Gosfield 4K Fun Run / Great Bentley Friday 5 / Felsted 10k - 9-11th July
Several Braintree Athletic Club runners took part in the Gosfield 4K Fun Run on Saturday.
With temperatures soaring to over 30 degrees, this made running conditions extremely tough. The course was mainly off road through farm tracks and fields with approximately 40 competitors with a mixture of adults and children.
The winner of the whole race was Braintree's 10 year old Luke Allen who showed his determination and stamina and stormed the 4K course in a time of 17:52 breaking the all time course record.
Mark Fribbens came in second winning the 1st adult male with Gavin Allen taking things easy in 3rd position. Madi Fribbens had a superb run winning 3rd junior girl and Aaron Fribbens also showed his determination with a great run.
On Friday night, two Braintree runners took part in the Great Bentley Friday Five mile race, in what was the hottest day of the year.
Gavin Allen came a remarkable fifth place in a time of 28m 08s. Stewart Ellis also had a great run finishing in 32m 36s.
On Sunday more Braintree runners took part in the annual Felsted 10k, part of the Essex Road Race Championships. This lovely rural race is generally made tougher by hot conditions, and despite the cloud, this year was no exception.
First in for the club was Jill Rush, just back from injury, in fast time of 41m 42s. Next came two runners with PBs, Lee Gardham in 44m 03s with Ross Boyer, just four seconds behind. Josie Sheffield continued her good run of form with 45m 45s, closely followed by Lindsay Rolerkite, who did a PB of 46m 11s. In his first run over the distance Barry Mitchell did a fantastic time of 47m 20s.
Ryan Askew did a PB of 48m 26s, with Colm Scolard a few places later in 50m 19s.
Helen Francis completed a great day for Braintree's
ladies covering the course in 50m 40s. Two Braintree runners from
Townrow Stores joined colleague Lindsay Rolerkite
in their first races over 10k. Angela Taylor with
54m 37s and Kaleigh Bezzant, 60m 57s, both had excellent
debut times.
Report by Joe McEwan
Southend Half Marathon / Springfield Striders Friday 5 - 13th June
Six Braintree & District Athletic Club athletes took part in the Southend Half Marathon on Sunday. Starting and finishing at the East Beach in Shoeburyness, the race is over two laps, fairly flat, and run on traffic free roads. A large field of over 1500 runners made this an enjoyable event for all standards.
Josie Sheffield was first in the Female Veteran 45 category with a ten year best time of 1h 36m 40s. This was a fantastic result for Josie, who continues to improve with each race. Next came Lindsay Rolerkite in a time of 1h 43m 25s. Then followed three runners in close succession: Ray Sharman 1h 48m 14s, Trevor Sibley 1h 48m 20s and Paul Miller 1h 48m 24s. For Miller this was a PB by over 6 minutes. Next came Susan Sharman 2h 2m 36s, a PB by 4 minutes.
On Friday evening the annual Springfield Striders Friday 5 took
place around the village of Howe Street. A free burger for all runners
at The Green Man in Howe Street, plus a substantial prize draw for
all finishers make this a popular and charming race. Stewart
Ellis was first in for the club in 32nd place in 31m 57s.
He was followed by Michelle Caulfield 63rd 34m 51s
and Lindsay Rolerkite 80th 36m 16s. This was a PB
for Rolerkite by 28 seconds. Next came Ryan Askew
86th 37m 06s, his first race over the distance. Mark Jackson
came 95th in 37m 56s with Rob Caulfield 133rd in
40m 40s and Richard Sandford 146th in 42m 17s.
Report by Joe McEwan
Dartmoor Discovery Ultra Marathon / Whipsnade Zoo 10k / Tilty Hilly 5 - 6th June
Braintree and District Athletic Club's Simon Mennell made the long journey down to the West Country on Saturday to take part in the 32.2 mile Dartmoor Discovery Ultra Marathon.
This is the only true road, one lap ultra marathon left in England, and, of course, the most scenic and toughest, with over 4,000 feet of ascents and descents, held entirely within the Dartmoor National Park. The race started and finished in Princetown, near Plymouth, proceeding through a number of villages on the moors with water stops every 3 miles or so.
Running in this event for the second time, Simon found the extreme humidity coupled with temperatures reaching 70 degrees made this the toughest race he had ever endured. On a day when times were much slower than normal, he came in a very creditable 49th out of 190 runners, finishing in 5h 12m 12s.
Meanwhile a totally different scene greeted Braintree's Stewart Ellis as he rose early on Sunday for the 8.30am start in the Whipsnade Zoo 10k. This was a 3 lap race around the perimeter of the zoo on traffic free roads, passing most of the animal enclosures. Stewart completed the race in 40m 12s coming 40th out of a large sell out field of 700 runners.
More locally, Lee Cousins chose a tough course
for his first ever 5 mile race. The Tilty Hilly 5 race near Dunmow
was, as the name suggests, hilly, and Lee gave an excellent performance
to finish in 35m 32s.
Report by Joe McEwan
25 Anniversary Hatfield Broad Oak 10k - 30th May
Braintree and District Athletic Club had 13 athletes in the 25th running of the Hatfield Broad Oak 10k. Although a bit overcast on the day, this did not prevent a record field of almost 1500 runners enjoy the annual running of this race which is an integral part of the village flower festival.
A smooth start saw the runners on their way on this undulating rural route.
First runner for the club was Jill Rush, 9th lady overall, in a personal best of 40m 01s, a magnificent time which was a hairbreadth away from her sub 40 minute target.
Wayne Bulleid, also aiming for sub 40 this year, came breathtakingly close, as he knocked 80 seconds of his best to finish in 40m 21s. Another pb from Lee Cousins saw him knock over a minute off his pb to finish in 41m 59s.
Josie Sheffield ran a ten year best time of 43m 17s, as she was second lady home for the club.
First time out on the road for the club was 15 year old David Wildgoose, who finished his first ever 10k in an excellent 45m 59s.
Third lady in was Lindsay Rolerkite in 47m 05s, followed closely by Michelle Voke in 47m 09s. Helen Francis enjoyed the conditions as she lowered her pb by a minute to finish in 48m 53s.
Kristian Laudrum was the next junior home, in 50m 39, again in his first 10k, giving the men's team a respectable 22nd place.
Rob and Michelle Caulfield ran together to finish in 50m 14s,
Running their first ever 10k races, Caroline Wildgoose finished in 64m 54, and Kathryn Townend took just 66 minutes to complete this long course.
Overall Braintree's Ladies achieved a fantastic 7th place, in a very strong field, a brilliant result showing real depth in the team.
Report by Joe McEwan
Baddow 10 / Dereham 10 - 23rd May
The hottest day of the year so far saw 13 Braintree & District Athletic runners join nearly 650 competitors in the annual Edmund Carr Great Baddow 10 mile race on Sunday.
This race is over an undulating course through Great Baddow, Galleywood and rural West Hanningfield, and needless to say, the conditions made this very tough for the runners who took part.
First home for the club was Gavin Allen, who was just 14 seconds over the hour mark in 13th place overall. Emma Barrowclough came in next in a time of 1h 14m 10s.
The other runners were Ray Sharman, 1h 20m 43s, Stewart Ellis, 1h 21m 30s, Lindsay Rolerkite, 1h 22m 55s, Trevor Sibley, 1h 27m 03s, Paul Miller,1h 27m 13s, Ryan Askew, 1h 24m 07s, Helen Francis, 1h 29m 35s, Richard Sandford 1h 33m 08s, and Susan Sharman, 1h 41m 04s.
