It was another packed weekend of racing for Almost Athletes, with members taking on everything from ultra‑distance adventures across Dartmoor to fast and flat city marathons, scenic 10Ks and parkruns across the country. The club spirit was out in full force, with runners, supporters and volunteers all contributing to a brilliant few days of achievements.

 

Ultra Running – Devon Coast to Coast

Allan Green took on the longest challenge of the weekend: the 75km Devon Coast to Coast Ultra Marathon, featuring a brutal crossing of Dartmoor’s open moorland, bogs and relentless climbs.

Allan completed the epic distance in 14 hours, demonstrating outstanding grit and endurance.

 

Newport Marathon

Eight Almost Athletes travelled “across the border” into beautiful Wales to take on the Newport Marathon, a course so flat that its advertised profile almost undersells it, with less than 100ft of elevation across the entire 26.2 miles.

Sarah Wood was first home for the club in a superb 3:46:49, securing a Good for Age qualifying time into the London Marathon.

Daniel Magovern completed his first marathon, supported by four dedicated club members acting as his personal support crew. Daniel finished strongly in 5:17:27, with his team seconds behind.

All Newport results (with notable achievements):

• Daniel Simms (03:36:17)
• Sarah Wood (03:46:49) – Good for Age Qualifying Time
• Clemens Orth (04:40:16) – PB by 31 minutes
• Dave Elliott (04:45:29) – 3rd in age category
• Daniel Magovern (05:17:27) – first marathon
• Graeme Stopp (05:17:27)
• Thom Stephens (05:17:27)
• Michelle Balchin (05:17:29)
• Matthew Proome (05:17:29)

A brilliant set of performances across the board.

 

Manchester Marathon

Further north, five Almost Athletes joined tens of thousands of runners at the Manchester Marathon, the second‑largest marathon in the UK.

Edward Briggs led the club home in 3:19:30.

Agata Pakula (4:36:30) and Jan Pakula (4:36:42) followed, both achieving strong new PBs.

Hannah Brown ran a superb 4:44:42, taking 16 minutes off her previous best, and Coralie Pearson completed the team in 5:23:05.

 

Red Squirrel 10K

Away from the roads, Johnny Rea, Caroline Rea and Sue Sturgeon took on the Red Squirrel 10K, a scenic but challenging route through forests, soft sand and coastal dunes.

Johnny was first home for the club, finishing 8th overall and winning the V40 age category in a rapid 42:54.

Caroline followed in 1:21:21, with Sue completing the trio in 1:42:01.

 

Other Races

Almost Athletes were out in force across a variety of distances this weekend:

• Louise Knowles ran the Bath to Bristol 25km, completing the scenic route in 2:12:49 and 2nd place in her age category!
• Ian Poole raced the Columbia Downtown 10K in 49:26, finishing 4th in his age category.
• Lesley Cottle tackled the very hilly 10‑mile Martley Madness, finishing in 1:43:50 and claiming 1st female in her age category.

 

parkrun Round‑up

As always, parkrun saw the widest spread of Almost Athletes, with members running at 25 different events across the United Kingdom:

Bramhall, Burnley, Bushy, Cannon Hill (Birmingham), Cardiff, Chasewater, Cheltenham, Chipping Sodbury, Chippenham, Eastville, Gloucester North, p, King George V Playing Field (Cheltenham), Llanfoist Crossing, Millom, Newent, Newport, Peel, Richmond, Severn Bridge, Seven Fields, St Matthew’s Field, Tetbury Goods Shed, Tewkesbury, Y Promenâd (Aberhonddu).

The club’s fastest parkrunners this week were:

• Fastest Male: Matt Polson – 18:37 at Peel parkrun
• Fastest Female: Issy Ravenhill – 22:50 at Cannon Hill parkrun, Birmingham

A huge thank you, as always, to the volunteers, including many Almost Athletes, who make parkrun possible every week.

In a week of what felt like wind, wind and more wind (and some summer heat thrown in), the spring marathon season kicked off with the Brighton marathon. First home for the club was Maddie Egan in 03:40:01. Zakia Hussain achieved an incredible PB of 05:34:20 after putting in a strong training block over the past few months, as well as fundraising and raising awareness for Endometriosis UK, a charity close to her heart. Debbie Jones and Tina Sawle finished together in 05:52:48, followed by Iris Mayo in 06:01:58.

