2013 race reports

2013 ANNUAL AWARDS

This year’s club annual awards presentation night and Xmas dinner took place at the Sysonby Knoll hotel on Friday 13 December. Many congratulations go to the winners of this years awards:

  • Male runner of the year – Jim Hatherley
  • Female runner of the year – Louise Houghton
  • Veteran runner of the year – Greg Pettingill
  • Club person of the year – Richard Gray
  • Handicap race winner – Jim Hatherley

There were also four club standard award winners this year – congratulations to Richard Angrave, Mike Bryan, Iain Howe and Shane Sharkey.

Jay Barton was awarded the club’s London Marathon entry.

Well done to all our winners (and to Shane & Co who won the quiz on the night!).

8/12/13 – KEYWORTH TURKEY TROT HALF MARATHON

Good Times for Striders at Turkey Trot

Six Stilton Striders ran in the Turkey Trot Half Marathon at Keyworth on Sunday, in unseasonably mild but windy conditions. The tough course was made to look easy by Shane Sharkey, first Strider home recording a personal best 1:36:30. Mike Brighty also produced a good run to finish in 1:43:10. and another pb was recorded by newcomer Ben Pickard 1:45:25. Next home were the ladies trio of Abi Arnott 1:46:39, closely followed by Theresa Coltman 1:46:56 and Vicki Lowe 1:48:40. Local Melton runner Mark Ninnis clocked another respectable time of 1:48:33. [Theresa]

17/11/13 – MARKFIELD CROSS COUNTRY

Two lone striders, Vicki Lowe and Shane Sharkey travelled to Markfield on Sunday 17 November for the 2nd race in the Derby Cross Country series. There was a great turnout of runners with over 350 men and nearly 200 ladies, so many that I understand they ran out of discs. An enjoyable and varied route but tough. The split start prevented congestion. This was Shane’s first cross county race for the club, he was looking for some cross country shoes on the way home so think I have convinced him. Shane 44.26 in 194 male place, to be much improved if he wasn’t slipping over all in normal shoes, and Vicki Lowe, 47.35 in 60 female position.

Be good to see more Striders at the next race on 1 Dec, at Bagworth, as its a great club atmosphere. [Vicki]

3/11/13 – SHEPSHED 7

Two lone striders made the trip over to Shepshed for this well organised mixed terain 7 mile race, in windy conditions Abi Arnott was home in 54.12 (34th female) and Vicky Lowe who has been struggling with a knee injury was not far behind in 56.28 (51st Female). Armed with very bright long sleeve race shirts they headed home just before the heavens opened. [Abi]

28/10/13 – DUBLIN MARATHON

Irish eyes were smiling as the sun shone down over Dublin city on Monday as 18,000 congregated for the Airtricity Dublin Marathon. The Stilton Striders were represented by two marathon debutants, Jason Barton and Shane Sharkey.

They managed to put behind them any training concerns, and the fact that they had ‘slept’ over a nightclub, for Shane to equal his target time of 3 hours 45 minutes, and Jason to put in an incredible 2.57. [Shane]

26/10/13 – SNOWDONIA MARATHON

With the weekend’s wind and rain (sort of) holding off for the 31st running of this regularly top-rated marathon, Rich Gray from the Striders completed the challenging course in 4hrs 12mins. [Rich]

20/10/13 – EATON STAMPEDE

The call of the mud was to great to resist any longer and it was time to test the knee in proper cross country conditions at the Eaton Stampede 10k on Sunday morning.

A great little race with about 60 runners running in aid of Dove Cottage. Setting off from Eaton community park the route took in many of the tracks that we have run through the summer around Eaton, Eastwell and Branston including the big climb out of the village along with the famous Iron staircase, the rope walk over the embankment, stiles to climb, and many mudbaths puddles and swamps due to the heavy rain. It was a perfect day a bit windy but warm and the rain held off for the whole race.

The winner was a young whippet from Lincoln way who clocked around 42 minutes whilst I was pleased to come through unscathed in 9th place in 54mins 15secs, good preparation for the winter season.

This is a great event and one that we perhaps ought to support in future years and its for a good cause. [Neil]

20/10/13 – GREAT BIRMINGHAM RUN (HALF MARATHON)

Two Stilton Striders were in action last weekend at the Great Birmingham Run with around 20,000 others who ran the televised half-marathon.

