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The Trails Prove No Trial for Benjamin And Cleverley
Race Report for 13 January 25 by Alison Hume
It was a relatively quiet week on the racing calendar, with just a handful of events taking place before the club’s own Linda Franks 5 next weekend. Christopher Benjamin completed the Rogue Runs night trail race at Chepstow racecourse on Friday, a 5.3-mile offroad event on grassy terrain within the confines of Piercefield Park, crossing the line in 49:17. He followed this up with the Riverbank Rollick on Sunday, a 9.6-mile run on trails, bridle paths, fields, woodland, through a stream and along a riverbank, completing this challenging event in 2:09:06. First home for the club at the Rollick was Mike Smith, whose strong effort saw him record a 1:39:34 finish. Also representing the club were Mariel Chretien (2:02:40); Phil Jeyes (2:40:17) and Steve Yarnold (2:40:28).
Karla Cleverley also took to the trails over the weekend, running the Dark Moors neon night run in Hampshire – a 5-ish mile run through the forest at Moors Valley on Saturday night – and, the following day, the tough Run Rebel Winchester 12k trail run over hills and through forests, fields and mud. All finishers earning a pair of socks and a medal for their efforts over the frozen wintery ground.
Long-distance specialist Ingrid Harris put in another age-defying performance at the marathon distance at the Phoenix Running Doughnut Dash, completing eight laps of the out and back course along the river Thames in 3:58:40. Not only was Ingrid second female, but she also earned her bronze wings for running ten Phoenix events.
Allan Green warmed up for his latest marathon – the Phoenix Running Doughnut Dash, which he completed in 5:49:33, polishing off three doughnuts en route – by collecting a gold medal in his age category at the Gloucestershire AAAs road race awards on Friday evening and recording a first in age category at Cheltenham parkrun the following day. All in all, another successful weekend’s work!
Patricia Dendy and Claire Hawes earned bronze awards in their respective age categories at the Gloucestershire AAAs road race awards. The club congratulates Allan, Patricia and Claire for their efforts across the whole of 2024 and thanks the Gloucestershire AAAs committee for laying on another challenging road race series.
Many parkruns fell victim to the icy weather and sub-zero temperatures over the weekend, necessitating a last-minute dash from Tetbury to Cirencester for Mike Bryce and Claire Gallagher, where they were joined by Robert Foord. Matt Polson ran with over 1,100 other parkrunners at Heaton Park, the only parkrun to survive in the Manchester area. Coralie Pearson and Rachael Nolan undertook an extreme day trip to Ireland, where they kicked off their day with a visit to Bushy parkrun, Dublin. Others wisely ran in much warmer climes, with David Davey again taking on Franschhoek parkrun, South Africa and Sue Low representing the club at Orakei Bay, New Zealand.
There were top ten gender finishes for Alistair Mathew, Sarah Wood and Jeanette Gullick (Cheltenham parkrun); Lesley Cottle (Gloucester North) and Michelle Balchin (King George V Playing Field). Almost Athletes also recorded a presence at Blaise Castle, Chippenham, Cwmbran, Gloucester City, Lydiard, Mallards Pike, Oxford, Porthcawl and Stratford Park, Stroud.
Mike Smith, Steve Yarnold, Phil Jeyes, Mariel Chretien and Christopher Benjamin at the start of the Riverbank Rollick
Christopher Benjamin mid Rollick!
Karla Cleverley after the Winchester Trail Run
Patricia Dendy collecting her Gloucestershire AAAs bronze medal
Parkruning Almosts and Another Marathon for Allan Green and Ingrid Harris
Race Report for 7 January 25 by Dave Nelson
It might be a new year, but there’s no need for Almost Athletes members to make any resolutions, as they continue to put in some great running performances and do the club proud.
The start of the year tends to be a quieter time for races, and this was reflected this past weekend, with only our marathon running duo of Allan Green and Ingrid Harris competing. Allan ran the 8-lap Runbelievable Challenge at Gravesend Cyclopark in 5:19:09; while Ingrid completed the Enigma Milton Keynes, finishing in an excellent 2nd overall position in 3:57:16. Well done both!
With the lack of races happening, the focus of much of the club membership was on various parkrun events. There was a special additional parkrun day on New Year’s Day, and 55 Almosts were sufficiently recovered from the New Year celebrations to head to an event, despite the awful weather that marked the first day of the year. 34 of that number made their way to Gloucester City, where Prash Sripathi finished first in his age category. The club was also represented well at both Lydiard and Cirencester with 5 runners at each, and Catherine Williams also earning an age category first at the latter event. Sarah Wood was another to gain a first place in age category, this time at Lydney; while there were also members running at Alexandra, Braunstone, Eastville, Northampton, Tetbury Goods Shed, Tilgate, and Faelledparken in Copenhagen, where Matt John was the furthest travelled Almost for NYD.
On the regular parkrun day of Saturday, 80 members headed to a variety of events. George Wood bagged himself a new PB at Berkeley Green, finishing in a speedy 20:17 to take 10th overall and 2nd in his age category. At Mallards Pike, Agata Pakula gained a new course PB, and Andy Maxwell did the same at Stratford Park in Stroud. David Davey was furthest travelled, running at Franschoek parkrun in South Africa, where he also gained a new course PB. Elsewhere on the tourist trail, Steve Yarnold declared that Lanhydrock parkrun should not be undertaken after Christmas and New Year excesses!
Cheltenham parkrun was the most popular with members, perhaps unsurprisingly, and the standout result there came from Ashley Wilson, who ran a new overall PB in 21:20. Plenty of club members also volunteered at the event, including 6 members volunteering as pacers in the shape of Peter Mitchener, Sarah Wood, Steven Wood, Clemens Orth, Janine Bennett, and Paul Jones.
There were age category first places for Jan Pakula at Mallards Pike, Sue Low and Brian Maggs at Evesham, Matt Polson at Peel, and Hayley Woolnough (also achieving the Groundhog Day parkrun challenge in the process) and Christine Harker at Cheltenham. Members also ran at Seven Fields, King George V Playing Field, Gloucester City, Tewkesbury, Newent, Chippenham, Cardiff, Bath Skyline, and Worcester Pitchcroft.
Finally, some club members are seeing in 2025 by setting themselves some individual challenges to start the year. Helen Motteram is doing a half-marathon a week challenge for January; while Kate Bestwick, Sue Sturgeon, Sue Low, Zakia Hussain, Hayley Woolnough and Dave Nelson are all taking part in RED January. We wish them all luck in those personal challenges!
George Wood. A Parkrun PB at Berkeley Green
A Run Through our Holiday Achievements
Race Report for 31 December 24 by Josh Hand
The longest distance of the weekend was run by Allan Green completing the Wobble Bobble Marathon in 5:42 hours, and by Mark Willicott running the Malaga Marathon in 4:42:34.
Kate Beswick and Sue Low celebrated their 250th parkrun at their local Cheltenham parkrun, supported by more than 40 other Almost Athletes. Fastest Almosts at parkrun were Lewis Jones in 19:54 at Cheltenham parkrun and Joanne Johnson in 22:03 at Gloucester City parkrun. A large contingent of Almosts went to KGV in Cheltenham and Quakers Walk parkrun this weekend.
Many of the races and parkrun would not be possible without volunteers. Especially over the festive period please consider volunteering yourself to help the local teams with their events.
Christmas Party Time
Race Report for 15 December 24 by Clemens Orth
Amidst the flurry of Christmas Parties and preparations 20+ Almosts took part in Christmas themed running races.
Seven Almosts donned their purple and seasonal red themed outfits to take part in the yearly Westonbirt House 10km race. Claire Sullivan was first for the club in 53:01, followed by Beth Stranks(54:34), Becca Waugh (55:58), Steve Yarnold (1:06:36), Deb Cartlidge (1:08:47), Kate Bestwick (1:17:17), Phil Jeyes (1:24:00).
Four Almosts took on the Weston Cracker 10k with Coralie Pearson coming first for Almosts in 1:01:26, followed by Ray Pearson in 1:19:13. Karla Cleverley finished 3rd for Almosts in 1:23:20, followed by Rachael Nolan in 1:23:21.
Ingrid Harris ran the Bristol Patchway 10k in 50:33 and 5th lady overall out of 33.
Julianne Jameson ran the very hard 12km and 1250ft ascent in Dursley in 2 hours supported by very Christmassy themed aid stations providing mince pies!
Natalie & Sam Wizard with their son Jacob, and Agata & Jan Pakula took part in the Gloucester 5k Santa Fun Run which was organised and for the benefit of the Gloucester Rotary Club.
Agata & Jan Pakula also ran the Christmas Tree Race in the Forest of Dean with both completing the very hilly race in 1:03:41.