Over in France, Marcia Rigby ran the Paris marathon finishing in 3:57:23.

Allan Green completed his weekly marathon distance at the Boston, Lincolnshire marathon finishing in 5:06:02.

Ingrid Harris took on the Dartmoor marathon which returned after a break of more than 30 years. With 2,600 feet of elevation gain Ingrid finished in 4:27:06, taking second place in her age category.

Down in Somerset Vivienne Ravenhill ran the Steaming to the Coast trail race. This unique run routes along the beautiful heritage line from the coastal town of Minehead to the village of Bishops Lydeard. Vivienne ran the 11.5 mile distance coming first in her age category in 1:43:19.

Closer to home, the Tewkesbury half marathon and 10k returned to the racing calendar. First home for the club was Ian McCormack with a PB of 1:22:26, coming 19^th overall and achieving a new MV45 club record. Derek Eaton, continuing his strong running performance this year, ran a PB of 1:30:12 coming first in his age category and achieving a new MV60 club record. Joe Perch ran a PB in 1:33:24. Also running was Ross Greening finishing in 01:43:37. Mark James achieved a PB of 2:02:12 taking two minutes off his previous half marathon time. Sarah Wallbridge finished in 02:09:31, Coralie Pearson in 02:12:35, Natalie Greening in 02:23:42 and Sheena MacDonald in 02:23:48. Vicki James achieved a PB of 2:25:17, taking three minutes off her previous half marathon time.

In the 10k race, Paul Seymour was first home for the club in 48:17, followed by Mohammed Shaikh in 54:14. James Wilson achieved a new PB of 57:01 and Chaweewan Hartley finished in 01:07:10.

Heading down the M5 to Berkeley 10k, David Davey finished in 53:23, followed by Melissa Jonga in 54:09, Leah Maddiss in 1:09:23 and Kate Bestwick in 1:16:30, 

Sue Sturgeon took part in the Mersey Tunnel 10k finishing in 1:24:29. Paul Jones ran the London Landmarks half marathon in 02:14:40, and Mark Wreford-Bush ran the Leamington Regency 10k with his family in 46:41.

At parkrun, the club was represented at Tewkesbury, King George V Playing Field, Cheltenham, Llwybr Dyffryn Tywi, Preston Park, Kingsway, Seven Fields, Simmons Park, Letchworth, Gloucester North, Congleton, Riverfront, Woodgate Valley Country Park, Gloucester City, Alexandra parkrun, Moss Side, Sixfields Upton, Forest of Dean, St Helens, Three Brooks and Somerdale Pavilion.

While people all around the country were enjoying a relaxing long weekend and tucking into Easter eggs and hot cross buns, the members of Almost Athletes were lacing up their trainers as always.

It was a quiet weekend for races, but there were still a couple going on. At the Westonbirt House 10k, Becca Waugh was first home for the club in 51:32, followed by Sue Monaghan (1:03:44) and Sharon James (1:08:17). Allan Green went even further than his usual marathon this week, running the Eggcellent Easter Purple Run in Staines and completing the 50km distance in 6:50:13.

Ingrid Harris pulled double duty this week, first running the Enigma Good Friday Marathon in 4:10:44, finishing as first lady overall. She then followed that up by completing the Brabazon 10k in North Bristol in 54:13, this time finishing first in her age category. Some fantastic running from Ingrid!

As always, parkrun events near and far saw a lot of participation from club members, but the main event happened locally at Cheltenham, where a few new milestones were achieved. Cat Harker completed her 100th run; while Kate Bestwick and Prashanth Sripathi both racked up new volunteer milestones, with Kate hitting 250, and Prash achieving a fantastic 500! Congratulations to all!

Away from events, Good Friday saw the traditional club Easter run, with over 40 members in total running a choice of 16, 10, or 6 mile off-road routes; or a 5 mile road route. All runs ended at Old Pat’s rugby club in Leckhampton, where everyone enjoyed a drink and a bite to eat, as well as a good chat. Our thanks go to Old Pat’s for hosting us!

