Runners of the Month, Second Half of 2018

Pete (known as Mitch) is our first Runner of the Month for December. Mitch is a long-standing member of the club where he is a valuable & cheerful volunteer as well as turning in some very impressive running performances & times including the Sydney, Aus. Marathon recently.  Mitch is also a core member of the parkrun team. He has often run as a pacer & helped many people including several Almosts to new PBs, as well as recently stepping up to be Run Director where he performed exceptionally well and got some nice comments from tourists in the visitors book.  Mitch is currently fundraising with his Brighton Marathon place for The Alzheimer’s Society in memory of his much-loved Aunt who recently passed away from the condition.  He is also a jolly good “Knitter”. Check out his handiwork at Christmas Day parkrun. Good work Mitch…

Fi is our second worthy Runner of the Month for December. Having fractured her foot in 2017, Fi has come back with a vengeance in her running in 2018 and has shown great determination to get herself back to peak fitness. During the year Fi has run six marathons in Castellon Espana, London, Stroud Trails, Chicago, Snowdonia and Broadway. The last 3 were completed in a six-week window alone.
Fi has stepped up to join the Almost Athletes committee this year where she has put a lot of energy into her role as Welfare Officer & has produced some brilliant work behind the scenes to review & update our policies as well as some new awards for club members you’ll be hearing more of soon.   Fi always runs with a smile on her face and is very supportive of other members in their endeavours.  Well done Fiona!

Mark is our final Runner of the Month for December, an award for which he is long overdue. Mark goes about his running exploits and adventures in a very understated way, yet he is highly supportive of his colleagues and always willing to pass on his training tips & advice. He has long since gained his 100 Marathon Club vest & is now up nearer the 125. Marathons for Mark now though are more like “popping out for the milk”; he is one of, if not the club’s strongest Ultra Marathon runner with feats this year alone including Comrades 56 mile in SA with Anne-Marie in well under 9 hours and most lately the 100-mile Centurion Run in an amazing 22 hours 42 mins, straight through the night. Brilliant running, all done in one of the oldest club vests out there! Keep it up Mark

James is our first ROTM for October. James is a real, social, energetic member of Almosts as you can see. He has made a great success of his track sessions. He organises the Monday night training with a totally dedicated and focused approach, often conducting a lot of research and homework about running styles and techniques to supplement the sessions which have seen numbers attending grow considerably. Good work James!

Jayne is our next deserving ROTM. Jayne has achieved a podium finish in this year’s club off road series including some great showings at Cheltenham Challenge Half, Forest of Dean Half and Standish to name but 3. Jayne is very modest about her phenomenal achievements and would no doubt put her success down to her guides. Jayne supports lots of club activities and while we were sad to see Ginty go, she has formed a great partnership with Keble, topped off with Jayne running the 2019 London Marathon for TeamGuideDogs. Keep it up Jayne!

Kev joined us a few years ago after a relocation from London and together with Patricia have become very supportive members of Almosts. Kev has had a great year of very dedicated training and racing where his his impressive annual mileage target has helped break a number of PBs including most latterly going sub 2 hours for the first time in the half marathon at Birmingham. Kev is also a fanatical Parkrunner where he is now well over 300 runs. Well done Kev!..

Lorraine has continued her fabulous form this year to record new PBs at all distances from one mile, plus a very impressive debut marathon. Lorraine’s dedicated training has undoubtedly paid off, but she is also a great club lady too, being a penguin! at Cheltenham water station and offering lots of ideas and support for her teammates. Her inaugural marathon success was at Chester where she cracked sub 4 hours in 3:59:18. Fabulous Lorraine!

Our first worthy winner is Stacey. As her photo testifies Stacey really is flying at the moment no doubt thanks to her dedicated training where she clocks up her own serious miles and also at track nights where she gives her all. She was up with the milkman for leg one of the Cotswold Way Relay which she totally nailed. Always with a smile on her face she has secured recent PBs in the mile, in the 5k at the Pilot Inn race where she was first lady & at the Bugatti 10k where a new PB is no mean achievement on that course.  She capped this off with a 10-mile PB at Oldbury 10 on Sunday. Her Strava feed will wear you out just reading it. Keep up the great work Stacey!