Furthest away from home was Ian Poole who ran the Baltimore Celtic Solstice 5 miles in 38:14 minutes.
The longest distance of the weekend was run by Allan Green completing the Wobble Bobble Marathon in 5:42 hours, and by Mark Willicott running the Malaga Marathon in 4:42:34.
Kate Beswick and Sue Low celebrated their 250th parkrun at their local Cheltenham parkrun, supported by more than 40 other Almost Athletes. Fastest Almosts at parkrun were Lewis Jones in 19:54 at Cheltenham parkrun and Joanne Johnson in 22:03 at Gloucester City parkrun. A large contingent of Almosts went to KGV in Cheltenham and Quakers Walk parkrun this weekend.
Many of the races and parkrun would not be possible without volunteers. Especially over the festive period please consider volunteering yourself to help the local teams with their events.
A Less Busy Pace as Christmas Approaches
Race Report for 1 December 24 by Natalie Wizard
Wilson and Woodman Defy Bert to Produce Storming Runs
Race Report for 24 November 24 by Alison Hume
Many Almost Athletes took to the skies this week, thereby avoiding the worst of the miserable weather and a slew of race cancellations. Taking on the Ultra X 110 Morocco race, an event set in and around the city of Ouarzazate was Ela Antosiewicz, who successfully completed the first day of the challenge in 10:59:42 and the second with partner Craig Jackson in 8:00:58, for a combined time of 19:00:39, laying some ultra marathon ghosts to rest in the process. The race runs to the south of the High Atlas mountains and passes kasbahs, traditional fortified villages, rocky desert and lush oases, challenging participants with a total elevation gain of 1,323 metres and wide variation between day and night-time temperatures.
A quartet of Almosts enjoyed a sunset race in very warm conditions in Benidorm. Karla Cleverley completed the 10k in 1:28:19, while Ali Shaikh (2:09:05); Coralie Pearson (2:18:37) and Rachael Nolan (2:53:20) all challenged themselves on the undulating half marathon course, which stretches the full length of this well-known seaside town.
In North Carolina, Neil Tring recorded another first in category finish at Durham parkrun, meaning that he has now completed all four of the North Carolina parkruns with son Rob. Bob Spawton and Rita Crane continued their antipodean adventures, Bob at Orakei Bay parkrun, Auckland where he was third in age category, and Rita at Western Springs, New Zealand.
Racing in the capital, new club member Ashley Wilson was delighted to top off his running year with a half marathon personal best at the Battersea Park Running Festival, crossing the finish line in a speedy 1:35:27.
Meanwhile, Corinne Cooper took to the trails at the Slaley Hall and Forest race in Hexham, North Pennines. Covering some 345 metres of ascent over seven miles around Slaley Forest followed by a lap of Slaley Hall grounds, Corinne completed this challenging multi-terrain event in 3:02:50.
Marathon man Allan Green doubled up this week, completing two of the Saturn Running 10 in 10 days series in very different conditions: eight freezing laps by the Thames in Runnymede, Egham on Thursday (5:13:23) followed up by a dry six-lapper, ‘The Last Hop’ in Staines, on Sunday (5:34:40).
The stormy weather affected attendance at local parkrun events, however Kev Dendy clocked up his 550th run at Cheltenham, on a day when runners remembered core team member Mike Jarvis, and Jeff Tibbles notched up his 200th parkrun at King George V Playing Field. Personal bests were unsurprisingly thin on the ground this week, but Riley Woodman fought hard to record a new PB at Stratford upon Avon (19:57) for first in his age category, while Carl Methven earned a course PB at King George V Playing Field. Sue Sturgeon was pleased to complete her parkrun alphabet at Valentines in Ilford, five years to the day since she recorded her 100th parkrun.
Almost Athletes also ran at Blaise Castle, Chippenham, Cwmbran, Gloucester City, Gloucester North, Kingsway, Oxford, Seven Fields, Street and Victoria Dock parkruns.
Karla Cleverley at the end of the Benidorm 10k
Ali Shaikh, Rachael Nolan and Coralie Pearson gear up for the Benidorm half marathon
Ashley Wilson in PB form at the Battersea Park half marathon
Sue Sturgeon (right hand side) completing her parkrun alphabet at Valentines parkrun in Ilford
It’s Almost a small world!
Race Report for 17 November 24 by Claire Hawes
Long before UK based Almosts were thinking of getting up for parkrun at 9am on Saturday, two Almosts on separate holidays in Australia met each other at the start line at Pirrama parkrun! Bob Spawton finished in 28:28 and Rita Crane in 34:46. An added coincidence was that of the 285 parkrunners, Bob was the 93rd male finisher and Rita was the 93rd female finisher!
There were some great performances at parkruns closer to home: Josh Rimell took 55 seconds off his 5k PB finishing at Cheltenham in 18:53; Steve Yarnold ran at Tewkesbury and clocked his fastest parkrun in over a year at 30:24 and Dave Nelson continued his comeback from injury with his fastest parkrun since March, at Strathclyde.
Agata Pakula ran as a pacer at Evesham parkrun in the morning then on Saturday night she and Jan Pakula completed the Bath Skyline Night trail race – a dark, damp, slippery but ‘fantastic’ route, apparently – finishing together in 1:08:16.
Sunday had two big events for Almosts: the always popular (and final race in the club road series) Newent Nine and Broadway Trail Marathon.
Josh Rimell was first Almost home at Newent, finishing in 37:57, a course PB of more than 9 minutes for him. Patricia Dendy continued her storming year, being first woman home in 38:39. Olga Goffin won her Age Category in 43:48. Other results were: John Rea 38:59; Elliott Jordan 40:27; Declan Walker 41:17; John Johnson 43:20; Steven Wood 43:58; Peter Mitchener 44:10; Joanne Johnson 44:38; Sarah Wood 44:49; Ross Greening 46:27; Michael Daly 47:31; Tim Perkins 47:33; Duncan Mounsor 47:53; Adele Steptoe 50:26 (an amazing course PB of almost eight minutes, and second in her age category); Thomas Wood 50:46; Amy Broomhall 51:06; James Fyrne 51:06; Charmaine Brunt 51:20; Dave Elliott 51:20; Rosemary Hubbard 51:22; Victoria Willoughby 51:56; Hayley Woolnough 53:14; Carole Doherty 54:45; Alison Hume 54:52; Jane Russell 57:25; Tess Olczak 59:16; Coralie Pearson 59:23; Sue Monaghan 1:02:00; Steve Yarnold 1:03:51; Sandra Stuart 1:04:31; Wendy Haskins 1:09:05; Lynne Macedo 1:09:07; Janine Bennett 1:13:20.
At Broadway Matt Proome decided to celebrate his birthday by tackling this muddy challenge, finishing together with Richard Knightley in 4:57:20. Mark Wreford-Bush finished slightly ahead in 4:52:48 while Michelle Balchin completed the course in 5:06:48, Jamie Baron in 5:12:03 and Matt Jones finished in 5:15:21. In the Half Marathon option Sue Pearce claimed an excellent 4th woman home in 2:04:57, Shaun Carr finished in 2:20:31 and Nichola Sanderson in 2:43:50.
L-r Jamie Baron, Richard Knightley, Mark Wreford-Bush, Michelle Balchin, Matt Proome
Of course Allan Green did a marathon too – six laps out and back along the Thames from Staines, done and dusted in 5:30.
Down on the South coast Peter Allsopp enjoyed running the Brighton 10k accompanying his daughter in her first ever race. Peter finished in 1:07:55.
As always a busy and successful weekend for the Almosts!
Ingrid Harris Completes Brecon Beacons Trail Marathon and other Almosts’ High Points
Race Report for 10 November 24 by Dave Nelson
It may have been a quieter weekend in terms of races, but that didn’t stop the members of Almost Athletes getting out and about!
As always, there were some long-distance achievements from our regular marathon runners. Ingrid Harris took on the Brecon Beacons trail marathon, which involved an incredible 4,000ft of climbing, including up Pen y Fan. Ingrid did fantastically well to finish the very rocky course in a time of 5:44. Allan Green also, unsurprisingly, took on another marathon, this time completing the Remembrance Day Marathon in Walton on Thames in 5:39:27.
Elsewhere, the only Almost taking on the infamous Sodbury Slog race was Paul Jones, who completed the as-always incredibly muddy course in 1:38:04. Sue Low stayed much cleaner, sticking to the roads and running the Dalby Dash 10k in 1:09:52 – a time she was very pleased with.
Karla Cleverley ran the Big Night Out trail run in Winchester, a 12k race that took on part of the South Downs Way and Itchen Way, and also involved a mile long hill at one point! Karla was a credit to the club, sacrificing her own time to help a fellow runner who had fallen and hit her head badly, ensuring she got to the finish safely. Well done Karla!
