STRATFORD Athletic Club running star Agnes McTighe once again proved too hot for the opposition to handle as she triumphed in a local race held about an hour away from her home in Switzerland, writes David Jones.
Agnes decided to treat the event – the Corrida d’Octodure in Martigny – as a training run!
It is a classic flat road race on a twisty course and the weather is almost always windy. It was certainly windy on this occasion but also dry and sunny.
The distance was 3,680m and the race was for under 18 girls and under 16 boys, but Agnes again proved her younger years were no barrier to success as, despite having only just turned 14, she won in a time of 12.17.
The first boy to finish was 17 seconds behind her and the first girl more than two minutes behind, even though Agnes started badly by getting boxed in at the first tight turn.
She then took the lead and stayed there, although after the race Agnes revealed she thinks she got the pace wrong as she felt very comfortable at the end and maybe should have pushed on faster.
WALEED AGABANI clocked a superb time of 3:20.53 at the 37th Istanbul Marathon in Turkey.
This was the Stratford Athletic Club runner’s fourth marathon of the year and remarkably came just three weeks after competing in the Snowdonia Marathon.
The race, which was won by Eliaz Kemboi Chelimo of Kenya in a time of 2:11.17, finished outside the famous Blue Mosque.
Hutchinson powers to victory
A TRIO of Stratford AC runners competed in the challenging Broadway Half-Marathon and lighting up the occasion was Tim Hutchinson who was victorious in a time of 1:39.02.
This was more than three minutes quicker than the second placed runner.
Sheila Barbour (1:48.49) had fully intended to run the full marathon, but a change of plan meant she ran the half instead and she finished in a superb sixth place overall and was the first lady to finish in what was a wonderful performance.
Yet another Stratford runner who is getting back to race fitness after a lengthy period is Fern Hordern (2:13.13 – 40th).
Fern found the race really hilly and said it felt like running in a gale force ten wind and was also very slippy.
On the plus side, she thought it was really well organised, the scenery was wonderful and she loved the cakes at the end!
THE DRUIDS Challenge Ridgeway Multistage Ultra was set over three days in Buckinghamshire and Stratford AC’s long distance junkies Wayne Vickers and Graham Black competed in a multi-day ultra event to take your breath away.
Consisting of approximately 27-29 miles each day and covering about 84 miles, the event was a good training ground for Graham’s ambitions to complete the Marathon des Sables in Morocco in 2016.
At these kind of distances the strategy is all about pacing and fuelling well across the whole event and fortunately Wayne – who is an expert at eating on the go – always had something to hand.
Pork scratchings kept them going across many a mile but it was perhaps their iron will that got them through the whole event, with Graham commenting how hard day two and three were mentally.
Both were delighted to finish, with Wayne crossing the finish line in 17 hours, 19 seconds and Graham finishing just a minute or so behind in 17:01.23.
The race was won by Lee Muir in 10:45:33. With 121 finishers and a further 41 who did not finish, it goes someway to showing just how tough this event is.