Alongside the main event was the popular 2 mile race, attracting over 850 competitors in all age groups. Braintree had two younger runners involved in the race. Nine year old Luke Allen powered around the 2 mile course and although suffering from a bad stitch half way round still managed to finish incredibly in 7th position, narrowly missing out on the prize for 1st under 12. Running his first race for the club, ten year old Joe Sharman was close behind in 10th place.
The previous Sunday Josie Sheffield ran the Dereham
10 miles in Norfolk. Her time was 74m 38s, winning 2nd prize for V45
age category. The course was fairly flat with one hill at 6 miles.
It was good to see a Braintree runner in this event which comprised
mainly athletes from Norfolk clubs.
Report by Joe McEwan
Halstead Marathon / Alton Water 2k / Salty Oak 6Mile - 9th May
Two Braintree & District Athletic Club runners took part in the 16th annual Halstead Marathon on Sunday.
The Race is a two and a bit lap affair, mainly through quiet and picturesque country lanes. There is a run out from Halstead through Pebmarsh into the lanes leading towards the Essex/Suffolk border where the route enters a ten and a half mile loop - most of which is run twice; after completing most of the second lap there is a different, mile long, return run into Halstead. Conditions were pretty calm, not too warm for May, and perfect for marathon running.
Simon Mennell ran his 37th marathon overall, and his third marathon since March, in preparation for an ultra marathon in the West Country in June. As part of his training he added a couple of miles to his run and still managed to complete the marathon distance in 3hrs 38mins.
Freya Rowling was unfortunate to have been be stuck out in New York on an extended honeymoon, as a result of the volcanic ash flight disruption, and missed the London Marathon as a result. She decided to take on the much tougher Halstead Marathon instead, and showed her preparations were not impacted too much as she completed the course in 4h 28m, knocking 17 minutes off her previous best.
Finally David Reaves took part in the Salty Oak
6 mile trail race at Mundon. It was quite scenic with a charming little
church and a long leg along the dyke separating fields from the mud
flats and estuary. Having set off early, he was the first to return
although being one of the first out had much to do with it. Still
inexperienced in these events, the 65 year old had the disadvantage
of having no-one follow, and he did take one wrong turning, despite
the excellent instructions by the organisers, Mid Essex Casuals. David
ended up 30th out of a field of 81 with an excellent time of 55:21.
Report by Joe McEwan
Breckland 10K/1Mile and Bocking 5Mile - 3rd May
Braintree and District Athletic Club's Gavin Allen and Stewart Ellis competed in the Breckland 10K Road Race hosted by Thetford AC on Bank Holiday Monday.
The first half of the course was very hilly with an extremely strong headwind, with the rest of the course much flatter with a few downhill sections.
In a field of over 300 athletes Allen raced superbly finishing in 9th position in a time of 35:57. This was a great result for an athlete who is improving measurably.
A fantastic performance by Stewart Ellis saw him smash his PB by 21 seconds as he completed the course in a time of 38:50 in 37th position.
Alongside the 10k was the 1 mile Race. With ages spanning from as young as 7 to adults, this proved to be a very popular race. The course commenced with a huge uphill climb and Braintree's nine year old Luke Allen stormed ahead with the group of lead athletes. Despite being in a field of much older runners, Allen had a superb race, sprinting past 2 runners in the last 200 metres to gain him 5th position, and stopping the clock in 5:23. Certainly a talent for the future.
In the Bocking Bank Holiday 5 mile race, Rob Caulfield finished in 11th position in 39m 07s. He was followed closely by another youngster who had a fabulous run, this time ten year old Conor Culham finished in 39m 09s in 12th place.
Finally in the Faulkbourne 10k, Mark Fribbens finished in 12th place in 48m 12s.
Report by Joe McEwan
Virgin London Marathan - 25th Apr
Sunday morning started with heavy showers before the Virgin London Marathon, but although the expected high temperatures held off, conditions were pretty good all round for the 35000 or so runners who made it to the start line.
Braintree and District Athletic had 5 runners in the event.
First home for the club was Helen Potter who knocked an amazing 27 minutes off her personal best to finish in 4h 25m 02s.
Braintree's Flying Postman, Trevor Sibley, ran an excellent 4h 25m 02s. Wendy Smalley did 4h 48m 31s, with Lisa Pohl not far behind on 4h 52m 05s.
Meanwhile, running in his first marathon, Ryan Askew did 5h 06m 32s. This was a great time, especially as he only started training for the event in February, having picked up a late place.
A big congratulations to Victoria's tri-athlete specialist husband,
Nick Cole, who ran an excellent 3h 08m 20 s giving him an
amazing 1704th place overall.
Report by Joe McEwan
Inaugural Skyline 120 Braintree 5 - A Success - 28th Mar
After days of rainy weather, the sun came out for the inaugural Skyline 120 Braintree 5, a new 5 mile road race for the town organised by Braintree & District Athletic Club.
It was a great for the club with astounding wins for Braintree's Jill Rush and for its ladies team. Also Gavin Allen showed sparkling form to finish in 5th place overall in 28m 32s, while Steven Read came in 14th in 29m 44s. Altogether Braintree had 24 runners in the race.
The race started at 11am as 341 runners headed from the Skyline 120 Business Park in Great Notley down Queenborough Lane into Rayne, taking in the Flitch Way, School Road and New Road before returning to the finish. The route took in four crossings of the A120, with corresponding climbs from the bridges and underpass adding to the challenge facing the runners.
The race was won by Crispin Bloomfield of Billericay Striders in a time of 26m 23s. He was followed closely by 16 year old Alex Short of Chelmsford AC who took the Under 18 prize, in 26m 52s.
The ladies race was won by Benfleet runner, Charlotte Peppiatt, in a time of 31m 01s, with Wendy King of Chelmsford AC second in 31m 34s.
Braintree's Jill Rush, who was 4th lady in 32m 19s, won the ladies Vet 35 class, a great success for the club.
Jill was also in the winning Braintree Athletic Ladies Team, along with Michelle Caulfield and Michelle Voke. This was a brilliant result for the ladies, given the highly competitive field.
The Men's Team Prize was won by Chelmsford AC, comprising Alex Short, Dave Tullett and Lee Pickering.
The Fostering People Too Education Prize was won by Felsted School, which included Braintree's James McLeod.
A prize to encourage employers and employees to compete in the sport produced a number of team entries, with the Joscelyne Chase Business Prize being won by Barclays Bank's Steve Read, Robert Gall and Tim Turner.
