The Swindon Half Marathon race was the 6th race in the Endurance Expert championship 2018. The RSE representation was fantastic with 8 men and 8 ladies finishing in club colours.
A fairly flat course (apart from a fairly pesky hill just when you want it at mile 11!) meant for some great times and some smashing PB’s. Well done to all runners.
Men’s Competition
First in for the men was Tom Cooper securing 10 points. The top 3 was completed with Andy Masser in 2nd place with 9 points and Dave Daniels in 3rd with 8 points.
Tom has the top spot secured but there’s change in 2nd and 3rd place with Andy Masser still in 2nd but the 8 points from Dave Daniels means he’s now in 3rd place. Well done chaps!
Ladies Competition
In the ladies we had Sharon Smith in 1st place picking up another 10 points, with Nadine coming 2nd securing 9 points and continuing her strong season, in 3rd place was Ellie Taylor.
It’s tight at the top of the ladies competition with just a couple of chances for the positions to change. Some runners haven’t completed their 5 races yet and there’s still opportunity for those that have run 5 to improve on their current points, so it really is all still to play for. As it stands we’ve got…
Fantastic running ladies!
We’ve got a few weeks off until our next endurance race which is our club handicap race at the Cricklade Half in October, so we’ll expect to see some different names and the chance to rack up some potentially valuable points all around.
Great running to every single one of you.
On Sunday 9th September the second New Swindon Half Marathon took place. Starting and finishing in the town centre the course is largely flat and brings the runners through the various highlights of the town including the Magic Roundabout, the County Ground, the Oasis, the Railways, the Outlet Village as well as as the Old Town before a downhill finish into the town centre.
First in for RSE was Tom Cooper in 1:27:15. He was followed by;
Andy Masser – 1:35:05
Dave Daniels – 1:38:57
Sharon Smith – 1:42:15 and 1st LV55
Dave Witnall – 1:43:45
Nadine Brown – 1:45:50
Jonathan Lewis – 1:46:00
Steve Phelps – 1:46:48
Eleanor Taylor – 1:47:14 in a PB
Jo Wood – 1:49:04
Cheri Edwards – 1:49:47 in a PB on her birthday
Elaine Chapman – 1:53:32
Ryo Taylor – 2:02:38
Vicki Mason – 2:07:45 in a PB
Caroline Joynes-Creed – 2:38:40
Kevin Joynes-Creed – 2:38:41
Not only an impressive turnout but great effort from everyone.
The Great North Run is the largest half marathon in the world and was devised by former Olympic 10,000 m bronze medalist Brendon Foster in 1981. During the first run there were 12,000 runners however over the years this has increased to in excess of 57000 runners this year. Participants run between Newcastle upon Tyne and South Shields.
Representing RSE was Linda Edwards in 2:11:06
Great effort Linda.
Now in its 23rd year the Cheltenham Triathlon took place on Sunday 9th September. The race starts with a 500 m swim in the Lido followed by a 13k cycle and a 2.5 k run around Cheltenham and the picturesque Cotswold Hills.
Representing RSE and raising money for Leukaemia and Intestive Chemo (LINC) was Kate Potter who completed the event in 1:16:15.
Great work Kate
The New Forest Marathon starts at the New Park Showground in Brockenhurst and winds through the heart of the New Forest Ntaional Park. The multi terrain course offered some of the most scenic running experiences in the country with a blend of forest enclosures, open roads, far reaching views and of course the famous New Forest ponies.
Representing RSE and raising money for Dementia UK in her first marathon in an unofficial time of 4:24:29 was Laura Peters.
Also running for RSE was Paul Coates who completed the 10k.
Fantastic effort Laura and Paul.
Everyone ran hard this weekend however particular mention needs to go to Ellie Taylor who knocked an incredible 8 minutes from her previous PB. An awesome effort.
Sharon Smith continues to impress by stepping down an age category to the LV55 in the Swindon Half Marathon and still managing first place. Maybe time to enter as a senior female. How do you do it?
Normally reserved for highlighting runners who have had a great race, mentioned in dispatches can also be used to highlight bloopers. This week has to go to a person who entered the Swindon Half Marathon. Well he thought he did. Having had a boring pasta meal the night before he decided to pack his kit for the early start. Realising he didn’t have his race number, he searched his emails, bank statements and even contacted the race director to confirm he had entered. Although he was confident he had entered, to his dismay and embarrassment it became clear that he had not. Thankfully he managed to organise a place and take part. Thanks Coach Dave for giving me your number which I was fortunately able to transfer.
Ben Chapman – 21:30
Jon Collins – 24:41
Richard Woodsell Taylor – 26:29
Sarah Reynolds – 27:00
Cathy Steer – 28:30
Tracy Webster – 52:15
Jenny Hoffman – 32:19
The RSE committee are happy to announce that Cirencester Signpost has been chosen as our club charity this year!
For those who haven’t heard of Signpost, this is a great charity that provides hot meals and emotional support to those who are homeless or in financial difficulty around Cirencester. They are also able to give referrals to Cirencester food bank.
If you would like to find out more information on this worthy cause, take a look at their website – http://www.cirencester-signpost.org.uk/
Or head over to their Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/Cirencester-Signpost-879569848799033/
We look forward to raising lots of money for Signpost over the next year!