A bounty of medals at Buntingford

The North Herts Road Runners rounded off a fantastic year of running with an impressive set of performances at the Buntingford 10 mile race on Saturday.

The sold-out race, which was organised by local club Royston Runners, was the final event in the 2023 racing calendar. This year’s race played host to both the British Masters Athletics Federation Championship and the Hertfordshire Masters County Championship, which meant that some of the best age group athletes in the country and county were in action. 37 squirrels made the short journey across the A507 to take on the infamously hilly course in this competitive field, with many using the race to keep them on the straight and narrow over the festive season!

The squirrels certainly ended the year on a high, with both the Women’s and Men’s teams winning the Hertfordshire County Veterans competition. The biggest individual medal haul of the day went to Paula Holm, who came second in the British FV40 age category and first in the Herts County FV35, in a personal best time of 1:10:49. Other Herts County medallists were Tracy Pitcairn who finished third FV35 in a personal best time of 1:13:53 and Caroline Thrussell who was first FV55 in an impressive 1:18:06. Matt Sayers smashed the hour barrier in 58:38 to finish third MV40.

The winning women’s vets team comprised Tash Pitman, Rachel Arnott and Astrid McKeown, with Astrid shattering the 11-year-old club record best time in the FV50 category (which was also set at Buntingford) by over 4 minutes. The winning men’s team were Matt Sayers, Nathan Pask, Stewart Overton and Rob Harris. Rhia Botha would have led the women’s vets team home, but her number was a transfer from an injured runner and unfortunately the organisers were unaware she was eligible for the county champs.

Ladies’ team captain Tash Pitman said “I was amazed to see at least 6 personal best times in Christmas week on a hilly course, so kudos to our amazing coaches and the discipline of our runners!” Men’s captain John Auld also praised the runners, adding “Well done team! Great turn out and performance… great way to end the year!”

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The full results from the North Herts Road Runners at the Buntingford 10 are listed below:

Mike Roberts 55.14
Ben Sewell 57.58
Matthew Sayers 58.38
Nathan Pask 59.27
Stewart Overton 1.00.23
Rob Harris 1.01.44
Rob Jowett 1.03.03
Ian Datlen 1.04.51 (PB)
​Sophie Thrussell 1.07.08 (PB)
Rhia Botha 1.07.23 (PB)
Natasha Pitman 1.08.18
Peter Sibbett 1.09.30
Rachel Arnott 1.09.58 (PB)

Astrid Mckeown 1.10.12
Paula Holm 1.10.49 (PB)
Steve Mckeown 1.11.36
​Tracy Pitcairn 1.13.53 (PB)
Katherine Burr 1.14.10
James Dalton 1.15.20
​Stuart Cocks 1.15.36
John Auld 1.16.11
Caroline Thrussell 1.18.06
Steve Tracey 1.19.02
Andrew Wallis 1.19.28
Laura Fairbanks 1.19.37

Dervla Downing 1.20.53
David Weston 1.21.08
Matthew Roberts 1.21.30
Anna Greetham 1.21.30
Laurie Scott 1.25.18
Ellie Frid 1.26.42
Gregor Bowie 1.32.38
Adam Wilson 1.33.14
Lucy O'connor 1.33.29
Linda Aird 1.37.33
Alan Hazlehurst 1.43.54
Andrew Porter 1.47.36

Parkrun roundup    Well done for getting out there over the festive period

Arrow Valley: Rhiannon Brooks (27:17)
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Coed Cefn-pwll-du: Lucy Hurley (31:39)

Gloucester City: Joe Dixon (21:27)

Gunpowder: Darren Matussa (22:54)

Henlow Bridge Lakes: Kris Whitmore (20:47), Steve Brenton (24:39), Dave Braybrook (25:28), Andrew Coates (26:01)

Holkham: Richard Harbon (22:42), James Berry (24:00), Matt Ankers (24:46), Helen Harbon (28:52), Jo Harbon (28:52)

Jersey: Tom Barclay (17:43), Emma Sandham (23:27)

Jersey Farm: James Godfrey (26:33), Frances Stanton (29:19)
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Letchworth: Daniel Martin (24:32), Jon Hunt (26:39), Philip Flack (35:30)

Riverfront: Nick Walker (29:39)

Stevenage: James Keogh (19:50), Ian Harvey (21:45), Chris Stokes (22:12), Russell Hagan (27:49), James Poulton (35:11), Brian Judkins (37:27)

Teignmouth Promenade: Elwyn Howell (21:26)

Tynegreen: Emily Yossarian (32:22)

Wimpole Estate: Vincent Wright (19:40), George Wright (22:56)