6th October
RUNNING
Junior Parkrun 2K
Christopher Scott was the sole BRJ Junior in action where he took 1st place at Jubilee Park.
Parkrun 5K
The weekend saw BRJ’ers return to venues at Irchester Country, March, Rushcliffe, Sloughbottom & Whittlesey. There were no Club 5K PB’s secured at any of these venues.
There were 3 BRJ Parkrun venue debuts at Ashford (Katherine Ireson), Centre Vale (Colin West) & Henlow Bridge Lakes (Mark Jackman, Pat & Peter Jackson & Phil Pearsons). At Huntingdon, Felicity Baillie earned a 26 Sec Club PB & Junior Matthew Ainscow, a 2 Sec PB.
London Marathon
The first London Marathon for 889 days saw the usual Mass & a for the 2nd year running a Virtual event. For the Mass event, the finishers experienced a number of new processes aimed at making the event COVID compliant, the main differences from previous years being the releasing of the competitors in waves of approx 1,000 people per wave at 3 minute intervals. Sadly, none of the BRJ’ers that had secured a coveted club ballot place (from the 2020 draw) were on the start line, as both Sue Ray & Ian Wilson sustained injuries in the latter phases of their training & Belinda Parker was allocated a place in the October 2022 event. Belinda did run in the Virtual event with Sue Yendley.
The 10 BRJ’ers that made it to the Mass start line enjoyed good weather conditions although the gusting winds created a strong “Wind Tunnel” effect around the Docklands area which is never welcomed. The conditions & the preparations of these individuals resulted in some fantastic individual performances namely 5 Club Marathon PB’s & 4 Debut Club Marathons.
The individual results & stats identified are detailed below. If you are not mentioned you are asked to make contact so this can be rectified.
MASS EVENT (35,833 Finishers)
Robert Farrant – Finish time of 2:46:21 in position 707 (Club PB by 2 Mins 33 Secs compared with London 2019. Rob remains as 4th Fastest BRJ Man over the Marathon distance)
Keelan Duffy – 2:56:27 in position 1,623 (Debut Club Marathon & placing him as 8th Fastest BRJ Man over the Marathon)
Marcela Gracova – 3:18:16 in Position 4,106 (Debut Club Marathon & placing her 3rd Fastest BRJ Woman over the Marathon)
William Dales – 3:17:12 in position 3,970 (Debut Club Marathon)
Alice Synge – 3:36:07 in position 7,041 (Club PB by 5 Mins 32 Secs compared with London 2019)
Nicki McMahon – 3:46:05 in position 9,067 (Club PB by 41 Mins 36 Secs compared with 2019 Ouse Valley Way Marathon)
Heledd Marshall-Roberts – 3:53:26 in position 10,751 (Debut Club Marathon)
Alice Edwards – 4:17:30 in position 16,409
Alexandra Smart – 4:59:07 in position 25,566 (Club PB by 2 Hrs 16 Mins 32 Secs compared with the 2020 VIRTUAL London Marathon)
Samantha Ahern – 7:01:46 in position 35,240 (Club PB by 50 Mins 59 Secs compared with the 2020 VIRTUAL London Marathon)
VIRTUAL EVENT (23,132 Finishers)
Belinda Parker – 5:06:20 in position 8,642
Sue Yendley – 5:08:24 in position 8,835
Chester Marathon
John Clark was the sole BRJ’er participating in this event. John finished in position 884 of the 1,711 finishers in a time of 4:17:26, just shy of is current club Marathon PB.
MULTI-SPORTS
Ironman Barcelona
Frank Holmes was in action at a wild & windy Barcelona. The sea conditions on race day meant that the distance for the Swim phase had to be reduced to 950 metres from the usual 2.4 miles. The rough waves Frank experienced on exiting the water also caused him to lose his (expensive) Swim Goggles & during the marathon distance run phase he picked up a leg injury. Despite all of these challenges he finished in a time of 11 Hrs 39 Mins 37 Secs in position 1,031 of the 1,498 finishers, qualifying him as a “IRONMAN”. His stats were:-
Swim – 00:14:02
T1 – 00:06:14
Bike – 5:19:09
T2 – 00:06:40
Run – 5:53:52
11th October
RUNNING
Parkrun Junior 2K
Nil Reported
Parkrun 5K
There were BRJ returns to East Grinstead, Ferry Meadows, Haverhill, Henlow Bridge Lakes, March (Course PB for Jules Farrow), Whittlesey & Woodhouse Moor. No Club 5K PB’s were secured at these venues although Keelan Duffy exactly matched his Course PB at Woodhouse Moor just 7 days after his speedy sub-3 Club debut at the London Marathon.
