NEWMARKET HEATH RACE, Thursday evening, 4th May: It was a lovely, sunny, spring evening for the annual Newmarket Heath Race, which included the traditional Stable & Stud Challenge. This year there were wooden Coronation medals for all runners and volunteers, specially designed for the occasion. The main race was over approximately 5.4km (3.4 miles) on the Newmarket Heath training grounds between Bury Road and Moulton Road. The course was a fairly steep incline for the first mile and then gradually downhill for the remainder. Teams of 3 for the Stable & Stud Challenge needed to include at least 1 female member. Juniors (U15/U13/U11) ran a shorter race of approximately 1.8km, before the main feature race.
They’re coming up the hill! Newmarket Heath Race on May 4th 2023. Many thanks to Phil Donlan for the great photo.
Team victors of the Challenge this year were Rossdales, who have an equine veterinary practice in town and an equine hospital in Exning. Their team members were Callum Haseler (18:26, 5th of 172 overall), Mat Harber (20:06, 9th overall) and Camilla Taylor (24:17, 6th F of 78). Callum Haseler and Camilla Taylor were also individual male and female winners of the Stable & Stud Challenge for Rossdales.
Rossdales’ Stable & Stud Challenge winners; from left, in white tops: Mat Harber, Camilla Taylor and Callum Haseler. Thanks to John Gibson, the presenter of the medals from Newmarket Racing Centre (on the far left) and also to Phil Donlan for the lovely photo.
In the main race, the first three men to finish were: Jack Nixon (17:29, Saint Edmund Pacers), Neil Pollard (17:59, Godolphin and Newmarket Joggers) and Dan Hutchison (18:08, Crisford and Newmarket Joggers); the first three women were: Katie King (20:09, Saint Edmund Pacers), Cerys Bithell (21:49, Newmarket Joggers) and Lilian Corbett (21:58, Newmarket Joggers)
Above left: Katie King, 1st Female in the Heath Race; above right: Jack Nixon, 1st Male in the Heath Race. Both were representing Saint Edmund Pacers. Thanks to Phil Donlan for the great photos.
Age group winners for men were: U21M Jack Callan (19:52, George Boughey Racing), M40 Howard Breacher (23:33, unattached), M45 Oliver Pynn (21:55, Rossdales and Newmarket Joggers), M50 Fraser Welsh (20:52, West Suffolk Wheelers), M55 Paul Holley (19:18, Crisford and Newmarket Joggers) and M60+ Peter Thompson (21:00, Cambridge & Coleridge); for the women: FU21 Cerys Bithell (top three finisher above), F40 Cath Jeffery (22:01, Saint Edmund Pacers), F45 Ellie Bithell (25:00, Newmarket Joggers), F50 Helen Bardwell (30:11, unattached), F55 Ruth Cowlin (28:05, Sudbury Joggers) and F60+ Jenny Morgan (24:50, Saint Edmund Pacers).
In the Junior ~1.8km race, MU15 Henry Callan (unattached) finished 1st of 40 runners overall, in a time of 6m:55s. Then came MU13 Harvey Thomas (6:57, Newmarket Joggers), followed by MU13 Charlie Pynn (7:38, unattached). For the girls, FU15 Sophie Blundell (08:51, Newmarket Joggers) finished 1st of 16 overall, followed by FU11 Georgia Payne (09:08, unattached) and FU11 Amber Smith (09:31, Newmarket Joggers). There were no U13 girls running. First U11 boy to finish was Solomon Brokenshire-Dyke (8:51, unattached).
Above: On the left, Sophie Blundell 1st Female, and on the right: Henry Callan 1st Male, in the Junior Heath Race. Many thanks to Phil Donlan for the lovely photo.
Heath Race: Spotlight on Newmarket Joggers.
We had a big turnout of Newmarket Joggers, with 31 running in the senior race and 9 in the junior race. A huge thanks to all the Joggers who helped to plan and organise the race, set up the course, man the registration desks and marshal the evening’s races, as well as help to clear up afterwards. Special thanks to race director Sarah Martin and chief marshal Jim Withers who did a great job.
Our performances in the senior and junior races make good reading: We had the 2nd and 3rd placed male and female podium finishers overall, with Cerys Bithell (21:49) and Lilian Corbett (21:58) for the women and Neil Pollard (17:59) and Dan Hutchison (18:08) for the men, plus Joey Bendall (18:23) in 4th place too.
Above left: Cerys Bithell and above right: Lilian Corbett; 2nd and 3rd Female in Newmarket Heath Race; both just 15 years of age. Many thanks to Phil Donlan for the lovely photos.
Above left: Neil Pollard and above right: Dan Hutchison, 2nd and 3rd Male in Newmarket Heath Race. Thanks to Phil Donlan for the great photos.
Then, in the age group prizes, Ellie Bithell (25:00) was 1st in F45, Oliver Pynn (21:55) 1st in M45 and Paul Holley (19:18) 1st in M55.
Above from left: Ellie Bithell, 1st F45, Oliver Pynn, 1st M45 and Paul Holley, 1st M55. Many thanks to Phil Donlan for the photos.
In the junior race, FU15 Sophie Blundell (08:51) was first home for the girls overall, with Amber Smith (09:31) 3rd overall and 2nd in FU11. For the boys, Harvey Thomas (6:57) was 2nd overall and 1st in MU13, with Rupert Wordsworth-Clarke (7:38) 3rd in MU13. Alexander Walker (8:23), Alex Balmer (8:25), Emma Southgate (10:31), Esther Eaton (10:32) and Imogen Stephens (11:15) also put in excellent efforts.
