On Sunday November 21st, the Hadleigh 10 mile race attracted four of the fastest male runners in the club, all finishing within 40 seconds of each other. This race was also designated a Suffolk Championship event, with special trophies for the fastest three men and women and for all the age group winners and runners-up. First home for the Joggers was Jimmy Smith (58:09, 6th of 255 overall, 2nd of 25 in M40), followed by Dan Hutchison (58:27, 8th, 4th of 29 in MU40), Mark Hayward (58:37, 9th, 4th in M40), Paul Holley (58:45, 11th, 1st of 36 in M55) and Clive Purbrook (1:28:14, 177th, 7th of 14 in M65+). Andy Hayward (54:20, 119th of 145 overall) competed in the 5 mile race.
From left: Andy Hayward in Hadleigh 5; Mark Hayward, Jimmy Smith, Paul Holley and Dan Hutchison in Hadleigh 10. Thanks for the team photo on Strava.
Meanwhile, in Huntingdonshire, it was the popular St Neots Riverside Half Marathon. Richard Groom (1:43:42, 363rd of 1,002 overall, 94th of 177 in M40-49) achieved an all-time half marathon PB, while Melanie Tindale (1:50:30, 484th , 36th of 130 in F35-44) clocked her best time since the Cambridge Half Marathon in 2018, so a great result for both of them.
Over in Norfolk on the same day, the EAMA Wymondham 10K attracted two Joggers. Brian Munns (46:54, 69th of 335 overall, 3rd of 26 in M55) was first home in his best 10K time this year, followed by Jim Withers (56:51, 202nd, 6th of 10 in M65+). In the Stevenage Half Marathon in Hertfordshire, Andy Fryatt (1:32:48, 44th overall, 8th in M50) put in a good effort on this hilly route, just outside his best time this year.
Eastern Counties AA XC Championships: An annual cross-country (XC) championship fixture was held at Horseheath near Haverhill on Saturday, 20th November. At short notice, Newmarket Joggers entered a men’s team of 6 (over 12km) and a women’s team of 3 (over 6km), both coming away with 2nd place trophies. It was a proper old-fashioned XC course, with plenty of mud, plus a fun water feature to wade through. Men’s team: Jimmy Smith, Dan Hutchison, Mark Hayward, Paul Holley, Jonathan Pye and Jamie Rule. Women’s team: Ruth Eberhardt, Jan Holmes and Pearl Fay. Clive Purbrook also competed well in the race.
From left: Paul Holley, Dan Hutchison, Jamie Rule, Jimmy Smith and Mark Hayward at the Eastern AA XC event at Horseheath, with medals and 2nd place trophy. Jonathan Pye was also in the team but not shown. Thanks for the team photo.
Above left: Ruth Eberhardt in action at Horseheath, with Jan Holmes and Pearl Fay not far behind. Above right, the team afterwards, with medals and 2nd place trophy. Thanks for the great photos.
The results of the first fixture of the Suffolk Winter XC League (held in Framlingham Castle grounds on November 7th over ~5.3 miles) have now been released. Newmarket Joggers (NJ) join together with Sudbury Joggers (SJ) in this league. Our combined first team (A) of 7 men and 4 women finished 5th of 17 first teams overall, definitely an improvement on recent years, with more strength and depth in our squad. Our 2nd (B) team (6th of 13 teams) and 3rd (C) team (5th of 9 teams) did similarly well against their counterparts from the other clubs.
To put the performance of our Newmarket & Sudbury (N&S) combined men’s and women’s 1st (A) team in perspective, Saint Edmund Pacers lead the division with 3,391 points, from Framlingham Flyers on 3,305, Felixstowe Road Runners on 3,295, Stowmarket Striders on 3,270 and N&S 5th on 3,136 points, so fairly close and everything to play for. On an individual front, Jimmy Smith (1st of 24 in M40), Paul Holley (1st of 32 in M55) and Neville Clarke (1st of 14 in M65) all top their age groups after the first fixture, so plenty to be encouraged about. In order to qualify for individual age group competitions, at least 4 fixtures must be completed, with the best 4 counting.
1st Team (A) Men: Jimmy Smith NJ, 11th of 253 male runners, Paul Holley NJ 16th, Mark Hayward NJ 18th, Jonathan Pye NJ 35th, Jamie Rule NJ 47th, Marc Drury NJ 75th, Jason Beeton NJ 81st. Position: 5th of 17 teams.
1st Team (A) Women: Olivia Carter NJ 22nd of 159 female runners, Annie Morris NJ 50th, Ruth Bell NJ 58th, Ellie Margetts NJ 62nd. Position: 9th of 15 teams.
2nd Team (B) Men: Andy Fryatt NJ 100th, Andy Buck SJ 123rd, Charles Jones NJ 139th, Neville Clarke NJ 140th, Steve Edwards NJ 149th, Brian Munns NJ 172nd, Clive Purbrook NJ 183rd. Position: 6th of 12 teams.
2nd Team (B) Women: Danielle Jones NJ 67th, Ellie Bithell NJ 72nd, Angela Barnes NJ 94th, Bridget Wallwin NJ 95th. Position: 6th of 12 teams.
3rd Team (C) Men: Jeremy Reader NJ 184th, Marc Walker NJ 186th, Steve Cousins NJ 192nd, Baz Colley NJ 229th, Rob Kingsley NJ 233rd, Jim Withers NJ 238th, Jonathan Price SJ 245th. Position: 5th of 8 teams. Also representing Newmarket & Sudbury: Chris Aylmer NJ 248th and Andy Hayward NJ 251st. Malcolm Osbourn NJ unfortunately retired hurt with an Achilles injury….wishing him a speedy recovery.
3rd Team (C) Women: Suzanne Bailey NJ 97th, Helen Wass NJ 114th, Sarah Martin NJ 126th, Kate Warboys NJ 131st. Position: 6th of 9 teams. Also representing Newmarket & Sudbury: Lisa Garrand NJ 146th and Rachel Allen NJ 154th.
In the Junior race, comprising U17, U15 and U13 age groups, Cerys Bithell was the only NJ/SJ representative and came 5th of 10 in the Girl’s U15 age group; 13th of 40 girls altogether. Her time was 17:32 over approximately 2 miles. Well done Cerys!
Above: Joggers at the Framlingham XC on a sunny 7th November, with Framlingham Castle as a backdrop.