At Storeys Field, Chloe Wilson secured a 19 Sec Club 5k PB, her 6th of 2021.
At a foggy Huntingdon, Marcela Gracova, just 6 days after her fantastic 3 Hr 16 Min debut Club Marathon in London, secured a 22 Sec Club 5K PB, her 3rd PB of 2021. Marcela is also now the 2nd fastest BRJ Lady over the 5K distance overtaking Shelley Duffy. In-form Paul Treadwall secured himself a 1 Min 5 Sec Club PB, his 9th of 2021. Richard Stevens completed Parkrun #100 & duly supplied cake.
Silverstone 5K
Richard Orrell completed the race in a time of 00:25:30 in position 104 of the 591 finishers.
Salcey Forest 10K
Colin West was amongst the 156 competitors finishing this multi-terrain event in a time of 1:05:30 in position 115.
Silverstone 10K
All of the honours went to the Mitton’s (Alex & Paul) as they both secured themselves new Club 10K PB’s. Stats for the BRJ squad among the 1,746 finishers were:-
Alex Mitton – Position 65 in 00:40:01 (PB by 2 Mins16 Secs since September 2021’s Northstowe10k)
Paul Mitton – Position 72 in 00:40:17 (PB by 9 Secs since October 2020’s Bedford Autodrome 10K)
Alison Orrell- Position 351 in 00:49:26
Thomas Brand – Position 544 in 00:53:17
London Royal Parks 1/2 Marathon
Alex Howard made a welcome club return to racing over the 1/2 Marathon distance. The race started in The Mall & followed a twisty route through St James’s Park, Hyde Park & Green Park finishing opposite the Albert Hall. In lovely conditions, Alex finished in a time of 1:46:24 which was just outside his 1:45 target, in position 1,096 of the 10,087 finishers.
Silverstone 1/2 Marathon
Just 1 week after the London Marathon Alice Edwards was the sole BRJ’er in this event. Alice finished in a time of 1:55:09 in position 699 / 1,483.
Boston (USA) Virtual Marathon
Pre-COVID, the Boston (USA) Marathon is usually staged in April of each year, but for 2021 it was delayed to 11th October. Sadly, non-US residents were, for the second year running, banned from competing in the Mass event thus having to settle for the Virtual option. Just 5 days after his spectacular 2 Hr 46 Min Club PB finish in the London Marathon, Rob Farrant successfully completed this Virtual solo run around the Fenland Hills in a finish time of 3 Hrs 16 Mins 33 Secs.
MULTI-SPORTS
Colwick Park (Nottingham) 3K Swim
The event was organised by the British Long Distance Swim Association & so attracted a high calibre of open water swimmers. The race consisted of 6 laps with a river water temperature of a chilly 13 degrees. Sophie’s Etheridge secured 1st place in a time of 1 Hr 15 Mins,
23rd October
RUNNING
Junior Parkrun 2K
3 BRJ’ers competed at Jubilee Park, but no PB’s were recorded.
Parkrun 5K
Last weekend saw BRJ returns to Brockenhurst, Chippenham, Colney Lane, Eastleigh, Sizewell, Stevenage, Storeys Field, Whittlesey, Woodhouse Moor & York. No PB’s were recorded at these venues.
There were BRJ venue debuts at Llanerchaeron (Pat & Peter Jackson) & Oaklands (Melanie Gearing).No PB’s were recorded at these venues.
At Huntingdon, there was lower than usual attendance with many racing on the Sunday. David Charman took advantage of the less crowded course to secure a 28 Sec Club 5k PB.
Cambridge Town & Gown 10K
The event saw a 6 person BRJ squad, 50% of which were from the cohort of members that joined the most recent BRJ Beginners Course. As ever, the event attracted a large field (955 finishers). The stats for our members were:-
Richard Stevens – Position 472 in 00:56:15
Jane Jenner – Position 497 in 00:56:37 (Debut Club 10K)
Nick Fleming – Position 885 in 1:14:32 (Debut Club 10K)
Claire Maneri – Position 887 in 1:14:36 (Debut Club 10K)
David Ward – Position 895 in 1:14:44
Emma Stevens – Position 910 in 1:16:13
Duxford Dash 5K & 10K
Mia Mucha was the sole BRJ entrant in the 5K race, finishing in position 30 of the 113 finishers in a time of 00:27:30. Mia took 3rd place in her Age Category.
In the 10K, Tom Brand finished in 00:51:40 in position 98 / 350.
Great South Run (10 Miles)
Mike Gullis was the sole participant amongst the 11,417 finishers. Mike finished in a time of 1:25.41 in position 2,852.
