Winter warmers for Squirrels as they toast success on the roads

​​Milton Keynes Winter Half
North Herts Road Runners celebrated in style at the end of the Milton Keynes Winter Half-marathon after overcoming the ‘beautiful but icy’ conditions to record a string of impressive performances.
 
The standout result came from Caroline Thrussell, whose 1.43.42 saw her claim first place in the F55 category. Jo Sopala also achieved her goal with 2.27.42, reporting it was ‘a tad chilly, but I got my sub-2.30 target, so happy now!’
 
Also representing the Letchworth-based club were Rachel Arnott, finishing in 1.34.28, Dervla Downing (1.43.58), Adam Wilson (1.57.49) and Niccolo Bassani (1.27.57). They were all pleased with their times – especially given the icy conditions, but Thrussell said the ‘The best bit was they gave us Bailey’s at the end!’ Jo Sopala also ran the MK half marathon and knocked a whopping 16 mins off her PB to smash 2.30 with a 2.27.42 finish
 
Telford 10k
Nick Malpeli admitted to feeling ‘a little nervous starting the Telford 10k after a couple of months of not much running’, and had to contend with ‘snow almost from the start, leading to nice cold and damp conditions’. Fortunately he hadn’t lost as much fitness as he feared and crossed the line in 37.17. The flat Telford course is widely regarded as the fastest in the UK and had been selected as the 2022 England 10k Championship, so the resulting high-class field made Malpeli’s fifth place in the V55 category all the more creditable.