Overall Results
Senior Male
1st Christian Bloomfield 26.23, 2nd Daniel Poulton 27.39 3rd Shay Joyce 27.55
Junior Male Alex Short 26.52 (second male)
Male V40 Dave Tullett 25.46
Male V50 John Oaks 29.20
Male V60 Brian Butcher 35.28
Male V70 Roger Duffield 44.04
Senior Ladies
1st Charlotte Peppiatt, 2nd Wendy King 31.34, 3rd Natasha Taylor 32.18
Ladies V35 Jill Rush
Ladies V45 Debbie Cattermole
Ladies V55 Pauline Bambury
Ladies V65 Pam Jones
Braintree Runners Times
Gavin Allen 28.12
Jill Rush 32.19
Steven Read 29.44
Stuart Ellis 32.57
Wayne Bullied 33.24
Michelle Caulfield, 34.28
Phoenix Green 35.13
Ross Boyer 36.29
Colm Scolard 36.59
Michelle Voke 37.34
Ray Sharman 37.55
Lindsay Rolerkite, 38.06
James McLeod 39.22
Kevin Bearman 40.16
Robert Caulfield 40.26
Martin Pitts 40.39
Mark Jackson 40.56
Samantha Bearman 42.54
Sandra Green 44.19
Sue Sharman 44.34
Sarah Cooper Keeble and Paula Evans
48.54
Kathryn Townend 53.18
Nina Morgan 53.23
Race Sweeper
Freya Rowling 69.11
Report by Joe McEwan
Brighton Marathon, Flitwick 10k and Bungay 1mile - 18th Apr
Five Braintree & District Athletic Club members joined a field of 7500 runners in the inaugural Brighton Marathon on Sunday. The field included 50 runners who should have been doing the Vienna Marathon on Sunday and the Boston Marathon on Monday, but they had to settle for Brighton, following the flight ban.
The race route took in the best of the city centre and fabulous stretches of coastal road, including panoramic views that you'd expect where the glorious South Downs meet the English Channel.
Generally, it was a fast course, held exclusively on roads and tarmac promenade, with the entire route free of traffic. The course was undulating in parts, as you would expect from a Sussex coastal run. The finish was on the seafront close to Brighton Pier, where thousands of cheering spectators turned out to support the runners.
First home for the club was Marathon debutant Dan Corr, who came in 356th place in an excellent time of 3h 24m 7s. Laura Shrewbridge of Tiptree and Simon Mennell ran most of the course together, with Laura finishing in 3h 27m 33s and Simon 8 seconds behind in 475th place.
Lee Cousins faded over the last five miles, but still did a personal best of 3h 34m 31s in 693rd place.
A great performance from Lee Gardham saw him knock 30 minutes of his previous best to finish in 1225th place, with a time of 3h 48m 50s,
In the Flitwick 10k, Jill Rush continued where she left off at the Braintree 5, coming 1st Vet Lady 35 and 4th lady overall in a new personal Best of 40m 19s.
In the Bungay 1 mile fun run, Juniors Aaron and Madi Fribbens
ran 8m 45 (22nd) and 10m 28s (43rd) respectively.
Report by Joe McEwan
Paddock Wood Half Marathon - 11th Apr
Heading off to Kent, for an early start, Josie Sheffield
took part in the 21st running of the Paddock Wood Half Marathon, her
first road race in a Braintree vest. This is one of the flattest,
and therefore fastest, half marathons in the region, as well as being
one of the prettiest, being run around the hop farms of Kent. Josie's
time of 1h 38m 24s gave her an amazing 442nd place overall out of
a large field of 1939 runners
Report by Joe McEwan
Up early on Good Friday morning for a 9.15am start, Stewart
Ellis set off to Sudbury in Suffolk for the annual 5 mile
Race. Run on a fast flat course, Ellis knocked nearly a minute of
his personal best coming 27th out of 477 in a time of 31m 49s.
Report by Joe McEwan
Busy Week For Braintree Athletes - 20th/21st Mar
Braintree & District Athletic Club had a busy week last week with runners involved in various events.
On Wednesday 9 year old Luke Allen ran for his school at the Essex Schools Year 5/6 Cross Country Championships at Hylands Park Chelmsford. It was organised by the Essex Schools Athletics Association with almost 100 schools across Essex taking part. Luke ran his heart out and came 3rd with a brilliant sprint finish. Second and third could not be separated but in the end he was so happy to get bronze.
ON Saturday two Braintree runners competed in one of the toughest runs in the race calendar - The Orion 15. This race takes place in the beautiful Epping Forest, but despite the recent dry conditions, this was a race with lots of mud to add to the tough hilly conditions. Trevor Sibley completed the course in 2h 25m, with Mark Fribbens not far behind in 2h 27m.
On Sunday 14 Braintree Athletes took part in the Essex Road Relays, involving most of the athletic clubs in the county. The run is relay around the Melbourne area of Chelmsford, with legs of 3.7 miles. The ladies did spectacularly well, coming 5th and 10th overall, in only their second time doing this event.
Results
Women's Team A 5th Overall
Josie Sheffield 25.38
Michelle Caulfield 24.45
Lindsay Rolerkite 27.31
Women's Team B 10th Overall
Sam Bearman 29.28
Michelle Phillips 27.59
Helen Francis 28.56
Men's Team A 14th Overall
Simon Mennell 23.44
Richard Pollitt 22.35
Damien Hartshorne 22.47
Dan Corr 21.34
Men's Team B 20th Overall
Kevin Bearman 28.57
Rob Caulfield 29.01
Paul Miller 28.21
Ross Boyer 26.03
In the meantime the fair weather on Sunday made the annual Brentwood Half Marathon a better experience for our athletes, a pleasant change from the recent run of very cold conditions. This undulating course is one of the highlights of the year, with a field of over 1800 runners. Under 17 Phoenix Green did remarkably well in his first half marathon completing the course in 1h 43m 22s.
Brentwood Half Marathon Times and
Positions
Phoenix Green 1.43.22 413
Colm Scolard 1.45.14 506
Sandra Green 1.55.43 814
Ryan Askew 2:05.06 1242
Lisa Pohl
2.0.32 1269
Report by Joe McEwan
Barcelona Marathon and Essex 20 - 7th Mar
Braintree & District Athletic Club had four roadrunners competing at the weekend.
Simon Mennell made the long trip to Catalonia to compete with 10000 others in the Barcelona Marathon.
The course is a tough one, starting and finishing at the twin towers of the Placa Espanya with the magic Fountain of Montjuic providing a spectacular backdrop. The route then passes many famous sites in the city including Pedrera, Sagrada Familia, Torre Agbar, Ciutadella, and Arc de Triomf, touching on the renowned Ramblas before the end.
Running this race for the fourth time in as many years, Simon knocked two and a half minutes off his best time for the course to finish in 3h 15m 58s in 1594 position.
Meanwhile, the Essex 20 Mile championships were held on a flat course in Great Bromley. It was a flattish course, and the bright sunshine, combined with cool temperature, made this a pretty good race for the competitors. Performance of the day came from Lee Cousins, who improved his PB by 25 minutes to finish in 2h 33m 58s.
Next came Mark Fribbens whose time of 2h 44m 48s
was also a PB by over 6 minutes. Trevor Sibley completed
the line up with a time of 3h 0m 6s.
Report by Joe McEwan
Thetford Forest Run - 28th Feb
Whilst away with his family on a weekend break, Lee Gardham, ventured out on a long slow training run through Thetford forest.
The driving rain and winds made for a hard first few miles but then the course(!) turned in to the forest and cover of the trees. The conditions underfoot were slippery and uneven.
It was at mile 5 that he realised he hadn't seen anyone for 5 miles and then he came across some large red signs "MILITARY FIRING ZONE - KEEP OUT"..... the tempo went up at this stage!
Before long it was clear that the pre-planned route had not taken into account the lack of sign posts in a forest but at 6.5 miles he came across a road with signage and he was back on track.
The next few miles of country roads were undulating and the driving rains returned to make for an unpleasant mid section. Before long it was back into the forest and the return leg home.
By mile 13 the lack of oxygen meant that any previous thoughts of the Blair Witch Project had been forgotten and it was the underfoot conditions that were beginning to take its toll.
