Eamonn Richardson runs 300th handicap

We had a fantastic turnout (98 runners!) for this April’s Handicap. It was a very special race because not only were the 2016 Tom Hogshead and Stratford trophies presented, but also Eamonn Richardson completed his 300th handicap.

Picture from Eamonn Richardson runs 300th handicap

Simon Watts presented the 2016 Tom Hogshead trophy to Tony Gould. The Tom Hogshead trophy is given to the runner who amasses the most points over the season in up to eight Handicaps. Tony snagged the top spot in last year’s Hogshead table with an impressive score of 195 points.

The Stratford Cup is our newest handicap trophy and it is awarded to the runner who achieves the highest average age-grading in the handicap over six races. James Stratford presented the 2016 Stratford Cup to Andrew Roberts, who won the award for the second year in a row.

The highlight of morning was seeing Eamonn Richardson become the first Serpie to finish 300 handicaps. This achievement amounts to 25 years and approximately 1299 miles/ 2090 kilometres worth of handicap running. Simon Watts presented Eamonn with a t-shirt honouring the achievement and Ros Young spoke about how Eamonn secured his famous handicap number (1) at a Serpie Christmas dinner auction in the 1990s. On receiving his commemorative shirt, Eamonn expressed his love for the club and the handicap with a poem he had written for the occasion. To add to the festivities he showcased some of the classic Serpie shirts and awards he has amassed over the years. Eamonn’s accomplishment is truly amazing and it was great to have so many Serpies there to witness it.

Submitted: 2 April 2017

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