Week Ending - 2023/10/22

BADGERS ACE CANNOCK CHASE

The Cannock Chase trail half marathon occurred at the weekend with a handful of Badgers taking their chances after flooding put paid to a lot of events across the country in the aftermath of Storm Babet. This scenic affair went ahead, and Badgers were all over the front end of proceedings as form man Dave Hill dominated yet again to take a fine first place in a speedy 82:22. Nobody got anywhere close to the Polesworth athlete, the 32 year old finishing some seven minutes clear of the field which included in third place, the pacy Adrian Payne who romped home in a quality 92:29. This meant that Badgers had two-thirds of the podium for what must be the umpteenth time this season. Club statistician Willy Windmill was unable to give a precise number but claimed “including parkrun, (this would) be well into double figures for the year, which is incredible.”

Also flying the Badger flag in style was Jim Cottom who ran a fine 1:55:23 as well as Suzy Farrell (2:03:55) who was edged out by her more senior training partner Colin Lees (2:03:21). I the 10K event, Rachael Browne finished first Badger back in a quality 62:40. 

At the Leicestershire Running Festival at Prestwold racing circuit, Maggi Savin-Baden ran a silver standard time of 59:42 in the 10K with London-bound Wayne Repton managing a ten-mile PB in 75:08.  

During the week, Paul Grubb tackled the Big Bear Events Birch Challenge, again at Cannock Chase, running the marathon in a class time of 4:40. This season has seen the 47-year-old reach and sustain new heights in his running. A four stone weight loss has seen the Albion fan go from strength to strength and proof was well and truly in the pudding here, were it needed to be seen. 

Runners had to travel for gravel as the heavy rains put the kybosh on many of the local trail based parkruns. At Coventry, Dave Hill was warming up ahead of his big half marathon win and took a superb first place in 16:36. The double lap course around the Memorial Park is not the quickest in the area but the event is certainly one of the best attended, as befits one of the ten largest cities in England, so to emerge first from over six hundred runners is no mean feat. In doing so, Hill became only the third Badger ever to triumph at the event and with the fastest time on record also. Chris Young’s form has been on an upward trajectory for some time and here he helped himself to a new PB with a brilliant time of 21:56. Dave Purvis, Liberty Underhill, Jim Cottom, Rachael Browne and Martin Graham all ran well before Ann-Marie Currier earned bragging rights in the Currier household by outsprinting husband Simon in a thrilling sprint finish to the line to take the place by one second. 

Also enjoying winning ways was the fleet footed Suzy Farrell who ran an exceptional 23:32 at Babbs Mill parkrun, accompanied by the likes of Dave Jenkinson, big Bill Gutheridge, Colin Lees and Adam McElhone. Megan Griffiths showed her burgeoning credentials too with an emphatic display of distance running at the Oaklands parkrun. The schoolteacher was in imperious form, giving rivals a free lesson in race execution with the fastest female time of all in 23:03. Drawing the crowds, yet again, was the hunky Dave Jackson, who unleashed a power packed performance of real quality to go sub 20 for the umpteenth time of his storied career. The Atherstone based bachelor is used to beating off of a weekend and here he was no different as he beat off all of the opposition, aside from the top three. The V40 star led home Badgers inclusive of Mark Repton, who took 8th in 20:47, Dave Grant, Wayne Repton and Adrian Parkes. 

Badgers on tour including Andy and Holly Smith at Yarborough Leisure Centre while Anna Savin-Baden turned out at Leamington. Five Badgers were in action at Conkers, Mark Cordiner-Barton leading home Jill Miller, Paul Grubb, Ivana Babicova and Vikki Smith. Matt Green and Janey Barrett ran at Sutton Park and at a wet and slippy Bedworth, committee men Chris Horton and Adi Payne both made the top ten with times of 18:26 and 19:26 respectively. Sam Starkey ran 21:09 at Leicester Victoria with wife Laura, Jo Hardy, Karen Draper, Merv Jones and Leesa Dennis all completing their tourist stint. 

Followers of all things Badgers will be well aware that key-man Glyn Broadhurst has spent most of 2023 out with a knee injury but the Wood End maestro has been hitting the comeback trail hard in recent weeks and talks are well underway to sign him back up to the club where he first made his name. On Saturday, he was in scintillating form at Aston Hall parkrun, establishing a new course record with his convincing win in 19:35. He is still the fourth most capped Badger of all-time and officials are hopeful of him putting pen to paper by the end of the month. One apparent stumbling block to him rejoining is the £30 half yearly membership fee, which once paid, could pave the way to a lucrative long-term contract for the former marathon club record holder (V40). But it is believed that Broadhurst may be playing the long game, waiting to see how his knee settles down in the coming weeks before committing to his future, and with races not part of his immediate agenda, there would be no discounted race entry fees to help tempt the 46-year-old back in the short term.