Monday 20th September
Track Session at PoW 7pm with £3 - Dave & Dom will put you through your paces!
Tuesday 21st September
NOTE: EVEN EARLIER TIME 6:30pm start - Hills Training, Racecourse car park (between Centaur and railway station), with a drink
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Almost Athletes is a members only closed group
Within our club we have 'ordinary' people doing extraordinary things which our members often don't get to hear about. We will be regularly featuring members here who have enjoyed some great achievements or who have an interesting story to tell. Please let us know if you are aware of a member who has done something remarkable that you feel should be highlighted - email almostathletes@hotmail.com.
I started doing triathlons in the same year as I did the London Marathon in 1983. My first race was in East Kilbride on a freezing cold November day on a borrowed bike. Since then I have continued to compete several times a year with a break only when work restricted training time. im just adding some more text to make sure the wysiwig editor inserts correctly
Julie Bridge has come a long way since running her first mile with a friend from work in 1996. She enjoyed it so much that she entered and ran the London Marathon for the first time two years later and completed it in 4 hours and 44 minutes. The 26.2 mile distance has been an obvious favourite for Julie who has now completed over 20 marathons both in the UK and overseas.
Virginia Pawlyn started running in 2006 in order to train for the 5K Race for Life. She had never been sporty at school but kept fit in retirement by doing aerobics and yoga. This was the first race she had completed since the egg and spoon race at school!
A much quieter week for the Almosts, with just a couple of events taking place in addition to the weekly parkrun fix.
A quartet of purple people took on the Vitality Big Half in London, enjoying some sightseeing in the capital en route. First home in a speedy 1:44:35 was Paul ‘Haiggy’ Haig. Continuing to rack up the miles as part of his training for the New York marathon, Olly Bell slashed six minutes off his Solihull half marathon time, finishing in 1:52:42. Husband and wife David and Hayley Woolnough ran together in 2:05:14 as part of Hayley’s training for the London marathon, where she will be representing the Team Flora ‘Get Towns Active’ campaign.
Adrian and Julie Courtenay took on the Rotary Club of Faringdon and District Buscot House 10k in Oxfordshire, a traffic-free race in a picturesque setting with a set of results notable largely for their sheer impersonality! Runners had only position, time and bib number recorded, meaning that Mr and Mrs C took anything from 39:00 to 91:22 to complete this charity run.
On a drizzly and overcast day Robert Foord recorded his 250th parkrun by finishing in 5th position (21:24) at King George V Playing Field, recording his fifth course PB in a row. Other top ten finishers at KGVPF were Bill Schindler (20:41) and Neil Tring (22:34). Rachel O’Bryan was first lady home in 23:09. Rob and Alison Hume recorded course PBs, finishing in 23:55 and 27:55 respectively.
Elsewhere Patricia Dendy was second lady at Lincoln parkrun in 20:19 (a new club record) and Jo Foster was fourth lady at Stratford Park, Stroud in 26:01. Matt Polson was seventh in gender at Birkenhead (19:15). Rosemary Hubbard continued her recent run of good form, coming home fifth in gender on the new Cheltenham parkrun course in 21:58 (PB).
Almost Athletes were in action the length and breadth of the country again this week. At Solihull 10k new member Craig Jackson celebrated a whopping two-minute birthday PB, crossing the line in 51:13. He was followed by Helen Yarnold in 1:17:11. Both were fifth in age category. In the half marathon Matt Proome enjoyed a speedy return to racing, completing the bumpy 13.1-mile route in 1:33:13. Continuing to mine a rich vein of form just one day after her Cheltenham parkrun PB (26:40), autumn marathoner Ela Antosiewicz came home comfortably sub-two (1:57:18, PB) as did Olly Bell (1:58:57). Steve Yarnold completed the club’s contingent, finishing in 2:05:52.
Elsewhere Kevin Dryburgh was the club’s sole representative in his hometown race, the well-supported Forfar 10k, which he completed in 45:28. David Chittock flew the flag at the midweek St Ives Bay 10k, which starts and finishes on the beach beneath the Hayle Surf Life Saving Club and takes in soft sand, ridged sand, harder sand (if you’re lucky), pooled water and concrete steps as well as the ominously named Dune of Doom at the five-mile point. David completed the race in 57:26.
At the White Star Running Cranborne 10k, based at Holwell Farm in the Cranborne, Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Kathy Haig recorded 1:24:08 over the challenging off-road event. Interestingly, three times as many ladies as gents participated at this distance, the final White Star Running event in 2021. Hopefully this unique event organiser will be able to bounce back stronger in 2022.
The latest edition of the fast Jon Ward Hereford 5k was a real family affair. Jo Foster recorded 22:57 for second in age category. Dave Mayo, in his first race for nearly 18 months, enjoyed a solid 28:17 showing; Josh Rimell was next over the line in 30:23 and Iris Mayo, clearly benefiting from the fruits of her concerted London marathon training, recorded 32:47 for first in age category.
Meanwhile, two veteran teams took on the Wyedean Relay, an off-road team event starting and finishing in Chepstow and run over legs 1, 7, 8, 9 and 10 for the second year. Team ‘Almost over the Hill’ finished in 15th position overall (4:02:21), being represented by Pauline Bargus (44:30); Lesley Cottle (1:16:01); Adrian Courtenay (34:50); Sheila Chatterley (57:08) and Sue Monaghan (29:52). Team ‘Almost There’ finished just one place behind in 4:07:19, being represented by Wan Hartley (44:38); Des Beer (1:16:02); Lynne Macedo (36:16); Jane Russell (57:07) and Claire Hawes (33:16). It’s hoped that the relay will be able to return to its original ten-leg format in 2022.
At Cannon Hill, Birmingham parkrun Issy Ravenhill recorded a PB for the second consecutive week, crossing the line in 22:46 for third lady overall. At New Earswick parkrun Nick Lewis achieved 19:20 for 5th overall and at King George V Playing Field parkrun first timer Rachel O’Bryan was second lady home in 22:36. At Cheltenham parkrun Matt Hickman enjoyed a top ten in gender finish (19:23, PB) as did Rose Hubbard (22:32, 8th in gender, PB). Jo Foster was also 8th in gender at Tewkesbury parkrun and there was a new PB for Helen McGuire at Congleton parkrun (26:53).