Cambridge 1/2 Marathon
As expected the event attracted a large turnout (9,400 finishers), which included 32 BRJ’ers, who in turn generated 9 new Club 1/2 Marathon PBs and 7 members making their Club Debut at the distance.
Nicki McMahon was the official pacer for those runners aiming for a 2 hour finish. To bring them home within 18 Secs of this time was no mean feat. The stats for our members were:-
NAME TIME POSITION
Robert Farrant 1:17:28 55 (Club PB)
Kevin Claypole 1:26:02 299
Marcela Gracova 1:26:43 324 (PB – Now 3rd fastest BRJ Woman at 1/2 Marathon)
Paul Mitton 1:26:59 335 (PB)
Felicity Baillie 1:30:18 568 (PB – Now 4th fastest BRJ Woman at 1/2 Marathon)
Alex Mitton 1:33:05 757 (Debut Club 1/2 Marathon)
Alice Synge 1:38:44 1,350 (PB)
John Clark 1:42:12 1,829
Phillip Graham-Clare 1:44:16 2,168 (Debut Club 1/2 Marathon)
Paul Treadwell 1:46:22 2,500 (PB)
Andrew Shutt 1:46:26 2,514 (Debut Club 1/2 Marathon)
Heledd Marshall-Roberts 1:47:05 2,607
Stephen Rochford 1:48:08 2,798 (PB)
Jessica Barrett-Drylie 1:50:27 3,214 (Debut Club 1/2 Marathon)
Gerry Pye 1:57:30 4,485 (Debut Club 1/2 Marathon)
Rosalind Dare 1:57:46 4,531 (PB)
Louise Clinton 1:57:50 4,545
Kevin Ryan 1:59:18 4,837
Nicki McMahon 1:59:42 4,926
Karen Gilchrist 2:01:07 5,151 (PB)
Lisa Shacklock 2:04:19 5,661 (Debut Club 1/2 Marathon)
Alex Howard 2:05:26 5,827
Phillip Burns 2:08:54 6,299
Dan Ainscow 2:12:14 6,734
Colin West 2:17:13 7,313
Joanna Watts 2:19:45 7,577 (Debut Club 1/2 Marathon)
Rae Maynard 2:21:19 7,717
Melanie Gearing 2:25:00 8,024
Alexandra Smart 2:30:01 8,381
Iain Drylie 2:38:48 8,819
Hon-Wai Pang 2:42:50. 8,966
Jonathon Eason 2:50:30 9,144
Oxford 1/2 Marathon
Ian Wilson, in his first outing since having to defer his London Marathon place due to injury, was amongst the 7,251 finishers. Ian crossed the line in position 2,175 in a time of 1:50:59. Chloe Wilson, in her debut Club 1/2 Marathon, finished in position 4,599 in 2:10:47.
New members, Amy & Nev Dixon made their Club Debuts at the distance in 2:33:14 / Position 6,397 & 2:34:16 / Position 6,438 respectively.
Chelmsford Marathon
Charles Sather, in his Debut Club Run, successfully completed the race, forming the 2021 Essex Marathon Champs, in a time of 4:19:23 in position 325 of the 536 finishers. Charles is yet another BRJ’er joining the”Marathon Club”
Yorkshire Marathon
The “BRJ 3”, Amanda Roland-Convey & Annette / David Newton represented the club at this event based around the city of York and its surounding hills that attracted 3,001 finishers. David was the lead BRJ’er finishing in position 586 in a fantastic time of 3:37:01 a new Club PB by 1 Min 23 Secs over the time he set at Edinburgh back in 2018. David also secured bronze medal place in the MV70+ Category.
Amanda, finishing in position 756 in 3:44:48, just shy of her current Club PB that was set back in 2013, but importantly smashed the Good for Age qualifying time for the 2022 London Marathon. Annette, 4:01:04 in position 1,187, took the Silver Medal Age Category place.
RUNNING
Junior Parkrun 2K
New Junior members Amelie & Ethan Ward made their Club 2K Debuts at the Jubilee Park venue.
Parkrun 5K
There were BRJ returns to Blicking, Chester, Clapham Common, Dalby Forest, Hastings, March & Storeys Field. There were no Club PB’s achieved at any of these venues. At Huntingdon, Junior Ethan Ward made his Club 5K debut & Richard Orrell completed Parkrun #200 (& also #150 over the Huntingdon course)
Willen (Milton Keynes) 5K
Keelan Duffy finished in 8th position of the 408 finishers in a time of 00:17:02. This represents a 3 Sec Club PB, #7 of 2021. Keelan secured the 3rd Senior Male podium place.