At 16.5 miles the route headed out of the forest and back on to the main road and towards the finishing line.
The pace picks up as the last ½ mile is a slight downhill and ensures a quick finish.
And with any good race, the cakes at the finish line helped with the recovery thanks to Lee's 2 year old daughter!!
Total miles 17.5 - no bleeding nipples but a nasty blister....
Summary - Thetford forest is unforgiving underfoot but a pleasant run in the right conditions - unfortunately the conditions on 28th February were not right!
Report by Simon Mennell
Three BDAC athletes headed down the M11 to Woodford to join around 800 other runners in the Roding Valley Half Marathon. This is a tough two lap town course with lots of long climbs and road crossings and traffic to contend with.
Starting with a lap and a half of Woodford Athletic Club track, a flood at the exit of the track led to a bottleneck, with many runners held up as they sought alternative ways on to the main road. The heavy rain did nothing to lift the spirits in this 13.1 mile event, with traffic splashing the competitors at every opportunity.
In what could be best described as a character building course,
Lee Cousins did well to knock 27 seconds off his Personal Best to
finish in 1h 37m 19s. Lindsay Rolerkite and Helen
Francis did fantastically well to complete the course in
1h 47m 30s and 1h 54m 58s respectively.
Report by Joe McEwan
In a week off from the busy cross country period, Braintree & District Athletic Club's Stuart Ellis ventured into Suffolk for the Annual Great East 10k, held in Bungay and organised by Bungay Black Dog Running Club.
The one lap course is one of the most scenic in the race calendar with the roads virtually traffic free. It is also one of the fastest races with what the organisers call a flat course with a small Suffolk hill at the start and the finish. Needless to say, the runners are not in total agreement with this.
Besides, the atrocious weather conditions with driving heavy rain made this a pretty tough race by any standards.
Ellis broke through the 40 minute barrier by two seconds, which was a remarkable achievement in the conditions. Nevertheless, this is great preparation for the anticipated boggy conditions he will experience in the next leg of the Mid Essex Cross Country League at Hylands Park next week.
Report by Joe McEwan
Great Bentley Half Marathon - 7th Feb
Braintree and District Athletic Club had 16 runners in the Great Bentley Half Marathon today, which doubled as the Essex Half Marathon Championships.
Despite the cold and cloudy miserable day, this was a flat fast course and some great times and considerable improvements were seen by most of the Braintree runners.
First home for the club was new member Gavin Allen, whose time of 1h 15m 56m was a PB by over 3 minutes, and gave him an incredible 14th place out of the field of 826 competitors.
Michelle Caulfield, 1.35.56 and Emma Barrowclough 1.36.26 both produced massive PBs to lead the ladies home.
Lee Gardham 1.38.26, , 1.41.02, Colm Scolard 1.42.43, Mark Jackson 2.01.38, Ryan Askew 2.02.35 and Freya Rowling, 1.59.26, all bettered their PBs from between 5 and 28 minutes to reflect the massive improvement in the club.
Meanwhile, Eddie Driscoll and Lindsay Rolerkite both had to contend with about 30 monk jack deer on the course as they completed the course in 1h 41m.
Running in her first half marathon, Helen Francis completed the course in 1h 51m 15s, an excellent effort which bodes well for future planned runs.
Great Bentley Half Marathon Results
Gavin Allen 14th 1.15.56 pb by 3 mins
Simon Mennell 226th 1.35.42
Michelle Caulfield 231st 1.35.56 pb by 6 mins
Emma Barrowclough 243rd 1.36.26 pb 3 mins
Lee Gardham 265th 1.37.57 pb 17mins
Mark Fribbens 278th 1.38.35
Josie Sheffield 285th 1.39.15
Eddie Driscoll 310th 1.41.02 pb by 7 mins
Lindsay Rolerkite 317th 1.41.24 pb 1 min
Colm Scolard 340th 1.42.43 pb 11 mins
Trevor Sibley 449th 1.48.36 pb 1 min
Helen Francis 497th 1.51.15 1st half
Freya Rowling 624th 1.59.26 pb 5 mins
Mark Jackson 658th 2.01.38 pb by 28 mins
Ryan Askew 666th 2.02.35 pb by 18 mins
Wendy Smalley 713th 2.07.21
Report by Joe McEwan
Wymondham 10k / Benfleet 15 - 24th Jan
Braintree and District Athletic Club had 4 athletes out racing at the weekend.
Stuart Ellis rose early to join 260 other runners in the rescheduled Wymondham 10k. He broke his personal best by 21 seconds to complete the course in 26th position in 39mins 11secs.
The annual Benfleet 15 mile race took place on Sunday, in tough and muddy conditions. The route took the field of over 600 runners along the sea wall for about 5 miles, followed by 4 miles of undulating downs, back along a track, before completing the course along the sea wall for the final two miles. Mark Fribbens completed the course in 2hrs 18m 43s, followed by Eddie Driscoll, whose first attempt at this race was rewarded with a fine 2hrs 22m 04s.
In the junior race, ten year old Aaron Fribbens ran the tough 2.5 miles course in 26mins 38 secs, a fantastic time in only his first season.
15 year old Chloe Beckett raced in the Essex Cross Country trials on Saturday and finished 11th overall which qualifies for the Essex Senior Ladies team.
In the meantime, the club's preparations are well underway for the Skyline 120 Braintree 5, the new five mile road race taking place on the 28th March at 11am. The race starts and finishes in Skyline 120 Business Park in Great Notley taking in Queenborough Lane, the village of Rayne, and part of the Flitch Way.
Prizes will be awarded to the first 3 senior men and ladies, as well as first prizes in 15-18 and veteran categories.
Added to the Senior Men and Ladies team prizes will be two prizes of special interest to local businesses and schools or colleges, with the first three runners home in each team to count.
In trying to promoting in the community, Joscelyne Chase will present a Business Trophy for the first business team to finish. There will also be the Fostering People Too Trophy to the first school or college team to finish. Teachers and students can all be involved in this race.
This race will be well suited for new and aspiring runners with two months or to prepare for the 5 mile distance.
Report by Joe McEwan
Simon Mennell competed in the Luton Marathon on Sunday, a few weeks after Abingdon Marathon.
The race comprised a three lap, anti-clockwise course, passing through Luton and the surrounding countryside. Despite two hills, it is very much flat to undulating, but the rainy, windy conditions made this a particularly tough challenge.
Starting in the centre of Luton, the course then snakes out to the A6 and nearby countryside, passing the Pasque Hospice en route. Runners then pass through the village of Streatly. Leaving Streatly, the race then continues along country roads until, after a further three or four miles, passes back into Luton town, for the first lap. Mennell produced an excellent time of 3h 36m 30s in these conditions.
As part of the event, there was a three leg relay over the marathon
distance. Halstead and Braintree runner, Gavin Allen,
completed the first leg in 50m 33s, with Paul Miller
running 1h 17m and Trevor Sibley completing the trio
in 1h 10m, giving a total team time of 3 hours 17 minutes.
Report by Joe McEwan
Rolerkite Smashes PB at City of Norwich Half - 29th Nov
Braintree and District Athletic Club had representatives on the road at the weekend.