The weather forecast was somewhat bleak with rain predicted all day. However, it held up to provide almost perfect running conditions and, despite the hilly finish, Jason Barton finished strongly at 288th in the field with a time of 1:27:37, whilst Shane Sharkey sealed his 3rd Half Marathon PB of the year finishing 1402nd with a time of 1:38:49.

Both runners are now looking forward to the Dublin Marathon on Monday… [Shane]

13/10/13 – LEICESTER MARATHON AND HALF

The Leicester full and half-marathon was run under severe weather conditions with Louise Houghton the first strider home in 1.44.49.

She was followed by Andy Nicholls (1.49.06), Malcolm Brown (1.59.07) and Alison Wilson (2.20.05). Richard Angrave, representing Wymeswold Running Club, knocked eight minutes off his previous best with 2.01.59, just nipping in front of new Strider Sonia Wiles in 2.02.01

Dan Valencia and John Houghton, running the full 26.2-mile distance, clocked PBs of 3hr 50min 20secs.

6/10/13 – DEVIL’S AQUATHLON

With lots of races with names like Pain & Suffering, Toughmudder, etc you tend to expect a little over- exaggeration of how hard it will be.

The run section on this one did live up to it’s name though. Firstly a 2K swim in the outdoor 50m Cheltenham Lido (47 mins PB) then a quick transition before starting the 5K run up the big, steep hill on rough terrain to the Devil’s Chimney and 5K run back down again (1:02 after walking a lot of the steepest uphill, definitely not a PB!). Overall 87th out of a 100 racers. The view from the top of the hill was stunning and worth all the hardwork. [Andy]

29/9/13 – ROBIN HOOD MARATHON

My finishing time was 3:52:45. The time was a bit disappointing but at 21 miles I felt pretty good and thought I was going to finish in 3:40’ish but the last 2 miles went to par where my legs totally cramp up, and I march like a geriatric robot made of ham to the finish. Is there a 24 mile race? [Iain H]

Other Striders results – Dan Valencia (Full – 4.22.50), Jonathan Oxborough (Half – 1.33.39), Louise Houghton (Half – 1.40.24) and John Houghton (Half – 1.43.40).

21-22/9/13 – EQUINOX 24

A new 24hr running event, Equinox24, was to be run in the grounds of Leicestershire stately home, Belvoir Castle. Soloist Richard Gray and a 6 man team of Mike Bryan, Shane Sharkey, Sam Spencer, Andrew Easom Bentley, Jay Barton and Wayne Hackett, all from Stilton Striders RC, set out on the challenge of completing as many 6 mile laps as possible within that 24hr period. Starting midday Saturday, running through the day and night and finishing midday Sunday.
2013 Equinox24

Richard completed a grand total of 16 incredible laps finishing in an unbelievable 8th place in his category. With the large team event comprising between 6 – 8 runners with all teams having the full number apart from Stilton who ran the event with just 6, everything came down to the final lap with only 10 seconds remaining before last lap cut off time, Stilton were able to send out a final runner to get an extra lap in. They completed a total of 32 laps finishing in second place with the same amount of laps completed as winners Wigston Phoenix, but in a slightly slower time. But much credit and the feeling like they had won as running and doing more individual laps due to having 2 less runners.

The weekend also held a 10km race on which making a rare appearance for some time was Harvey Hopwood finishing in a pleasing 53mins 3seconds. [Wayne]

15/9/13 – GREAT NORTH RUN

Eight members of Stilton Striders made the long trip to Newcastle at the weekend to take part in the Great North Run, all of whom were unsurprisingly left trailing in the footsteps of Olympic champion Mo Farah.

Mike Bryan was the club’s first runner home in 1hr 34mins 36secs for a new personal best.

He was followed by Gary Postle (1:35:30), Shane Sharkey taking 8mins off his best in 1:40:41, with Abi Arnott also in PB form 1:41:43.

Mike Brighty and Wayne Hackett ran the distance together in 1:44:24 and 1:44:37, respectively. Another great performance came from Richard Angrave (2:10:07), beating his previous best by 19 minutes and Sally Renwick in 2:53:38.

