Squirrels take on the hills

​Stamford 30k
 Laura Fairbanks, Anna Gibson and Lucy O’Connor completed the Stamford 30km. The trio were warned the course was very hilly and “it didn’t disappoint on that front!” Laura had intended to take it easy and treat it as a training run but commented that she always finds it hard to do in races when her competitive spirit kicks in. The course was absolutely beautiful with near perfect conditions for running. At the halfway point Laura felt really good and pushed the pace for the second half. Her last 5k was energy busting with the hills intensifying but overall she was happy with the performance, finishing in a time of 2hr 49 mins and “lots of lessons learnt for Manchester marathon in April”. Laura also gave huge congrats to her fellow lovely team mates who both ran fantastically. Lucy O’Connor finished in 2:45:44 and 3rd FV60 whilst Anna Gibson finished in 2:58:12. 
 
Harrow Hill 10k
 Linda Aird headed back to an area where she grew up - down the A1 to Harrow, to run the Harrow Hill 10k. Linda reports “The name doesn't lie”. After starting at the Harrow School sports ground, it quickly heads up “what feels like a near-vertical ascent” to emerge near the top of the eponymous hill. The course then follows two laps of an undulating circuit, with some nice downhills but some strength-sapping uphills to contend with. Linda was very unsure about how she’d cope with the hills this time, but managed to get round in just under an hour - 59:38 chip time. “It was a hard slog, and a new personal worst at 10k”. However Linda finished 2nd in her age category of FV60. Linda caught up with her cousin while I was there - whom is the coach that trains the winning lady, whose mile splits were mostly faster than Linda’s km splits.
 

Parkruns
 Stevenage: Ian Harvey (19:43), Ian Datlen (20:03), Sophie Thrussell (20:51), Michael Over (20:54), Mike Philips (21:25), Steve Tracey (21:42), Chris Stokes (22:17), Emma Sandham (23:11), Sarah Mitcherson (24:21), Jane Clarke (24:22), Matt Roberts (24:27), Tim Banting (26:24), Natalie Philips (29:12).
 Ally Pally: Kris Whitmore (19:04)
 Keswick: Jo Harbon (27:45)
 Letchworth: Philip Hawkes (21:29), James Dalton (21:33), Chloe Lucas (22:15), James Poulton (23:28), Steve Brenton (23:59), Philip Flack (30:32), Aimee Flack (35:49), Hayley Cocks (42:05).
 Henlow Bridge Lakes: Tracy Pitcairn (22:15), Bob Milburn (26:03), Rachel Annetts (30:22), Brian Judkins (32:44), Laura Fairbanks (32:45), Anna Gibson (32:46).
 Yarborough Leisure Centre: Anna Greetham (25:14)