Intrepid Squirrels head to Welwyn Garden City, Stevenage, Dunstable and Devon!

Wednesday evening saw the season finale of The Run Herts Mid-Week 10-kilometre road racing league, nicknamed the ‘mob match’. This was an opportunity for all divisions to race each other, followed by the season’s awards presentation.
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Friendly local rivalry ensued with North Herts Road Runners (division one), Hitchin Hares (division three), Fairlands Valley Spartans (division two) and Royston (division two) able to go head-to-head for the first time this season.

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North Herts Road Runners topped the rivalry finishing fifth overall with Katie Harbon the star of the show winning the women’s race in her 3rd 10km race in six days. They were followed by Fairlands Valley Spartans in ninth, then Hitchin Hares in eleventh and Royston Runners in twelfth.

​Ladies Captain, Tash Pitman was delighted with our women’s team finishing third, after some injuries and other commitments saw a few of our regular scorers unable to attend. Katie Harbon, Astrid McKeown, Rachel Arnott, Tash Pitman, Rhia Botha, Laura Fairbanks, Joanne Hoare and Lucy O’Connor all ran brilliantly to make the podium!

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Fairlands Valley Challenge
​Sunday saw four Squirrels heading to Stevenage to take part in the Fairlands Valley Challenge, an off-road and self-navigated challenge through the picturesque Hertfordshire countryside around Stevenage.  There are no marshalls or signs, just a written route description. 

​Sue Foot, Jennie Fraser and Alice Noakes opted for the 27.5 option.  ‘Having not run longer than seven miles in the last couple of months due to illness’ Sue was ‘pleased to finish in 6.19 without getting lost!’  Jennie and Alice ran together and finished together.  Brian Judkins opted for the half marathon and noted that it was run in the opposite direction to when he last ran it in 2016.  Despite getting slightly lost early on he completed 14 miles in 3:03.

Exe Estuary Half Marathon
​Elwyn Howell headed to Topsham, Devon to take part in the Exe Estuary Half Marathon. Elwyn was ‘pleased to finish in under two hours considering there are lots of climbs on the Southwest Coast Path’. Elwyn finished 15th of 109 in 1:58:25.
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Dunstable Downs Trail Half
Kat Burr and Adam Wilson had terrific runs at the Dunstable Downs Trail Half.  Kat was 14th overall, 3rd female and 1st FV40.  Kat noted that it ‘was really tough in places due to the wind and the steep hills’.  Adam Wilson was 75th and ran in 2:26:40

Parkrun results from the weekend 

​Barclay: Richard Harbon (23:51), Jon Hunt (23:58)

Bedford: Richard Barker (27:00), Georgia Barker (31:16)

Cassiobury: Kris Whitmore (18:55)

Great Denham: Dave Braybrook (22:29), Andrew Coates (24:13)

Henlow Bridge Lakes: Stewart Overton (18:07)

Heslington: Carina Quayle (34:35)
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Jersey: Tom Barclay (17:53)

Letchworth: James Dalton (21:08), Ian Datlen (25:00), Laura Fairbanks (26:32), Tim Banting (28:37), John O’Gorman (28:54), Philip Flack (31:45)

Old Railway Trail: Matt Roberts (24:09)

Reading: Georgina Quayle (31:39)

Stevenage: Ian Harvey (20:30), Chris Stokes (21:19), Andrew Cooper (28:58)

Teignmouth Promenade: Elwyn Howell (21:31)
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Wimpole Estate: Vincent Wright (19:57), Mike Phillips (23:17)