1/9/13 – JOHN FRASER 10

A big turnout at the final LRRL Summer League race of the year saw over 550 runners complete the testing 10 mile road race based at Countesthorpe College, south of Leicester. Rich Gray (1.10.07), Andy Nicholls (1.14.57), Matt Taylor (1.16.29), Abi Arnott (1.17.19), Mike Brighty (1.21.10) and Vicki Lowe (1.24.07).

26/8/13 – OLD DALBY HILL RACE

Bank holiday Monday saw the first ever running of the 4.5mile Old Dalby Hill Race. Ran in extreme temperatures that took the competitors around the local area, as well as taking in the local woods with a big finish on the village green with the great support all round from hundreds of local residents.

With an excellent 75 starters for its debut event, Stilton Striders had a strong contingent of runners with Jim Hatherley coming home in 6th place in 31mins 44seconds, followed by Mike Bryan 35:04. Will and Tim Hatherley in 36:40 and 37:04, John Houghton 39:25, Wayne Hackett 40:34, and Stilton’s only female athlete Laura Hatherley finishing in a creditable time of 52:41. [Wayne]

6/8/13 – WREAKE CHALLENGE

A team of 17 runners from Stilton Striders took part in the Wreake Challenge. An annual three club event also involving Wreake Runners and Leics largest running club, Barrow.

Ran over a 5 mile undulating multi-terrain route from Rushcliffe Golf Club, East Leake, host club Barrow came out on top with Stilton in second place after some fine top 10 finishers, and with Wreake coming in third. [Wayne]

18/8/13 – BELPER RUGBY ROVER

Best described as being like a 30k outrun, this race has it all – hills, footpaths, fields, cows, stiles, gates, mud – and a warm welcome (together with a bacon roll, cup of tea and/or pint of beer) back at the venue.

With 2000 feet of ascent (and presumably the same descent), PBs are unlikely, but that shouldn’t put anyone off – this is a great little race and superb value for money. Lone Strider in attendance was Rich Gray who completed the course in a solidly mid-table 2hrs 50mins and 8secs.

11/8/13 – HERMITAGE 10K

The latest LRRL summer league race, incorporating the Leics county 10k champs, was the Hermitage 10k. According to the race t-shirt, the course is “playfully undulating”, so definitely not one for the lovers of a fast flat course and a pb every outing!

Striders were represented by Rich Gray (43.01, 126th), Gary Postle (43.11, 131st), Joe Postle (44.37, 162nd) and Theresa Coltman (51.08, 325th) in a field of 499 finishers. With one league race remaining for the year, the John Fraser 10 in 3 weeks’ time, it would be great to get a full team out and show the league what we are made of.

7/8/13 – HIGHDOWN HIKE

Worthing in West Sussex was the venue for the Highdown Hike cross country race on Wednesday evening. The race is run over a 2 lap 4 mile course on Highdown Hill overlooking Worthing with stunning views out to sea from the top. The only Stilton Strider among the 360 starters was Mike Brighty, finishing inside the top third in a time of 31:58 to claim 111th place overall. [Mike]

2/8/13 – JAGERMEISTER 10K

The 11th running of the Jagermeister 10K was around the usual course in the picturesque grounds of Nottingham University. The weather was extremely hot and the course is undulating and hence quite a tester and not really one for establishing PB’s. For those who are used to the Rothley 10K the terrain is similar but the course is more interesting. The atmosphere with the motivational music near the finish line was as good as ever and the goody bag was generous with a smart modern T shirt, pair of socks, tin of juice and gel amongst the contents (if anyone wants a free bra sizing I now have quite a few Sweatshop vouchers!).

At the finish there was a BBQ with hot dogs and burgers at £2 each and a reasonably priced bar at £2.20 a pint. Incorporated in the race were the Nottingham County Championships and Police Championships. None of the first three Police women were at the prize giving but the prize winning Police men were leading to the comedian from the host club (Formula One Circuit Crew) who MC’s the prize giving to comment the Police women were off catching criminals whilst the men were enjoying themselves. Richard Angrave was the only Stilton Strider racing and beat last years Jager time by over 4 minutes with a time of 1 hour and 33 seconds to finish 334th out of 408. [Rich A]

27-28/7/13 – THUNDER RUN 24 HOUR

Catton Park near Burton-on-Trent staged the 2013 Adidas 24hr Thunder Run. With Stilton Striders having a Solo entrant, Rich Gray and a team of 7 runners, Wayne Hackett, Theresa Coltman, Ian Mason, Greg Pettingill, Jim Hatherley, Will Hatherley and Andy Nicholls in the event. The aim being to complete as many 10km laps within the 24hr period.