The final club member taking on a race this weekend was Dave Nelson, who was back in his native Scotland for the week and took part in the Decathlon Run Days 5k in Pollok Park, Glasgow; finishing the hilly course in 35:55.
Taking on a more eclectic challenge were Johnny and Caroline Rea, and Amy Broomhall. All three were competing in the Hyrox event in Manchester, with Johnny finishing the men’s doubles event with his partner in an official time of 1:02:33. Caroline and Amy competed together in the ladies’ doubles, finishing in 1:28:44.
Away from these events, the club was represented well at various parkruns, as is always the case. Mark Wreford-Bush bagged himself a new course PB at Cheltenham, finishing in 21:22. There were age category first places for Issy Ravenhill (back visiting from the USA!) at Cannon Hill, Brian Maggs at Cheltenham, Matt Polson at Lyme Park, Matthew John at Tewkesbury, Norm Lever at Somerdale Pavilion, Jan Pakula at Mallards Pike, Graeme Stopp at Chipping Norton School, Robert Foord at Mensola in Italy, and Lynne Macedo at Y Promenad.
Members also ran at Reading, Kingsway, Highbury Fields, Perth, Sewerby, Chippenham, Marple, Portobello (Edinburgh), Exmouth, Gloucester City, Street, Severn Bridge, King George V Playing Field, East Park, and Yarborough Leisure Centre. Plenty of club members also volunteered at parkun on Saturday or junior parkrun on Sunday, and we would encourage everyone to do so occasionally if they are able, as parkrun simply could not happen without those volunteers!
Caroline Rea & Amy Broomhall at Hyrox Manchester
Sue Low at Dalby Dash
Paul Jones at Sodbury Slog
Karla Cleverley at Big Night Out
Dave Nelson at Decathlon Run Days
Guy Fawkes and a new club record
Race Report for 3 November 24 by Clemens Orth
45 Almost Athletes tied their laces and put on their purple kit to compete in the Guy Fawkes 5 mile race.
First for the club and first for her age category (overall 44th) was Patricia Dendy, who not only set a new PB over the distance but also a brand new club record completing the 5 mile distance in 31:07 minutes!
Patricia was followed by Riley Woodman (32:58), Joanne Johnson (35:23), John Johnson (35:47), Steven Wood (36:13), Sarah Wood (36:28), Neil Tring (37:03), Michael Smith (37:19), Duncan Mounsor (38:08), David Davey (38:31), Ian McKinlay (38:36), Daniel Magovern (39:21), Ivana Wilson (40:03), Thomas Wood (40:34), Emily Dawson (40:49), Mohammed Shaikh (41:06), Nichola Sanderson (41:18), Dave Elliott (41:18), Donna Evans (41:25), Charmaine Brunt (41:42), Jan Pakula (42:59), Alison Hume (43:08), Agata Pakula (43:58), Catherine Harker (44:26), Jane Russell (45:10), Melissa Jonga (45:15), Christine Harker (45:54), Mark Jones (47:07), Mark James (47:52), Sally McKinlay (48:07), Chaweewan Hartley (48:24), Pauline Bargus (48:24), Heather Smith (49:25), Sue Monaghan (49:54), Sheila Chatterley (49:56), Glenda Gill (51:44), Wendy Horne (51:52), Forrest Wheeler (52:00), Vicki James(53:09), Rita Crane (53:19), Claire Hawes (54:09), Lynne Macedo (55:48), Philip Jeyes (57:04), Ray Pearson (59:43) and Kevin Keegan (1:00:00).
Across the Atlantic Josh Rimell ran in the New York City Marathon finish in a very strong 3:30:32! Closer to home Allan Green ran the Nightmare Marathon in Telford in 5:30 hours.
Almosts competed in the 2nd round of the Gloucestershire Cross Country League in Cirencester.
In the Men’s master category over a distance of 9.6km Josh Hand completed the distance in 37:41 minutes. Followed by Nick Lewis (38:43), Jamie Baron (41:00), Dave McGrath (41:09), Elliot Jordan (44:11), John Johnson (44:46), Steve Taylor (45:27), Lee Chapman (46:39), Graeme Stopp (49:52) and Clemens Orth (51:19).
In the Lady’s master category Sue Pearce finished the 6km distance in 26:29, followed by Vivienne Ravenhill (28:06), Victoria Willoughby (30:33) and Mariel Chretien (37:13).
Neil Tring was first in the Master’s male category over 6km finishing in 26:54, followed by David Garnett in 34:12.
106 Almosts ran, jogged and walked their parkruns this weekend in Cheltenham and all across the United Kingdom. Fastest for the club was Lewis Johnson in 19:44 minutes at home in Cheltenham. Events like parkrun but also many others aren’t possible without volunteers. Please consider stepping up now and then to help your local events succeed.
Tough Challenges Far and Wide for Almosts This Week!
Race Report for 28 October 24 by Claire Hawes
It’s been a busy weekend for club members!
In Wales, the always popular but undoubtedly tough Eryri Marathon saw action from three Almosts. Olga Goffin put in a superb performance to come in 5th out of the 143 women in her age group, and 30th out of all 868 women in the race.Olga’s time was 3:40:51. Allan Green chose the event for his weekly marathon finishing in 5:40:54, followed soon after by Coralie Pearson in 5:44:32.
Down on the English south coast it was the Beachy Head collection of races which attracted those Almosts who enjoy a challenging trail run. Ela Antosiesicz finished the Half Marathon option in 2:43:49; Michelle Balchin crossed the finish line for the 10k in 56:00 while Richard Knightley, Mark Wreford Bush, Amy Sheer and Matt Proome took on the full marathon. Mark Wreford Bush was delighted to achieve a new Beachy Head PB nine years after he set his original PB, crossing the finish line in 4:29:03 and 146th out of 1100 runners. Amy Sheer finished in 4:43:55, Matt Proome in 4:44:22 and Richard Knightley in 4:57:07.
Allan Green’s 800th Marathon and other Almosts’ Achievements.
Race Report for 21 October 24 by Josh Hand
As autumn marathon season is in full swing, Almost Athletes have been competing across the country with incredible achievements. Allan Green completed his 800th marathon at the Langdale Marathon, which boasts fearsome elevation – what an accomplishment! He was the 1st MV70 and finished in 5:35. Closer to home, Mike Johnstone (2:58:24) and Josh Hand (2:58:14) participated in the superbly organised Abingdon Marathon. Despite a stormy morning, there was at least a tailwind for the final four miles to the finish. Mark Willicott overcame injury to run the Bilbao Night Marathon in 5:06:38. The unbelievable support and great atmosphere have now put this event on the hit list for many club members.
Half marathons are also appearing thick and fast. Competing abroad, Neil Tring and Lorraine Taylor finished the Krakow Half Marathon in 2:28 despite a nasty mid-race fall. Christopher Benjamin completed his 103rd such distance at the new Bath to Bristol Half Marathon. Also running were Pauline Bargus, Sheila Chatterly, Claire Cook, Chaweewan Hartley, and Agata Pakula.
The Hope Valley Run, set in beautiful countryside, saw excellent participation from the club. Jamie Baron was the first home for AA in 1:10 (2nd MV40), while Vivienne Ravenhill finished in 1:22 and was 1st FV50, and Glenda Gill came third FV55 in 1:53. Also doing superbly well in this tough run were Tim Perkins, Oliver Bell, Paul Jones, Graeme Stopp, Hollie Galvin, Rich Smith, Coralie Pearson, and Janine Bennett. Rich, Janine and Coralie even did Hereford parkrun en route. Well done, one and all!
Over 10k, Steve Yarnold (1:06) returned to racing at the Well Run 10k in Northleach and was joined by Adrian Courtenay (1:00) and Coralie Pearson (1:02).
On Saturday evening, Pete Mitchener, Kate Bestwick, Janine Bennett, Zakia Shahanaz Hussain, and Leah Maddiss all walked the Sue Ryder Starlight Hike in memory of Gareth Harries – a Cheltenham parkrun core member who is sorely missed.
Parkrun exploits continued as usual, with Mark Bush finishing first in his age category at Stratford-on-Avon, shaving 4 seconds off his PB. Neil Tring and Lorraine Taylor warmed up for their half marathon and claimed a ‘Z’ at Zielony Jar parkrun. Neil was 1st in his age group, finishing in 23:30 on a hilly course. Sue Sturgeon also joined the Z club with Zuiderpark.
As we look ahead to the coming weeks, we are excited to see what new achievements and adventures await our Almost Athletes. Whether you’re tackling a marathon, a half marathon, or a local parkrun, remember that every step you take is a victory. Keep running, keep smiling, and keep inspiring each other. See you at the next race!