Lindsay Rolerkite was up early to join over 2200 other athletes in the City of Norwich Half Marathon on Sunday. On a cool, still and sunny morning, Lindsay smashed her PB by over seven minutes to complete the course in 1h 42m 38s. In doing so she was a very impressive 6th in the Ladies Vet 40 category and 41st out of almost 700 ladies overall.
With another great performance from the ladies, Emma Barrowclough
came 31st lady overall in a new PB time of 1h 39m 52s.
Report by Joe McEwan
Twelve Braintree and District Athletic runners took part in the Chelmsford 10k road race on Sunday. It was a bit windy in parts of this rural course, but happily there was a break from the rainy conditions.
Stuart Ellis had been threatening to produce something special, after a string of recent PBs, but his time of 39m 32s was a major breakthrough and a great reward for dedicated training. He vastly improved his PB by two minutes with a confidence boosting run which was run at a much faster pace than recent 5 and 10 mile races.
Michelle Caulfield ran a very strong race to finish in 42m 28s. Next came Lee Cousins, whose 43m 05 is showing good improvement, followed by Mark Fribbens, who supplemented his morning cross country race with a PB of 45m 06s.
Lindsay Rolerkite knocked 7 seconds off her PB with a time of 46m 32s.
Joe McEwan finished in 46m 52s, hotly pursued by Ryan Askew who sprinted to finish in a PB of 46m 59s, just pipping Eddy Driscoll, who was 3 seconds behind.
Stuart Phillips put a recent injury behind him to finish in 48m 21s.
Helen Francis smashed her PB by over 8 minutes as she dipped under 50 minutes by 4 seconds, sharing the same time as Michelle Phillips who bettered her PB by nearly two minutes.
Rob Caulfield completed the round up with a time
of 50m 51s.
Report by Joe McEwan
Remembrance Day Road Race - 9th Nov
Braintree & District Athletic Club had 9 runners for the annual Remembrance Day 10 mile Road Race on Sunday, producing a string of great performances and personal bests.
The ever increasing popularity of this sport meant that the race was a sell out well before the day with over 500 entrants braving this event.
The course took in a 1 mile undulating loop in the village of Stebbing before heading out and back through country roads and some tough hilly farm track. It was a relatively mild, dry and still morning, perfect conditions for road running.
First in for the club, and leading by example, was Head Coach, Simon Mennell, whose time of 68m 01s was a good two minutes faster than recent times. He was followed by Stuart Ellis, whose apprehensions about the race proved misguided as he came well within 70 minutes to finish in 68m 40s, an excellent time for his first race at the distance.
Also in his first time at the distance, fast improving Lee Cousins ran a very strong 71m 55s. He was followed by Lee Gardham, who knocked an amazing 16 minutes off his PB, set on this course last year, finishing in 73m 32s.
In his first ever race, under 18 Phoenix Green, ran a very steady 75m 48s, completing the second 5 miles in just over 35 minutes.
Next came Joe McEwan in 76m 52, just pipping Trevor Sibley, who continued his string of PBs with a one and a half minute improvement to 77m 03.
Closing in fast on these two, and first lady in for the club was Lindsay Rolerkite, whose 77.13 was a PB by over a minute.
In her second ten mile race, Helen Frances managed to lower her personal best, set at Mersea Island in August, by over 6 minutes as she ran a very strong race in 83m 28s.
Finally in her first race, new runner, Sandra Green, ran a great time of 91m 02s.
In the schools District Cross Country, Braintree had a number of athletes running, with great results all round.
Following his success on the track, Bernard Mayo came 1st in the boys' year 7 group, beating off some stiff opposition. In the girls' year 7, Charlotte Read came 1st, closely followed in by Anna Eden in 3rd place.
Braintree had 6 girls in the year 8 event, a race won by Clarice Parrott, with Daisy Solomon 3rd, Chloe Cockell 8th, Jennifer Baldock 9th, Chloe Hind 12th, and Mel Deer 48th.
Outstanding distance runner, Chloe Beckett beat
off a strong field to win the year 11 girls race, whilst Dan
Raven and Connor Mennell were first and
second respectively in the Year 12 boys' race
Report by Joe McEwan
Abingdon Marathon & Wix 5 Mile - 18th Oct
The weekend was a busy one for Braintree Athletics Club's runners with action within Essex and Oxfordshire and a host of fantastic achievements and personal best times were recorded.
Four of Braintree's male runners were in action in the Abingdon marathon, an event that has been in place since 1982 with a turnout this year of over 1000 runners!
This is a very flat course making it ideal for marathon running and the route took in stretches along the river Thames passing through the Oxfordshire villages of Drayton, Milton, and Sutton Courtenay before returning back through Abingdon for the finish.
Expectations were high as a result of many months of hard preparation and this was reflected in very fast times and 3 personal bests!
First in for Braintree was Simon Mennell in a time of 3h 17m 09S followed by Mark Fribbens with a personal best of 3h 41m 02s, some 16 minutes faster than his previous best time. Next in and result of the day was Trevor Sibley in a fantastic time of 4h 14m 07s, knocking a staggering 50 minutes off his previous personal best time! Paul Miller completed the field just behind Trevor in 4h 20m and he also recorded a personal best by some 5 minutes.
All in all a fantastic achievement by the lads and especially Trevor who has worked very hard this year to improve on his last outing.
Meanwhile, six Braintree runners made the journey to East Essex to compete in the 5th annual Wix 5 mile road race. Over 200 runners from clubs across the South East took part in what was a mainly fast and flat anti-clockwise circuit of Wix village and Stones Green. A welcome water station was placed just before the 3 mile marker before runners tackled the slightly undulating return back to the finish. Despite an initially chilly start conditions quickly improved during the race and this was reflected in the times achieved by the runners which included a number of personal bests.
First in for the club was Ben Stone in 31m 54s followed by a delighted Stewart Ellis in a personal best of 32m 43s. Stuart Phillips was next in at 36m 28s in his first race over this distance. Lindsay Rolerkite was the first Braintree lady home in personal best of 36m 44s, an excellent effort for a runner who generally prefers longer distances.
Despite a sprint finish it was impossible to separate training partners
Helen Frances and Michelle Phillips
who crossed the line together in 39m 37s. This was Helen's first race
at this distance and a personal best of over 2 minutes for Michelle
having only recently gained her first recorded time at this distance
at Mersea during the summer.
Report by Joe McEwan
Leicester Marathon and Tiptree 10 - Oct 11th
Braintree and District Athletic Club's Lee Cousins was up early on Sunday to drive to Leicester for the 9.15am start in the Leicester Marathon, joining over 700 other runners. This was his fourth marathon, but one for which he has prepared well, with some hard training over the summer.
It was a cool overcast day, not too cold, and perfect for marathon running, with an undulating route, around the villages close to Leicester. Lee set off sensibly at a pace of around 8 minutes 15 second miles, which he sustained throughout the 26.2 mile course.
He crossed the line strongly, and his time of 3 hours 35 minutes was a personal best by over 16 minutes. His development over the year is clearly shown by his speed improvement, which was a minute a mile faster than his London Marathon pace in April.
This was a fantastic achievement for Lee, who is now looking to build on this performance into next year.
On the same day, four Braintree runners took part in the annual Tiptree 10 mile road race, joining 450 other runners in a race which also forms part of the Essex Championship.
It was a fairly dull and wet morning, but great conditions for a road race, on a course which is relatively flat apart from a fast downhill at the start and a long hard climb in the ninth mile.
