Week Ending - 2021/10/24

SUPER QUICK MICK IS ROCKING AND ROLLING

Two years ago, Badgers then new recruit Mick Bailey, stunned teammates by finishing first V65 runner in the Chester Marathon setting an impressive club record of 3:48:50 in the process. Two years later and edging ever closer to his 70^th birthday, the Kingsbury man was at it again, this time at the Liverpool Rock n Roll marathon, 26.2 miles around the famous city and he finished in an incredible time of 3:52:48. To come within four minutes of his own record after the best part of a year of being unable to race due to Covid restrictions while also getting older is nothing short of a magnificent achievement and proves his Chester effort was no fluke. Also doing the event was 41-year-old Bill Gutheridge who clocked 4:14:58 in his first crack at the distance. Lee Talbot featured in the half marathon distance finishing in a quality 1:52. Carl Savage and David Grant both ran 4:39 in the Beachy Head marathon on the south coast and Andy Smith and Holly McClay both ran the Hell Stone trail half marathon in Dorchester, featuring over 1500 feet of elevation, in just over three hours apiece.

There were some excellent parkrun performances too on Saturday morning. Matt Scarsbrook ran his second ever parkrun and claimed his second first place with a rip0-roaring 16:52 on the trickier than before Kingsbury Water Park course. Dave Hill made it a Badgers 1-2 a minute behind his teammate with Mark Repton also making the top 5 with another sub-20 run. Sam Starkey turned coach for the day as the multi-time winner paced his wife Laura to a fine first place, her first since giving birth to their baby boy. Glyn Broadhurst (18:05) tracked ladies winner Charlie Nurse all the way around taking 5^th spot at Braunstone Park in Leicester while Ivana Babicova recorded a PB time of 29:31 at Beacon parkrun, her first sub-30. Chasewater proved to be a happy hunting ground for two Badgers, the evergreen Janet Crumpton running a superb PB of 26:40 with the much-improved Karen Draper following suit just thirteen seconds later in a marvellous 26:53. In form Colin Lees finished a career-high 5^th at Babbs Mill with his explosive run of 21:48. In the ladies side of things, there was even greater success as Nivette Chester took first place in a brisk 23:24 with Steph White making it a club 1-2 in 25:10. Leesa Dennis also went well in 6^th place running a decent 27:32.