sandy he’s been an incomparable stalwart and an incredibly supportive “brick in the SUAAC T&F wall” in the background that we will sorely miss.

Thankyou for all you’ve done for us ….big boots to try and fill.

Mike Sheppard …..“Graham, your expertise will be greatly missed, many thanks for all your help with the Senior League over the last few years. You have been one of the bedrocks of our success during this period.

Hannah Osborne …….“I want to extend our huge thanks and appreciation for the time, effort and commitment you have shown and given over the years. We are incredibly grateful.

And the last word from Graham “thank you for your fellowship over the years”.

Truly a season to remember

Send them victorious. Okay I know I’ve used that one before but it is totally appropriate in this case. Pictured above are members and volunteer officials at Abingdon, where our Midland League T&F team secured promotion on the final fixture of the season. Beaming team manager Mike Sheppard is centre, in the white top.

Midland Counties T&F league 2025

It is a numbers game.

Report – Mike Sheppard

How to summarise a long , eventful, and ultimately successful league season in a few words? Well, great fun, for sure, and that is why we do it. However, from a Team Manager’s perspective, it is all a numbers’ game really. It’s just that one number is more important than all the rest.

48 competing athletes, including 14 league debutants.
6 Seniors,14 Veterans & 28 from the U17/U20 age groups.
10 Officials.
5 long days.
4 match wins.
2.24m: the British Record set by Paula Williams for the W50 4KG Shot Put on 15 June.
29C: the shade* temperature at Coventry for the match on 13 July (* but there is not a lot of shade at University of Warwick!).
2 broken metatarsals for Adam Linforth.
8 “A string” wins from 8 races – a perfect card for Georgie Campbell.
3 Pole Vault PB’s in one competition for Will Hovell at Banbury on 2 August.
2 outright club records: Paula’s Shot & Catherine Reynolds’ 200m 25.1 at Banbury.
2515 match points to win Division 3SE and secure promotion.
Division two next year.
One team

Thank you to everyone who has competed, officiated, and supported the team in any other way this season. We have many talented and hardworking athletes, but it is team spirit which is our real “x factor.”

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David Teasdale, top 10 finisher and 3rd placed GB competitor. Well done David.

David Teasdale

European and Asian Triathlon Championships – Istanbul.

Report – David Teasdale

I felt very fortunate to have secured a place at this year’s European Championships but knew I had to improve my swim to have any chance of a respectable finish at the draft legal sprint triathlon format.

There is no doubt this season has been my best ever. After cracking some ribs in December, I had to steadily regain my fitness and by the end of spring had begun to see some success. I then won my Age group in all of the triathlons I entered (Banbury, Do3, Eton); culminating in a recent Age group win at Upton on Severn where I qualified in 1st place for the World Duathlon Championships in Abu Dhabi next Year.

Still, Istanbul has been the focus. I have been working on my swim technique and fitness so that I would exit the water nearer the front of the race and avoid the inevitable huge bike pack in draft legal racing, where strong runners sit in behind, saving themselves for the 5k at the end. I had to be far ahead of them this time.

Race day was beautiful! The swim in the Bosphorus was amazing- warm and clear water in a surreal setting.

Being a mass start, I had the usual fight to start, with a few collisions, pushes, elbows, but from half way it was smooth and clear.

Exiting the water, I was around 10th place out of 33 and a minute faster than last year in a time of 12m03s to the transition line.

Onto the bike, I attacked the 3k climb up to the bridge and formed a group of 3 riders with 2 of us pulling hard to catch groups further ahead. By the end of the ride, we had caught up to 3rd place and I dismounted at the front of what had become 12 riders (as we passed them and they joined on to our group).

The organisers had, however, made one fairly substantial mistake on the bike course which meant an extra 6k of cycling – so we had 40 hard minutes in the legs as opposed to the usual 30.

On to the run, I pushed as hard as I could but immediately my legs were telling me they had done enough and this would be survival and not a pursuit forwards.

One of the 12 close behind me was a very strong runner and passed me quickly. I settled in and just tried to tick over with good efficiency but internally I was in the pain cave all the way. At the last 1km hairpin turn (under the Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge), I could see that I had about 100m to 5th and 6th, which I knew I could hold onto through sheer determination.

Heading towards the line in 4th place I still had 7 seconds to 5th and could enjoy the run in. It was everything I had trained for but still far better than I had ever thought possible.

Placing as a top 3 British athlete and top 10 overall also means I have pre-qualified for next year’s European Championships in Tarragona, Spain.

Adam Evans and son Bryce in Sydney

The Sydney Marathon

Report – Adam Evans

G’day Stratford. On the weekend I ran in the Sydney Marathon. It was it’s first year of being part of the Marathon World Majors.

For those who don’t know much about the Sydney Marathon, it starts in the same place as the 2000 Olympic Marathon but finishes outside the Opera House.

