Race Results for week ending 25th September

Lots of racing for NHRR this week. Mostly short distance and several members racing multiple times.
Starting on Wednesday several NHRR Squirrels turned out for race 2 of the Hatfield 5k series. Race 2 incorporated the veterans county championships. Both the men and women's NHRR teams picked up silver medals. The mens team consisted of Mark Vaughan 16:29, Nicholas Malpeli 17:39, Darren Matussa 18:01 and Steve Mckeown 18:30. The women's team consisted of Kat Burr 21:23, Barbara Sayers 21:26, Caroline Thrussell 22:09 and Linda AIRD 24:48. Individual medals were picked up too. Mark Vaughan won the V40 gold and Nicholas Malpeli and Linda Aird won gold in the V55 categories. Both men and women also won the series team competitions on the night too.

Other runners were Adam Bowller 17:15, Spencer Bevan 17:45, John Auld 17:55, Martyn Annetts 18:38, Katie Harbon 18:52, Simon Poole 18:56, Peter Sibbett 19:54, Richard Harbon 20:03, Matthew Ankers 24:01, Claire O'sullivan 24:21, Jo Harbon 25:25, Helen Harbon 25:38, Rachel Annetts 26:14, Sue Vaughan 26:48, Lindsay Cook 27:19 And Becky Hayes 28:55.

On Friday night a NHRR, team won the sports quiz held by Baldock Church at Templars Hotel Baldock. The team included members John Rayner, Katie Harbon, Darren Matussa, Kat Burr, Simon Poole, Chris Poole and Darren Sunter.

There was plenty of action on Saturday too starting with Park runs. Five squirells ran the Stevenage parkrun. Darren Matussa was first home for the club in 22:04. Kat Burr was first female in 22:44. Other runners were Phil Hunt 22:53. Sarah Millhouse 26:36 and Sheila Leavy 29:32.

Some lone parkrun performances were Chris Poole who finished Northala Fields parkrun in 25:33. And Helen Giffin finished the tough but beautiful course around Lanhydrock parkrun in 33:50.
John Auld ran the 3rd race in the multi-terrain Silkstone Shuffle series organised by Barnsley Harriers. He completed the race in 28:22 finishing in 6th place. The result now places him in a podium position of 3rd overall in the series with just one race remaining.

Phill Hunt was in action again on Sunday at the Richmond marathon. He finished with a new PB, just the right side of 4:05 in 4:04:52.

Several members appeared at the fantastic local event, the hitchin town centre 5k. The club featured on the podium with David Wardle 15:39, Mark Vaughan 16:58 first and second respectively. Katie Harbon 19:27 was first lady. Other runners were Spencer Bevan 18:04, Darren Matussa 18:15, Nick Malpeli 18:29, Steve Tracey 19:22, Richard Harbon 20:13, Ollie Garbas 20:19, Niccolo Bassani 21:27, Claire O'sullivan 24:04, Jo Harbon 24:28, Linda Aird 24:44, Ian Sutcliffe 26:03 Sue Vaughan 26:31, Lindsay Cook 27:32, and Geoff Pettengell 34:32.

NHRR enjoyed a stunning debut at the South of England 4 Stage Veteran Relays on Sunday at Bedford Autodrome finishing 3rd to take home the bronze medals. Andrew Leach on the 1st leg ran NHRR in to 1st position for the vets, although as this race was combined with the open 6 stage it was a case of looking out for the yellow numbers! A stunning 18.45 for 6000m on a windswept tarmac course will surely see Andrew in the running for the individual medal awarded to the fastest lap by a V50. At the end of the 1st leg we were in pole position although Bedford and County and Kent AC were breathing down our necks in 2nd and 3rd and we knew they had some fast runners to come. Darren Matussa set off on the 2nd leg and as always worked incredibly hard to record a split of 21.27 and hand over in 2nd, having been passed by the speedy Alan Turnbull of Bedford and County. Steve McKeown took 3rd leg, having agreed to run to complete the team just a week ago. Against some very fast competition Steve judged his lap well to cross the line 3rd in 22.07 and with a comfortable gap to 4th place. With Karen, Pete and Sue out on the course to offer encouragement it was all down to Mark Vaughan to battle against the severe headwind and make sure he hung on to our podium position. Mark ran 19.58, closing in on Bedford and County in 2nd, and NHRR won BRONZE!