Tough Runner Bucks Epic 10K
Paul Treadwell completed this tough trail event staged at Wendover Woods (adjacent to RAF Halton), the course having a 239 meter elevation gain. Paul finished in a time of 1:03:01 in position 118 of the 334 finishers. Apparently it was fun!
Liverpool Rock N’ Roll 1/2 Marathon
Ruth & Anthony Foster were amongst the 4,774 finishers. Their results were position 1,057 in 1:51:27 for Ruth & 1,741 in 1:59:40 for Anthony.
Beachy Head Marathon
Formerly known as the 7 Sisters Marathon, the course starts at the Western edge of Eastbourne with an immediate 45 degree / 200 metre climb up to the South Downs Way with the course heading west & finally dropping South to Cuckmere Haven & then joining the iconic 7 Sisters range of chalk cliffs at Birling Gap. The route then heads Eastwards passing the redundant Belle Tout Lighthouse & its more modern replacement (built 1902) at Beachy Head, before returning to the very welcome steep drop to the finish line an overall course ascent of 1,318 feet. The course record times are 2:40:09 (Men) & 2:49:59 (Women).
Unfortunately, just a few days before the race, extensive rainfall caused flooding & landslides meaning that the route had to be revised, or the event cancelled, As the Half Marathon had been staged 1 week earlier the decision was taken to change the Marathon route to 2 laps of the Half Marathon. Sadly, this decision denied the runners some of the spectacular views of the landscape & picturesque villages, but did thankfully include the section along the 7 Sisters / Beachy Head. Each lap of the revised course covered a 1,591 foot ascent so was just as challenging. 2 BRJ’ers were amongst the 1.560 finishers that successfully took on this challenge, namely Kathryn Heath (who described the course as “Brutal”) & Gemma Palmer-Dighton. Their respective results were:-
Kathryn Heath – Position 1,399 in 6:48:28
Gemma Palmer-Dighton – Position 1,439 in 7:03:55
Liverpool Rock N’ Roll Marathon
Frank Holmes was the sole BRJ’er participating in the 7th & final Liverpool Rock N’ Roll event which had to re-scheduled from its usual May date. Despite still nursing a slight calf injury, Frank successfully completed the event in a time of 3:46:15 in position 483 of the 2,107 finishers.
MULTI-SPORTS
Aberdeen Uni Kings Duathlon
Jessica Barrett-Drylie took part in the Open / Novice event, comprising a 400 metre pool swim followed by a beachfront 5K run.
Jessica’s finished in position 13 out of 52 in a time of 00:33:02. Her individual stats were:-
Swim (400M) – 00:07:34
T1 – 00:00:51
Run (5K) – 00:24:37
CROSS COUNTRY
Frostbite Friendly League Event (#1of 6)- Priory Park, St Neots (Hosted by Riverside Runners)
After a 18 month enforced break, the Frostbite Friendly League is finally back! Riverside Runners again hosted the Junior (1.5M) & Senior (5M) events at Priory Park but instead of the usual weather conditions of fog, frost, ice, rain or very heavy rain, blue skies were very much in evidence with just a slight headwind towards the finish line.
Junior 1.5 Mile – A club turnout of 7 boy & 6 girls were amongst the 142 finishers. The squad finished with 285 Position Points which places BRJ in 6th position out of the 15 teams going into round 2 on the 7th November. The Club Junior stats for event #1 are:-
POSITION NAME
38 Christopher Scott (Debut at Venue & Team Scorer)
49 Samuel Gibbons( Debut at Venue & Team Scorer)
54 Thomas Portieri (Debut at Venue & Team Scorer)
56 Josh Spavins (Debut at Venue)
57 Freya Harris (Debut at Venue & Team Scorer)
68 Dhruv Makwane (Debut at Venue)
70 Henry Reeve (Debut at Venue)
87 Iris Purser (Debut at Venue & Team Scorer)
89. Katie Lassester (Debut at Venue)
116 Rebecca Ainscow (Debut at Venue)
117 Amy Lasseter (Debut at Venue)
119 Jack Reeve (Debut at Venue)
132 Nyah Scott (Debut at Venue)
Senior 5 Mile – A club turnout of 17 Men & 8 Women were amongst the 381 finishers. The squad finished with 1,157 Position Points which places BRJ in 7th position out of the 16 teams. The Club Senior stats for event #1 are:-
POSITION NAME
11 Keelan Duffy (PB at Debut & Team Scorer)
75 Marco Wasserleben (Team Scorer)
83 Paul Mitton (PB at Venue & Team Scorer)
90 David Ward (Debut at Venue & Team Scorer)
91 Alex Mitton (Debut at Venue & Team Scorer)
104 Felicity Baillie (Debut at Venue & Team Scorer)
113 Neil Whitaker (Debut at Venue & Team Scorer)
119 Tim Legge (Debut at Venue & Team Scorer)
130 Jim Hopkins
132 Harrison Evans
152 David Charman (PB at Venue)
162 Chris Brown (Debut at Venue)
171 Richard Orrell
192 Gilles Corby
206 Ian Wilson
215 Alison Orrell (Team Scorer)
228 Mike Gullis
231 Tom Brand (PB at Venue)
256 Alice Edwards (Team Scorer)
273 Karen Gilchrist (Debut at Venue)
282 Alexandra Smart (PB at Venue)
301 Karen Charman (PB at Venue)
318 Juliet Aungier
322 Dan Ainscow
370 Jane Ainscow
The full list of results can be found on the league website (www.frostbiteleague.org.uk)
LOOK FORWARD – The next Frostbite Friendly League Event (#2 of 6) – 7th November 2021 (Nene Park, Peterborough hosted by Bushfield Joggers)
1st November
RUNNING
Alongside the club achievements from the weekend, we now have a new Club Women’s 10 Mile Champion!