It’s Chicago-A-Go-Go for Ravenhill, Rea And Woodman
Race Report for 14 October 24 by Alison Hume
A trio of Almost Athletes took on the Chicago marathon, one of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors. In ideal conditions for long-distance running, Issy Ravenhill and Johnny Rea both improved their marathon personal bests by some margin to 3:22:04 and 3:31:16 respectively. In his first marathon Riley Woodman was thrilled with his achievement, earning a very creditable 3:35:18. Riley also ran the 5k friendship run the previous day (27:09), with his aunt Michelle Balchin (27:10) in close attendance to ensure he conserved energy for marathon day. Riley’s mother Nicky also took on the 5k friendship run as part of her own build up after a sustained period of injury, completing in 44:22. Truly a family affair in Illinois!
Closer to home the 2024/25 cross-country season opened, with eleven members making the journey to the new venue of Yate in South Gloucestershire. Continuing her recent run of excellent form, women’s captain Patricia Dendy finished first in her age category (24:52). Patricia was followed in by Nichola Sanderson (32:39); Victoria Willougby (33:42, second in category) and Mariel Chretien (40:20). In the same race Neil Tring recorded 29:15 for third in the MV65 category. Team captain David Garnett crossed the line in 35:14.
In the men’s race, cross-country stalwart Nick Lewis led the team home in 37:44. Hamish Adamson recorded 39:27 with Jamie Baron a whisker behind in 39:37. After his recent long distance efforts Steve Taylor completed in 44:29, followed by Clemens Orth in 47:44.
Another member taking on a double challenge this weekend was Joanne Johnson, who started her birthday celebrations early with 5k and 30k races in the picturesque city of Budapest.
Allan Green ran amongst ancient barrows dating back to 3,500BC to notch up another marathon success at the Barrows and Downs trail marathon on Salisbury Plain (6:21), while Simon Morgan travelled east for the Royal Parks half marathon, which he completed in 2:13:28.
Robert Dalton-Morris recorded his 500th parkrun, one of only a handful of runners to mark this momentous achievement at the Cheltenham event. Robert has been doing parkrun since 2013 and many of his weekly 5k efforts have been completed as a guide for a visually impaired runner, as was his 500th run. Congratulations on attaining this milestone, Robert, and for supporting other runners along the way.
Just one week after Chester marathon, Mark Wreford-Bush achieved a new personal best (20:51) in wet and muddy conditions at Isabel Trail parkrun in Stafford. Claire Hawes recorded another first in age category at Gloucester City parkrun (34:20), as did Lesley Cottle at Exmouth parkrun (25:37).
Almost Athletes were also in action at parkruns in Arrow Valley, Ashton Court, Banbury, Chippenham, Evesham, Exmouth, Gloucester North, King George V Playing Field, Mallards Pike, Peel, Southampton, Stratford-upon-Avon and Tewkesbury.
In multi-sports Duncan Mounsor and Steve Phelps challenged themselves at the Bishampton Duathlon, where they tackled a 6k run, 28k bike and 3k run. Steve just edged Duncan across the two disciplines, recording 1:51:16 to Duncan’s 1:52:57.
Riley Woodman on his way to a strong debut marathon performance in Chicago
Patricia Dendy charging to age group victory (cross country)
Men’s cross country team – (L to R) Nick Lewis, Clemens Orth, Hamish Adamson, Jamie Baron and Steve Taylor
Mark Wreford-Bush after setting a new PB at Isabel Trail parkrun
Capital Success for Almosts
Race Report for 6 October 24 by Andrew Lloyd
With daylight reducing and temperatures set to drop the running calendar starts to look less busy. But there are still challenges to meet including the Principality Cardiff Half Marathon at the weekend. A large contingent of Almosts made the short hop over the Severn Bridge for this popular event in the Welsh capital which also attracts international elite runners. It
certainly inspired a number of Almosts to personal best runs. Steve Axford was the first purple vest home with a new PB of 1:27 while Steve Wood was delighted to record his own new PB with 1:41. Mark and Vicki James made it a double with their own of 2:04 and 2:28 respectively. Katie Coleman ran an impressive 1:31 to earn a 9th female finish in her age
category and a top 100 female placing overall. Adele Steptoe also recorded a new PB of 1:57 with a top 30 female finish in the F60 category.
A small contingent of Almosts made a trip to the North West for the MBNA Chester Marathon where Amy Sheer was first purple home in 3:43 followed closely by Mark Wreford-Bush in 3:46. Well done also to Maddie Page ( 3:51), Catherine Williams (4:00) and Charmaine Brunt ( 4:10). Allan Green continues to defy age with completion in 4:31 which was his second event of the week having ran the Birch Challenge at Cannock Chase only days earlier to finish in 5:50 over a distance of 26k to claim a 12th overall position of 42 runners.
Closer to home Nichola Sanderson crossed the line in 52:08 at the Alcester 10k where she was joined by fellow Almosts Lawrie Baber-Scovell ( 53:11) and Sue Sturgeon (01:12:00). Kudos to Hollie Galvin who took on the Bristol- Bath Trail Escape Marathon. The tough but scenic route from UWE to Victoria Park Bath was rewarded with a second ever fastest time
of 6:08. Well done also to Kim Lewington for completing the shorter but also demanding 25k route.
It was parkrun business as usual for Almost regulars elsewhere. Robert Foord crossed in 21:58 at Gloucester North while Lewis Jones completed in 21:13 at Cheltenham where Almosts were plentiful for the parkrun anniversary weekend. Across town at King George V Playing Fields Ross Greening got home in 23:34. Jo Johnson made it a routine top 50 finish at Porthcawl in 21:46 for a second overall female finish. There were other Almost runners at Riverfront, Worcester, Worcester Pitchcroft, Congleton, Poole, Chippenham, Cwmbran, Stratford Park, Peel and Three Brooks.
13 Valleys, 5 Valleys and More Almosts’ Achievements!
Race Report for 30 September 24 by Nicole Hope
It was another busy weekend for the Almost Athletes and the weather certainly did not dampen some incredible running achievements.
Helen and Tristan Motteram completed the Warsaw marathon in a time of 5:15:17. In the Forest of Dean Autumn half marathon, Agata Pakula completed the hilly trail course in a time of 2:16:57, which is a personal best. Also running were Jan Pakula (2:16:57), Helen Pardoe (2:20:57) and Matt Jones (2:37:17).
As part of the road race series, a strong contingent of Almost Athletes took part in the Bourton Hilly half marathon. Olga Goffin finished in 1:37:27 to finish 8th female overall, and 3rd in age category. John Rea completed the distance in 1:33:23 and Jamie Baron in 1:36:57. Well done to the rest of the Almost Athletes who all put in fantastic performances over the challenging 13.1 mile course.
Going big in mileage and elevation this weekend was Dave Rogers who took part in the monster run that is 13 Valleys Ultra Marathon. 180km of running with over 7000m of elevation. Dave completed the distance in an impressive 32 hours 59 minutes, to finish 8th overall. An amazing achievement from Dave, well done to you!
Dave McGrath and Steve Taylor took part in the 5 Valleys race which is 56.5km of running and finished together in a time of 10 hours and 15 minutes (250th and 251st overall). On a comeback from injury, Lepha McCartan took on the 2 valleys race over a distance of 22.4km and 477m of elevation. Lepha completed the course in a time of 2 hours 12 minutes, great running Lepha! Also tackling this challenging course was Ceinwen Davies who ran a super race in a time of 3 hours 26 minutes.
In parkrun news, Clemens Orth took part in Pokkinen parkrun in Finland, which is the most northerly parkrun in the world. Clemens finished 44th out of 173 participants. Dave Nelson, recovering from injury, completed the Forest of Dean parkrun. Sarah Wood finished 3rd lady in a time of 21:20 at Severn Bridge parkrun, whilst Steven Wood completed the same course in a time of 20:57, finishing in 21st position. Kate Bestwick was run director at Cheltenham parkrun where 587 runners and walkers completed the 5km distance, whilst raising over £200 for Macmillan coffee morning. Graeme Stopp, Neil Tring and Lorraine Taylor all finished 1st in age category at Itchen Valley parkrun, which was also attended by another 5 Almost Athletes’ looking to secure the much-coveted letter “I” in their parkrun alphabet.
And finally, a huge congratulations goes to Rose and Ian who completed King George V Playing Field parkrun a mere 2 hours before getting married. We wish you a lifetime of happy memories.
Almosts’ Amazing Achievements!
