Many months of dedicated training, under the supervision of an elite coach, paid off for Troi Baxter in the Valencia Marathon on Sunday 1st December. She smashed her marathon target of sub 2h:50m, taking almost six minutes off her previous PB of 2:51:53, gained at Berlin 2023, and setting a new club marathon record for a female Newmarket Jogger. She finished 85th of 6,257 female runners in a total field of 28,493 and achieved slightly negative halfway splits; a sign of perfect pace control.
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Above from left: Troi celebrating after her Valencia Marathon PB; Troi with her parents. Thanks for photos.
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Troi has competed in only one other race during 2024, which was the Battersea Park Half Marathon in July (1:21:52), probably as a test of her fitness and the effectiveness of her training. After her marathon PB in Berlin, September 2023, Troi suffered through the winter months and the early part of this year with a running-induced injury. It took a lot of patience, determination and the right coach to set her on a positive path to recovery and success. She has certainly earned that PB.
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Aerial view: The Valencia Marathon in progress. Thanks to official marathon website.
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Also on Sunday, the St Edmunds Trail event took place, starting and finishing at Ickworth Park in Horringer, near Bury St Edmunds. Ellie Bithell F45-49 (5:36:05) and Helen Hilario F50-54 (5:36:06) ran together in the 50K Ultra race, the first time either of them had gone further than a marathon. It was a good result over a very tough course, with relentless ups and downs totalling around 1,500ft of climb. The distance also came out a bit long, at 53km on Ellie’s watch, which is not unusual in ultra trail events, where time and exact distance are not so relevant.
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Above from left: Ellie & Helen before start; Helen & Ellie after finish; The 50K Medal. Thanks for photos.
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Three other Joggers competed in the St Edmunds Half Marathon race. First to finish was Suzanne Bailey F60-64 (2:32:42, 37th F of 52) who found it one of her hardest ever half marathons. Then came Sarah Last F50-54 (2:45:08) and Gillie Green F60-64 (3:21:29), the latter achieving her best half marathon time this year. Gillie uses a mainly Nordic Walking technique, with some downhill jogging.
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Above from left: Suzanne Bailey; Sarah Last & Gillie Green; the start. Thanks for photos.
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Meanwhile, the Raynedeer 6-Hour multi-lap trail event took place, organised by Hare & Tortoise Races at Rayne, near Braintree in Essex. It consisted of ~5km trail laps to make up the various distances. Jogger Reuben Smith M40-44 (6:07:09) managed to run 8 laps to complete the Marathon distance.
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Above from left: Reuben Smith; the trail route; the attractive medal. Thanks for photos.
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Nearer HQ, there was another multi-lap event organised by Zig-Zag Running at Barrow, near Bury St Edmunds, called The Christmas Canter. Jogger James Hilton M45-49 (1:52:29, 18th of 119) competed in the Half Marathon race and was only slightly outside his best time this year.
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Above: The Christmas Canter at Barrow, organised by Zig Zag Running. Thanks for photo on Zig Zag website.
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Suffolk Winter XC League: The second event of the season took place at Sutton Heath, near Woodbridge, on Sunday 1st December. Newmarket Joggers (NJ) combine with Sudbury Joggers (SJ) in this league, to form team N&S. After the first event on November 3rd at Framlingham, the N&S combined men’s and women’s first team (7 highest-placed men + 4 highest-placed women) stood 2nd of 20 clubs in their league division, with the men’s first team (7 highest-placed men) in the lead in their division. The women’s first team (4 highest-placed women) stood 6th in their division. The results from the fixture on 1st December are not yet out, but N&S had a good turnout of over 30 club runners and there are hopes that we can continue to maintain our excellent start to the season. Here are some photos of the action at the Woodbridge XC:
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Top from left: Woodbridge XC field; Francine Dasseville (centre); Angela Drury. Bottom from left: Alan Thornhill; Sutton Heath; Jimmy Smith. Thanks for photos by organisers Woodbridge Shufflers.
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Above: Andy and Fran treats at XC. Thanks for photos.