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Spring and Spring Hill…
After the wettest winter on record, it seems that spring has finally sprung and the last couple of Tuesday club-runs have been rain-free. The road-running season has well and truly started with the first few half-marathons last weekend, conveniently nestling into the training plan of many PWRs preparing for the various spring marathons. More about those later… Parkrun Bromley parkrun has remained cancelled while Norman Park slowly recovers from the intense flooding it was subjected to, but the good news is that it may resume again this weekend – keep an eye on the Bromley parkrun Facebook page and Twitter account for updates. Fewer PWRs than usual did a parkrun last weekend. This may have something to do with a certain PWR Grand Prix half-marathon last Sunday. There were several new PBs this week, with Martin Cunningham and Helena Broadway having great runs at Dulwich. At Greenwich, it appears that Rob and Sonja Laing paced young Richard Laing to a new PB. At Orpington, Chris Summers and Paul Marshall also achieved PBs. Well done to all of you! Burgess parkrun: 12 Matt Jones 00:21:23 17 Jonathan Bottomer 00:21:53 48 David Allison 00:25:53 69 John O’Toole 00:27:30 Cambridge parkrun: 4 Brian O’Connor 00:17:49 Dulwich parkrun: 18 Martin Andrew Cunningham 00:19:07 – New PB! 77 Viral Tanna 00:22:51 164 Helena Broadway 00:28:25 – New PB! Greenwich parkrun: 97 Richard Laing 00:29:19 – New PB! 98 Sonja Laing 00:29:21 99 Rob Laing 00:29:22 Orpington parkrun: 5 Johnny Gill 00:20:10 21 Alan Niblock 00:22:59 50 Jeremy Benson 00:27:07 51 Chris Summers 00:27:13 – New PB! 67 Lizzie Howells 00:29:53 69 Paul Marshall 00:30:16 – New PB! Half Marathon Bonanza! The main event for many PWRs this weekend was Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon on Sunday, 2nd March. It has been a popular race for several years and this year’s event did not disappoint. Organisation, marshalling and support were all excellent, and apart from a stiff breeze greeting you at the top of Spring Hill, the weather played ball, too. Every runner was given a luminously yellow long-sleeved technical shirt before the start, something that will ensure you are spotted on the road day and night. Over 1,600 runners completed the race, including 48 PWRs, for many of whom the race formed part of the club’s Grand Prix competition. Now, the Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon course could for most part be described as gently undulating. However, there is one infamous hill plonked right in the middle, around mile 6. It has a gentle-sounding name of Spring Hill but it’s anything but gentle with over a mile of continuous steep-ish to steep incline. Every runner has their own way of tackling the hill but one good sign that you’re near the top is the sound of the drum-beat from the percussion band stationed there. It’s a very welcome sound! Apart from this, many spectators helped to keep runners’ sugar levels up with jelly-babies and orange slices. The beat of a percussion band that initially got the runners into a rhythm at the start and later near the end also helped to keep spirits up. The results at the top are a little confusing but the first 3 male finishers were Simon Fox, who hadn’t officially entered as a PWR but definitely is one now, with a time of 1:19:28, Simon Bryant with 1:25:54 and Stephen Robson with 1:28:33. The first 3 female finishers were Geraldine Shaer with a time of 1:34:26, Rebecca Cawley with 1:36:28 followed closely by Jenny Leng with 1:36:30. Rebecca and Jenny ran the race together but their competitive sides got the better of them at the end… Geraldine, Rebecca and Jenny won 3rd prize in the female team competition, and Geraldine won a prize for being the 3rd lady in her age group. Geraldine equalled her finishing time from last year’s half marathon to the second, and she won exactly the same prizes as she did last year, too. That’s consistency for you! Both Rebecca and Jenny achieved half marathon PBs, which is impressive given the challenging nature of the course. A big well done to everyone who completed the race, particularly to the leading male and female finishers and prize winners. A great result for the club! A list of all 48! PWRs and their results can be found here Two other PWRs travelled west to complete the Reading Half Marathon on Sunday – another popular and well-attended event. Tim Springett and his son, Mike, both achieved half marathon PBs of 1:32:22 and 1:40:13 respectively, so well done guys! Hopefully everyone will have recovered from post-race muscle soreness and fatigue by time this round-up is posted. It has been a great weekend for PWR. Onwards and upwards! Comments are closed.
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