Weekly Serpie round-up
Mirror, mirror, who has run the most marathons? It sure isn't me, but if you read on you'll find out who recently hit the magic 200 mark. And if that isn't enough, we can throw in a few full and half Ironman triathlons, a mountain or two and trails.
Club championship 1k
In the first of four Grand Prix races this summer, 49 Serpies took part in the 1k club champs on Saturday 30 June in a warm sunny Hyde Park, on a course known for its net downhill and ideally suited for fast times. In a repeat of last year's results, Helen Gray was first woman (3 minutes exactly), Ahmed Mohamed was first man (2:43) and Andrew Reeves (only a second behind Ahmed) had the highest age-graded score (90.1%). After the race our runners were able to relax in the sunshine outside the Lido cafe as thoughts started to turn to the 1 mile club championship three days later. Many thanks to all our runners and particularly to volunteers, particularly Nicola Kaye, Ian Hodge and Malcolm French. Full results. (Report: Tom Poynton; photo: Jamie Giles)
Alternative 1km champs
On Friday night one eager Serpie and one questioning Serpie (why was I doing this?) took on a variant of the 1km champs with the vertical 1,000m ascent of Snowdon. At 7pm in LLanberis 200 runners (including some of the UK’s top mountain runners) charged up the 7.5km track to reach Wales’s highest peak (1,085m). The temperature at the base was still 29C which added an unexpected challenge. Efforts were rewarded at the top with flapjacks, soft drinks and stunning views – it’s the first time I’ve got up Snowdon and been able to see past my nose. The other ‘reward’ for finishing is the 7.5km warm down descent (thankfully untimed). We put in a strong show given the lack of mountains in London and learnt a few useful lessons for our next attempt.
On Saturday morning (less than 12 hours after tackling Snowdon), I took the opportunity to try out Wales’s newest parkrun on Anglesey (only its second week) which lived up to the hype – a great single loop of undulating forest, sand dunes and past red squirrels. (Report: Natasha Sheel)
Triathlon shout-outs
Congratulations to all Serpie triathletes who competed over the weekend, including:
- Paul Vriend, Alex Birch, Katia Hadaschik (22nd in age cat) - Challenge Roth in southern Germany (full distance, i.e. 2.4mi/3.9km swim, 112mi/181km bike, 26.2mi/42.2km run)
- Christopher Locke (27th in age cat) and Kushal Banerjee - Ironman Austria in Carinthia (Kärnten)
- Hamilton Huxham - Ironman 70.3 Finland in Lahti
- Sam Hall (19th in age cat), Bairbre Doyle (10th in age cat), John Scott, Simon Pritchard, Rhiannon Needham - Outlaw Half Holkham
Serpie trail weekend
This weekend a group of intrepid Serpies ventured to the Peak District for two days of trails, tors and tea. 15 of us powered through varying distances over the weekend, with runs covering between 6 and 20 miles each day. We conquered the 478m Losehill, won over the 464m Win Hill and summited the 517m Mam Tor. We were rewarded with stunning panoramas and yummy cake. Thanks to Alan and Hisayo for the seamless organisation and considerate leading! (Report: Dinara Zapparova; photo: Hisayo Kawaha)
Exam success
Congratulations to Jo Conn who passed her Level 2 Coach in Running Fitness exam last week! If you have been to our foundation track session on Monday evenings at Paddington Track, it's likely you have met Jo. She coaches the sessions alongside Cliff Hide, Steph Vaatz and Malcolm French. If you would like to find out more about how to qualify as a coach yourself, please visit the club website or chat to one of the coaches at the next session.
Pam Storey's journey to her 200th marathon
A really special event took place on 3rd June, just a few days after my 70th birthday - I ran my 200th Marathon!
I love WW2 British aircraft, particularly the Lancaster Bomber, and the 16th - 17th of May this year was the 75th anniversary of Operation Chastise, The Dambusters’ Raid. It seemed like a good time to run a special Marathon!
Therefore, on 3rd June at Reculver on the Kent coast (where Barnes Wallis tested the bouncing bombs), I ran my 200th Marathon in the Dambusters’ Challenge.
It was a very warm, sunny day and I had not run for a month as I had a slight injury which, thank goodness, healed in time for the race. However, my lack of fitness showed and I jog/walked to complete the race in 6:38:06. Job done….
I wonder if my total is a Serpentine record? (Click here to read the full story. Abridged report: Branwen Jones)
Parkrun results for 30 June 2018 (62 runners)
Top 5 by time and age-graded performance
| Name | Event | Time | Gender # | Name | Event | Time | Gender # | Name | Age-graded | ||
| Samuel Barnes | Beeston | 16:44 | 1 | Lauren Roe | Weymouth | 19:38 | 1 | Sarah Newton | 79.51% | ||
| Johnny Boylan | Burgess | 17:44 | 5 | Natasha Sheel | Newborough Forest | 20:22 | 2 | Samuel Barnes | 77.69% | ||
| Dominic Grise | Crystal Palace | 18:40 | 4 | Lisa Basi | Hackney Marshes | 23:21 | 15 | Dean Morley | 76.99% | ||
| Dean Morley | Kingston | 19:38 | 15 | Siobhan Wakely | Dulwich | 23:37 | 13 | Dominic Grise | 76.52% | ||
| Chris Notton | Oak Hill | 19:45 | 7 | Sarah Newton | Hackney Marshes | 24:24 | 21 | Tim Hazell | 76.10% |
Podium Finishers
1st: Samuel Barnes (Beeston) - 16:44, Lauren Roe (Weymouth) - 19:38
2nd: Natasha Sheel (Newborough Forest) - 20:22
Busiest parkruns (3+ Serpies)
Dulwich (5), Fulham Palace (4), Bedford (3), Hackney Marshes (3), Victoria Dock (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)
We would love to hear from you
Did you achieve a new personal best, compete in your first ever race, hit a milestone or especially enjoy a particular race? Then what are you waiting for, get in touch! Whether you are a competitive athlete or take part for the sheer pleasure of it, everybody's accounts are encouraged and 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.
If your result is missing from the club website, 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 are added to your profile.
Check the results database on our website for other performances not covered here. With thanks to everyone who contributed to this week's edition!
Eda Korkmaz
communications@serpentine.org.uk
Submitted: 4 July 2018