Lastly, Peter Mitchener this week presented our latest charity cheque to the Cheltenham and Gloucester Hospitals Charity Big Space Cancer Appeal (see photo in article below this one). £860.59 was raised at the club’s Linda Franks race in January, thanks to runners making donations in return for hot drinks and cakes following the race. Huge thanks to all who donated, and to everyone who gave up their time to work in the kitchen or bake some lovely cakes on the day.

Today @almost_athletes_cheltenham Race director @mitchenerpeter presented our clubs donation to the Cheltenham and Gloucester Hospitals Charity Big Space Cancer Appeal.

Mitch said: ‘Due to Matron Cat Harker’s amazing speech before his Linda Franks race briefing the runners, volunteers and supporters donated a massive £860.58 in return for hot drinks and cake after the race. A massive thank you to the kitchen team on the day and everyone who baked the lovely cakes.’

Come along and support next year’s race where we could be supporting a charity close to your heart.

We’re delighted to see The Local Answer feature our club this month (March 26), where our chairman, Dave McGrath, shares the exciting plans on the horizon for Almost Athletes as we look ahead to our 40th anniversary in 2028.

As Cheltenham’s largest and friendliest running club, we’re proud of the community we’ve built over nearly four decades: a community shaped by its members and supportive of runners of all ages, abilities and ambitions. Whether you’re training for your first 5K, chasing a marathon PB, or simply enjoy a sociable run and a post‑race coffee, you’ll find a welcoming team ready to cheer you on.

The article highlights how we’re continuing to grow, investing in our coaching, social calendar, and local race organisation: all while staying true to the inclusive, supportive spirit that makes AA so special. These developments reflect what our members value most: connection, encouragement, and the joy of running together.

These are exciting times for our club, and we’re always open to new members who want to be part of our journey as we build toward a milestone 40th year.

🟣🟡 Read the full interview here

Let’s keep celebrating what makes Almost Athletes great:  our people, our community, and our shared love of running.

It was another very busy weekend for the purple and fluoro yellow of Almost Athletes, with a strong focus on local multi-terrain races and international long distance events.  Over forty members took to the scenic surroundings of Upcote Farm for the next race in the club’s offroad race series Run Upcote.  First home for the club in a creditable third overall on this hilly course was Jack Hogan, who conquered the various challenges presented in a speedy 32:48.  Earning top three finishes in their respective age categories were: Jamie Baron (MV40/3^rd – 36:16); Joanne Johnson (FV40/2^nd – 41:05); Vivienne Ravenhill (FV50/3^rd – 43:47); Jim Trowbridge (MV60/2^nd – 44:36); Ingrid Harris (FV60/2^nd – 45:34); Kevin Richards (MV70+/1^st – 57:35 and Graham Philpott (MV70+/3^rd – 63:05).  Hollie Galvin (48:10), Ceinwen Davies (52:01) and Jane Russell (52:27) reaped the rewards of some hard winter training to earn sizeable course personal bests.

Also running: Tom Willett (35:14); John Johnson (39:02); Jamie Courtenay (40:34); Ben Stone (40:52); Catherine Williams (42:08); Phil Holcombe (42:30); Clemens Orth (42:30); Olly Bell (43:47); Nichola Sanderson (44:29); Lesley Cottle (48:13); Michelle Balchin (49:49); Mike Line (51:08); Tom Wood (51:54); Chris McMahon (52:26); Hester Coggin (53:39); Julia Whittaker (54:38); Megan Davis (54:41); Sue Monaghan (55:43); Janet Woods (56:21); Liz Garner (57:39); Bob Spawton (58:20); Jackie Slaughter (59:23); Adrian Courtenay (59:36); Nicky Woodman (61:01); Sharon James (64:16); Janine Bennett (64:52); Glenda Gill (65:43); and Kate Bestwick (70:49).  Tailwalking services were provided by Jakia Hussain and Leah Maddiss (76:29).

Slightly further afield, three Almost Athletes took on the Cleevewold, a hilly multi-terrain half marathon, which starts at Postlip and takes runners on a challenging tour of Cleeve Common before returning to Postlip via Belas Knap.  Cleevewold regular Nick Lewis was first home for the club in 2:01:05, with Louise Newman and Sarah Wallbridge running together to finish in 3:26:33.

