Week Ending - 2021/06/27
MATT DOES IT AGAIN!
16 days after setting a new club best for 10K, Badgers in form speedster Matt Scarsbrook once again pushed the record even further away from his teammates after his epic performance at the Prestwold 10K. The LRRL mini-season began in earnest after 15 months without authentic race action and while numbers were limited compared to previous years and a rolling start affected to reduce close contact between runners, the competition was no less fierce with some 520 runners completing the course on a breezy and cloudy Sunday morning, untypical for the time of year.
The field was of a higher quality than of some of the more recent vintages and included the return to action of some big hitters of Leicestershire running. Scarsbrook took it all in his swift stride however, starting at the very front and hurtling his way round in a magnificent 33:25. Earlier in the week he had run 33:52 in the hilly Weedon 10K, (6th place) with Badger teammate Dave Jackson bravely soldiering round in 39:29.
The Prestwold race saw some 50 Badgers taking part, almost 10% of the field. Next back for the club was in form Glyn Broadhurst in a PB time of 36:32. Looking very much like a cut-price Jimmy Bullard, the Wood End veteran has been in superb form during the interregnum and was able to hold off a strong challenge from third Badger home Dave Hill, who also ran a PB of 36:42. Four Badgers then followed in quick succession with just 17 seconds between them. Club stalwart Danny Warren ran a hard second half of the race to grab a time of 37:10 while captain for the day Mark Repton ran a PB of 37:16. In form former skipper Adrian Payne ran 37:27, yet another PB in a race littered with them, the same time as the recently returned Chris Horton who became only the third Badger in the race to achieve a diamond county standard time in the race alongside Scarsbrook and Broadhurst.
Muscular one time Badgers performance director Dave Jackson had just enough nous to hold off Neil Clemons’ late charge as the latter rocketed round in a PB of 38:32, just five seconds adrift of his substantially pouched Baddesley based team-mate. Carl Savage battled hard for his time of 41:56, a well-earned PB for the industrious Alvecote man. Ashley “T-Dogg” Taylor was another to buy a ticket for the PB train as the self-proclaimed Warton wonder cashed in on his great form of late by running 42:14, a massive improvement.
Ex Nuneaton Borough star Jimmy Dewis romped home next in 42:32 with Cameron Barnes (42:36) and Bill Gutheridge (45:31) both helping themselves to richly deserved PB’s after 12 months of tough, tough training. David Grant was next back in a shade under 46 minutes with Peter Mann making a hugely impressive debut in 46:07. This was good enough for a new V60 club record for Badgers in his very first race in black and white, a superb show. Dave Jenkinson ran a hard-fought PB in 46:38 at the age of 50 while Wayne Repton, Andy Smith and kit-man Ian Orton all dug deep. With 17 new personal bests in this race, no wonder newly elected performance director Chad Nadbag was grinning from ear to ear for the rest of the weekend.
Cheryl Dewis was the first lady back, 33rd overall in the race but managed to set yet another age-grade club record in the process, her 47:32 eclipsing Steph White’s mark set three years ago. Rob Crow as ever was close behind running a dogged 47:51. Few try harder than Esther Holyoak and once again she gave 100% as the Trendz Barbers duo of her and Dewis led the ladies team home. Mick Bailey was third in his age category running a quality 48:26 with Lee Millership, Glen Thomas and Gavin Crockwell also going well. London bound Adam McElhone helped himself to a PB in 51:35. Emma Masser and the highly promising Laura Bingham were next through in 53:01 and 53:02, respectively. Pip Weston came close to Helena Rean’s V60 record with a decent run of 54:28 with Hannah Craig and captain Lil Souter both running strong races. Karen Draper clocked a tremendous 56:08, a huge new PB with Paul Cooper managing similarly in 56:39, his first time under the hour. Caroline Smith, Terry Argyle, John Devenney and Christine Morris all ran as did Averil Caton in a PB time of 58:07. Stephanie Attenborough (59:07 – PB) and Mandi Stain (59:44 – PB) were in action alongside big-hearted Jo Davies who helped the popular Sarah Vine to the finish, just nine weeks after chemotherapy, an inspiring achievement from the Polesworth based Vine.
Gail Gunn was back on the scene; Ross Kilburn made his Badgers race debut and Sarah O’Donoghue was the final runner to record a PB thanks to her time of 68:09. Anne Devenney, Fiona Reidy and Teresa Satchell rounded up a much-missed morning for the club.
The Gate Gallop drew a few Badgers too, the popular Tamworth based race always seemingly clashes with a LRRL fixture. Dave McGowan (37:00) celebrated his birthday with a quality 4th place in a strong field, just 18 seconds behind in form winner Ashley Baldwin. Russell Lomas ran 55:40 and Paul Grubb also featured. Ivana Babicova ran the 15-mile Round Sheffield Run and in the Coombe Abbey based Swan Challenge, Liz Peel ran her 96th marathon, in an undisclosed time. She was accompanied by Badger colleague Karen Thompson who completed her 91st marathon. Once the determined academic hits the 100 mark, she will not be able to stop however, as after years of trying to gain a place in the London marathon, the 46-year-old has at last become successful after her being accepted for a charity place for Dyslexia Research Trust. Raising money may be more of a challenge as running a marathon, for Peel at least, is not exactly a rare or unusual feat.