Tag Archives: Hastings Runners Race Reports

News, Race Reports, Races

Jethro produces Top 5 finish in Eastbourne Half Marathon

Try as it might, the weather failed to put pay to another Club Championship race and the 2020 season got underway, 19 miles along the coast in nearby Eastbourne.

Combine the wind speed of over 20 mph and one of the toughest hills you’ll find and the Eastbourne Half Marathon provided a stern challenge for the 35 Hastings Runners that competed on Sunday. It didn’t stop as many as 6 Half Marathon PB’s.

The first of those was recorded by Jethro Atherall who smashed his previous best time by 7 minutes. He came home in 1 hour 21 minutes and 37 seconds, good enough for 5th place in a remarkable effort.

Above: Paul Lambert enjoying a day out at Fort Fun.

Dale Saxby also produced a PB of 1:25:53 and came 11th place overall. Dan Snellgrove (1:26:23) and Colin White (1:27:56) both finished inside the Top 20.

The first female Hastings Runner across the line was Debbie Humbles in 1:49:20. Sarah Bendle was less than a minute behind in 1:50:08, whilst Marie Crawford produced her Half Marathon PB and was the third female home in 2:04:49.

There were also PBs for Paul Lambert (1:34:13), Simon Weatherley (2:15:35) and Louise Cavill (2:19:09).

Also worthy of a mention is Darren Owen who completed the course dressed as Mr.Potato Head in a time of 2:08:41. An easy choice for “Photo of the Week”.

We had two representatives taking part in the London Vitality Big Half.  Jamie Webb produced a PB of 1:37:12 and Nathan Gooden finished in 1:42:32.

Above: Jamie Webb celebrating his PB in the Vitality Half and looking a tad scary in the process.

Jane Hughes, Ken Hughes, Julia James and Rick Burne all ran in the Cartagena 11km in Southern Spain. Jane and Julia finished 1st and 3rd in their age categories.

It was just another normal week for Marathon Queen Sarah Marzaioli who notched up marathon number 98 and 99 in the space of 4 days.  London next month will be her 100th, despite only taking up running in her 50s. Please, if you haven’t already done so, celebrate this amazing achievement by making a small donation to Sarah’s worthy charity, the RNLI. CLICK HERE TO DONATE. Thanks and well done Sarah!!

CLICK HERE FOR EASTBOURNE HALF MARATHON RESULTS

If I’ve missed you off the race report or you had a PB and would like a special mention, then drop me an email at [email protected].

Simon Linklater

News, Race Reports

Shaz grabs the honours in Tenterden 5 miler

No sooner had Ciara skipped her way out of town, had her slightly less aggressive cousin Dennis popped in for a weekend visit of his own.

But we Hastings Runners are made of strong stuff and not even howling winds and persistent downpours can prevent us from taking to the streets and putting in the miles.

It was a quiet weekend on the race front with several events falling foul to “The Menace”, including the eagerly awaited Bodiam X-Country.

We did have a few runners in action. The Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon went ahead after a one hour delay. The conditions were far from ideal. On a normal day, the brutal climb up Spring Hill is a tough enough challenge. Add in the gusty winds and ankle-deep waterlogged sections of the route and it was a real slog.

Emma Stubbs gave her ever-growing Instagram following something to smile about as she completed the course in 2 hours and 18 minutes. Jessica Cull was the only other Hastings Runners to brave the conditions and crossed the line in 2:08.

The Wadham’s were back in action on Sunday, this time taking on the Tenterden 5 miler, which also survived the weather. Likewise, Paul and Sharon both completed the course unscathed. Paul in 43 minutes and 11 seconds, Sharon in 44:55, good enough to scoop first prize in her age category. GO SHAZ!!!

If you took part in a race this weekend or any date in fact, get in touch and I’ll add the details to the website. Fingers crossed Ellen doesn’t come out to play just yet.

News, Race Reports, Races

Edmonds continues his X-Country dominace

The weekend before last saw the latest instalment of the ESSXCL at Heathfield Park. Matt Edmonds continued his excellent form by adding win number 3 of the X-Country season in a fantastic time of 32 minutes and 10 seconds.

Darren Barzee came home in 11th place in 35:19, whilst Martin Noakes finished 22nd in 36:50.  Jane Coles was the first female Hastings Runner across the line in a time of 45:46. Jo Nevett 48:43 and Emily Allchurch 49:18 were 2nd and 3rd respectively.