First in for the club was Lindsay Rolerkite, who
followed on from a tough cross country on Saturday with a very strong
80m 45s, in 208th place. Next came Eddie Driscoll
in 81m 05s (213th) and Ryan Askew in 87m 22s (290th).
Wendy Smalley completed the line up in 97m 36s (393rd).
Report by Joe McEwan
Southend 10K Halstead 5 and Felixstowe Half Marathon
Runners from Braintree & District Athletic Club were in action at various races at the weekend.
On a bright day in Felixstowe, Mark Fribbens and Trevor Sibley joined 600 other runners in the Felixstowe Half Marathon. This is a two lap course with a nice downhill 3 miles or so to the finish on Felixstowe sea front.
Fribbens ran a sensible race in preparation for the Abingdon Marathon in two weeks, with a time of 1hr 47m 49s in 172nd place. Sibley's time of 1h 49m 13s was a PB by 1 minute.
Also at the seaside, Wayne Bulleid ran in the Southend 10k. Again the weather was glorious for October. His time of 41m 39s was over three minutes faster than his Personal Best set over the same course last year, a fantastic achievement.
Meanwhile, not to be outshone by her father, Emily Bulleid ran in the 3k race, finishing 25 seconds faster than last year in a time of 10minutes 51 seconds.
In the Halstead 5 mile road race, Stuart Ellis
ran a PB of 33m 19s to finish in 10th place. Coming into great form
Leanne Emberton won the prize for second lady, finishing
the course in 38m 12s, while Emma Barrowclough's return from injury
was marked with a very solid 46m 20s.
Report by Joe McEwan
Nottingham Full and Newcastle Half Marathons
Braintree and District Athletic Club had two runners competing in the Nottingham marathon, the first in a series of marathons over the autumn for the club's athletes.
Paul Miller completed the 26.2 mile course in 4 hours 29 minutes, while Lisa Pohl continued her improvement with 4h 47m.
Fifty four thousand worthy souls took to the streets of Newcastle on Sunday to take part in the largest half marathon in the world. Braintree's Nick Cole finished in 1h 26m, a great time, given the crowds.
Running for Make-A-Wish Foundation, and raising over £500 for the
Charity, Nick's wife, Victoria Cole completed the
course in 2 hours and 7 minutes.
Report by Joe McEwan
16 Braintree Runners Race at Mersea Island
Sixteen Braintree And District Athletic runners crossed the causeway into Mersea Island on Sunday for the annual Bank Holiday 5 and 10 mile road races.
Despite it being a cool cloudy day, the sun came out for the race, making this a much tougher challenge. The course comprised one or two laps of 5 miles, starting on the beachfront, with a long hill at the start, and another nasty climb from the causeway back into town.
A number of runners chose Mersea to run their first race, all producing great times. In the 5 miles race new runners Michelle Phillips finished in 42m 48s, Lesley Boyer in 44.28, while Paula Evans completed her first race over the distance in 47m 12s.
Running in her first race for the club, Leanne Emberton did 42m 48s, while completing the 5 mile field, Stuart Ellis ran a very quick 34m 36s.
In the ten mile race three great PBs were produced by Lindsay Rolerkite 78m 8s (PB by 1m), Lisa Pohl 93m 00s (PB by 3 minutes) while Wendy Smalley knocked 6 minutes of her time to finish in 96m 21s.
Competing in their first races over the distance, and after only a few weeks running, Stuart Phillips did 84m 08s, while Helen Frances did incredibly well to beat the 90 minute mark to finish in 89m 07s.
At the sharper end of the race, Mark Eden came
6th overall in 60m 55s. Training for autumn marathons, Simon
Mennell put out a quick 70m 35s, followed by Mark
Fribbens (74m 36s), Joe McEwan (77m 54s),
Trevor Sibley (78m 33s) and Freya Rowling
(89m 17s).
Report by Joe McEwan
Harlow 10Mile - 26th July 2009
Five Braintree and District Athletic Club runners took part in the Harlow 10 miles road race on Sunday.
This was the twentieth running of this event, which starts at Mark Hall Sports Centre, with the rural course crossing the M11 and taking in a combination of undulating road and track to the east of the town.
First home for the club was Wayne Bulleid who knocked 7 minutes off last years time and 4 minutes off his Personal Best with a time of 1h 13m 38s.
Next in was Lindsay Rolerkite in 1h 20m 14s just pipping Trevor Sibley in 1h 21s 03s.
Two more PBs were achieved by Braintree Ladies. Freya Rowling's
time of 1h 26m 10s was a PB by over minutes, while Helen Potter
improved by over 11 minutes to finish in 1h 33m 34s.
Report by Joe McEwan
Essex 3K / Braintree 3K - 16th July 2009
Essex 3k Championships
Last Tuesday 14th July, Braintree and District Athletic Club hosted the Essex Track Championship 3k race, providing a record eight runners for the event.
Running his first 3k race, Braintree's Dan Corr finished in 9m 59s to give him 4th place overall. This was a fantastic time, for a new runner, who has only a handful of races to his name, and this bodes well for the future. He was followed in by other Braintree Runners, Stuart Ellis, Wayne Bulleid, Simon Mennell, Ross Boyer, Mark Fribbens, Joe McEwan and Paul Miller.
Times
Ryan Crouch 9.01.4
Lee Pickering 9.06.1
Malcolm Muir 9.06.5
Dan Corr 9.59.4
Stuart Ellis 11.06.1
Wayne Bulleid 11.22.3
Simon Mennell 11.23.9
Ross Boyer 12.03.0
Mark Fribbens 12.11.0
Joe McEwan 13.27.4
Paul Miller 13.29.5
BDAC 3k Time Trial 16th July
To give newer runners more experience, the third of Braintree's 3k time trials was held on Thursday last week. All in all, great times were achieved.
Lee Gardham 12m 06s
Trevor Sibley 13m 02s
Rachel Ball 13m 10s
Lindsay Rolerkite 13m 21s
Ryan Askew 14m 01s
Sarah Eden 14m 31s
Jenny Blair 15m 17s
Michelle Phillips 15m 29s
Helen Francis 15m 39
Lesley Boyer 15m 42s
Thrift Green Trotters Brentwood 10k (Essex Championship Road Race)
The Essex Road Championship 10k was held on Sunday in Brentwood, on a course
renowned for tough hills. Stuart Ellis completed the race in
43m 55s, a great time for the conditions.
Report by Joe McEwan
Record Turnout at Felsted 10K - 12th July 2009
Left to right:
Nick Cole, Rachel Ball, Lisa Pohl, Freya Rowling, Lindsay Rolerkite,
Sam Bearman, Ross Boyer, Lee Cousins, Julie Cousins, Mark Fribbens, Helen Francis,
Lee Gardham, Joe McEwan, Stuart Phillips
Braintree and District Athletic Club had a record turnout of 16 runners, including 9 ladies, and many racing for the first time at the Felsted 10k on Sunday.
This is a beautiful rural course around Felsted and surrounding villages, with the warm weather traditionally making this a very challenging, but well organised race.
First in for the club was Nick Cole in a great time of 40m 11s. He was followed by Lee Cousins in 44m 35s.
The next group was difficult to split with Mark Fribbens, just 3 seconds ahead of debutant Ross Boyer in a PB of 45m 20s, but a fast finishing Lee Gardham just failed to catch them despite knocking 2 ½ minutes off his PB with a time of 45m 29s. They were followed by Joe McEwan in 46m 51s.