Above left: Amber Smith (U11), 3rd Girl overall in the Junior Heath Race, just ahead of Oscar Sowerby, who did eventually get slightly in front; Above right: Harvey Thomas (2nd overall and 1st U13 Male) just ahead of eventual, narrow, overall winner Henry Callan (U15). Many thanks to Phil Donlan for the great action photos.
Well done everyone who took part and special thanks to all who volunteered to help make this event the best it could be.
Above left: Some of the many volunteer helpers at the Heath Race; above right, Sarah Martin, race director, presented with a bouquet. Thanks to Phil Donlan for the photos.
Senior female NJ runners in order of finishing were: Cerys Bithell FU21 (21:49, 2nd F of 78), Lilian Corbett FU21 (21:58, 3rd F), Olivia Carter FS (23:59, 5th F), Rebecca Oettle FS (24:28, 6th F), Ellie Bithell F45 (25:00, 7th F), Hannah Pollard F40 (25:02, 12th F), Danielle Jones FS (26:21, 16th F), Angela Drury F40 (29:17, 33rd F), Francesca Self FS (29:46, 35th F), Suzanne Bailey F55 (31:11, 46th F), Anna Mayhew F50 (31:49, 55th F), Svitlana Zinchenko F40 (32:14, 56th F), Sianie Painter F55 (33:22, 61st F), Angela Brennan FS (33:44, 65th F), Sarah Kinston F45 (34:01, 66th F) and Rebecca Hannah FS (40:49, 74th F).
Senior male NJ runners in order of finishing were: Neil Pollard M40 (17:59, 2nd of 172 overall), Dan Hutchison MS (18:08, 3rd), Joey Bendall MS (18:23, 4th), Paul Holley M55 (19:18, 6th), Marc Drury M50 (22:01, 32nd), Andy Fryatt M55 (22:14, 34th), Chris Underwood MS (23:05, 44th), Neville Clarke M65 (23:50, 50th), Richard Jones M55 (25:57, 74th), Neil Williamson M45 (26:13, 77th), Marc Walker M50 (26:18, 80th), Rob Hawkins M55 (27:20, 89th), Aaron Self MS (27:26, 90th), Liam Elvidge MS (29:01, 111th) and Chris Aylmer M70 (36:44, 160th).
Stephen Williams 10K, Thurston, Bury St Edmunds, Sunday 7th May: Seven Joggers completed this race, which is named in honour of the highly-respected former chairman of Saint Edmund Pacers running club, who sadly lost his long battle against cancer in 2020. All the Joggers achieved their best times over the distance this year. First home was Neil Pollard (34:21, 4th of 246 overall, 1st of 13 in M40), followed by Jimmy Smith (35:34, 8th, 2nd in M40), Sam Sadler (41:29, 34th, 15th of 46 in MU40), Alan Thornhill (58:50, 189th, 4th in M70+), Jan Holmes (1:00:15, 61st F of 105, 8th in F55), Sophie Adams (1:02:41, 75th F, 8th in F40) and Jo Bouttell (1:11:16, 98th F, 15th in F55).
Jimmy Smith and Neil Pollard after the Stephen Williams 10K. Many thanks to both for the photo.
On the same day, Neil Williamson (51:08, 364th of 1,468 overall, 43rd of 117 in M45) opted for the huge Market Drayton 10K event in Shropshire, where he achieved his best 10K time this year, as did Anna Mayhew (1:00:03, 1,239th of 2,985 overall, 15th of 116 in F50) in the even larger Great Birmingham 10K.
Meanwhile, over in Cambridgeshire, two Joggers competed in the Childerley hoohaah 10K, the second in a series of 4 hoohaah races in the region. Hannah Parsons (22nd of 215 overall, 3rd F of 115, 1st of 46 in F40-49) was in great podium form, while Jon Brooker (49:58, 41st overall, 14th of 28 in M50-59) also ran well. In the Victoria Park Half Marathon in London, Sarah Osborne (1:29:05, 17th of 396 overall, 3rd F of 133, 2nd of 97 in FU40) put in a huge effort to take over 14 minutes off her half marathon PB and secure a podium place.
Bury to Clare 18, Sunday 7th May, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk: Six Joggers were among 298 participants in this annual, scenic 18-mile trail run/walk, which helped to raise £2,000 for St Nicholas Hospice Care this year. Conditions were unusually muddy and boggy, with sticky clay underfoot, which made for very tough going. Joe Cormack (3:46:59, 113th overall), Lisa Johnson (3:47:05, 114th, 27th F of 167) and Jessica Bird (3:47:09, 115th, 28th F) all ran together, followed by Angela Drury (4:00:59, 139th, 47th F), Chris Aylmer (4:29:09, 183rd) and walker Hannah Pollard (5:30:33, 221st, 104th F). All participants enjoyed the challenge and the sun came out to welcome finishers home.
Joggers before the start of the Bury to Clare 18, from left: Lisa Johnson, Angela Drury, Joe Cormack and Jessica Bird. Many thanks for the photo.
Hannah Pollard (right) with friend and medals, in sunshine at Clare Castle Country Park after the Bury to Clare 18. Many thanks for the lovely photo.