Weekly Serpie round-up
The Last of the Summer Cakes, a 400m club record, classic triathlon action, a fruit-ful 10k and more. Read on for this week's eclectic Serpie medley.
Summer League 10k in Battersea Park, 5 August
Lots to celebrate after Sunday’s final Summer League: our men took 14 of the top 25 places, including 2nd (Hugh Torry), 3rd (Simon Craddock) and 4th (Joost Vogel), while Tash Sheel and Megan Roberts were 2nd and 4th ladies, and Alfie Taylor came 2nd in his age category in the Tenderfoot race. There were some thrilling relays, with our women winning on a ‘slightly shorter than advertised’ course… Praise too for all Serpie bakers, notably Laura Hamilton’s medal cake and Stephanie Vaatz’s striped fruit gateaux.
A big thank you to the army of volunteers who made the day such a success. For everyone who enjoyed their first taste of the Summer League on Sunday, why not join us at all five events next year for more great racing (and cake). (Serpentine results; League results) (Report: Daisy Gladstone; photo: Karen Hancock)
RunThrough Wimbledon Common Half Marathon, 5 August
Half marathons are hard to find in August but with the Berlin Marathon in September the 'RunThrough Wimbledon Common Half Marathon' on Sunday morning was perfect timing and a bit of a steal at £28 entry. Unfortunately the clash meant I missed out on the Summer League and Serpie cake (major FOMO) but six Serpies turned up at Wimbledon Common to brave/survive the heatwave. We were led home by Aga Wicinska who took extra bling being 1st in her age category and 4th lady overall. After starting well (albeit uphill) by mile 10 the heat and course had taken its toll on both my pace and mood. Disappointed not to finish strong I all but walked over the finish line thankful for the medal and surprisingly epic flapjack. Lessons learnt and another toenail lost - onto the next training block! (Serpentine results) (Report: Clare Freshwater)
Cotswold Classic, 5 August
The Cotswold Classic event yesterday was a cracker. With a brilliant organisation team and a host of enthusiast marshals it makes for a lovely event. It was my third (of 5) half-ironman races this year, with a goal of sub-5hr set earlier in the year, when I was running well. Unfortunately, injury has intervened in recent months, so I started the day with an aim to hit the swim and bike hard and just run on feel. I did exactly that, but coming so close to my goal with a time of 5:01:46 meant that if I’d perhaps monitored my progress just a little more, I might well have snuck in under my goal. Still, I’m sure I’ll be back and with a PB and an age-group win, it was still a result to be proud of. (Report: Nicola Kaye; photo: Hamilton Huxham)
London Triathlon, 4/5 August
On Saturday I took part in the London sprint triathlon and on Sunday Dein-Sören Laido took part in the Olympic distance event. I was really pleased to clock one of the fastest swim times of the day and even though my bike time was very average I really enjoyed it and it was a huge improvement for me. The run was a massive struggle in the sun and it ended up being 6km rather than the advertised 5! Overall a really enjoyable day and I crossed the line in 1:30:03, a new sprint PB. Dein smashed his first Olympic triathlon, especially the bike leg, and he finished in 2:39:05. Most importantly, we both did an excellent job of being on photo duty for one another! (Report: Debbie Lowi)
Sri Chinmoy 10k, 4 August
On Saturday 4th August, 13 Serpies joined 108 other runners to compete the Sri Chinmoy 10k in Battersea Park. Many of the Serpies were organising, spectating or running in the Summer League 10k in the same location 25 hours later, so the Sri Chinmoy was a suitable dress rehearsal. The hot, humid weather may have felt like the wrong conditions to run well but this was disproved when the long-standing 30.03 course record held by Scott Overall since 2014 was smashed by New Zealander Malcolm Hicks in a stunning time of 29.41.
