Parkrun Junior 2K
Only Alexander Eason was in 2K action, again at Jubilee Park.
Parkrun 5K
The recent inclement weather meant that the majority of Parkruns that were able to go ahead were moist under foot.
BRJ’ers returned to Coldham’s Common, Conkers, Conwy, Ferry Meadows, Irchester Country, Oxford, Panshangar, Pocket & Snowden Field. At Storeys Field, Aaron Ball set a new Club 5K PB (#3 of 2023) by beating his previous best set at this venue back in September by a 30 Sec margin.
Alice Noyes made a BRJ Venue Debut at Blaise Castle (Bristol).
At Huntingdon, the Race Director opted to utilise the slightly less rain affected 3 lap route which was enjoyed by 127 finishers although as ever, this was only possible because of the unswerving commitment of the Volunteers. Keelan Duffy, coming back from injury & on his 21st birthday, took the runners-up position.
Weston Christmas Cracker 10K
The course is run over the massive sandy beach at Weston-Super-Mare. Of the 1,235 finishers, Alice Noyes completed the course in position 1,153 in 1:19:59. During the race Alice spotted former BRJ members & now Bristol based Louise & Tim Neal-Hopes.
Grafham Water 10M
Nina Gays & Nicki McMahon, who were both making their Club 10M Debuts, were among the 217 finishers of this trail course. Nina finished in Chip position 107 in a time of 1:24:30 & Nicki in position 108 in 1:24:34.
MK Winter 1/2 Marathon
Simon Pascoe was among the 2,131 finishers in this event based at Willen Lakes in Milton Keynes. In his Debut Club Run at the distance, Simon finished in position 618 in a time of 1:47:49.
Run Before Christmas 1/2 Marathon
This 1/2 Marathon race comprised 5 laps of Brandon Country Park. Of the 60 finishers, Kerry Surkitt finished in 49th position in 2:40:14.
Frostbite Friendly League
Race 3 – March
Race 3 (of 6) headed to March AC’s HQ which is adjacent to Whitemoor Prison. The Junior & Senior courses have been utilised since 2000 & comprised a mixture of Grass, Gravel Tracks & Tarmac. Despite the significant rainfall in the preceding weeks, the surface of the course was surprisingly good if you were wearing the correct footwear choice. Thankfully, the forecasted rain showers stayed away until well after the final Senior runner finished. Despite this, the number of participants across most clubs, including BRJ, were significantly down on normal.
The full set of results for Race 3 can be found on the Frostbite Friendly League website.
For your diaries, the next Frostbite event (Race 4 of 6), hosted by Hunts AC, takes place on the 14th January 2024 at Hinchingbrooke Country Park. Given this is effectively a “Home” fixture it is hoped that there will be an increased Club presence by the Junior & Senior members.
Junior – There were 89 Junior finishers which included just 2 BRJ’ers. These were Isaac Friswell & Tom Sheldon, Sadly, this was below the minimum number of 5 finishers required to secure a team score, thus a penalty score was awarded. BRJ finished in 9th position of the 13 clubs on the day with 5 League Points & so BRJ remain in 6th place overall going into Race 4 on 22 League Points, just behind Yaxley. A good Junior turnout at Race 4 could see BRJ move up to at least 5th position.
The Junior stats for Race 3 were:
Team Scorers – Isaac Friswell & Tom Sheldon
Debut at Venue – Isaac Friswell
PB at Venue – Tom Sheldon
Senior – There were 362 Senior finishers which included 20 BRJ’ers. BRJ finished in 9th position of the 16 clubs with 18 League Points & currently BRJ sit in 9th place overall going into Race 4 on 27 League Points, 2 points behind Thorney.
It was great to see Alex Howard compete in his first Frostbite for 6 seasons. Unluckiest BRJ’er was Paul Mitton who was forced to retire after just 500 metres with a turned ankle.
The Senior stats were:
Team Scorers – William Dales, Keelan Duffy, Slawomir Dziarmara, Frank Holmes, Christine Howard, Bryn Jones, Heledd Marshall-Roberts, Andrew Skea, David Ward & Melanie Wiffin.
Debut at Venue – Slawomir Dziarmara, Christine Howard, Bryn Jones, Mark Sheldon, Andrew Skea & David Ward.
PB at Venue – William Dales
Junior Running Champs 2023
The final “Nominated” event in the 2023 Junior Running Champs, a track based 3K, were held on the 6th December. The results for the 22 participants, including the Age / Gender Graded scores counting towards the 2023 Champs are detailed below.
The final scores / results will be announced shortly along with the programme of “Nominated” events that will form the Junior 2024 Championships