First in for the ladies and first time at the distance, Lindsay Rolerkite completed the course in 49m 08s with Stuart Phillips doing 49m 40s in his first ever race.
Sam Bearman knocked almost 3 minutes off last years time with a fine 51m 59s.
In her first race off the track, Rachel Ball did very well for an 800 metre runner to finish in 52m 21s, eight seconds ahead of Freya Rowing who was running her first10k, having previously concentrated on full and half marathons.
Lisa Pohl knocked over 1 minute off her PB to finish in 56m 31s, with Wendy Smalley just a minute behind in a time of 57.30, knocking 5 minutes off her previous best.
New runner Helen Frances did brilliantly to complete her first race in 58 minutes, after only a couple of weeks running with the club, with Victoria Cole just behind in 59m 03s.
Julie Cousins, another novice runner, did amazingly well to finish this tough 10k in just 63m 15s.
At the National Police track championships in Doncaster last week, Braintree's Dan Corr came 12th in the 5k in a time of 18.40, which was 26 seconds faster than the qualifying event, his only previous race. Also he completed the 800 metres in the medley relay in a time of 2m 21s, helping Essex Police to the silver medal in this event.
Results Felsted 10k
Nick Cole 40m 11s
Lee Cousins 44m 35s
Mark Fribbens 45.20 PB
Ross Boyer 45.23 1st 10k
Lee Gardham 45.29 PB
Joe McEwan 46.52
Lindsay Rolerkite 49.08 1st 10k
Stuart Phillips 49.40 1st 10k
Sam Bearman 51.59 PB
Rachel Ball 52.21 1st 10k
Freya Rowling 52.29 1st 10k
Lisa Pohl 56.31 PB
Wendy Smalley 57.30 PB
Helen Francis 58.00 1st 10k
Victoria Cole 59.03
Julie Cousins 63m 15s 1st 10k
Report by Joe McEwan
Two Braintree and District AC runners took part in the Horndon on the Hill 10k road race on Sunday.
The course comprised one larger lap and a smaller loop on road and farm track with one or two nasty hills.
On what was a very hot muggy day, Mark Fribbens was first
home for the club in 47 minutes and 49 seconds. He was closely followed in by
Trevor Sibley in 49 minutes and 2 seconds, which was a PB by
7 seconds.
Report by Joe McEwan
Mersey Round The Island - 21st June 2009
Braintree and District Athletic had one runner in the Mersea Round the Island Race on Sunday.
Running completely round Mersea Island in a clockwise direction, the course measures approximately 13 miles, with tough multi-terrain conditions. It follows the sea wall, sandy and stony beach and very short stretches of road.
On a thankfully cool day, Braintree's Lindsay Rolerkite was seeking to dispel bad memories of the same race last year. She did so with a vengeance, completing the course in 1hour 44 minutes, more than 18 minutes faster than 2008.
Lindsay is one of a group of Braintree lady road runners,
who have developed from new to running last year, working to tailored programmes
and producing great results on the road.
Report by Joe McEwan
Southend Half / Springfield 5 - 14th June 2009
Braintree and District Athletic road runners were in action at the weekend.
On Sunday, six runners took the trip to the coast for the Annual Southend Half Marathon Half Marathon in aid of Fairhavens Hospice. It was a beautiful day for the seaside but conditions were somewhat hot for the 1500 or so runners on this 13.1 mile course.
Nick Cole was first home for the club in a personal best time of 1h 29m 29s, followed by Simon Mennell in 1h 34m 38s.
Lindsay Rolerkite smashed her pb by over 4 minutes to finish in 1h 49m 42s.
Mark Fribbens had a recurrence of a recent injury but still managed to finish in 1h 53m 09s.
Lisa Pohl did well in these conditions to cross the line in 2h 09m, which was the same time as last year's event, while Wendy Smalley finished in 2h 11m 08s.
At the Springfield Striders Friday Night 5 mile race, run in the country lanes
around Howe Street, Mark Fribbens and Freya Rowling
ran the course together in 41m 30s, a PB by over a minute for Freya.
Report by Joe McEwan
Edinburgh and Cork Tilly Hilly - 7th June 2009
Braintree and District Athletic Club had a number of runners in action last week, close to home and farther away.
On Sunday, two Braintree runners competed in their first 26.2 mile events, the Albert Bartlett Edinburgh Marathon. The race started at the end of Princes Street, round Holyrood Park, down past the modernised and chic Leith Docks, along the Forth of Forth through Portobello, Musselburgh, Prestonpans before returning to finish at Musselburgh Racecourse. With a 50 metre drop overall it is rated one of the fastest Marathon courses in the UK.
Karen Lonton and Freya Rowling ran the course together, finishing in a great time of 4hours 45m.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Joe McEwan took part in his third Cork Marathon in as many years. The weather was very hot at 27 degrees and there was little shade on this tough hilly course. This was the thirtieth marathon for Joe, who finished in 3h 56m 45s.
Two Braintree runners competed in the aptly named Tilty Hill 5 mile race on Sunday. As the name suggests, this is one of the hilliest courses around, although fortunately torrential rain abated just in time for the start. Running in their first races for the club, Ben Stone completed the course in 33minutes 9 seconds, closely followed by Stuart Ellis in 33m 31s, both tremendous times, especially for this course.
Also last week the club put on two 3k time trials as part of the programme to develop and give experience to our newer distance runners. In Tuesday's event Ben Stone completed the course in 11m 30s. He was followed by Stuart Ellis in 11m 37s, Michelle Caulfield 12m 40, Ross Boyer 13m 04, Kevin Bearman 13m 29 and Leslie Boyer in 16m 13.
On Thursday, newcomer Dan Corr put in an amazing time of
10m 21s with great times also by Neil Speed 12m 20s, Ross
Boyer 12m 47, Trevor Sibley 12m 55, Simon
Bentley 13m 02, Paul Miller 13m 03, Alice
Dyer 13m 47, with youngsters Theo Dyer and Connor
Samsum putting in 13m 54 and 13m 57 respectively.
Report by Joe McEwan
Record Turnout For Braintree at Essex Road Relays - 15th March
Braintree and District Athletic Club had over 30 athletes in action on a busy weekend for road running.
The Senior Essex Road Relays were held on Saturday on a bright and sunny afternoon, starting in Melbourne Park Chelmsford. Braintree had four teams of three ladies and three teams of four men, each runner doing a lap of just over 3½ miles over a somewhat gusty course. Despite still being in its first year in roadrunning, the club brought along one of the largest squads to this prestigious event. To provide maximum experience for each runner, teams were split by experience.
First team home for the ladies in an overall time of 88m 59s and 13th place overall comprised Freya Rowling (29m 53s), Sam Bearman (30m 48s), and Pip Dyer in 28m 18s. Our next team in 17th place (92m 7s) consisted of Josie Sheffield (26m 49s), Karen Lonton (29m 30s) and, running in her first race for the club, Sarah Williams (35m 48s).
Next in 19th place (94m) came Michelle Caulfield (fastest leg 24m 49s), Anne Tremelling (37m 51s)and Paula Evans, who completed her first race in 35m 40s. The largest representative ladies' team in the event was completed by Lindsay Rolerkite (32m 54s), Kerry Anne Bell (37m 6s) and Claire Jones 31m 19s). They came a fantastic 21st place in 101m 19s).
