Week Ending - 2019/06/09

SPEED MACHINE REAN IS THE BADGERS 10K QUEEN

Badgers superstar Helena Rean is something of a multi-sport icon, a 10 handicap golfer and despite her somewhat dismal choice of football team, she finished a highly creditable 4th V60 female in the Leicestershire Road Running League overall tables and is currently cleaning up the club records in the same age category at Badgers too. On Sunday, it was the 10K milestone that she took to Chinatown, never once applying the brakes as she hared round in a fabulous time of 55:49. This was some 42 seconds off the previous club best and a new PB to boot too and she now holds a magnificent total of eight individual club records. In addition to this, her terrific performance enabled her to pick up the trophy for the first V60 lady in the race as a whole, a fitting reward for one of the club’s most popular characters.

The speedy Rean was not the only Badger in action at Aldridge. Oh no. Albion fan Lee Millership continued his rich vein of form by running a PB of 48:30 as his season continues to go from strength to strength. Emma Vardy produced a heroic effort to finish in 50:10, a PB for the flying doctor, while her team-mate and friend Charlene Dunn bounced back to winning ways with a fabulous PB of her own in 51:14. Kit supremo Dave Bailey got home in 58:39 and Adam McElhone also ran alongside his wife Eileen, and fellow Badgers Sasha Wickham, Karen Draper and Louise Gibbs.

The Draycote Water 10K attracted a handful of Badgers with the speedy Sam Starkey first back in 7th overall with his quality run of 39:30. The fleet-footed forty-something lead home team-mates Matt Green (43:32), Nicki Prestwood (56:44) and new boy Paul Wallace (58:55 – PB) who all performed well on the scenic yet bump-rich reservoir rounding route.

The Kenilworth based Two Castles point to point 10K race often pulls in quite a bit of Badger interest and on a glorious Sunday morning weather wise, 2019 was no different. Richard Hill flew back in from Sweden especially for this race and he flew round in 56:36. Colin Lees ran a speedy 46:29 ahead of “Captain Courage” Simon Currier (48:42) and Ian Orton (49:38). Amiable stride-smith Stuart Walton broke the hour mark in a quality 58:09 while Holly Matts, Andy Smith and Hannah Coogan followed home not long after. The long-striding Sarah Lea made a return to action in 63:50 and Paul Cooper ran a PB in 65:56, being pipped at the line by just one second by Vikki Smith. Glen Thomas, Tracy Piper, Sarah Vine and Terry Argyle all ran well. At the Farthingstone Foot Festival near Towcester, Four Badgers took on the marathon there and emerged home in one piece. Top local chiropodist Leesa Dennis was amongst the quartet and may have picked up some new clients as Yvonne Faulkner, Liz Peel and Karen Thompson all gave their “plates of meat” a proper pounding over the 26.2-mile course. The eminent professor of pace Peel notched up marathon number 58 while the super-steady Thompson made it number 60 on their quest for a century. Earlier in the week at Mallory Park, the energetic, not to mention popular, club chairperson Thompson competed in her first ever triathlon and wowed fans by taking the award for third female overall in 39:03, a superb display from someone who is still conquering her deep fear of water! Deep in the heart of Wales, the genial Maggi Savin-Baden expertly negotiated her way to finish the Quest Wales adventure race that combined, running and cycling with some kayaking, in a fine 5 hours 15 minutes.

At parkrun, Dave Jackson delivered the goods yet again as he enjoyed his highest positional finish since major reconstructive ankle surgery earlier in the year. One of the club’s top characters (V40), stunned supporters with a battling 19:50 in testing conditions to take third place, his first podium finish in over a year. Simon Currier followed through in 24:39 while veteran Janet Crumpton went well once again in 28:42. Anne-Marie Matthews also attended. At Conkers, Chris Baxter had to settle for a tempo run of 17:05 as he finished second to Gavin McDermott. Katrina Dawson, Dawn Cross and Helen Jenkinson also ran. Mr Parkrun himself Richard Hill made the most of his trip to Sweden by bagging himself a couple of new parkruns to add to his bulbous collection and Paul Wallace flew the flag singlehandedly at Bestwood Village. Major Pluse John Hanson was tearing it up at Walsall in 21:58 with wife Mandy going well in 32:47. Oh yes. Jenna Davies ran Perry Hall and the esteemed Eamon Thawley accompanied the equally esteemed Jared Karim to Bicester, both breaking 25 minutes with some aplomb.

Kingsbury Water Park saw a wealth of wet and windy action and was notable for it being the venue for Chris Upton’s 100th parkrun which he completed in 23:31. The pacy Sam Starkey was first back in an impressive time of 18:47 in 4th place overall while Cameron Barnes produced arguably the best run of his career to date as he became the latest Badger to join the sub-20 club, obliterating his previous 5K best by 43 seconds to end up 6th in a PB of 19:17. Old soldier Matt Green made the top 20 once again in 20:34 and Jake Bradford continued his good form in 21:36. Colin Lees continues to defy the critics as he ran 22:38 and Mick Bailey is on fire right now as he blasted home in a superb 23:03, a PB for the hardworking veteran. Other runners included Tim Gould, Lil Souter, Matt Jackson and Darryl Johnson while Pete Boardman was once again in attendance after clocking up his 100th run recently. The impressive Sam Klucis led home a group of Badgers including her sister Lisa Barnes, Amanda Gould, Teresa Satchell and Rachael Shelton as the club enjoyed yet another excellent week. Oh yes.