​County Gold for Squirrels at Hatfield 5k

A set of storming performances saw North Herts Road Runners take a clutch of gold and silver medals home from the Hatfield 5k.
 
The Squirrels men’s team were crowned Hertfordshire County Champions, with Mike Roberts leading the way and smashing the 16-minute barrier with a 15:58 finish. He was joined on the top step of the podium by Sam Coxon (16:02), Tom Barclay (16:16) and Rob Jowett (16:58).
 
The NHRR ladies’ team placed second in the county standings, with Katie Harbon (17:23) second lady in the race and backed up by Rhia Botha (19:24 and Tracy Pitcairn (21:05).
 
Other NHRR 5k results:
Shahab Ahmed, 17:11; Matt Sayers, 17:15; Shaun Allin, 17:54; Nick Malpeli, 18:11; Mike Phillips, 18:35; Ian Datlen, 18:40; Michael Over, 18:41; Darren Matussa, 19:07; David Edwards, 19:30; Adrian Sherwood, 19:40; Ian Harvey, 19:38; Pete Sibbett, 19:48; Hannah Ridley, 19:57; Kris Whitmore, 20:23; David Weston, 21:18; Rachel Arnott, 21:26; James Godfrey, 21:59; Helen Nuttall, 22:05; Steve Brenton, 21:58; Steve Tracey, 22:07; Caroline Thrussell, 22:14, Richard Weber, 22:25; Natalie Phillips, 23:23; Joanne Hoare, 23:28; Lucy O’Connor, 24:15; Ellie Frid, 25:04; Andrew Wallis, 25:33; Chris Cope, 25:36; Linda Aird, 26:04; Karen Dodsworth, 29:48; Ian Sutcliffe, 30:13; Sharon French, 30:15; Vanessa Rolfe, 34:52; Sheila Leavy, 38:06

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Duck ‘N’ Dash Aquathlon
James Keogh maintained his impressive 100% attendance record at the thirteenth iteration of the Duck ‘N’ Dash – the popular 400m swim and 5k run event organised every year by Freedom Tri on Norton Common.
 
Despite warnings that the pool ‘might be a bit choppy’ owing to the record number of participants, James had a smooth swim right until the end of the last length, when he was overtaken by two faster swimmers and had a short delay waiting for the exit steps.
 
He reported that ‘transition is always fun for me as I don’t practise the putting on the shoes and socks element like a true triathlete’, and the one year he attempted the 5k run without socks he ‘ended up with bleeding feet.’
 
James ‘felt quite fresh on the run’ and finished in 30:38 for 22nd place. His verdict: ‘All in all, once again a great, fun event, and it’s keeping up its record of always being on a nice sunny day.’
 
Meanwhile Sophie Thrussell turned in a sparkling performance to win the ladies’ race with a superb time of 29:06.
 
Other NHRR finishers included Tracy Pitcairn (32:24), Simon Clapham (35:11), James Godfrey (35:30), Helen Harbon-Ankers (39:36) and Andrew Robson (44:33).
 
Amanda Greig and Andrew Coates competed in the relay event, finishing in 32:13.

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Something Wild Festival
Georgia Head and Caroline Thrussell enjoyed the Something Wild Running Festival Weekend in Hope Cove, South Devon. Saturday saw them tackle a seven-mile sea swim / run event, which Georgia said ‘put us both totally out of our comfort zone, but we finished, coming in as first and third lady respectively.’
 
Sunday’s event was ‘a beautiful but extremely challenging half marathon along the gorgeous Southwest coast pat’, which they completed together in 2 hrs 40 mins.
 
Jennie Fraser was also at the Something Wild Festival and took on the full marathon option. Despite a fall she still completed the half-marathon course!

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Northstowe Half-marathon
Despite having ‘raced no further than 10 miles for much of the last two years’, Bev Rimmer found her ‘curiosity piqued’ by the Northstowe Half, ‘as Northstowe had just been a rumour, a murmur of a new town on the edge of the city when I lived in Cambridge, and now it’s a reality – it even has its own running festival.’
 
Bev set off with ‘no particular race plan or fuelling strategy in mind, even leading my wave for all of a corner before I was predictably overtaken by some faster runners.’
 
She felt strong and consistent throughout, and completed the course in 2hrs 10 mins, saying it was ‘the most consistent I’ve been, the happiest I’ve felt while racing a long way, and the strongest I’ve felt afterwards’. She concluded  ‘If that’s me on an average day, you won’t stop me on a good day!

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Parkrun round-up

Blickling Tracey McCreath (33:33)
 
Grovelands, Enfield James Dalton (22:26)
 
Gunpowder Darren Matussa (21:18)
 
Henlow Bridge Lakes Lucy O’Connor (24:57); Sarah Mitcherson (26:04); Bob Davis (28:27); Rob Milburn (28:38); James Godfrey (29:28); Frances Stanton (29:30); Andrew Coates (29:35); Jane Clarke (30:44); Helen Cairns (30:45); Carina Quayle (34:15); Ravina Bachra (34:16); Brian Judkins (38:20)
 
Ipswich Emily Yossarian (31:36)
 

 

Letchworth Daniel Mallett (23:19); Jon Hunt (24:55); Steve Brenton (26:25); Philip Flack (31:18); Karen Shaw (33:17)
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Lowestoft Chloe Lucas (23:52)
 
Rothay Park Sue Vaughan (29:05)
 
Stevenage Daniel Wrigley (23:03); Chris Stokes (24:50); Ellie Scott (26:14); Adrian Barnett (27:37)
 
Teignmouth Promenade Elwyn Howell (21:54)
 
Westmill Mike Phillips (20:46); Ian Datlen (22:25); Natalie Phillips (26:02); Anna Greetham (26:11); Matt Roberts (26:11)