Race Report for 16 September 24 by Claire Hawes
Club coach Fiona Barnes certainly takes the prize this week for the furthest distance run! At 11am on Saturday she began the epic (or ‘really quite difficult’, as the organisers put it) Cotswold Way Century in Chipping Campden, finishing at Bath Abbey 29 hours and 11 minutes later! Fi was 7th woman overall. Huge congratulations to Fi, and thank you to all the club members who were there to cheer her on along the way and at the finish!
Another fabulous female finisher this weekend was Patricia Dendy. No stranger to these reports Patricia really excelled on Sunday at the Angels 10k, bagging her best-ever 10k PB time of 39:25 on what is a notably hilly course. Not only that, but Patricia was 1st female and claimed a County Gold Medal in the process.
Other Almosts completing the Angels 10k were: Nick Lewis in 40:26; Duncan Mounsor in 49:58 and Dave Elliott in 52:32.
To complete the trio of wonderful women runners, Ingrid Harris travelled to Devon for 100 Marathon Club AGM marathon and ran in first lady overall in a time of 3hrs 51min.
Allan Green also ran the 100 Marathon Club marathon (of course he did!), finishing in 5hrs 30. He’d run a marathon the previous Tuesday too, finishing The Otter Challenge at Kingsbury Water Park in 5hrs 49.
There was Half Marathon action going on this weekend too. Carl and Melanie Methven completed the Richmond Half in 2:04:25 and 2:43:32 respectively. Mark Wreford Bush achieved a 1min 36 second PB at the Worcester Half in a time of 1:37:6
This weekend also saw the Cheltenham Tri Festival triathlon at Sandford Park Lido. Neil Tring was first in his age category and 19th out of 201 entrants in the run part of the Sprint Tri.
There were of course plenty of Almosts at parkruns on Saturday morning. Adrian Courtenay was delighted with a PB of 29:01 at KGV, while Rich Smith scored his best parkrun time since lockdown, 25:20, at Wickford Memorial parkrun. Dave Nelson’s outing at Limavady was memorable for the wrong reasons as a pulled calf muscle will now keep him out of action for several weeks. Andrew Lloyd returned to his home parkrun of Pomphrey Hill and was happy with his time of 32:40 on that hilly course.
Other parkruns visited by Almost Athletes this weekend were: Kingsway, Southampton, Trelissick, Riverfront, Braunstone, Gloucester North, Worcester Pitchcroft, Thornbury, Chippenham, Burnley, Darlington South Park, Wotton, Cheltenham, Newent, Seaton, Keswick, Folkestone, Lydney, Rogiet, Clapham Common, Severn Bridge, Mallards Pike, Chipping Norton School, Zuiderpark (Rob and Alison Hume ticking off their ‘Z’ parkrun on the alphabet challenge!), Worden, Riverside Walk, and Zegerplas (Jakia Hussain and Leah Maddiss ticking off their ‘Z’s!)
Another busy and successful weekend for club members!
Fiona Barnes
Parkrun to Ultra Marathon – The heat was on…
Race Report for 9 September 24 by Clemens Orth
Almost Athletes travelled the country and world, often in blistering heat, to run any distance from 5k parkruns to a 230km ultra marathon distance.
Travelled furthest afield and the longest race distance was Lizzie Renn who completed the 230km For Rangers Ultra Marathon in Kenya in 34 hours. Lizzie’s run was in support of For Rangers and Save the Rhino International.
In Switzerland Lesley Cottle completed the mountainous and challenging Jungfrau Marathon in 7:01:00.
Back in the U.K. and much closer to home, 22 Almosts took on the Chedworth Roman Trail 10 mile race. With several Almosts suffering from hornet stings, John Johnson came home for the club in 1:23:29, closely followed by Craig Jackson (1:24:53) and Joanne Johnson (1:26:42) who also came 3rd lady overall and 2nd in her age category. Shaun Carr (1:32:03), Duncan Mounsor (1:32:19), Neil Taylor (1:34:00), Steve Phelps (1:39:43), Rob Hume (1:43:58), Oliver Bell (1:44:29), Neil Tring (1:45:23), Jamie Courtenay (1:46:00), Elzbieta Antosiewicz (1:48:13), Simon Whitford (1:49:07), David Chittock (1:55:09), Cheryl Rodham (1:55:41), Kevin Richards (1:56:28), Alison Hume (1:57:24), Catherine Mason (2:07:23), Janine Bennett (2:14:00), Adrian Courtenay (2:18:48), Corinne Cooper 2:20:21 completed the field. John Johnson, Craig Jackson and Shaun Carr also won the men’s team price!
In Newcastle upon Tyne 6 Almosts took on the Great North Run, one of the most iconic half marathon road races in the world. First for the club was Steve Bowles in2:06:04, followed by Tristan Motteram (2:20:16), Helen Motteram (2:20:43), Jane Russell (2:24:08) and Rachael & Oliver Nolan (both 3:16:47).
Liza Habgood completed the very hilly Bacchus Half Marathon in an unofficial time of 2:54. Jason Hulance ran the Cranham Boundary Chase in 1:04:57.
Allan Green completed two Otter Challenge trail runs. The marathon distance at Kingsbury in 5:17 and the ultra distance at Hurtwood in 5:49 over very uneven fields and woods.
Melanie & Carl Methven completed the half marathon at the Richmond Run Fest in searing temperatures in 2:51:07 and 3:00:04 respectively.
81 parkrun runners took on one of the many UK parkruns. Alice Tredgett continued her amazing form and was the first lady over the line at Cheltenham parkrun in 19:42. Joanne Johnson was first lady over the line at Newent parkrun in 22:45. Fastest for the mens was Matt Polson at Peel parkrun in an impressive 18:15. Followed by Alistair Matthew at Chippenham Playing Fields parkrun in 20:19.
Leah Maddis and Jason Hulance travelled to the inaugural Quakers Walk parkrun. Other parkruns included Whitley Bay, Arrow Valley, Worcester, Wolverhampton, Gloucester North, Stonehouse, Chippenham, Clair, Evesham, Severn Bridge, Woolacombe, Tetbury Goods Shed, Mallards Pike, King George V Playing Field, Clevedon, Seven Fields,Trelai, University Parks, and Thames Path parkrun.
Almosts also volunteered at parkrun and other running events. And would be grateful for other runners and readers to take on a volunteering roles at their local parkruns.
A Busy Week Including Our Meteor Mile and Run Cheltenham
Race Report for 2 September 24 by Dave Nelson
It’s been a very busy week for Almost Athletes, with lots of local events on over the weekend, as well as the usual plethora of parkruns all over!
The weekend saw three local races, starting on Friday night with the club’s own Meteor Mile at Staverton Airport, followed by the Alderton 5k on Saturday morning, and finally the main event of the Run Cheltenham 10k and half marathon on Sunday. Quite a few intrepid club members completed the hat-trick of events, culminating in the half, with Johnny Rea making it a double hat-trick and achieving a PB at all three events (5:25; 18:49; and 1:34:29), as well as being first club member home in the first two.
Dave Nelson did similar, achieving a “post-covid” PB at all three races (8:55, 32:00, and 2:36:13); while the trifecta was also completed by Declan Walker, Elliot Jordan, Steven Wood, Ross Greening, Duncan Mounsor, and Ingrid Harris. Despite the exertions of the three events, Duncan ran his fastest 5k of 2024 at Alderton, while Steven ran a PB at Meteor Mile (5:57). Oliver Bell also competed three times, running the 10k event on Sunday.
There were a number of other PBs achieved across the weekend. At Meteor Mile, Josh Rimell (5:37), Richard Knightley (6:14), and Caroline Rea (7:47) all achieved new bests; while at Alderton, Jamie Baron (19:35), Vivienne Ravenhill (22:18) and Ivana Wilson (23:17) all did likewise. Meanwhile, Graeme Stopp PB’d at both of those events, finishing in 6:45 on Friday and 22:27 on Saturday. There were also fantastic results from Neil Tring at both events, setting new MV65 club records of 6:23 at Meteor Mile and 21:16 at Alderton.
Not to be outdone, there were plenty of new milestones set at Run Cheltenham as well, despite the hot conditions. At the half marathon distance, Josh Rimell smashed his previous best by almost 11 minutes to finish in 1:27:48, while Sarah Wood (1:46:42) and Adele Steptoe (2:00:21) also PB’d over the 13.1 mile distance. At the 10k, Philip Brewer set a new PB of 54:26.