The course is very lumpy. 290m / 950ft of climbing. The first mile you have a nice big decent, before you run over the Harbour Bridge. Then wiggle around the streets of the Central Business District, then along parts of the coast line (back under the Harbour Bridge), before heading out to Moore Park. Where you run past the Sydney Cricket Ground (cricket & Australian Football League) and the Accor Stadium (Rugby League, Football, Rugby Union).

After that you do a lap of Centennial Park, followed by a long stretch back to the Opera House.

I might be a little biased, but it is one of the most scenic races I’ve ever done. Finishing at the Opera House was such an amazing way to end the race.

My final time was 2:54:15. A new personal best for me. My first time ever running sub 3 at a World Major.

I had a fantastic time and I do hope more people head out to Sydney and get to run a very special race.

Now it’s time to rest up, and then start preparing for my final World Major, Tokyo, in March next year

Nell Wheeler, 1st placed year 4 girl in 100m and 2nd in long jump.

L to R Dexter Sharpe and Casper Willis. Dexter was 3rd in both Year 6 boys 600m and howler. Casper was was 1st in Year 6 boys 75m and 2nd in 600m, long jump and howler.

Quadkids Grand Prix 2025 finalé and Rugby Summer Open

Report – David Jones

The last week in August saw a couple of junior events at Rugby, both of which featured a number of our junior athletes.

The final round of this season’s Quadkids Grand Prix 2025 was held on 23rd August. Damian Wheeler reported that it was a great event that was extremely well run with some excellent athletic performances.

This being the third and final event of the season, there was a medal ceremony at the end with SuAAC juniors picking up more than their fair share of medals.

75m
2nd (year 5 girls) Saskia Atkins (11.8s)
1st (year 5 boys) Simon Zawada (11.5s)
1st (year 6 boys) Casper Willis (11.1s)

600m
1st (year 4 girls) Nell Wheeler (2:11)
1st (year 5 girls) Saskia Atkins (1:58)
2nd (year 5 boys) Simon Zawada (2:07)
2nd (year 6 boys) Casper Willis (1:57)
3rd (year 6 boys) Dexter Sharp (2:07)

Long jump
2nd (year 4 girls) Nell Wheeler (3.49m)
2nd (year 5 boys) Simon Zawada (3.70m)
1st (year 5 girls) Saskia Atkins (3.77m)
2nd (year 6 boys) Casper Willis (3.89m)

Howler
2nd (year 5 girls) Indigo Ogilvie-Putt (25m)
2nd (year 6 boys) Casper Willis (27m)
3rd (year 6 boys) Dexter Sharp (26m)

A few days earlier, on the 23rd August, it was the Rugby Summer Open and once again we were represented by a number of our junior athletes.

It was a busy day for the Ogilvie-Putt sisters, with U11Indigo competing in both the 75 and 600m races. In the former she achieved a season’s best time of 12.85 and in the latter she ran 2:17.89. Older sister Lucia (U15) was 3rd in her 200m with a PB time of 30.34. In her 800m she was 2nd in 2:33.55 and in the 75m hurdles she ran a time of 15.95.

Sisters Elsie and Rosa Pipitone also enjoyed a busy day. Elsie jumped a PB of 3.19m in the long jump and took a chunk off her 75m PB, winning her heat in 11.13. She was the 2nd placed runner in her 150m with a time of 21.80

Rosa Pipitone clocked 3:02.6 in the 800m, which she wasn’t very happy with so she promptly set about finding another event to compete in the following day…. Cue a trip up to the Paula Radcliffe stadium, where she ran 2:57 in the 800m, resulting in a much happier Rosa! Elsie ran a PB of 14.50 in the 100m, but then it was her first race over the distance!

Meanwhile back at Rugby, U20 James Day ran a superb time of 2:05.88 in the 800m, a mere 0.22 off his personal best. In the U17 100m hurdles Ethan Winning ran 13.93.

Well done to all of them.

Will Hovell

Dartmouth Regatta Road Race

Super keen and super talented Will Hovell just happened to take his club vest and running shoes on holiday with him. I said he was keen. He loves wearing his club vest wherever and whenever he can. This time it was in this 4.5 mile race where he finished 3rd overall despite being an U17. Well done Will.

September Shakespeare Race

Ready for the off. Fingers on the watches.

And they’re off.

The first Wednesday of the month and it’s Shakespeare Race time.

Yet another race superbly and efficiently organised by Simon Penson and his team.

It was an very pleasant evening weather wise, maybe even a tad warm with the sun low in the sky.

It was run over a pretty flat course of a fraction under 5 miles. There were 51 of us competing, evenly split between male and female runners. 26/25.

The overall winner was Jamie Hall in 27:34, with Sam Craig (28:01) and Richard Liggatt (29:37) in 2nd and 3rd places respectively.

The first lady home, by a margin of over 3 minutes, was Santa Pavlika (10th – 33:54 ), followed by Beth Pearson (17th – 37:04) and Suzanne Ross (22nd – 38:12).

For a full list of the results please follow the link below:

https://www.racetecresults.com/results.aspx?CId=16418&RId=3136&EId=10