In the junior race, there was yet more success for Finlay Goodman, who took 1st place.

It was certainly an eventful day with runners halted en route by a herd of deer crossing their path. Poor Bérénice was stranded as she plotted her safe route across the stream. In the end, she was left with no choice but to jump in and pull herself out the other side. That’s dedication folks.

This weekend we had 9 runners in action at Bedgebury. Simon Newstead was the first home in the 10 miler, completing the course in a fantastic time of 1 hour and 16 minutes.  Emily Allchurch (1:30), Adrian Barratt (1:34), Victoria Sims (1:36), Elly Swaine (1:38), Steven Slater (1:39) and Jennifer Milnes (1:43) also took part.

Victoria Harding (51:31) and Mary Le Pla (1:04:56) both completed the Bedgebury 5 Miler.

The Wadham’s were in action at the Nonsuch 10k with Paul recording an excellent time of 51:37 in his first race wearing club colours. Somewhat unimpressed by her husband leaving her behind, Sharon came home in 53:38.

Sarah Marzaioli clocked up Marathon number 97 at Ranscombe Farm Reserve as she closes in on the magical 100 club.

Pete Heasman, tired from his recent exploits, decided to take it easy this weekend and only ran the Southcoast 50. It actually turned out to be 52km, which Pete ambled round in a comfortable 6 hours 36 minutes.  Come on Pete, make an effort!

Meanwhile in South Africa Susan Rae ran the Hout Bay parkrun, a sandy trail run, in a time of 26:57, setting a new age category record and finishing as the 1st lady.

News, Race Reports, Races

Flying Finlay lands U13 Sussex X-Country Title

Finlay Goodman continued his excellent progress by landing another prestigious title over the weekend. Following on from his success in the Under 11 race a year ago, Finlay added the U13 Sussex X-Country title to his increasingly crowded trophy cabinet.

Proud father Mark Goodman said, “Finlay ran an intelligent race and attacked at the start of the 2nd lap up the drag and then opened up a gap to the others to give him a decent gap at the end”.

Mark himself took part in the senior race, producing a fine performance of his own to break the Top 50 in a time of 42.31. Martin Noakes (45.19), Piers Brunning (57.23) and David Bratby (61.23) were also representing the club.

Whilst many of you were still in bed or knocking back the paracetamol, 7 more sensible members of our club were up bright and early on New Years Day to compete in the Lamberhurst 10K. Simon Newstead produced a fantastic time of 41 minutes and 53 seconds to narrowly miss out on a top 20 finish.

Danny Firth who is on his way back from a prolonged injury layoff smashed the 45 minutes barrier in 44:59. Did I say “smashed”? Simon Deeprose (51:54), Adrian Barratt (51:36), Sharon Wadham (58:48), Paul Wadham (59:38), Sarah Holmes (1:02:16) and Allison Tanner (1:03:53) all got their 2020 off to the perfect start. Shame on the rest of you!!!

Just prior to the New Year Ben Sallows (1:24:29), Stuart Woolford (1:32:19), Darren Pearson (1:35:10) and Sue Wilkinson (1:37:35) all completed the Staplehurst 10 miler.

Further afield, in the warmer climates of San Fulgencio, Nick Brown landed another podium finish in the Race to Kings 5km, crossing the line in 3rd place in the MV55 category.  Helen Brown narrowly missed out on a trophy, finishing 4th in the FV45  age category.

The weekly update wouldn’t be complete without a PB mention for Susan Rae. She set a new course record at Hastings parkrun in the FV60 age bracket on the 4th January. On the same day Matt Edmonds backflipped his way to another parkrun success.

If anyone took part in a race over the previous 7 days then please let me know and I will add you to the report.

Thanks for reading. Simon Linklater. Communications Officer.

News, Race Reports, Races

Christmas Pudding Dash Race Report

Cold. Wet. Caked in mud. Some even bloodied from falls. Yet bizarrely, still smiling whilst comparing tales of who trod in the deepest puddle or who had the most comical tumble.

The 55 that took on and completed the Christmas Pudding Dash on Saturday morning, did so in great festive spirits. Battling the muddy slippery slopes, the 2 foot deep puddles, the fallen branches and the water-logged fields. All whilst dressed in their finest Christmas attire and boy were some crackers on display.