Setting off in extremely hot temperatures, things then turned for the worse. Torrential rain, thunderstorms, lightning were to last for about 8hrs, making the the course more like a swamp and very hard to run or even walk.

Plans to beat the previous years totals were dented as after 6.5 laps Richard who was out there all on his own very understandably called it day, with the Striders team carrying on and completing a total of 25 laps, 1 short of equalling last years effort but in completely different conditions. Credit goes out to all all runners and the team from the Pork Pie Plodders who were also there.

If anyone fancies joining a team for the Equinox 24Hr race in September (similar set up, hopefully minus the storms!) please speak to Wayne.

21/7/13 – OLYMPIC PARK ANNIVERSARY RUN

On a deceptively hot day, thousands of mad fools crammed into the Olympic Park in East London for the anniversary run rather than cooling off on the beach. Wayne & Ollie Hackett did the 1.5 mile family run and, being very generous, Wayne donated his place in the main 5 mile run to me [Andy].

Running round the park behind Victoria Pendleton (on foot), Paula Radcliffe and Mel C (“Sporty Spice”) was special, as was the piped “Chariots of Fire” music underneath the stadium near the end of the run but the highlight for me was sprinting down the last 100m of the athletics track pretending to be Usain Bolt and Mo Farah combined. My time of 36:32 wasn’t special but at least it was faster than Sporty and Vicky P! [Andy]
2013 Olympic Run Andy

The 1.5mile fun ended up being a quarter of a mile further than originally planned. Starting in different waves and Ollie running the full distance on his own with Wayne a few yards behind him, finishing in a time of 16mins 6secs for 1.79miles. With the youngster coming first in his section and overtaking alot of others in the earlier waves. [Wayne]
2013 Olympic Run Wayne

17/7/13 – BRIGHTON PHOENIX 10K

Mike Brighty was the lone Stilton Strider to make the journey to East Sussex for the Brighton Phoenix 10K on Wednesday evening. The race which is part of the Sussex Grand Prix series attracts club runners from all over the local area and is run on an out and back course from Hove along the promenade and seafront towards Shoreham.

The almost 500 starters were treated to an almost flat course however the sweltering conditions made for a gruelling test. Mike finished in a time of 48:16 for 265th place and a well-deserved plunge into the sea to cool off! [Mike]

12/7/13 – RAINBOWS 100 LAP CHALLENGE

Teams from the Stilton Striders filled the first two places when they completed a gruelling 100-lap charity challenge event at the Saffron Lane running track in Leicester on Friday.

The junior squad came first, just ahead of the seniors at an event which helped raise about £2,000 for the Rainbows Hospice.

The aim is to complete the century of laps in under two-and-a-half hours, which the junior squad achieved with 19 minutes to spare.

The 16 youngsters in the team – made up of Luke Jane, Marcus Rowland, Tom, Daniel Jane, Jess Hill, Lucy and Ella Thomas, Taylor Jordan, Josh Clark, Jas Southam, Harriet Kerr, Beth Baker, Bethan Saffnill, Archie Cropper, Alfie Scofield, Harry Greaves – started off running hard to stamp their authority on the race.

The senior team were hot on their heels but the juniors proved what an excellent outfit they are, gradually pulling away to win in a time of two hours and 11 minutes.

In sweltering conditions, the seniors finished about two-and-a-half laps behind their junior clubmates.

Teams were made up of a minimum of 15 runners (20 maximum) and had to include at least five ladies.

Along with 14 regular runners, the seniors were ably assisted by some talented youngsters – Conrad Gray and Ollie Hackett, both aged eight, and 12-year-old Lily-Mae Hackett – who all ran their socks off for the team.