Junior Parkrun 2K
No results reported
Parkrun 5K
There were BRJ returns to Pieschener Allee (Dresden, Germany), Pocket, Sheringham, Storeys Field, Upton Court & Whittlesey. There were no PB’s secured at any of these venues. Keelan Duffy made a Club debut at the Potternewton Parkrun (Leeds) taking the overall win.
At Huntingdon, 2 new Club PB’s were secured for Junior Christopher Scott by 21 Secs (PB #5 of 2021 & 1 ahead of Jack Parker) & Karen Gilchrist by 18 Secs (PB #3 of 2021).
Church Stretton 10K
Gail and Simon Lumley participated in the inaugural Church Stretton 10K. The route would be very familiar to those that have walked the picturesque & geologically important Longmynd range of hills in Shropshire. The race started 500 metres on the level in the town and then headed straight up the road onto the top of the Longmynd, a bit of a loop on the top and then back down the road. The road is too steep and too long to “let go” completely. Simon got very close to nose-on-tarmac velocity, but thankfully nowhere near potential terminal velocity! Both Gail & Simon were pleased with their times compared to last years flat Duxford Dash 10K, especially seeing as there was 945 feet of ascent to the high point of the course. Simon finished in a time of 00:55:25 and Gail race-walked in 1:35:41.
Lincoln 10K
2 BRJ’ers were amongst the 2,575 finishers braving the torrential rain, gales & flooded roads to complete this hilly 10K. Alex Mitton was our first home in position 173 in a time of 00:41:47. Having recently graduated from the Beginners group, Claire Pearce made her Club 10K debut finishing in position 2,195 in 1:11:58.
Fenland 10 Miles
The Fenlands were not exempt from the extreme weather conditions affecting the country. With these challenging conditions, it looked unlikely that this flat, fast course would deliver on this claim for the 296 finishers & so it was a very pleasant surprise that 50% of our reduced size squad (The “Newtons” were a DNS due to a poorly non-COVID David) secured Club PB’s, a new Club Distance Champion & Age Category podium places
The in-form Marcela Gracova in her Club 10 Mile debut, put in a huge performance to finish in 19th position overall & 2nd female. Her time of 1:05:56 means she is now Club Women’s 10 Mile Champion by virtue of beating Shelley Duffy’s time set at the same course in 2018 by a margin of 2 Mins 23 Secs. Marcela is now a Distance Champion at both 5 & 10 Miles. Marcela was also 1st Senior Female. Apparently, her improved performances are down to Rob Farrant’s coaching!
POSITION NAME TIME
89 Chris Brown 1:17:30
129 Alison Orrell 1:24:18 (Club PB by 9 Secs since Fenland 10 in 2019 & 3rd FV55-59)
146 Alice Edwards. 1:27:08
Love Luton Half Marathon
Felicity Baillie, “supervising” 2 non-BRJ family members, competed in this event around a course featuring the highlights of the town finishing in the local football ground. There 370 finishers with Felicity crossing the line in position 159 in 1:55:02.
9th November
RUNNING
4 BRJ Juniors braved the windy conditions to compete at Jubilee Park. These individuals were Martha Lewey (Club 2K PB), Ethan Ward (PB & completed Parkrun #25), Harrison Pearson & Amelie Ward (PB).
Parkrun 5k
There were BRJ returns to Ferry Meadows, Lochore Meadows (Scotland) & Whittlesey. No Club PB’s were secured at any of these venues.