First to slide his way over the finish line was Patrick Bermingham in a superb time of 36 minutes. Graeme Grass, who rocked up fresh-faced from not only Hastings parkrun but the Xmas Drinks the night before, was 2nd home in 36:41. Rumour has it he spent the afternoon napping on the sofa.

Michael Hamer (37:19) and Danny Firth (37:43) made up the top 4. They were closely followed by our first female finisher, Jane Coles in a fantastic time of 38:09. Emily Allchurch (42:35) came 2nd, whilst Berenice Consavela (49:16) and Sue Palmer were joint third, with identical chip times.

There was success in the age category prizes too. Bob Dennis took the honours in the Male Vet 70 (I still can’t believe he’s that old) in 46:42. Christine Sanderson won the Female Vet 75 in 56:34. Our resident baker, Yockie Richardson, claimed first place in the Female Vet 70 in 58:52.

Thank you to the club members who were part of the race organisation. Steph Miller, Tim Jury, Andy Bashford, Lee Miller, Gary Lancaster and Corrina Skinner were all on hand to offer their encouragement. Thank you to the supporters that came along to cheer on their loved ones and no doubt question our sanity.

The Christmas Pudding Dash wraps up an amazing 2019 Club Championship. Places are still available at the Social Awards night which is due to take place on the 24th of January 2020. This really is an amazing event and not to be missed. Especially if you’ve yet to witness the incredible dance moves of our new Secretary Andy Lee.

Click here for the full results from the Pudding Dash.

Simon Linklater – Communications Officer

Race Reports

A muddy but successful weekend for Hastings Runners

Whilst the sensible runners among the club took advantage of the Callow hospitality and devoured the bacon butties and other nibbles on offer, the mud lovers headed to New Place Farm for the latest instalment of the Cross Country League.

It would appear, judging from the photos titled “Look how muddy my legs are”, that conditions underfoot were rather challenging.

Around 20 in total (results not yet in, will be added when available) tackled the course with Matt Edmonds continuing his fine season by finishing 4th place overall. Jane Coles was the 1st female Hastings Runner across the finish line, with Susan “PB” Rae in 2nd.

On Friday evening Kevin Blowers and Richard Cross took on the Rye 5 mile twilight race. Once Kevin worked out how to align his head torch, there was no stopping him, finishing in a superb time of 36 minutes and 36 seconds. That was good enough for 4th place overall. Richard also managed to finish in the Top 10.

Nick Brown and Helen Brown both tasted success in the Orihuela 5km. Nick was 5th in the MV45 category in a fantastic time of 20.42. Helen finished a superb 2nd in the FV45 in a time of 24.31.

If anyone else took part in races over the weekend then please let me know. Once the Cross Country results have been published, I will update the report.

Simon Linklater (Communications Officer)

News, Race Reports

Hastings Runners Head for Winter Sunshine

With the winter chill setting in, a select group of Hastings Runners reached for their passports and headed to sunnier climates for their latest race fix.

It’s been a remarkable year for Matt Edmonds, setting new club records and travelling the globe to run in some amazing countries. Last week was, without doubt, his toughest challenge yet. An Ultra Marathon in the blistering desert heat of Oman.

It’s hard to imagine how difficult this race must have been. Not only having to cope with the searing temperatures, but also some dramatic changes in elevation.

To give you some perspective the route was 10 times hillier than the Hastings Half Marathon. All this with a heavy backpack, carrying a long list of supplies, to ensure a safe return to the finish line. Matt, you are amazing.

The Hughes family headed to Valencia for the weekend and Ken, alongside his three children, completed the Marathon. Despite a recent injury, which threatened his participation in the event, Ken completed the race in 3 hours and 54 minutes.

With her first Marathon completed just a few months ago, Jane opted for the Valencia 10K and came in with a superb time of 49:39, 3rd place in her age category. Also competing in that race was the ever-improving Susan Rae.

For the 5th time this year, Susan smashed her 10K PB, but on this occasion, she knocked off 2 minutes from her previous best, recording an incredible time of 47:56. It was good enough to win her age category ahead of 65 other runners. Bien Hecho Susan!

If anyone else took part in races this weekend then please let me know and I will add you to the report.

Thank you for reading.

Simon Linklater