Buxhall, near Stowmarket, 19th March 2023: Newmarket Joggers came away with the men’s first team prize in the Robert Tomlinson Half Marathon, ahead of Felixstowe Road Runners and Stowmarket Striders, with the top three runners of each club counting for team points. Mark Hayward (1:13:58, 5th of 272 overall, 2nd of 25 in M40) was first Jogger to finish, followed by Dan Hutchison (1:15:53, 7th overall, 5th of 46 in MS) and Jimmy Smith (1:17:38, 10th overall, 3rd in M40). It was Hutchison’s first known half marathon race, so a great debut for him.
Mark Hayward, Dan Hutchison and Jimmy Smith, with their team trophies. Many thanks to the team for the photo.
Also in great form was Neville Clarke (1:40:39, 85th overall, 1st of 8 in M65), who won the M65-69 age group trophy. Then came Jan Holmes F55 (2:18:23, 96th F) and Pearl Fay F60 (2:36:04, 121st F) with big efforts. For Pearl, it was her third race in 3 weeks, including the Cambridge Half Marathon, so a heavy schedule. She is training hard for the TCS London Marathon on 23rd April, for which she was lucky enough to win a ballot place.
Jan Holmes and Pearl Fay after the Robert Tomlinson Half Marathon, surrounded by garden machinery sold by race sponsor Tomlinson Groundcare. Many thanks for the Strava photo.
Hendy Eastleigh 10K, near Southampton, Sunday March 19th: Top club veteran Paul Holley clocked 34:57, putting in a huge effort to finish 82nd of 2,237 runners overall and 1st of 131 in his M55 age group. This earned him the trophy and an age grade of 90.51%.
Victoria Park 10K, NE London, Sunday, March 19th: Neil Pollard (44:46, 64th of 494 overall, 5th of 26 in M40) and Hannah Pollard (44:49, 7th F of 228, 2nd of 20 in F40) ran together in this race. It was very encouraging progress for Hannah and her best performance since coming back from a long period of injury.
Hannah & Neil Pollard after the Victoria Park 10K: Excellent progress for Hannah. Many thanks for the lovely photo.
Chariots of Fire, Sunday March 19th, Cambridge, 6 x 1.7 mile charity relay, supporting the Arthur Rank Hospice and organised by Hewitson’s Charitable Trust: Newmarket Jogger Sarah Osborne was among 272 x 6-person teams who entered this charity relay race. The 1.7 mile course loop went right through the centre of Cambridge, including the grounds of King’s College. Sarah’s team, called ‘Ansys Granta Gazelles’, did well to finish 24th overall in a time of 1h:10m:32s, which equates to an average pace of 6:55/mile or 4:18/km. Her own time was 10m:36s.
Sarah Osborne third from left in her relay team Ansys Granta Gazelles. Many thanks for the great photo.