Other squad members were Joe and George Postle, Tim and Will Hatherley, Neil and Julie Jaggard, Ian Mason, Ian Johnson, Richard Gray, Kirsty Black, Lucy Underwood and Chris Southam, while Anne Thomas stepped in after a late withdrawal.
2013 Seniors 100 lap

10/7/13 – REIGATE PRIORY SUMMER 10K

Mike Brighty was the only Stilton Strider to make the journey to Surrey on Wednesday for the Reigate Priory Summer 10K. The race is run mainly on the road but with the final 2K on trails and grass in the scenic Reigate Priory Park. The hilly route, combined with the hot temperature ensured a severe test for the 350 runners. Mike finished in a time of 48:18 for an overall place of 134th. [Mike]

10/7/13 – HUNGARTON 7

A strong turn out for the Striders at this year’s Hungarton 7, the latest in the LRRL Summer League series. With the summer finally providing some hot weather, the runners were pleased to find that Wednesday evening turned out slightly cooler and overcast with conditions good for a hard effort.

Darren Glover was first Strider, finishing 40th in 44.24 for the hilly 7 mile route. Sam Spencer, in his first LRRL race for the club, was next in 46.17. Richard Gray (48.52), Gary Postle (49.51), Mike Bryan (51.02), Andy Nicholls (52.54), John Houghton (54.44) and Matt Talbot (1.06.59).

The ladies’ team was represented by Abi Arnott, with a great run of 54.07 and Louise Houghton in 55.34. [Rich]

25/6 – 3/7/13 – HOLME PIERREPONT GRAND PRIX

The 2013 Holme Pierrepont Grand Prix consisted of four races in 10 days at three parks in Nottingham with Stilton Strider and Wymeswold runner Richard Angrave completing his third Grand Prix with three PB’s in the four races. All four races were run in excellent weather with the exception of the third race when it was a little windy. Richard began by dipping under the hour for the first time in a 10K at Holme Pierrepoint recording a time of 59:18 followed by a time of 26:10 for another PB in the 5K at Rushcliffe Country Park and his third PB 36:30 in a 4 mile race again at Rushcliffe Country Park . In the final race a 5 miler at Colwick he recorded a creditable 46:25 a mere 9 seconds off his personal best which might have been beaten if he had not got stuck in the Nottingham traffic and started 50 metres behind the rest of the field. It is a great event that is always one of the first that goes into his race plans as it presents quite a challenge and the camaraderie at the event is wonderful especially at the presentations after the final race. If you want to test yourself at these shorter distances in a 10 day series then enter next year – I certainly will be. [Rich A]

30/6/13 – LIGHTNING RUN

This 12 hour event, staged on a 10k(ish) off road course at Catton Park is the sister event of the larger & longer Thunder Run 24hr that takes place at the end of July. Originally scheduled for March, this year’s running was postponed due to the course being under several feet of snow on its initial date. Instead, the runners were ‘treated’ to 12 hours of sunshine that by mid-afternoon were beginning to take their toll.

There were a number of categories, from solo through to relay teams of 5 – Richard Gray completed 9 laps in 11 hours 22 minutes for 13th place in the solo mens event. [Rich]

16/6/13 – STATHERN 10K

A field of 98 runners started the Stathern 10k in good, if a little warm, conditions on Sunday. First Strider home was Darren Glover in 6th place (38.05), closely followed by Jonathan Oxborough in 8th (38.41).

Mike Bryan in 20th and Louise Houghton in 32nd (45.08) completed the Striders team.

Melton Times report (2013 Stathern 10k)

11/6/13 – ROTHLEY 10K

Tuesday 11th June saw the Rothley 10K take place in good conditions on this two lap course of the village with, as usual, the large turnout of villagers creating a great atmosphere. First Strider home on his Striders debut (and 46th of the 446 finishers) was Mike Bryan in a time of 43:19.

Next home were the Houghton’s, with Louise (48:26) and John (49:39) adding another race to their hectic schedule , Richard Angrave in a new PB of 61:28 (5 minutes 24 seconds quicker than last year) and Alison Wilson 64:49.

As usual Rothley Chip shop did excellent trade and the “Woodies” was packed generating a great atmosphere for a post race pint or two. Want a great night out on a taxing course then sign up for next years Rothley 10K and raise money for charity and have a lot of fun. [Rich A]

8/6/13 – CLASSIC QUARTER

“44 miles on the South West Coast Path in Cornwall?”, they said. “Yes”, I said. “That will be brutal” they replied. Turns out they were right. It was.