In the men's event, first team in for the club (31st overall 106m 29s) consisted of Simon Mennell (fastest leg 23m 4s), Neil Speed (25m 49s), Leighton Green (28m 21s) and Kevin Bearman 29m 10s). Next team in 112m 23s - 34th) came Joe McEwan (26m 38s), Kevin Green (29m 32s), Bradley Green (27m 10s) and Paul Miller (29m 12s). Completing the line up for Braintree in 34th place (113m 40s) were Colm Scolard (27m 55s), Kevin Cockell (33m 17s), Rob Caulfield (29m 14s), and finally Damien Hartshorne, who ran second fastest leg in 23m 14s.
Eight Braintree runners joined 2000 other runners in the Brentwood Half Marathon on a beautiful sunny Sunday morning. Mark Fribbens continued his good form with a time of 1h 38m 29s, followed by host of runners who all did PBs. Ray Sharman finished in 1h 47m 20s and Lee Gardham did 1h 55m 30s, a PB by almost 5 minutes. Faye Ledwell did 2h 4m 6s, Lisa Pohl (2h 6m 6s), Sue Sharman (2h 6m), Wendy Smalley (2h 7m) and Nina Perry (2h 12m 16s) all did remarkably well with PBs on this undulating course. The Braintree Team finished In a very respectable 18th place.
Taking to the Formula 1 Race Track, flying postman Trevor Sibley ran the Silverstone Half Marathon, breaking his PB by over five minutes to finish in 1h 50m 19s.
In the Inter Counties Track Event, Under 17 Richard Pollitt came
a fantastic second in a strong 800 metre field against runners from Essex, Middlesex
and Hertfordshire, achieving a fine PB of 2minutes and 6 seconds.
Report by Joe McEwan
Diss Comes Sixth in National Cross Country - 1st March
A few Braintree and District Athletic Club juniors and seniors were in Action at the weekend.
On Friday, Sophia Diss came a fantastic 6th in the National Independent Schools Cross Country Event at Rugby.
On Sunday three Braintree runners joined 10000 other athletes to run in the Barcelona Marathon.
The race started on the Placa de Espanya at the bottom of the Olympic Hill - Montjuic - taking in such famous sites as Nou Camp, Gaudi's Sagrada Familia and Pedrera and La Rambla before returning to Placa de Espanya for the finish.
Simon Mennell completed his 31st Marathon in a time of 3h 20m 24s (position 1595).
Running in their first marathons, Ray Sharman finished the course in 4.19.10 (6605) while his wife Sue Sharman did a great time of 4.47.11 (7725).
Meanwhile 200 runners turned out for the Essex championship 20 mile road race at Great Bromley, a generally flat course but with a hard climb at the finish. Braintree's Mark Fribbens did a personal best time of 2hr 50 minutes.
Also on Sunday, Emily Bulleid ran for the first time for
Essex in the County Schools Cross Country Event for Year 8 girls. In a race
comprising Essex, Hampshire, Kent, Surrey and Sussex, Emily finished in 45th
place.
Report by Joe McEwan
Great Bentley Half Marathon - 8th February
The cold weather did nothing to deter 8 Braintree and District Athletic Club runners who joined a field of 733 in the Great Bentley Half Marathon on Sunday.
This half marathon is on a very flat rural course, ranked 4th in the UK for Personal Best potential and best race in Essex for the year. It was also the first Essex Championship road race for 2009.
All of Braintree's newer runners achieved personal bests, gained from hard training over the winter months.
Simon Mennell was first in for the club in 1h 30m 41s, his best time for over four years.
Next came Mark Fribbens, who knocked 3 minutes off his pb with a time of 1h 38m 12s.
Lee Gardham finished in 2.00.34 (pb), followed by David Gethin in 2h 2m (pb) and Freya Rowling who smashed her pb by over ten minutes to finish in 2h 04m 06s.
Lisa Pohl and Wendy Smalley stayed together
for most of the race, with pbs of 2h 10m and 2h 10m 30s respectively. Vicky
Hadden, whose 2h 20m 50s was a great time for a first half marathon.
Report by Joe McEwan
Benfleet 15 Miles - 25th January
On Sunday, conditions were dreadful for the annual Benfleet 15 mile race. Most of the course is off road, with the heavy rain producing particularly muddy conditions.
Two of Braintree's Athletes tackled this course for the first time and did exceptionally well.
Mark Fribbens completed the course in 2 hours 14 minutes
and 5 seconds, while Trevor Sibley did it in 2h 30m 45s. Both
were very pleased to complete this extremely challenging race.
Report by Joe McEwan
Beckett Makes it into the Essex Squad - 17th January
Some junior Braintree and District Athletic Club athletes were in action at the Essex Schools Trials at muddy Gloucester Park, Basildon, on 17th January. It was a very wet day on a notoriously tough, hilly course.
Despite the conditions, 14 year old Chloe Beckett did amazingly well to come 16th overall, which qualified her for the Essex squad.
In their respective age groups Richard Pollitt was 33rd and Dan Raven 49th.
Also producing great results were Clarice Parrott, who came
36th out of 96, Daisy Solomon 61st and Kirsty Ronald
78th.
Report by Joe McEwan
Essex Croos Country League - Epping Forest - 3rd January
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Braintree and District Athletic Club joined 21 other clubs in Epping Forest on Saturday for the final match of the Essex Cross Country League hosted by Orion Harriers.
Although it was a bright sunny day, the ground was frozen, and as much of the route was on bridle paths, conditions were very treacherous. Whatever the choice of footwear, spikes, studs or cushioned trainers, this hard and rutted terrain was always going to put pressure on runners' ankles.
The course comprised one, two or three laps, depending on age grouping, with each lap consisting of a long downhill stretch and then an equally long, gruelling uphill haul.
The under 13 girls performed brilliantly again, coming 5th in their match and 5th for the season. First home for them was Sophie Diss, who covered the 3k one lap in 10m 38s giving her 11th place and 14th overall for the season. She was followed by Emily Bulleid in 18th (11m 23s), Chloe Cockell 32nd in 13m, with Ellie Cockell coming in 37th in 15m 42s to give her a great 24th overall.
Scott Johnson brought the Under 15 boys to 8th position for the day, 7th for the season, with his 30th place over the 4k course in an excellent time of 15m 16s.
In the Under 17 Men's 6.5k 2 lap race, Richard Pollitt left his best performance to last, coming in 8th position (10th for the season) in 25m 06s. Daniel Raven also produced his best form finishing in 14th place in 26m 34s. In what is a very competitive group, the U17M Team came in 5th for the day, and 7th overall.
Josie Sheffield ran a great race for the Senior Ladies covering the 6.5k course in 32m 31s bringing her 31st place for the day and 26th for the series. This gave the ladies a very creditable 14th place, 13th overall.
The Senior Men's eight athletes produced their best performance in the 3 lap 5½ mile course, coming 11th on the day and 14th for the season.
First home was Damien Hartshorne, who improved his position dramatically coming 83rd in 36m 59s. Simon Mennell was next in 100th place in 39m 05s and then Wayne Bulleid, completing his first cross country in 115th (41m 41s)
Joe McEwan was 123rd in 42m 43s, Trevor Sibley 128th in 43m 54s, Mark Fribbens 129th in 44m 58s and Leighton Green 129th in 44m 58s. Biggest improvement of the day came from Kevin Cockell, who came 144th in 55m 40s.
For the whole season Damien Hartshorne finished in 58th,
Sim
Report by Joe McEwan