Fittingly for a race won by a Kiwi, a number of Serpies won prizes of fruit in the race. Marta Bagnati (2nd woman, 36:44) and Ben Tolputt (5th man, 33:40) won fruit in Serpie colours with a golden peach and punnet of strawberries. Nathan Wilkins (7th man, 34:14, an apple) and Phil Kelvin (2nd V60 woman, 54:36, blueberries) added to the prize fruit salad. (Serpentine results) (Report: James Gillanders; photo: a Serpie)
Club Handicap, 4 August
As in July, sunshine and heat awaited the 67 runners, including 5 scratch, who turned out for the Club Handicap on Saturday morning. Congratulations to this month's podium: Neil Bradshaw, Jolyon Attwooll and Encarna Rodriguez. Six Serpies managed to run a PB despite the scorchio conditions: Encarna, Henry Kemp, Elvira Gonzalo (Berlin Marathon training going well!), Raoul Huysmans, Simon Hardy (just in time for the Reykjavik Half) and Stefan Salva. Well done all! (Results; photo: Stéphane Schneider)
Short Dispatches
Congratulations to Gemma Carter who came 3rd at the Brecon Beacons Fell Race on Sunday, 5th August, in her first ever fell race. The race is well established in the Welsh Fell Running calendar and entails running to seven mandatory checkpoints (including Cribyn, Pen y Fan, Corn Ddu and Tor y foel) from the dam at Talybont Reservoir. The race is approximately 30.6km long with 1372m ascent and qualifies as a long race.
David Matthew ran a new PB over 400m at the Rosenheim League on 18th July. 56.8 seconds is also a new M50 club record. Congratulations!
>>Your report here<<
Did you achieve a new personal best, compete in your first ever race, hit a milestone or especially enjoy a particular race? Then please get in touch. Whether you are a competitive athlete or take part for the sheer pleasure of it, everybody's contributions are welcome. Deadline: end of Monday; 130 words max. If you send photos, please ask for permission if you use somebody else's and confirm the source.
Parkrun results for 4 August 2018 (60 runners)
Andy Greenleaf's time was the 9th fastest in the UK last week.
Top 5 by time and age-graded performance
| Name | Event | Time | Gender # | Name | Event | Time | Gender # | Name | Age-graded | ||
| Andy Greenleaf | Fulham Palace | 15:34 | 1 | Zoe Birchenough | Bushy | 20:44 | 12 | Andy Greenleaf | 84.69% | ||
| Peter Clarke | Marlay | 18:08 | 5 | Tatiana McIntosh | Clapham Common | 23:01 | 11 | Peter Clarke | 81.99% | ||
| Miguel Branco | Sheringham | 18:31 | 3 | Lisa Basi | Finsbury | 24:35 | 19 | Tim Hazell | 79.22% | ||
| Dominic Grise | Crystal Palace | 18:54 | 5 | Josephine Perry | Fulham Palace | 24:42 | 30 | Dean Morley | 78.66% | ||
| Gideon Reid | Wormwood Scrubs | 19:04 | 3 | Margaret Greatorex | Minehead | 24:43 | 7 | Karen Hancock | 76.89% |
Podium Finishers
1st: Andy Greenleaf (Fulham Palace) - 15:34
2nd: Tim Hazell (Osterley) - 19:34, Steven Kjar (South Woodham Ferrers) - 19:54
3rd: Miguel Branco (Sheringham) - 18:31, Gideon Reid (Wormwood Scrubs) - 19:04
Busiest parkruns (3+ Serpies)
Fulham Palace (9), Finsbury (4), Gunnersbury (3)
Full consolidated Serpentine results. Can't see yours? Updating your parkrun profile with Serpentine RC as your club should do the trick. (Results: Alex Jeffreys)
Serpentine results database
Check the results database on the club website for other performances not covered here. If your result is missing, you can add it yourself or, if the race isn't listed in the dropdown menu, contact the Results Elves at results@serpentine.org.uk. Even better, add your name to the Race & Event Planner in advance and name SERPENTINE as your club when you enter races to ensure your results can be more easily added to your profile.
With thanks to everyone who contributed to this week's edition!
Eda Korkmaz
communications@serpentine.org.uk
Submitted: 8 August 2018