From the start at Lizard point in a huge thunderstorm, through to a sun drenched finish at Lands End 12 hours later it was certainly a race to remember. Hills, mud, hills, steps, sand, clambering over boulders (I’m still not sure how that counts as part of a “path”), some more hills, some more steps (have I mentioned the hills yet?) and finally a couple of miles over pleasant rolling grassy paths. All combined with some of the best views the UK has to offer. Memorable. [Rich]

2/6/13 – SWITHLAND 6

Three Stilton Striders turned out for the Swithland 6 on Sunday 2nd June 2013 on a lovely day and scenic undulating course. The total field was 563 runners in what was an open race but counted as the first race in the Summer Leicestershire Road Running League.

Following his excellent time in the West End 8 two weeks earlier Darren Glover was again in good form recording a time of 36:39 to be first Strider home and 54th overall, closely followed by Jonathon Oxborough with a time of 37:53 for 79th place. Richard Angrave recorded a time of 58:57 – a PB for the distance and 6 minutes quicker than last year. [Rich A]

26/5/13 – EDINBURGH MARATHON

What are the chances that up in Scotland on the east coast we managed to get one of the years best weekends for running the Edinburgh marathon?

I don’t know, or care but I know the three stilton striders runners were all very grateful after a week of howling winds and rain in the week before the journey up there. The fine day started with lots of nerves and the aftermath of what nerves generally cause, followed by a very long run! Jim’s preparation was faultless of course, after lecturing Tim about getting Vaseline on his nipples I forgot to put some on my own, resulting in some very unflattering red areas on my top. This was overshadowed though by me spectacularly blowing up at mile 20 causing me to miss my 3:05 aim by 5 minutes. Jim Hatherley came in at 3:10:18.

Next in was Tim after carrying his banana round with him for half the marathon (who ever saw a marathon runner carrying a banana?) he decided he needed the energy and promptly opened the delicious fruit, dropped it on the floor and watched in horror as some guy stepped on it. Several gels later and Tim Hatherley performed a perfect even split to get a sub 4 marathon at 3:58:49 on his marathon debut!

With the full crew now there to support our final comrade we waited for Laura Hatherley to come sprinting around the corner with a look of determination in her eyes. not so much sprinting and more relief and pain in her eyes but we were all cheering loudly as she finished her first (and according to her, only) marathon in 5:23:38. well done laura!

A great day had by all and I know that ill be going back up there next year for round two. [Jim Hatherley]

19/5/13 – WEST END 8

Syston Rugby Club was the location for the West End 8 on Sunday 19th May and seven Stilton Striders turned out to compete on a wonderful sunny day. Darren Glover made his first league appearance of the season and was first Strider home in 50:57 which placed him 48th overall in a field of 392, followed by Gary Postle in 55:57 and making his Striders league debut Iain Howe who just beat the hour with a time of 59:43. Robert Szabo recorded 69:47 and the other Striders were Alison Wilson 82:07, Richard Angrave 83:50 and Sally Renwick 96:42.

The 8 mile distance is rarely run so for many the times were PB’s. This was the last race in the Winter Series and thoughts now turn to the Summer Series of open races with the first being the Swithland 6 on Sunday 2nd June, an attractive race that is sure to draw a large entry but remember to enter in advance. [Rich A]

12/5/13 – WYMESWOLD WADDLE

Sunday 12th May saw the 7th Annual Wymeswold Waddle take place with competitors running up the hill out of the village of Wymeswold towards Six Hills and returning down the hill to finish a five mile race near the Windmill Public House in the village. This five mile race which is always conducted in good spirit attracted 226 runners this year despite the counter attraction of the Long Clawson 10K and the Bosworth Half Marathon (formally Hinckley Half Marathon). Part of the attraction might be the 2k fun run after the race.