Furthest travelled this weekend were Tim Perkins and Adele Steptoe, who ran the Santiago half marathon in Chile.  Despite little training in recent weeks they ran strongly to complete the race in 1:54 and 2:12 respectively.

This weekend also marked the next two races in the SuperHalfs series, in Prague and Berlin.  The club was represented by a quartet of runners on the cobbled streets of Prague, with Hayley Woolnough home first in 2:07:36.  Neil Tring was pleased to run a carefully controlled race, crossing the line in 2:15:08.  Tony Heap and Charlotte Jamieson ran together, both completing in 2:19:18.  This leaves Charlotte with just Copenhagen in the autumn to finish the SuperHalfs series.

The following day a trio of club members took a tour around the sights and sounds of Berlin.  Paul Warren was first home, finishing in a strong time of 1:43:35.  Next home and celebrating a milestone birthday was Victoria Willoughby, who was delighted to deliver another comfortably sub-2 performance to mark a significant birthday (1:56:23).  Sue Gilbert also ran well to record a 2:19:21 finish.

Also celebrating an upcoming milestone birthday was Steve Taylor, who combined two great passions to run the Memorial Enzo Ferrari half marathon with Dave McGrath, both taking full advantage of the various points of interest from Maranello to Modena, before finishing in 2:10:44.

The previous week Joanne and John Johnson ran the Hastings half marathon on home shores.  Both enjoyed strong races, John completing in 1:38:20 and Jo not far behind in 1:41:21, for a fighting fifth in age category.

Rob Hume clocked up his arbitrary 200^th parkrun at a windy Severn Bridge while Ian McCormack delivered a very strong run to finish in third position at Gloucester City parkrun.  Other members ran at Central – Plymouth, Cheltenham, Evesham, Gloucester North, Greenwich Peninsula, Groe, Keswick, King George V Playing Field, Mallards Pike, Minehead, Newent, Peel, Porthcawl, Queenswood Country Park, Ross-on-Wye, Rugby, Simmons Park, Somerdale Pavilion, South Manchester, Tewkesbury, Three Brooks, Troon and Witney.

Across the pond in the USA, Ian Poole ran the Annapolis half marathon in 1:46:49 coming 3^rd in his age category.

Closer to home, and on a beautiful spring morning it was the local Gloucester 10k and half marathon. Starting with the 10k, Paul Seymour was first home for the club achieving a PB of 46:35. He was followed by Jessica Young (53:13), James Wilson (59:21 PB), Christine Harker (1:00:09 3^rd in age category), Nicky Woodman (1:01:21), Zakia Hussain (1:07:05 PB) and Leah Maddiss (1:09:29).

In the half marathon distance, there were 22 club members taking part and nine PB’s for the club. First home for the club was Ian Mccormack with a PB time of 1:24:00, closely followed by Patricia Dendy finishing with a PB in 1:24:55 and winning her V45 age category. Katie Coleman came in next and achieved a PB of 1:29:57, followed by Riley Woodman in 1:30:17. Derek Eaton finished with a PB of 1:30:32 coming 2^nd in his V60 age category. Jeanette Gullick finished in 1:34:25 winning her V55 age category.

Other results were: Joe Perch (1:33:57 PB), James Milner (1:37:02), Richard Knightley (1:37:14 PB), Matt Proome (1:38:58), Mark Wreford-Bush (1:43:40), Stephen Harvison (1:44:55), Louise Knowles (1:46:47), Charmaine Brunt (1:50:04 PB), Kimberley Klette (1:52:44), Michelle Balchin (1:54:09), Nichola Sanderson (1:54:13 PB), Hayley Woolnough (1:54:27), Bronte Mound-Evans (1:59:35 PB), Jan Pakula (1:59:38), Agata Pakula (1:59:38), Catherine Harker (2:12:17).

At the Forest of Dean half marathon, Steve Axford was first home for the club in 01:32:39, followed by Lawrie Baber-Scovell in 2:06:05, Lesley Cottle in 2:11:32, Ceinwen Davies in 2:37:54 and Jason Bone in 3:09:13.

