STRATFORD–upon-Avon Athletic Club members raced to two age group wins at the Summer Shakespeare 5k race at Long Marston Airfield.
With a flat route on a traffic-free tarmac course it is a great race for seasoned runners looking for a PB and features 5k, 10k and half-marathon races.
Young Christopher Hunt ran an absolutely superb race to finish the 5k race in third place overall, setting a personal best a time of 20 minutes 56 seconds.
He also finished first in his age group.
The youngster, a veteran of 99 park runs, is obviously reaping the benefit of all the hard work he has been putting in while training and his PB was more than one and a half minutes quicker than when he ran this race last year.
Harry Gravelsons, who was competing just two days shy of his 13th birthday, was fifth overall, in a time of 22.17 and second to his teammate Hunt in his age group.
The ageless Roger Wilson (7th – 22.45) finished more than 12 minutes quicker than his nearest competitor in the M65 age group while Harry’s mother, Alison, rounded off a fabulous morning for the SAC contingent by finishing in 31st place.
Her time of 33.09, was more than two minutes quicker than her best park run time over a similar distance
The 5k race was won by Anderson First in 27.51 and the first woman to finish, in 13th place was Anne Cotton in 27.51.
A total of 56 runners completed the race.
In the 10k race, Paul Jefferies, from SAC, finished in 16th place, with a time of 42.05.
He was more than 30 seconds quicker than when he last raced this distance, on this course, more than two years ago and he was more than two minutes quicker than in the Two Castles 10k earlier in the year.
Next to finish for the club was John Butler (151st – 1:03.08), who was third in his age group.
He was more than five minutes quicker than he was in the Evesham 10k earlier in the month.
He was also a minute and a half quicker than when he last ran this race over two years ago.
The 10k race was won by Ben Plummer in a time of 36.42. The first lady to finish in 10th place, was Laura Pettifer in a time of 42.24. A total of 208 runners finished the race.
There were no SAC runners amongst the 173 who finished the half marathon, which was won by Peter Middleton in a time of 1:17.28.
The first woman to finish, in 10th place, and a time of 1:28.03, was Sophie Carter.
Midland Vets League
STRATFORD AC masters recorded a series of club records to finish close second behind hosts Worcester in both the men’s and women’s events in their final Midland Vets League match last Wednesday.
The evening got off to the best possible start with Peter and Christine Coote and Phil Brennan winning their 200 metres races, before Peter and Christine dashed off win their pole vault and shot events respectively.
Sprint success continued with Elaine Ledden finishing second in her 200m in a club record time.
Lynne Hinson and Chris Wilson made successful debuts in the 200m, with Maria Haslam, John Boxall, Jean and Tony Humphreys all picking up valuable points in their races.
In the 3,000m, Sheila Lammas achieved a hard-fought victory, with Lynne Hinson and Alison Bagnal taking second places in their age groups.
For Bagnal, it was her first track event after a gap of three years, which she celebrated with a new club record.
Graham Taylor also made a welcome return with a good performance in the 3,000m, together with David Smyth and Malcolm Bowyer.
For Smyth and Lammas, it was their normal busy night, as they had just both taken second places in their 800m races.
Team captain David Jones took time off from his duties to take third place in his 800m, with David Battersby, Maria Haslam, and Kate Sergent also running well.
Sergent, together with Gemma Smith, Malcolm Bowyer and Paul Hawkins, did well in the 2,000m walk.
In the evening’s field events, Stratford athletes broke five club age group records.
Paivi McMillan won her discus with a new record throw and then took second place in the javelin.
John Boxall and Christine Coote set new records in the shot, and Ledden demonstrated her recent improvement with records in both the long and triple jumps.
The successful evening finished as fast as it started with the men’s 4x100m team of Smyth, Boxall, Humphreys and Wilson finishing a strong second.