There were plenty of personal achievements at the races as well. Jo Johnson was first Almost lady home at Meteor Mile; Natalie Wizard ran her fastest 5k since having a baby at Alderton (31:33); and Peter Mitchener was very happy with his time of 21:21 at the same event. Hollie Galvin was delighted with her time of 56:56 at the Run Cheltenham 10k, while Prashanth Sripathi was no doubt just as delighted to see the finish line after running the half marathon in 2:11:34 while dressed in a penguin outfit! Jeanette Gullick put in an amazing performance to finish second in her age category at the half in 1:39:06, while Ingrid Harris also did fantastically well to win her category at the same event in 1:48:17. There was also a course PB for Steve Axford, who exorcised some personal demons from last year to finish in 1:28:55.
Overall, there was an incredibly strong purple presence at all three events – 43 Almosts ran at Meteor Mile; 50 at Alderton; and similar numbers again at Run Cheltenham. The club was also brilliantly represented away from the races themselves, with plenty of members either volunteering or lending fantastic support to the runners all around the course, particularly in Cheltenham on Sunday. The thanks of everyone who ran go out to them for their wonderful encouragement!
Away from the local races, Ben Stone took part in the Henley Trail Half Marathon, finishing in 2:05:59 in his first ever off-road half. At parkrun, Patricia and Kev Dendy took time out of their Italian holiday to run at Roma Caffarella, while Prashanth Sripathi toured a bit more locally, heading to Banbury and finishing third in his age category.
This Saturday also marked a significant milestone for parkrun itself, with the venue of the first ever event, Bushy Park, holding its 1,000th run. Over 6,000 runners turned up to celebrate, including a small contingent of Almosts. Alison Hume, Rob Hume, Zakia Hussain, Jason Hulance and Lawrie Baber-Scovell all loved the experience – even having to queue in the finish funnel for longer than they ran for!
At Lochend Woods, Hamish Adamson was 4th overall and 2nd in category while setting a new course PB of 21:37. Peter Morris (23:38) and Christine Harker (28:01) won their respective age categories at Cheltenham, while Rosemary Hubbard did the same at King George V Playing Fields (23:55), as did Matt Polson at Peel (18:45). There were age category placings for Lesley Cottle at Gloucester North (2nd); Danny Carroll (3rd), Richard Gilbert (2nd) and Kate Nichol (2nd) at Cheltenham, Sharon Hadad (2nd) at KGV, Matt John (2nd) at Berkeley Green, and Brian Maggs (3rd) at Durlston Country Park.
The club was also represented at Worcester Pitchcroft, Eden Project, Evesham, Tewkesbury, Cwmbran, Gloucester City, Mallards Pike, Hockgraben, Trentham Gardens, Edenbrook Country, and Three Brooks.
Well done to everyone from the club on a packed weekend of action!
Parkruns, Glos Road Race Series, Trail Marathons and More
Race Report for 26 August 24 by Josh Hand
As August draws to a close, Almost Athletes are continuing the summer of speed in a rich vein. The latest round of the Gloucestershire Road Race Series saw four AAs putting in fine performances at the Haresfield 5k: Joanne Johnson (21:24), John Johnson (21:26), Daniel Magovern (23:10) and Allan Green (24:04 and 3rd in category).
Saturday saw parkruns Europe-wide! At Worsley Woods, Neil Tring was first in age category in a time of 22:26. Leah Maddison was at the home of parkrun: Bushy Park. Mike Bryce and James Clay travelled to Crichton, while Graeme Stopp and Sharmila Door took on the notoriously tough Woolacombe Dunes parkrun. The Dendy family ventured further afield at Milano Nord, Italy, with Patricia finishing first female. Kate Bestwick and family headed to Mallards Pike and Clemens Orth took on the Pavilion Gardens event in the beautiful Peak District.
In the Severn Bridge 10k, Coralie Pearson ran 58:53 – an impressive time on the bridge and in the wind!
Running the longest distances this week were Craig Jackson and Elzbieta Antosiewicz at the Pennine Trail Marathon. Stunning views and nearly 4,000ft ascent couldn’t stop the pair who were separated by just a second in a little over seven hours.
The largest Almost gathering was at the Pershore Plum 10k, the latest race in the Almost Athletes Off Road Series. Jamie Baron and Joanne Johnson were first male and female home for the club. There were top three age category finishes for Johnson, Vivienne Ravenhill, Ingrid Harris, Desiree Beer and Jane Russell. Well done to all 24 Almosts taking on this great race – see photo.
Slightly closer to home, Glenda Gill and Josh Hand took part in the ever steep, but relentlessly fun Winchcombe 10k. Famous for its climb to Belas Knap and free sausages for all finishers, Gill was fourth in age category, and Hand third overall.
The club look ahead to the Meteor Mile this Friday and Cheltenham Half on Sunday. What a weekend of running to come!
Running Through the Holidays and £750 for Scoo-B-Doo
Race Report for 18 August by Natalie Wizard
Last week Almost Athletes’ Committee were delighted to present the Gloucester Royal Hospital’s Neo-Natal Unit ‘Scoo-B-Doo’ charity with a donation of £750. The money will be used to help purchase vital equipment to improve the care of local premature babies. The charity is especially important to the club as several (very!) junior members have received excellent care from the team of dedicated staff in the past.
It was a quieter week on the race front as many members took off on their holidays and spent time relaxing rather than racing. Members who did still race included Allan Green, who completed the difficult 6 Lakes marathon in the scenic Uppsala, Sweden. Despite the first 6k of the course being largely tree roots and rocks, he still finished in a time of 5 hours and 43 minutes. Christopher Benjamin took on tail running duties for the 10k at the Chepstow Running Festival on Saturday ahead of running the Bath Two Tunnels half marathon on Sunday in 2:36:10. Ingrid Harris ran The Medal Madness event, organised by Rasselbock Running in Derbyshire. She was the first female home for the marathon distance and finished the race in 4 hours 19 minutes.
At parkrun this week, many members took part both in the local area and further afield. Rob and Alison Hume ran Nant y Pandy parkrun on Anglesey reporting back that the course was beautiful albeit very hilly and challenging. Alison recorded a time of 30:05 to come first in her age category and Rob finished in 28:25. Other Almosts running other Welsh locations included Rich Smith who came 19th at Brynaman parkrun in 27:34 and Mark Pelling in Cwmbran (40:14). Zakia Hussian travelled to Scotland to run the equally stunning Holyrood parkrun in Edinburgh in a time of 35:51. Sarah Wood was first in her age category at Oxford parkrun with a time of 22:33. Hollie Galvin was second in her age category at King George V parkrun (29:16). Dave Nelson ran Sence Valley Forest Park in 33:10 before taking on the role of run director at Cheltenham Junior parkrun on Sunday morning. Kev Dendy had his first go at run director for Winchcombe Junior parkrun this weekend alongside Sue Low who completed her 50th volunteering session for the weekly event.
Our donation to Scoo-B-Do
Chris Benjamin after tail running duties at the Chepstow Running Festival
Zakia Hussian at Holyrood Parkrun in Edinburgh
Bugatti 10k Proves a Summer Delight!
Race Report for 11 August by Claire Hawes
Almost Athletes put on three races a year and thanks to race director Phil Jeyes’ experience and expertise, plus a lot of volunteer help from club members, each one runs as smoothly as a classic car!
Last Wednesday’s Bugatti 10k was no exception. On a warm evening there were several PB’s for Almosts: Lewis Jones achieved his in 42:27; Adele Perkins in 54:39, Jane Russell in 59:28 and Sally McKinlay in 59:47.
Other results were: Steve Axford 39:40 (1st MV45), Patricia Dendy 40:06 (1st LV 40), Matthew HIckman 40:40, John Rea 40:43, Elliot Jordan 42:53, Declan Walker 42:53, Mark Wreford-Bush 45:08, Steven Wood 46:09, Sue Pearce (46:16), Richard Knightley 46:21, Peter Mitchener 46:26, Olga Goffin 46:34, Katy George 47:28, Sarah Wood 48:09 (1st LV50) Jamie Baron 48:05,Polly Lane 48:41, Duncan Mounsor 49:13, Rose Hubbard 49:54, Graeme Stopp 50:27, Ian McKinlay 50:40, Jenny Combellack 50:52, Dave Elliott 51:16, Ingrid Harris 51:28 (1st LV60), Allan Green 52:01, David Davey 52:02, Ivana Wilson 52:16,Lawrie Baber-Scovell 56:33, Lesley Cottle 56:56 (1st LV65), Mark James 57:46, Nicole Hope 58:19, Bob Spawton 58:26, Coralie Pearson 58:45, Mike Line 58:51, Liz Garner 59:08, Mark Eavers 59:21, Catherine Harker 59:20, Felicity Read 1:01:31, Carl Methven 1:01:58, Cathy Booth 1:02:10, Glenda Gill 1:04:03, Janine Bennett 1:05:27, James Wilson 1:05:34, Sandra Stuart 1:08:49, Vicki James 1:09:14, David Nelson 1:09:15, Darren Lewington 1:09:37, Melanie Methven 1:07:02, and tailrunner Rachael Nolan came in at 1:17:27.
