Week Ending - 2023/09/10

SCARSBROOK’S “GREAT” NORTH RUN

In form Matt Scarsbrook was raring to go at this year’s Great North Run, pumped up after a super season in the LRRL for Badgers, the Birchfield Harriers ace rubbed shoulders with some 60,000 other athletes as they took on the 13.1-mile point-to-point race in the north-east. On a hot day, Scarsbrook ran majestically, beating the likes of Olympian Chris Thompson, one of the Baddesley man’s running heroes, amongst others, and helping himself to 26th place in the race. Such a marvellous run enabled Matt to set a new personal best for the distance, a time of 69:05 in what will be remembered as Sir Mo Farah’s swansong. Scarsbrook was only 22 places behind the double Olympic Champion a spectacular feat without any question.

A further seven Badgers were running the Great North Run, outgoing club Treasurer Rob Boland leading the rest home in 1:55:59, raising funds for the Family Holiday charity. Dave Purvis followed just over a minute later having completed the GNR 5K in 24:10 a day earlier. Joanne Crow and Paul Cooper ran in tandem in 2:11:46 with Nicola Stanley and Nick Miles all coming in around the 2:30 mark. Ivana Babicova was the final Badger to return home in full midday sun by now, her time a hard-fought 2:49:24.

Dave Hill was the key man in a mixed team of three at the Adidas Terrex Infinite Trails race in Bad Hofgastein in Austria at the weekend, running the mountainous ‘long’ loop of 10,000 feet of elevation and marathon distance. The Polesworth speedster clocked a heroic 5:38:09 as his team finished a superb second place overall. Ryan L. F. G. Preece was also scheduled to race in a separate event but took a nasty tumble 400m in. While most would have given up at this point, brave Preece, who was maybe a little too brave, tried to persevere, his ankle swollen to the size of a small planet and blood pouring like wine from an elbow that was by all accounts ripe for amputation. But just moments later, Preece had to concede his race was over and tearfully made his way back to the media office to inform the travelling fans of his withdrawal. 

The Lichfield 10K attracted seven Badgers this year, all of whom were men over the age of 40. Chris Horton (37:34), racing for his second claim side Tamworth, finished 12th overall from a field of over 700 athletes on a humid morning around the hilly landscape north of the city. Wayne Repton was next home in 53:21, 22 seconds ahead of V70 club record holder Mick Bailey who ran another superb race. Adrian Parkes went well in 54:24 with a trio of newcomers Kieran Coopey (65:06), Carl Ford (69:08) and Rick Reilly (72:55) all earning themselves new personal bests despite racing on an unfavourable course in less-than-ideal weather. Elsewhere, veteran Liz Peel notched up her 45th career half marathon at the Kingsbury Water Park-based Otter Challenge. 

While all of these runs were wonderful in their own way, none of them were overall winners in their races, unlike Hannah Mayes who finished first female for the very first time at Oaklands parkrun. Her winning time of 24:10 was a personal best and elevates her to a select group of female Badgers including Maggi Savin-Baden no less who have finished first at a parkrun. 

There was another Badgers first over at Kingsbury Water Park where Chris Horton romped to his 31st victory at Kingsbury in 18:21. Chris Tweed took third in 19:12 with Mark Repton, Dave Jackson and Ashley Taylor taking places 6, 7 and 9 respectively to ensure the club boasted 50% of the top ten. Jackson’s return to action is nothing short of miraculous. Twelve months ago, a crippling ankle injury seemed to have ended his career but perseverance, dedication and a refusal to quit saw the 9 times KWP parkrun winner take his first tentative steps back into the running world and within no time at all he has cemented himself firmly within the top ten with consistent splits of 3:57, 4:06, 4:11, 4:11 and 3:57. Rachael Browne and Jane Barrett finished 5th and 6th ladies in the event. 

Megan Griffiths was second lady at Cannock Chase parkrun running 24:44 while Colin Lees parachuted his way into the top ten at Belvoir Castle clocking 25:52. Last but not least was key man Glyn Broadhurst, currently rehabilitating a career-threatening knee injury by putting in countless hours on the bike to retain fitness. The Wood End man roared back in his 251st parkrun taking 8th place at The Wammy in a quite brilliant 19:25.