Mike Brighty was first Strider back in 37:15 (69th place) followed by Martin Miles 39:53 (113th), Lora Holmes 45:47 (181st), Richard Angrave 46:16 (185th) and Janice Skipper 48:02 (193rd) – with Richard beating his PB by over 5 and a half minutes. [Rich A]

5/5/13 – LICHFIELD HALF MARATHON

Wayne made the trip to Staffordshire and in particular the Cathedral City of Lichfield for its half marathon. Having ran a reasonable race over the same distance the previous week and on a high from seeing Anthony Knockaert score the winning goal for Leicester City against Forest to put them into the play-offs the day before, in which we were given Knockaert’s training top before the game, hopefully the good fortune could continue. Sad to say, the luck ran out and struggled very badly over the second half of the course, and finally came home in a time of 1hr 53mins 35secs, which was over 11mins slower than what he had ran in Stratford a week earlier. [Wayne]

28/4/13 – SHAKESPEARE MARATHON & HALF MARATHON

Carrying on the spring marathon theme, Wayne Hackett, Rich Gray and Andy Nicholls made the trip to Stratford-upon-Avon for the Shakespeare Half and Full Marathon. It finally did feel like spring and, although perfect running conditions first thing, it got a bit hot later on. Burnt shoulders are not a good look.

The course went rolling through sleepy villages and along a disused railway line (nice and flat) with good crowds supporting the 2000 running the Half (one lap) and 750 running the Full (two laps). The scenery somehow lost its appeal a little on the second lap but by that point Wayne had finished nearly 2 mins faster than last time out in 1:42:02. Rich was first Strider in the full marathon in 3:44:47 and Andy exactly 3 minutes later in 3:47:47. After a rubbish first attempt at the marathon distance last time, Andy was elated to have beaten his previous PB by 35 minutes. [Andy]

21/4/13 – LONDON MARATHON

On a glorious April morning in London the Marathon spirit was rekindled, after the terrible events that had happened at the finish of the Boston event. Four members of the Stilton Striders had been fortunate enough to gain places in the 33rd edition of the London Marathon, and they all finished with great pride.

Having trained through a bitterly cold and treacherous winter, they were met with very warm challenging conditions. First home was Christian Davidson who recorded a time of 2:50:40, he was followed home by marathon debutants Abi Arnott 3:56:19 and Theresa Coltman 4:04:13. Theresa raised nearly £2,500 for Phab Kids charity. The final Strider to finish was Mike Brighty who recorded a respectable time of 4:37:48, despite having to miss the last 3 weeks of training through injury and suffering a bad bout of cramp on the day. [Theresa]

14/4/13 – MARKFIELD 10K

A warm but windy day saw nine Stilton Striders make the journey to Markfield for the fourth Winter League race of the season. There were league debuts for Helen Ainge (64:20) and Laura Hatherley (58:54) and seasonal debuts for Jim Hatherley first Strider home in 37:44, Robert Szabo (52:49) and Alison Wilson (63:51) whilst Sally Renwick (76:24) and Richard Angrave (69:00) maintained their 100% attendance records this season. Other runners were Richard Gray who was second Strider home (42:57) and Ian Mason was third (51:51). Amazingly this was Helen Ainge’s first 10K race even though she had previously completed the half marathon distance of the Great North Run. [Rich A]

13/4/13 – FRISBY FUN RUN

Quality, not quantity, (that should be the Stilton Striders’ motto?) from the Striders at the Frisby Fun Run on 13th April.

The only junior competing (Victoria Sercombe) won the affiliated female year 10 to age 17 category. In the adults race, soon-to-be Strider Matt Taylor came a superb 2nd after “hareing” for 2 earlier races and Wayne Hackett wasn’t far behind in 13th.

Thanks to Rob Szabo for marshalling and Ian J who offered to help too but wasn’t needed in the end. [Andy]

7/4/13 – BELVOIR HALF MARATHON

The annual running of the Belvoir Half Marathon was the setting for a number Melton athletes. Making a long awaited racing return for Stilton Striders was Darren Glover who claimed 29th place in a time of 1hr 24mins 47secs.

Next home was Rich Gray in 1:30:34, and debutant Mark Stoneley knocking 3 minutes off his previous best in 1:37:28. Iain Howe 1:38:52, John Houghton 1:43:46 and Wayne Hackett 1:43:49 in only his second outing of the year. [Wayne]

Melton Times report (2013 Belvoir HM)

7/4/13 – BLACKPOOL MARATHON

Jonny Oxborough made the trip North-West for the Blackpool Marathon, he completed the full 26.2 mile distance in 3hrs 15mins 26secs.

17/3/13 – ASHBY 20

With only 5 weeks to go to the London Marathon & Stratford Marathon, four Stilton Striders competed in the Ashby 20 as a test run for their big day. On a bitterly cold morning with arctic like conditions, the undulating course was far more challenging than normal. However the 1,200 runners were treated to a superbly organised race, which is seen as one of the premier training races for the spring marathons.

