Results round-up – December and January
With thanks to David Chalfen for writing this up, here's just some of the highlights from the last month or so. Well done to everyone involved.
It always adds a frisson when one needs to check the IAAF profiles rather than parochial Power of 10 for a new Serpie’s running background. So, a big Serpie (and, indeed, UK) debut for Kiwi Callan Moody who won the fiercely fast Telford 10k in 29.31, heading the first 16 runners under 30 minutes and setting a 30 second PB in doing so. He’s Tony Payne’s housemate.
Finding an out of season marathon worked well for recently-joined from USA Catherine Meyer, winning the women’s race in the Nottingham race on December 1 in a fine PB of 2.57.23.
Dan de Palol used his experience and pace judgement to notch up 75.45 at the Victoria Park Run Through Half, winning the V40 category and in 4th place overall.
Also belatedly spotted, fine marathon progress in Valencia by Graham O’Donoghue with 2.34.01, having progressed since his previous running in the Middle East.
The Clapham Chasers 5000s are a nice early festive event albeit this year the weather was on the wintry side, so particularly impressive to see fine PB's by metronomic David Evans 16.39.5 and Kit Grierson 15.45.1 closing with a swift last lap in a desperate chase to surpass his younger Serpie- in- waiting brother’s 15.47 pb. Job done.
Amongst many recent parkrunners, Tim Powell is returning to best form with 16.50, 6th in a keen race at Fulham park; Tash Sheel led the women home with 19.13 in Queenstown NZ and Andy Greenleaf knocked out 16.36 at Clapham (perhaps as part of something more voluminous in usual AG style) whilst Ben Tolputt notched up a 17.03 at Burgess Park.
After a relative festive lull there was a wider return to racing on Saturday Jan 5. Traditionally it is County Cross Country Champs weekend, and arguably this year’s County bragging rights were led by Andy Greenleaf placing a tremendous 2nd in Hampshire.
A heftier Serpie turn out than last year saw the men's team run doggedly at the Middlesex champs at Greenford placing a fine second with the scorers of Messrs Wright (3) Poole (10) Green (17) Torry H(24) de Palol (32) and Gillanders (36) including four of the club's leading V40s. Individual standout was Chris Wright, forcing the pace in a tight quality leading trio and winning individual bronze in one of the stronger fields in recent years. Bring on the Southerns. Ahlem Ben Gueblia led the women home in 27th whilst in the Surrey race at Croydon Tash Sheel placed a good 17th in what is probably the nation’s strongest women's county race. Nick Torry placed 13th in the speedy men's race to back up a recent 16.40 5k pushing a twin buggy en route. Classic Torry left field approach.
In the same county Izzy Clark returned to racing after some while and clocked 17.18 in the Burgess parkrun. Also leading parkrun fields home were Martin Richardson 17.09 in Bromley and on the comeback after several months of achilles grief Chris Oddy with 16.53 in Harrogate.
A swift mainly local posse at the sharp end faced up to the year’s last Last Friday 5k on 28 December with Jonathan Poole back to fine form and winning in a swift 15.08, with Chris Wright in the midst of a training session running 15.17 in third and Xavier Gruot setting a road PB of 15.33 yet finding this only placed him 7th. Hugh Torry’s solid 16.09 placed him 3rd amongst the V40s.
Crane Parkrun on 1 January had almost 500 finishers, so with Izzy Clark bottlenecked for much of the first km she eventually found breathing space to set a women’s course record of 17.30 and just 4 seconds from outright winner on the day. Kit Grierson returned to home territory to win the pre Xmas Exmouth parkrun in 16.16.
David Chalfen
Tom Poynton
running@serpentine.org.uk
Submitted: 8 January 2019