On Sunday Dec 5th, Newmarket Joggers (NJ) and Sudbury Joggers (SJ), who combine forces to become N&S in the Suffolk Winter XC League, sent out a strong team for the second fixture of the season at Sutton, near Woodbridge. After heavy overnight rain, there was plenty in the way of mud and puddles along the 4.6 mile cross-country course. Official results will not be out for a week or so but we do know the finishing positions of our team members, on which the points scoring system is based. Provisionally, our runners on Sunday are shown below in overall position, not as position within gender, which has not yet been released. Note that our allotted teams vary from fixture to fixture, according to who is running and where they finish.
Team buddies: Danielle Jones and Olivia Carter at Woodbridge XC. Thanks to Danielle and Olivia for this nice photo on Strava.
Men’s 1st team: Jimmy Smith NJ 8th overall, Paul Holley NJ 15th, Mark Hayward NJ 17th, Piotr Bulacz SJ 47th, Jamie Rule NJ 60th, Charles Hann SJ 62nd, Jason Beeton NJ 95th. Women’s 1st team: Olivia Carter NJ 170th overall, Annie Morris NJ 204th, Jackie Hann SJ 222nd , Danielle Jones NJ 273rd. Men’s 2nd team: Shane Basing NJ 99th, Greg Davis NJ 102nd, Andy Fryatt NJ 118th, Andy Buck SJ 135th, Charles Jones NJ 165th, Brian Munns NJ 176th, Tom Elton NJ 205th. Women’s 2nd team: Ruth Cowlin SJ 281st, Bridget Wallwin NJ 326th, Jan Holmes NJ 331st, Sarah Martin NJ 342nd. Men’s 3rd team: Jeremy Reader NJ 201st, Clive Purbrook NJ 233rd, Rob Hawkins NJ 264th, Baz Colley NJ 292nd, Jim Withers NJ 296th, Alan Thornhill NJ 327th, Andy Hayward NJ 336th. Women’s 3rd team: Lisa Garrand NJ 361st, Jo Bouttell NJ 365th. Also representing N&S: Chris Aylmer NJ 345th.
After the first fixture on November 7th at Framlingham Castle, our combined 1st team stands 5th of 17 club 1st teams in the league table on 3,136 points, compared with the leading club (Saint Edmund Pacers) on 3,391, so quite tightly bunched at the top and everything still to play for. Our men’s 1st team is on 2,524 points in 5th place, compared with Framlingham Flyers leading on 2,616, so even closer with only 92 points separating the top 5. Our women’s 1st team is currently 9th of 15 in the table with 612 points compared with 777 for top club Saint Edmund Pacers, so still fairly close. The 2nd and 3rd teams are around 5th or 6th positions but of a fewer number of participating clubs.
St Edmunds Trail Half Marathon, Marathon & 50K Ultra, Ickworth House, Sunday Dec 5th: Sarah Last and Gillian Green opted for the Half Marathon and put in big efforts, to finish in 2:51:29 and 3:26:32. Gillian Green was mainly Nordic walking with sticks but also ran where advantageous. Very well done by both. The route included a very soggy, muddy circuit of Ickworth Park and a long out & back excursion nearly as far as Nowton Park. In the 50K event, Lisa Jennings and Alan Shand put in tremendous efforts to complete the Ultra Marathon (actually 31.9 miles or 51.4km on Lisa’s watch) in times of 6:50:15 and 7:12:37 respectively, including 1,505ft of total climb. They managed 3 circuits of Ickworth Park and two gruelling out & back segments. This course was true test of stamina.
Gillian and Sarah, with their Half Marathon medals at Ickworth Park. Thanks very much to Sarah and Gillian for photo on Strava.