In parkrun news, Prashanth Sripathi finished in 20:24 at Cheltenham parkrun, his fastest time since 2019, followed by Nick Mytton with a new PB of 20:30. Steve Youngs ran York parkrun finishing with a PB of 22:56 and Lewis Jones ran Gloucester North parkrun finishing in second place with a finish time of 19:13.  Dave Nelson travelled to Castle Woods in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire.

In the marathon distance, Allan Green completed the Valette Marathon, Malta finishing in 4 hours and 41 minutes and 1^st in his age category. Ingrid Harris completed the Flying Fox Marathon in Northampton which consisted of 6 laps and finished as 2^nd lady overall in 4 hour and 14 minutes.  Marcia Rigby ventured abroad to complete the Rome marathon in 3:53:15.

And finally, the Run Upcote spring trail returns on Sunday 29^th March and the team are looking for volunteers to help on the day.

As we approach spring marathon season, training has ramped up for Almost Athletes, and this past weekend saw a number of members taking part in races to help with that.

First up was the Berkeley Fission event just down the M5, which offers both a 20 mile and a half-marathon option. This is always a popular event for marathon training, and 14 club members were there to compete, all of whom took on the 20 mile distance. First home for the club was Amy Sheer in a fantastic time of 2:38:08, finishing 4^th in her age category. There was a PB for Richard Knightley, coming home in 2:43:58, taking 3^rd in his category in the process; and Dan Magovern also achieved a new PB in 3:25:05, beating his previous time from three years ago. An age category placing was also achieved by Allan Green (3^rd, 3:08:58).

Also running 20 miles were Matt Proome (2:41:13), Sarah Wood (2:51:03 in her first-ever 20-mile race), Karen Galpin (3:12:09), Graeme Stopp (3:25:08), Michelle Balchin (3:25:08), Aline Buckley (3:27:24), Bronte Mound-Evans (3:28:00), Dave Elliott (3:28:30), Hannah Brown (3:38:51), and Catherine Harker (3:39:43).

Two members also ran in the shorter half marathon event. Julie Scourfield completed the course in 2:10:45, and Nicky Woodman finished in 2:23:49.

Sightly further away, it was the Bath Half Marathon, which featured three Almosts running. Kerry Wallis was delighted to achieve a new PB, crossing the line in 2:14:08, a huge 13 minutes faster than her finish time at Cheltenham Half last autumn. Madeline Egan (1:44:09) and Matt John (1:55:37) were the others taking part in purple.

The final event this weekend that featured multiple club members was the Pendock Spring Chicken Run, which features a 5k and 10k option. Three members opted for the 10k option, with Ingrid Harris first home in 55:25, taking second in her age category. Ingrid was followed by Sarah Wallbridge, earning first place in her age group in 59:59; and Barry Irvine in 1:03:06. The club was also represented in the 5k event by Lesley Cottle, who also finished first in her age group, crossing the line in 29:11.

No weekly report would be complete without Allan Green running a marathon, and this week is no exception! In his own words, he “warmed up” for the 20-mile event at Berkeley by running the marathon distance in Milton Keynes midweek, finishing in 5:15.

As always, there was also plenty of club representation at parkrun events both near and far. Hayley Woolnough ran at Cheltenham, finishing in 24:34 to take first in her age category and earn a new age grade PB of 75.71%. Holly Wright achieved a new PB of 22:34 at the same event. At Gloucester City, Lorraine Taylor achieved her 100 parkrun milestone – which she kept very quiet about!

Club members indulged in a wide variety of parkrun tourism, with Almosts found at Battlestead Croft, Kilkenny Lane Country, King George V Playing Field, Croxteth Hall, Lancaster, Three Brooks, Rogiet, Evesham, Mallards Pike, Chippenham Playing Fields (Monmouth), Upton Court, LLanfoist Crossing, Kingsway, Minehead, Seven Fields, Buckingham, Wotton, Peel, Riverside Park (Glenrothes), Ashton Court, Abingdon, and Frederic Back in Montreal.

Well done to everyone who got out and about this past week!

Almosts travelled far and wide for their racing and running fix this week. Furthest afield racer was our own Marathon Man, Allan Green, who ran the Cyprus marathon in 4:38. Al was 2nd in his age category for the third year running and says he needs to train harder – the mind boggles!