BRJ made a Club Debut, via Colin West, at the Sandringham Parkrun. At Huntingdon, event #369 produced 4 new Club 5K PB’s. In order of merit these were Freya Harris (by 1 Min 14 Secs / Run Club PB#4 of 2021 & current Runner-Up in this competition), Matthew Ainscow (by 1 Min 3 Secs / PB#2), Sara Graham-Clare (by 36 Secs / PB#1 of 2021) & Stephen Rochford (by 31 Secs / PB#4 of 2021). Junior Henry Reeve made his Club 5K debut.
Bonfire Burn 10K
Paul Treadwell completed this local annual event, finishing in position 237 of the 573 finishers in a time of 00:53:10.
Abbeycroft Leisure Marathon (Bury St Edmunds)
New member, Kerry Surkiit, made her Club Marathon debut in this Bury St Edmunds based event in position 30 of the 42 finishers in a time of 4:43:32. Kerry secured a bronze medal Age Category position. Kerry is on a personal challenge to complete 100 marathons & if all goes to plan Kerry will complete her challenge on the 16th January 2022 ay Hinchingbrooke Park which is the week of her 50th birthday. Because of her challenge, Kerry has been accepted as an Associate Member of the 100 Marathon Club. Our very own Tony Cotton is a full member of this elite group.
MULTI-SPORTS
None Reported
CROSS COUNTRY
Frostbite Friendly League Event (#2 of 6) – Nene Park (Hosted by Bushfield Joggers)
Bushfield (Bushy) hosted the Junior (1.5M) & Senior (5M) events. As with Race #1, blue skies were again very much in evidence, but with gusting winds particularly along the river. Sadly, the Race Director had to disqualify one of the finishers as they were not wearing kit that associated them to a Club. For BRJ’ers that do not own kit displaying the Club logo there are generally spares available, but this may not always be the case so in order you do not suffer the same fate at a future Frostbite of Road Race you should consider purchasing club kit. The range of items available is described on the Club Website (About Us / Club Kit & Leisurewear). If any help is required for your kit selection / sizing, the e-mail link to the Club’s Kit Officer (Anna Best) is:- email hidden; JavaScript is required
Junior 1.5 Mile – A club turnout of 6 Boys & 5 Girls were amongst the 150 finishers. Our squad finished with 230 Position Points in 5th position of the 15 teams. This great result places the Junior squad in 5th Position overall going into round 3 at Hinchingbrooke Country Park on the 12th December. The Club Junior stats for event #2 are:-
POSITION NAME
32 Christopher Scott (PB at Venue & Team Scorer)
42 Freya Harris (Debut at Venue & Team Scorer)
45 Josh Spavins (Debut at Venue & Team Scorer)
48 Thomas Portieri (Debut at Venue & Team Scorer)
59 Henry Reeve (Debut at Venue)
63 Katie Lasseter (Debut at Venue & Team Scorer)
72 Callum Watts (PB at Venue)
107 Declan Watts (Debut at Venue)
109 Rebecca Ainscow (Debut at Venue)
111 Amy Lasseter (Debut at Venue)
141 Nyah Scott (Debut at Venue)
Senior 5 Mile – A club turnout of 16 Men & 13 Women were amongst the 450 finishers. The squad finished 6th with 983 Position Points. This places the Senior squad in 7th position overall of the 16 teams. The Club Senior stats for event #2 are:-
POSITION NAME
15 Keelan Duffy (PB at Venue & Team Scorer)
46 Marcela Gracova (PB at Venue & Team Scorer. Now Club Venue Champion beating Shelley Duffy’s record by 2 Mins 6 Secs)
76 Paul Mitton (PB at Venue & Team Scorer)
85 Simon Moore (Team Scorer)
88 Alex Mitton (PB at Venue & Team Scorer)
105 Felicity Baillie (Debut at Venue & Team Scorer)
109 Marco Wassersleben (Team Scorer)
130 David Ward (Team Scorer)
138 Jim Hopkins (Team Scorer)
156 Gilles Corby
167 Tim Phillips (Debut at Venue)
171 Harrison Evans
176 Richard Orrell
191 Heledd Marshall-Roberts (Debut at Venue & Team Scorer)
199 Nicki McMahon (Debut at Venue)
200 Ruth Foster
202 Ian Wilson (PB at Venue)
220 Stephen Rochford (Debut at Venue)
230 Alison Orrell
234 Mike Gullis
245 Tony Foster
288 Alice Edwards
307 Karen Gilchrist (Debut at Venue)
319 Claire Ashton
336 Simon Lumley
346 Kate Ruddock
364 Joanna Watts (Debut at Venue)
434 Jane Ainscow (Debut at Venue)
437 Rebecca Carmody (Debut at Venue)
The full list of results can be found on the league website (www.frostbiteleague.org.uk)
16th November
RUNNING
The impacts of Covid on Road Running meant that the Club saw no new Road Running Distance Champions for many months & then 2 come along within 2 weeks of each other!
