Shakespeare Half and Full Marathon
Sunday turned out to be a glorious day, especially for those running the half or full marathon in Stratford-upon-Avon. Starting in the centre of the town, opposite Shakespeare’s old school, taking in sights such as the River Avon, Holy Trinity Church (home to the grave of William Shakespeare) and the Royal Shakespeare Theatres.
Just under 500 participants ran in the two-lap marathon course. First home for the club was Dave Witnall in an impressive time of 3:28:03, followed by Marathon first-timer Ellie Taylor in 4:04:40. What a fantastic time and achievement, very well deserved.
Over 1600 runners took part in the half marathon, which started at the same time. Teresa Hazelwood raced this distance for the first time in 4 years, thoroughly enjoying the event and finishing in a super 1:50:15! Like his sister, Ellie, this was a first time for Rich (Ryo) Taylor who took on the half and did so in 2:05:12.
Well done everyone, awesome work.
Simplyhealth Great Bristol 10k
Over 10,000 took to the streets of Bristol on Sunday; starting near Millennium Square the route runs parallel to the historic Bristol Harbour before continuing along Avon Gorge and taking in the iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge. Ollie Hazel ran with his sister, who was completing her first 10k event, and together achieved 1:15:22. Becky Heal also ran in RSE colours finishing in 1:36:35. Great going guys!
Stroud Trail Quarter
Although 7 miles and not exactly the quarter marathon, this is advertised as a great introduction to trail running and takes in some of the great Cotswold views at the same time. Starting from Stroud town centre, the race joins the Cotswold Canal towpath ascending, eventually, to Rodborough Common before returning to the finish in Stroud. In a field of 100, this event is also open to walkers, with Cheri Edwards and Lindsey Gregory running for RSE. Cheri finished 8th female overall in 1:08:41 and Lindsey 9th in 1:10:00 (2nd in her age category). Amazing work ladies!
Hogsmill 5
The “Hogsmill 5” is a friendly ladies-only running race over 5 miles, organised each year by the Epsom Allsorts ladies running club. With no cut-off time it’s a perfect target for beginners, and enjoyed by established runners too. The race is mostly flat, with start and finish at the Harrier Centre athletics track in West Ewell, and running through the Hogsmill local nature reserve behind. Charlie Austin took her RSE vest for its first outing at this one completing the 5 miles in 59:12. Well done, Charlie – fantastic first race in RSE colours!
Ridgeway 40 Walk
Organised by the Walkers Association the Ridgeway 40 is a walk not a race but there are lots of runners with times starts rather than mass start. Henry Church attended this on Saturday completing the distance in 6 hours 53 minutes, 7 minutes inside his target! Fantastic Henry!
parkruns
What a lot of parkrunners this weekend; RSE was represented in Manchester, County Galway (Ireland) and by the masses on home soil in Cirencester!
Haigh Woodland: Sarah Reynolds 37:53.
Oughterard: Paul Coates 24:40; Sharon Smith 28:13; Jenny Hoffmann 30:29; Caroline Coates 30:39; Tracey Pitts 31:53; Sallie Clatworthy 33:03; Caroline Terry 35:30 and Laura Butler 36:40.
Cirencester: Jess Osbourne 25:46 (PB); Jon Collins 25:55 (PB); Emma Hine 28:31 (PB); George Rackley 30:20 (1st parkrun); Kate Sedgwick 32:08 (1st parkrun); Amanda Haines 32:10 (PB); Jane O’Dell 32:20 (PB); Guillermo Tomac 35:00 (PB); Kay Thompson 38:59 (PB); Karen Langfield 42:33; Jesica Masseilot 43:41 (PB) and Elspeth Murano (tailwalker).