Squirrels Out in Force!

North Herts Road Runners were out in force across Europe this weekend, taking on races ranging from sun-drenched coastal marathons to the challenging winter hills of Baldock and Stevenage. Squirrels delivered strong performances, personal bests and even a new club record.
 
From blazing sunshine in Málaga to breezy climbs in Baldock and Stevenage, NHRR athletes continue to shine as the winter racing season approaches. Congratulations to everyone who raced this weekend, especially to Mark Larwood on his marathon PB and Vanessa Rolfe on what may be a new FV70 club record.

Three counties XC
The third event in the Three Counties XC league was was hosted by North Herts Road Runners on the fields between Baldock and Weston. 49 Squirrels ran the home race on a glorious morning for proper grass routes cross country.
 
The results were a clean sweep of victories for NHRRs women, men and combined team.
After 3 races NHRR are now 2nd as a team in the league. The women are 2nd and the men are 4th.
Scoring for the women were Katie Harbon, Rhia Botha, Astrid Mckeown and Tracey Pitcairn.
Scoring for the men were Tom Barclay, Ben Hadman, Andrew Leach, Ben Sewell, Shahab Ahmad, Matt Sayers, James Warner-Smith and Nick Malpeli. 

Malaga Marathon – Marathon PB for Mark Larwood
Mark Larwood travelled to Spain for the Malaga Marathon and was rewarded with a superb PB of 3:17:49, cutting a remarkable 11 minutes and 39 seconds from his previous best set more than six years ago.

Mark enjoyed near-perfect running conditions, with temperatures around 15°C and a scenic route that wound through the historic city centre and along the coast. He praised the race for its excellent organisation and enthusiastic local support, recalling “lots of shouts of Vamos!” helping drive him towards the finish.

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Stevenage Half Marathon – Strong Runs & a Club Record
A hardy group of Squirrels took on the undulating Stevenage Half Marathon, where breezy conditions made the course even more challenging.

• Chris Stokes led the NHRR contingent with a strong 1:37:38
• Daniele Socci was close behind in 1:37:59, achieving his first sub-1:40 half marathon in many years
• Vanessa Rolfe completed the distance in 2:46:11 (watch time), which she believes is a new club record for the FV70 age category

All three runners reported a tough but rewarding morning on the hills around Stevenage.

Stevenage Winter 10k – Squirrels Out on the Hills
In the companion event, the Stevenage Winter 10k, more Squirrels put in excellent performances on the same testing terrain.

• Daniel Wrigley clocked 46:27, pleased with his run on what he described as a “tough course”
• Joanne Hoare finished strongly in 50:21

Daniel also highlighted the great NHRR turnout across both distances, with plenty of encouragement and support between the half marathon and 10k runners.