Last weekend the results for Standish Woodland Chase were delayed so Jamie Baron, Sue Pearce, Joanne Johnson, Dave Elliott, Bob Spawton and Christopher Benjamin were missed off the list of finishers for the club. Sue Pearce was 1st LV40 in 1:18:17. Well done all!
Adrian Courtenay travelled to Marlborough for the Ramsbury Gold Trail and Ale 10k. After 10.3k of heat and hills he crossed the finish line in 69:14 and was rewarded with a very welcome glass of ale!
In parkrun the big event of the weekend was Dave Chittock running his 250th parkrun at Chippenham Playing Fields, Monmouth. Dave was accompanied on this milestone event by a group of Almosts. In his words, ‘the best bit by far over all that time [eleven years!] is the friends that I have been lucky to pretty much run all of them with . Best friends, laughter, memories and always a coffee (or tea) afterwards, wherever we go’ – a great advert for parkrun and club membership!
Other parkruns attended by Almosts on Saturday were: Kingsway, York, Upton House, Sandwell Valley, Marple, Bryn Bach, Cheltenham, Weymouth, Fountains Abbey, Evesham, Tewkesbury, Rutland Water, Cirencester, Słodowo Włocławek, Tetbury Goods Shed, KGV Playing Field Cheltenham, Irchester Country, Land’s End, Nova Prestatyn, Peel, Marine Parade, Wolford Wood, Quakers Walk and Aston Hall.
Almost Athletes Take on the Trails and Take Over Cheltenham Parkrun
Race Report for 6 August by Alison Hume
It was a relatively quiet week for Almost Athletes, although there was sizeable club representation at Standish Woodland Chase, the next race in the club’s offroad race series. First three to cross the line were Jamie Baron, John Johnson and Sue Pearce. Ingrid Harris was first in her age category and, continuing his recent run of good form, Bob Spawton earned a course personal best.
Other runners (race results unavailable at time of going to press): Janine Bennett, Amy Broomhall, Mariel Chretien, Adrian Courtenay, Jamie Courtenay, James Fyrne, David Garnett, Rose Hubbard, Mike Line, Peter Mitchener, Tim Perkins, Jonathan Shuman, Rich Smith, Neil Tring, Catherine Williams and Victoria Willoughby.
Team photo before Standish Woodland Chase
Ela Antosiewicz and Craig Jackson combined a busy weekend of work and running at the Snowdonia Sea2Sky 25k trail race, with Craig coming home in 2:48:36 and Ela in 3:27:20.
Much further afield Hollie Galvin fulfilled a personal ambition to run in Central Park, New York, which she did in club colours.
Hollie Galvin in Central Park, New York
On Saturday the club staged a takeover of Cheltenham parkrun, providing volunteers and a full complement of pacers for the 627 walkers, joggers and runners.
Almost Athletes pictured before their takeover of Cheltenham parkrun
Jakia Hussain, Penny Lewis, Leah Maddiss and Kate Bestwick volunteering at Cheltenham parkrun
Elsewhere Joanne Johnson was first female at Mallards Pike parkrun (22:18) and Vivienne Ravenhill was third female and first in her age category at Teifi Marshes Nature Reserve (24:52). There were fifth in gender finishes for Alistair Mathew in Jersey (18:57) and John Johnson at Mallards Pike (21:20). Chris McMahon took advantage of the school holidays to take on Plymvalley and Dave Nelson notched up another parkrun at Dean Castle Country Park, a hilly two-lapper in Scotland, while Neil Tring ran the new Three Brooks parkrun in Bristol.
Chris McMahon at Plymvalley parkrun
Dave Nelson at Dean Castle Country Park parkrun
Other parkruns with Almost Athletes representation this week were: Gloucester North, Great Field, King George V Playing Field, Kingsway, Lydney, Mount Edgcumbe, Peel, Perry Hall, Poolsbrook, Quakers Walk, Sandy Water, Skipton, Tewkesbury and Wollaton Hall.
Almosts Sizzle in the Sun
Race Report for 29 July by Andrew Lloyd
Two weeks have passed since a wet evening marked the conclusion of Almost Athletes Handicap Run Series involving four 7k runs pounding the streets of Leckhampton. This highly inclusive event opens the field to runners of all levels with surprising results. This year it was a first for the club as the shield was shared between Andrew Lloyd and Lee Chapman who tied on overall points. Better late than never then for the late arrival of summer. Johnny Rea celebrated by claiming first place at The Railway Ultra-Half Marathon in Telford at the weekend in a time of 1:30 beating his pb by 5:03. Further north Mark Willicott was completing the Montane Lakeland 100 in a time of 37:21 with the splendid backdrop of Coniston Water.
Closer to home a good contingent of Almosts travelled a short distance to the Wye Valley Tunnel Race for both the 10k and half marathon distances. In the 10k Jo Johnson was first Almost home in 49:05 closely followed by Ben King in 49:06. Staying in South Wales there were several participants at the Magor 10k where Josh Hand was first home in 38:55 while Dave McGrath finished in 41:27 making it a new age category record for the club. Steve Taylor also completed his 10k in 46:34.
In a different vein three Almosts accepted the challenge of the Clevedon SwimRun. Described by the organisers as a tough parkrun the event involves about 6k of running rudely interrupted by about 1k of cold water swimming in Clevedon marine lake. Phil Jeyes got over the finish in 1:04 with Steve Yarnold following in 1:23. Credit must go to novice Claire Hawes who drew fully upon her Almost resolve to complete the course despite near exhaustion.
Dave Nelson made a regular visit to his native Scotland for the Alford 10k. In hot and hilly conditions he ran the course in 1:10 beating his time for the same event last year by a sizable 3 minutes. Only the day before Dave had completed the tough Crathes Castle parkrun in 37:08.
Of course parkruns provided the usual opportunities for runners. Mallards Pike saw Sarah Wood as first lady overall home in 22:35 while husband Steve came first in his age category in 22:25. Neil Tring matched this with a first in age at Babbs Mill in 22:49 which also earned eleventh overall. Sue Low chalked up her 75th different parkrun at Pocket in Cambridgeshire while in the deep South West Chris McMahon took time out from the family holiday along with many others to run the Eden Project parkrun in 25:42 which was his 82nd event. At Newbury parkrun Patricia Dendy crossed the line in 40th overall place with a time of 21:36. More locally Elliot Jordan crossed the line at Cheltenham in 20:26 while Victoria Willoughby was first Almost female home in 25:41. There were other participants at Gorleston Cliffs, Ipswich, Gloucester North, Newport, Wycombe Rye, Burnley, Wotton, Wimpole Estate, Porthcawl, Keswick, Blandford, Hereford, Harecourt Hill, Sligo, Evesham, Tewkesbury, Mount Edgcumbe, Gloucester City, The Pastures, Severn Valley Country, Mundy, Ross-on-Wye, Stratford park, King George V, Beacon, Peel, University Parks, Holyrood, Wakehurst, and Y Promenad.
Finally and not for the first time Almosts have been active in supporting community running events. Credit must go to Sue Sturgeon for her role in delivering the inaugural Winchcombe Junior parkrun which was a great success. Mention also to Janine Bennett who was event director for the Cheltenham parkrun. This weekend becomes an Almost Cheltenham parkrun take-over with club members providing support across the entire course.
See a selection of photos below
Andrew Lloyd and Lee Chapman receive shared Handicap Run Series Shield
Johnny Rea – first position at The Railway Ultra – Half Marathon, Telford
Sue Low, Kate Berwick and Sue Sturgeon at Wye Valleys Tunnels 10k
Dave Nelson at Crathes Castle
Sarah Wood at Mallards Pike parkrun
Neil Tring at Babbs Mill
Team Almost Athletes at Wye Valley Tunnel Race
Chris McMahon at Eden Project parkrun
Sue Low at Pocket parkrun, Cambridge
A Racy Week Starts with the Blaisdon 10k
Race Report for 22 July by Dave Nelson
As summer progresses (sort of – no-one has told the weather!), Almost Athletes show no sign of letting up in their pursuits of races, medals, and PBs!
This past week saw a contingent from the club compete at the Blaisdon 10k last Tuesday. On a hot evening, Josh Hand was first home for the club, finishing 15th overall and 4th in category in 39:17. Not far behind was Patricia Dendy, who put in another outstanding performance to take 2nd female and 1st in category, coming home in 40:24. Also running were Matthew Hickman (40:33, 5th in category); Dave Elliott (50:33, 3rd in category); and Allan Green (52:07, 2nd in category) – some outstanding results from all those in purple at this one!