Our first worthy winner is Stacey. As her photo testifies Stacey really is flying at the moment no doubt thanks to her dedicated training where she clocks up her own serious miles and also at track nights where she gives her all. She was up with the milkman for leg one of the Cotswold Way Relay which she totally nailed. Always with a smile on her face she has secured recent PBs in the mile, in the 5k at the Pilot Inn race where she was first lady & at the Bugatti 10k where a new PB is no mean achievement on that course.  She capped this off with a 10-mile PB at Oldbury 10 on Sunday. Her Strava feed will wear you out just reading it. Keep up the great work Stacey!

A relative new comer to the Club our next Runner of the Month has made a big impact in a short time. Rich has had a fantastic season so far with a number of new PBs and team wins as well as a great run on the Cotswold Way Relay. He is one of our quickest chaps thanks to his dedicated training especially around some of the trail routes near his home where his distances and paces are highly commendable. But Rich is a great club supporter too & in particular one of his nominations mentioned his help on the Bank Holiday run to look after the group & make sure everyone got home safely, thanks Rich. He is a great guy to have around the club and will always look out for his teammates. Well done Rich!

Karla is our next Runner of the Month and defines the determination displayed by so many within the club. Karla loves her running & will never give up in a race even when the going gets tough and she has seen her times really improving.  Karla also builds up the club’s biggest stash of air miles by far with her far flung travels for a run including most latterly halves in Las Vegas and Seattle and completing a 10k and parkrun in her native New Zealand, hopefully she also popped in to see the family for a cup of tea whilst she was there. Karla is also a great supporter of Kim’s Fly-To-Help group & warmly welcomes all new runners. Her nomination also highlights how Karla also helped a fellow runner who was injured to finish her first half recently. Good work Karla!

Deb is our final ROTM for September. Deb is a “totally” dedicated athlete and is committed to her training whether it’s her own runs or at hills and at the track where she gives her absolute all and pushes herself to do better all the time. Deb is a fantastic support to her teammates, always encouraging others to do their best too & is often back onto the course at races to cheer others over the line. Deb is a great volunteer both for the club as well as at parkrun where she loves her marshalling duties. Her shouts of encouragement & support to all the Parkrunners are legendary. Deb has had great results too where despite injury she has picked up club series prizes and a totally well-deserved Gloucestershire AAA prize. She has notched up several marathons of late & is now training hard for Snowdonia in October. Great work Deb & keep up the shouting!

David is our first ROTM for August.  David has had a cracking season so far with a string of age category wins and PBs including Bourton One Mile most latterly. David really puts everything into his running and holds a host of club records currently for his age category. David is also a great supporter of the club and often helps out with route leading, encouraging his club mates and ensuring everyone gets home safely. Nice one David!

Piotr has only been with us for just over a year but has had a fabulous start to his Almosts career. He is very committed to his training & has seen his times tumble across the distances to some excellent new PBs. In April he ran his first marathon at Manchester & came in well under 4 hours. He is a great supporter of the club encouraging his team mates, offering lifts, organising many of the Friday night Exmouth runs and sorting out a club discount for Cheltenham Half, speak to Piotr if you would like to get on the bus too. Good work Piotr.

Matt is an outstanding Almost Athlete who combines delivering exceptionally quick performances with being a thoroughly good egg. He trains hard & eats up the track sessions which has resulted in some brilliant performances including parkrun PBs and placings plus a new track PB at the recent midsummer event. Matt is always on hand to encourage & welcome new colleagues to the club, one of whom was very appreciative in her nomination of Matt for ROTM. Top marks Polson!

Welcome to our Runners of the Month for July and our first worthy winner is Anne-Marie. She is a dedicated and hardworking athlete who puts an incredible amount of grit & determination into her training & racing. She runs everything from parkrun to ultras and is well on the way to the 100-Marathon Club. She is also a Cotswold Way regular including last weekend. Most notably of late, Anne-Marie returned to South Africa to tackle once again The Comrades Ultra Marathon, all 55 miles of it. This time for the “DOWN RUN” from Pietermaritzburg to Durban which she completed in an amazing 10 hours 34 minutes. Well done Anne-Marie!

Ingrid is our second, well deserved Runner of the Month for May. Ingrid is a dedicated and enthusiastic runner who has long since joined the-100 Marathon Club & wears her vest with pride. She has been in a particularly rich vein of form of late with category wins at the Cirencester 10k & at the off-road Chedworth 10m. Ingrid was also part of the winning ladies’ teams at the Dymock Half and also at the Bourton Hilly Half. Ingrid always gives her all in her races, keep it up!