Jonathon Oxbrough was first Strider home (2:24:41), followed by Andy Nicholls (2:44:55), Theresa Coltman (2:55:38) and Mike Brighty (3:02:09). With only the finishing touches needed for their preparations, things are looking good for the Marathoners in the coming weeks. Also another great run from Chris Southam who finished 3rd overall. [Theresa]

Melton Times report (2013 Ashby 20)

10/3/13 – NEWTON’S FRACTION HALF MARATHON

Mike Brighty was the lone Stilton Strider joining the 400 runners who braved freezing conditions on Sunday for the eighth annual Newton’s Fraction half-marathon.

The race started at the South Kesteven Sports Stadium, in Grantham, and joined the Grantham to Nottingham Canal towpath to Woolsthorpe-by-Belvoir, taking in two very testing hills along the way before returning back to the stadium for a grandstand finish.

Mike continued his marathon preparations by finishing in 1hr 51min 27secs for 226th place.

10/3/13 – KIBWORTH 6

Six members of Stilton Striders battled the elements and the hilly course at this weekend’s Kibworth 6 winter league race. The course, which is renowned for its hills, proved even more of a challenge than usual in sub zero temperatures and with snow in the air. Paul Kerr once again was first Strider home in 36.57, followed by Greg Pettingill who ran an impressive 40.40 in his return for the club. Richard Gray (42.17), Ian Mason (50.30) and Richard Angrave (69.58) completed the Mens team.

Sole lady Strider was Sally Renwick who ran a second PB in a fortnight with 70.28, knocking more than 5 minutes off her previous 6 mile time. [Rich]

Melton Times report (2013 Kibworth 6 & Grantham)

24/2/13 – ASHBY 5

In the latest round of the winter league series, Paul Kerr led the team home in his comeback race, with an impressive 29.19 result at Ashby. With over 500 runners crossing the border into Derbyshire as part of this latest race in the Leicestershire Road Running League winter series, Paul was ably supported by Richard Gray (35.38), Dan Valencia (37.56), Richard Angrave (53.15) and Sally Renwick, who ran a new Personal Best in 54.18. [Rich]

Melton Times report (2013 Ashby 5 & Belvoir)

23/2/13 – BELVOIR CHALLENGE

One Strider, Andy Nicholls, took it on himself to make the Belvoir Challenge even more challenging by completing the muddy, hilly, off road 15 mile course carrying a bucket to collect funds for charity (Link). He completed the event in a creditable 2 hours and 25 minutes.

Even more challenging was the 26 mile option, with the entrants making the most of the home made cakes supplied at regular intervals to keep up energy levels as the snow started to fall – Richard Gray (4.43), Mike Brighty (5.03) and Gary Christmas (5.36). [Rich]

17/2/13 – STAMFORD VALENTINES 30K

Continuing their marathon training two Stilton Striders made the trip to Rutland for the 20th annual running of the Stamford 30K (18.6 miles) road race, run over a grueling, hilly rural course. The race is targeted by club runners from all over the country as part of their marathon preparation and the field of 750 runners were treated to perfect weather conditions.

First Strider home was Theresa Coltman (2:45:01) to claim a fantastic 10th place in her category, closely followed across the line by team mate Mike Brighty (2:46:55). [Mike]

Melton Times report (2013 Stamford 30k)

27/1/13 – BARROW 6

Nine Stilton Striders made the short trip to Barrow Upon Soar for Round 1 of the Leicestershire Road Running League winter series. Having escaped the wintry weather conditions the 567 runners were treated to relatively mild, sunny conditions however a strong breeze made for a testing 6 mile race.

First Strider home was Gary Postle (42:35) in 197th place overall, next in were Kirsty Ainscough (44:59) and Abi Arnott (45:18) to claim 35th and 38th female place respectively.

The next home were Dan Valencia (45:43) and Mike Brighty (46:25). Representing the club for the first time in the league were Catherine Buckley (63:21) and Janice Skipper (63:31), both scoring valuable team points for the ladies team. Completing the Striders contingent on the day were Richard Angrave (69:19) and Sally Renwick (75:58).

Melton Times report (2013 Barrow 6)

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