Moving on to the weekend, and a number of Almosts headed to the Wye Valley Tunnel races, which featured four separate race options. In the “Valley View” 10km, there was an excellent turnout of 13 of the purple army, with John Johnson leading them home in 45:26. He was followed by Joanne Johnson (49:05), who finished in an excellent position overall as 4th lady and 1st in age category. Joining them were Ben King (49:06, 2nd in category), Barry Irvine (54:53), Katie Coleman (55:25), Suzanne Rodger (1:06:04), Corinne Cooper (1:13:09), Ceinwen Davies (1:13:09), Sue Low (1:14:14), Kate Bestwick (1:15:59), Sue Sturgeon (1:16:54), Rachael Nolan (1:23:45), and Oliver Nolan (1:24:17).
There were also two half marathon options, with the first, the “Tintern Station Half Marathon”, attracting five Almosts. Jeanette Gullick came home first in 1:51:11, taking home first in her age category; and she was followed by Matt John (1:56:21), Graeme Stopp (1:59:07), Paul Jones (2:12:15) and Christopher Benjamin (2:45:22).
Going longer were Ingrid Harris, Allan Green, and Coralie Pearson, who all took on the 10-lap Wild One marathon in Worcester. Ingrid was first lady home, finishing in 4:06:47; while Allan took first in his age category in 5:09:37, and Coralie was second in hers in 5:56:57. Meanwhile, Karla Cleverley pulled double duty in Dorset over the weekend, first of all taking on the 12-hour Cider Frolic on Saturday, then following that up with the 10k Piggy Plod on Sunday. Karla’s 3-person team completed 4 laps each in the 12 hours of the Cider Frolic, taking 6th overall position.
Finally for racing, Olivia Wiles took on quite the challenge a couple of weeks ago in the form of the Man Vs Coast ultra. Comprising on 25 miles, 4,343ft of elevation, and including body boarding, rock climbing, scrambling and sea swims; Liv finished in 7:36 overall!
Away from racing, as always this weekend there was the standard plethora of parkruns taken on by club members. At Evesham, Sue Sturgeon, Elliott Jordan and Brian Maggs all finished first in their age categories; while Victoria Willoughby did likewise at Watermeadows parkrun in Towcester. At Lydney, Hamish Adamson finished second overall; as did Nick Lewis at King George V Playing Fields and Ben Taylor at Mundy. Meanwhile, Sarah Wood was first in her age category at Cheltenham, as was Lynne Macedo at Newent, Joanne Johnson at Gloucester City and Robert Foord at Mallards Pike. All told, 88 Almosts took part in 35 different parkrun events both at home and abroad.
A selection of photos are shown below
Almosts Take to the Water
Race Report for 15 July by Andrew Lloyd
An otherwise light week for events saw a decent turnout of Almost Athletes for the annual Lundy Island Half Marathon on sunday. Boarding a boat from Ilfracombe, the contingent disembarked on the Landmark Trust island for a challenging multi-terrain 14 mile course taking in many of its natural features and wildlife. Thankfully the weather remained kind and despite a few falls on the rugged landscape all who planned to get beyond the 3 hour cut-off at 10 miles managed to do so. First Almost home was Alison Hume in 3:18 closely followed by husband Rob in 3:19. They were followed by Coralie Pearson ( 3:38), Tim Perkins and Adele Steptoe (3:42), Ceinwen Davies ((3:50), Sam McGrath ( 3:50), Charlotte Jamieson (3:54) and Rachel Nolan (4:14). Special credit to Dave McGrath ( (3:50) and Steve Taylor (3:50) for their leadership and encouragement in seeing everyone over the finish line.
Staying on the nautical theme and in the South West, Philip Jeyes took on the Croyde Ocean Sprint Triathlon. The event involved a close to 1k ocean swim between an 18.5k bike ride and 5.5k trail run. Philip described the challenge as brutal but still managed completion in 2:28. By some way this was more difficult than the mid week Sprint Triathlon at Cromhall Quarry which he managed in 1:35. Staying local three Almosts completed the Tri in the Park at Pittville involving a 400m pool swim, 10k off road bike ride and 2.5k off road run. It was a first time for Amy Broomhall completing the challenge in 50:10 which earned her second female placing. Also attempting her first tri was Caroline Rea completing in a credit worthy 1:02 and earning 17th place female. Nicole Hope completed the trio of Almost finishes with
the fourth female placing in a time of 51:06.
Earning herself purple legend status this week was surely Hollie Galvin. Hollie completed the 100k non-stop Race to the Stones ultramarathon which traverses the ancient Ridgeway path between Uffington White Horse and the Avebury Stones. Hollie survived a fall at 16k and further health issues at 60k before walking through the night to finish with a gruelling last 3k sprint to achieve her sub 25 hour target in 24:56. A great achievement for Hollie.
Meanwhile in the capital Agata and Jan Pakula completed the Saucony London 10k in a time of 57:27. The same duo had completed the Bushy parkrun only 24 hours earlier in 27:06.
Elsewhere as usual parkruns kept many Almosts active. Almosts very own Peter Mitchener was run director at the Cheltenham parkrun last weekend where Lewis Jones was first Almost athlete home in 20:31 while Sarah Wood earned a ninth overall female placing in 23:22. Victoria Willougby recorded a course pb in 24:56 and a first in age category on her 60th appearance at the event. Meanwhile across town at King George V Playing Field parkrun Hamish Adamson got home in 23:35, Duncan Mounsor in 24:35 and Felicity Read in 29:44. Around the region Matt Polson completed a top 20 finish at Eastville Park, Bristol with a time of 20:25. Graeme Stopp and Kate Nichol were Almosts in a sizable entry at Banbury with times of 24;04 and 27:53 respectively. This was also a top 20 female placing for Kate.
Alison Hume (34:14), Coralie Pearson (42:45) and Rachel Nolan (49.04) warmed up for the Lundy Half Marathon at the Woolacombe Dunes parkrun. There were other Almost runners at Mile End, Stonehouse, Glossop, Severn Bridge, Tetbury Goods Shed, Kingsway, East Grinstead, Fulham Palace, Evesham, Tewkesbury, Llanerchaeron, Gloucester City Teignmouth Promenade, Trentham Gardens, Storeys Field, Sharpham Road and Promenade.
The summer of speed continued with two major events in the last few days. On Sunday, a huge contingent of 38 Almost Athletes either ran the Gloucester 10k or facilitated its enormous success by fulfilling vital volunteer roles. Our female runners once again took the team prize with Joanne Johnson (44:02), third overall and first in age group, Olga Goffin (43:56) second in age group, Sarah Wood (47:04) third in age group, and Amy Broomhall (49:44) successfully holding off other clubs. The were further top five age group finishes for Victoria Willoughby, Hayley Woolnough, Neil Tring, Iris Mayo and Cathy Booth. There were also PBs galore for Graeme Stopp, Philip Brewer, Johnny Rea and Josh Rimell.
A selection of photos are shown below
10k triumphs for the Almost Athletes
Race Report for 1 July by Josh Hand
The summer of speed continued with two major events in the last few days. On Sunday, a huge contingent of 38 Almost Athletes either ran the Gloucester 10k or facilitated its enormous success by fulfilling vital volunteer roles. Our female runners once again took the team prize with Joanne Johnson (44:02), third overall and first in age group, Olga Goffin (43:56) second in age group, Sarah Wood (47:04) third in age group, and Amy Broomhall (49:44) successfully holding off other clubs. The were further top five age group finishes for Victoria Willoughby, Hayley Woolnough, Neil Tring, Iris Mayo and Cathy Booth. There were also PBs galore for Graeme Stopp, Philip Brewer, Johnny Rea and Josh Rimell.
Monday evening’s slightly cooler conditions leant themselves to some impressive times at the ever-popular Frampton 10k. The women’s V40 category was dominated by impressive Almost Athlete performances: Katie Coleman won the age group and finished seventh overall in a time of 41:35, Joanne Johnson was second in age, running 46:01 and Polly Lane fourth in the category. John Johnson (42:41), Charmaine Brunt (50:05) and David Nelson (1:08:55) also completed the event, finishing in style on the ever beautiful and popular village green.
Meanwhile there were parkruns far and wide with Ben Stone at Wotton under Edge, his first event since September, Prashanth Sripathi and family in Southampton, Kate Bestwick in Lanhydrock and Sue Low in Hellbrunn parkrun, Salzburg. Numbers remained high at both Cheltenham and King George V with Dan Magovern running a fastest time in two years.
The club now looks ahead to the Cotswold Way Relay this weekend and is delighted to be sending three strong teams to compete in this fearsome yet beautiful challenge.