Parkrun Junior 2K-
Katie Lasseter was the sole BRJ’er participating in a 2K Parkrun last weekend, which was Jubilee Park. No PB was secured.
Parkrun 5K
BRJ’ers returned to Ferry Meadows, Luton Wardown, March, Market Harborough & Storeys Field. At Market Rasen Racecourse, Claire Pearce secured a 40 Sec Club PB (#5 of 2021).
BRJ’ers made 2 Club Parkrun debuts. These were Junior Christopher Scott at the Watermead Country Park (Leicester) securing a 53 Sec Club 5K PB (#6 of 2021) & Alice Noyes participating at Chilton Fields (Stowmarket). The Huntingdon Parkrun saw 3 Club PB’ers. These were Felicity Baillie by 17 Secs (PB #6 of 2021), Kags Alexander-Cahill by 12 Secs (PB #5) & Gerry Pye by 7 Secs (PB #2). Ian Wilson completed Parkrun #200.
George Munday 10K
The in-form Marcela Gracova was the only club participant. Marcela was the leading Women, some 3 minutes clear of the Runner-Up, finishing in position 19 of the 277 finishers in a spectacular time of 00:38:32. She secured herself a 2 Min 53 Sec Club PB (#5 of 2021) when compared with her time set in 2019 at the Peterborough New Years Eve event. Her time also broke the Women’s Course Record by a margin of 2 Mins & most importantly also makes her the BRJ’s new Women’s 10K Champion by virtue of beating the previous record by 6 Secs over that set by former member Sabrina Crothall at the Bedford AAA 10K of July 2019. Marcela now holds the Club’s Women’s Distance records at 5 Miles, 10K & 10 Miles & it looks fairly certain that other Club Records will be under threat.
Rutland Water Night Run 10K
This 10K race started & finished at the iconic Normanton Church of the South side of Rutland Water. Of the 460 finishers, Nicki McMahon led home the BRJ squad picking up a runner-up age category place, whilst Stephen Rochford made his club 10K debut earning PB #5 of 2021. Detailed results are:-
NAME TIME POSITION
Nicki McMahon 00:49:05 62 (2nd FV35-39)
Stephen Rochford 00:51:04 89 (Debut Club 10K & PB #5 of 2021)
Thomas Brand 00:55:33 163
Tony Farrow 1:00:43 249
Kirkstall Abbey Trail 1/2 Marathon
Keelan Duffy raced at this 1/2 Marathon Trail event based at Kirkstall Abbey, a ruined Cistercian Monastery situated in Leeds on the banks of the River Aire. It was a very difficult course (5/5 on the tough scale rating) and sadly, there were a few ”organisational” issues. Firstly, all the runners were sent in the wrong direction meaning the course distance came up about a 1K short. Keelan crossed the finish line at exactly the same time as another runner in a time of 1:17:37. The finish line officials could not easily determine who had won so they checked the VAR (chip timer) & announced Keelan as the overall winner & presented him with the 1st place trophy. However, the Official results released later in the day placed Keelan as 2nd place by a margin of just 1 second.
Despite the organisational issues, it was great run & had the course had not been 1K short of the official 21K distance, Keelan would have finished in just under 1 Hr 22 Mins which would have fallen well within his current Club 1/2 Marathon PB of 1:24:36 set at Cambridge in October 2021.
Remembrance Runs (Hinchingbrooke Country Park)
The event offered a variety of distances from 5K, 10K, 1/2 Marathon, Full Marathon to Ultra Marathon, based on measured laps of Hinchingbrooke Country Park. BRJ’ers tackled the 1/2 & Full Marathon distances.
1/2 Marathon – The course consisted of 4 laps & there were 35 finishers. The BRJ participants, 2 of which were making their Club 1/2 Marathon debuts were:-
NAME TIME POSITION
Karen Gilchrist 2:09:28 16
Chloe Rudd 2:36:02. 30 (Debut Club 1/2 Marathon)
Joanne Watts 2:36:11 31
Sara Graham-Clare 2:36:59 32 (Debut Club 1/2 Marathon)
Marathon – Kerry Surkitt, as part of a personal challenge to complete 100 Marathons for charity, participated in the full Marathon based on 8 laps of Hinchingbrooke Country Park. Kerry finished in a time of 4:42:22 in position 17 of the 33 finishers. This was a new Club Marathon PB by 1 Min 10 Secs.