This weekend saw the third race in the club’s 2026 road race series, the  NBH Jenner Jog 10k starting from Dr Jenner’s House in Berkeley. This meant there was a decent turn-out of club members and here they are, along with ‘Dr Jenner’ of vaccination fame!

Great running all! And here’s to Springtime being just around the corner!

In a week of downpours, a brief respite in the weather provided glorious conditions for Bourton 10km. The fast, and mostly flat course, provided some fantastic times for the Almost Athletes. Patricia Dendy finished first Almost across the line in 39:02, to finish 14th female and 3rd in age category. Luke Chambers was next Almost across the line in 39:30, closely followed by Oliver Lynott-May (39:30) and Declan Walker (39:57).

Also running at Bourton 10km were Katie Coleman (41:16), Prashanth Kumar Sripathi (41:50), Joanne Johnson (43:26), John Johnson (44:32), Peter Morris (45:24), Michael Smith (48:48), Alison Hume (53:02), David Davey (53:00), Daniel Magovern (53:13), Natasha Closa-Cervera (58:33), Coralie Pearson (58:29), Felicity Read (1:00:11), Heather Smith (1:03:09), Nina Morris (1:04:49), Rita Crane (1:08:28), Sue Low (1:10:27) and David Lawrence (1:12:15). Well done all!

Just down the road at Cirencester 10km, a small group of Almosts enjoyed the dry weather to achieve some great results. First Almost across the line was Derek Eaton in 43:17, which earnt him first in age category. Carl Methven (55:37) and Peter Mitchener (55:39) were the next Almosts home. Also running were Cheryl Rodham (01:03:51), Claire Bone (1:05:57), Melanie Methven (1:11:40), Pete Davies (1:13:05) and Jason Bone (1:18:23).

Helen and Tristian Motteram ran Malta Marathon in 5:30:00 on a challenging and hot course. Closer to home and in cooler climates, Ingrid Harris completed the Back to 80’s Phoenix Running marathon distance event. Ingrid ran 10 times up and down the canal from Brimscombe to achieve 26.2 miles in 4:28:00, taking 1st female overall. Marathon man Allan Green also competed at this event. Great running both! Not content with just one marathon, Ingrid then took on the challenging Big Mud marathon in Hampshire. Not for the faint hearted, this challenge incorporated Butser Hill twice with over 3000 feet of incline. Ingrid finished in a fantastic time of 6:03:00, 1st in age category.

Jeanette Gullick completed Bath Tunnels half marathon in a super time of 1:42:00 to finish 1st in age category, whilst Michael Johnstone ran at Wokingham Half in a time of 1:22:34.

In parkrun news, Claire Hawes finished 1st in age group at Gloucester City parkrun. Jakia Hussain and David Nelson travelled to Llanfoist Crossing parkrun to gain more letters for the parkrun alphabet challenge. There was excitement at Cheltenham parkrun, as Dame Kelly Holmes chose to volunteer here, as a parkwalker and token sorter.

Great running all! And here’s to Springtime being just around the corner!

Vying for early season points in the club’s offroad race series, over thirty Almost Athletes took to the muddy undulations of Pittville Park in the final race of the 2025-26 cross country season.  Under clear blue skies standout performances once again came from Patricia Dendy (27:33, 2^nd in category) and Victoria Willoughby (34:42, 1^st in category), both collecting silver medals in their respective age categories for the series, and also Patricia, Sarah Wood (31:46, 3^rd in category, course PB) and Vivienne Ravenhill (33:05), who combined to win a team bronze medal for the series in the Masters category. 

Also running in the combined Senior Women and MV65+ race were Nichola Sanderson (34:21), Holly Wright (35:22), Hollie Galvin (36:19, course PB), Ingrid Harris (36:51), Amy Broomhall (36:58), Kristin Lowater (37:00), Ela Antosiewicz (38:46), Caroline Rea (40:14), Julia Whittaker (42:12), Bob Spawton (42:55), Cheryl Rodham (43:35), Mariel Chretien (44:50) and Jakia Hussain (47:15, course PB).  

