STRATFORD AC members competed in their numbers in the Massey Ferguson Tractor 10k and Shakespeare Half and full Marathon races.
A total of 18 Stratford runners were in action in the Massey Ferguson 10k at Stoneleigh Park whilst a remarkable 36 club members competed in either the half or full Shakespeare Marathon’s.
And Ben Kruze was the first Stratford runner home in a time of 32 minutes 18 seconds in the 10k race to finish second overall with Matt Burdus-Cook next over the line in ninth to win his age category.
Richard Liggatt made it three Stratford runners in the top-10 whilst also running a personal best (PB) time.
Liggatt said: “It was a fast course and having not raced a flat 10k for a while, I wasn’t quite sure what time to be aiming for.
“I held back slightly during the first few miles meaning I had enough in the tank from 7km which is always the hardest part of a 10k.
“I was delighted to sneak under 35 minutes for the first time – despite the course seeming to run slightly long.”
Next home for Stratford was Alex Pester in 19th as Drew Sambridge 31st and Adrian Mason 37th rounded off the points scorers in what was the first race of the Warwickshire Road Racing League calendar.
That left Stratford second overall on the day behind only Kenilworth Runners.
And Stratford runners also enjoyed a successful Shakespeare half and full Marathon run with Burdus-Cook’s 1 hour 17 minuets and 16 seconds in the former securing an eighth-place finish overall.
Dan Southam closely followed in (1:19:35) with Pester (1:20:32) clocking an impressive time in his first half marathon race whilst Tim Hutchinson (1:24:25) and Mason (1:24:53) finished just 28 seconds apart.
The first female Stratford member to complete the half marathon was Emily Orton in (1:35.51) to set a new PB and finish ninth out of a field of 520 women.
Hannah Osborne was the second female member to cross the finish line and set a new PB in (1:42:50) with Julia Brookes (1:55:43), Clare Eynon (2:09:32), Lisa Lambourn (2:09:38) and Anne Rushton (2:09:45) all completing the race.
Only two Stratford runners braved the full marathon as Phil Reading finished 16th in (3:05:41) and Stuart Griffiths posted a time of (4:30:14).