Leading the senior men home was cross country stalwart Nick Lewis (40:45), with Jamie Baron (41:26) and Tom Willett (43:03) in pursuit.  Prash Sripathi (43:14), Josh Rimell (46:43), Ben Stone (47:29), Steve Taylor (48:06), Hugh Purdon (48:41), Graeme Stopp (50:02), Steve Youngs (52:01), Jim Trowbridge (54:32), Carl Methven (55:33), Mike Line (58:21), Rich Smith (60:07) and Kev Fairs (63:03) completed the highest entry this season.  

In sharp contrast to the rainless skies enjoyed on Saturday, three members – Allan Green, Rob and Alison Hume – seriously questioned their life choices when they awoke to the familiar sound of heavy rain on Sunday.  Allan travelled to Southbourne seafront, Bournemouth for the My Funny Valentine Sobo Challenge marathon, completing the multi-lap event in stormy conditions in 5:54:04.  Meanwhile the Humes took on a new-to-them race, the Hereford 10 mile, which is staged on an undulating course around quiet country roads.  To add to the challenge posed by the rolling hills, a marshalling error meant that most runners ended up recording almost half a mile over distance.  Using the event as a training run for the upcoming Lisbon half marathon, Rob Hume completed in 1:30:58, while wife Alison recorded 1:36:22 for second in age category. 

In sunnier climes, Ivana Wilson continued her recent very strong run of form to record a new personal best of 1:43:01 at the Barcelona half marathon, while another of the club’s in-form athletes, Hayley Woolnough, put in a very consistent performance to record a course personal best of 23 minutes at the Seville marathon (4:20:59). 

Ian Jordan took advantage of a flat tarmac course and warm temperatures to record his fastest time in six months at Blenheim parkrun in Marlborough, New Zealand.  There was also an Almost Athletes presence at Bushy Park, Canons Park, Cheltenham, Clapham Common, Crichton, Gloucester City, Gloucester North, Kingsway, Llanfoist Crossing, Lydney, Mallards Pike, Oxford, Peel, Riverfront, Simmons Park, Southwark, Southwick Country Park, University of Northampton, Woodbank and Worcester.   

It has been a couple of busy weekends for the Almost Athletes who didn’t let the rain and wind deter them from achieving some fantastic results.

 

In parkrun news, Forrest Wheeler completed his 200th parkrun whilst Suzy Rodger achieved her 100th parkrun milestone. The Cheltenham course proved very muddy so even more impressive given the fact Suzy was pushing her young daughter around in a buggy! Well done both! Also at Cheltenham parkrun, Prashanth Sripathi finished first in age category (21:15). A few miles down the road, Neil and Laura Tring did Gloucester Kingsway parkrun, with Laura securing first in age category.

 

Marathon man Allan Green completed two marathons this week. The first was Squirrel Challenge Marathon in Daventry country park, which Allan finished in 5hrs 55 mins. He followed this by running the Run Run for Tenner Marathon, finishing in 6hrs 7 mins. Impressive running Allan!

 

Ingrid Harris braved the mud and completed the Doynton Hard Half in a super time of 2 hours 43 mins, achieving 2nd in age category. Paul Jones also ran in the same event, finishing strong over a super tough course. Also enjoying the muddy conditions underfoot, Hollie Galvin took part in the Muddy Woody Herefordshire, a 7 mile, 1115ft elevation trail race. Great running Hollie!

 

In drier conditions (indoor!), Patricia Dendy, Allan Green, and Sarah Wood (unable to attend) collected their Gloucestershire AAA awards at an event in Gloucester. Well done all!

 

The weekend prior, Allan Green took part in a double back to back marathon at the old railway track in Winchester , finishing in 5hrs 34 mins and 5hrs 48 mins. Ingrid Harris completed the Icing on the Cake marathon, with over 4000ft of elevation. Ingrid was delighted to finish in 5hrs 16 mins, for 10th overall. Bronte Mound-Evans completed 2 loops of the Mayhill Mayhem (25km) finishing strong on a tough course. In sunnier climates, Coralie Pearson, Ceinwen Davies and Rachael Nolan completed the Torremolinos half marathon, finishing in 2 hours 27 mins, 2 hours 29 minutes and 3 hours 17 minutes respectively. Well done all! In parkrun news, Holly Wright achieved her best winter result (23:19) whilst Peter Mitchener continued his fine form to finish 1st in age category at Cheltenham parkrun.

 

Well done everyone on a couple of busy weeks of running!