Gower Peninsula Ultra Marathon
Frank Holmes participated in this 53K (33 Mile) Ultra Marathon based in the Gower Peninsula, an Area of Outstanding National Beauty. The course featured a 3,874 foot ascent & of the 185 finishers, Frank finished in position 81 in a time of 6:13:04.
MULTI-SPORTS
British University & Colleges Sports (BUCS) Duathlon
Of the 448 finishers, Jessica Barrett-Drylie completed the event in position 408 in a time of 1:19:47 (64th / 97 in her category). Her splits were:-
Run 1 (5K) – 00:22:10
T1 – 00:01:17
Bike (18K) – 00:42:53
T2 – 00:01:03
Run 2 (2.5K) – 00:12:23
24th November
RUNNING
Parkrun Junior 2K
No results reported
Parkrun 5K
The weekend saw BRJ returns to Amager Strandpark (Denmark), Ferry Meadows (Marcela Gracova secured a 22 Sec Club 5K PB. This was PB #6 of 2021 making her joint leader in the Annual Women’s PB Competition alongside Felicity Baillie & Jessica Barret-Drylie), March, Oxford (Chloe Wilson completed Parkrun #200), Rising Sun (Claire Few completed Parkrun #150), Roundhay (Keelan Duffy took 1st place), Rosliston, Sheringham (Kerry Surkitt made her Club 5K debut) & Storeys Field.
BRJ tourists made debuts at Bury Field (Harrison Evans) & Wallaceneuk (Jane & Tony Farrow). There were no Club PB’s at these events.
The Huntingdon event was a BRJ “Takeover” at which Kags Alexander-Cahill completed Parkrun #50. Unluckiest athlete was Paul Treadwell who missed his current Club 5K PB time by just 2 Secs.
St Neots Junior 2K
No results reported
St Neots 1/2 Marathon
This popular local event returned after a 2 year break. The weather was a lot warmer than in most previous years, however whilst the direction of the wind assisted runners up the 2 ascents of the steep hill at Abbotsley, it turned into a strong headwind over the final 3 miles to the finish.
26 BRJ’ers made up the 1,002 finishers. Surprisingly, there were no Club 1/2 Marathon PB’s set this year although Jonathan Harding (our first man home) & Ian Percy made their Club 1/2M marathon debuts. Jonathon’s 2021 result beat his Non-BRJ PB Marathon time by 11 secs that was also recorded at St Neots 2019. The BRJ’ers results were:-
NAME TIME POSITION
Jonathan Harding 1:25:36 54 (Debut Club 1/2 Marathon)
Paul Mitton 1:27:40 73
Simon Moore 1:31:42 138
Felicity Baillie 1:38:50 261
Chris Brown 1:41:05 299
Ulf Maske 1:41:49 318
Alice Synge 1:41:42 319
Nicki McMahon 1:43:42 364
Simon Lumley 1:43:55 373
Gilles Corby 1:45:30 388
Ian Wilson 1:45:30 400
Jim Hopkins 1:46:24 408
John Parker 1:47:17 416
Thomas Mann 1:47:23 427
Alison Orrell 1:47:31 431
Heledd Marshall-Roberts 1:48:26 443
Amanda Roland-Convey 1:48:18 445
Ian Wibberley 1:51:01 489
Alice Edwards 1:55:05 578
Thomas Brand 1:59:07 674
Ian Percy 2:03:52 735 (Debut Club 1/2 Marathon)
Gerard Baker 2:09:50 807
Karen Charman 2:12:09 839
Sue Yendley 2:28:31 962
Melanie Gearing 2:28:31 963
Belinda Parker 2:28:32 964
New York City Falling Leaves 1/2 Marathon
Annette and David Newton gave up their place in the St Neots 1/2 Marathon, opting instead to visit their son in New York. Not wishing to miss a racing opportunity they all competed in a 1/2 marathon staged at Flushing Meadows (best known for the US Open Tennis Champs) in the Queens area of the city.
Of the 536 finishers, David finished in position 118 in a time of 1:46:21 & Annette in position 186 in 1:54:27. Both picked up Age Category podium places for the UK with David as 1st MV70-79 & Annette 2nd FV60-69. The family success was shared as their son secured a 1/2 Marathon PB.
MULTI-SPORTS
None Reported
29th November
RUNNING
Parkrun Junior 2K
Jubilee Parkrun – Just 2 BRJ’ers (Freya Harris & Christopher Scott) braved the chilly winds. No PB’s achieved.
Parkrun 5K
Storm Arwen forced the cancellation of a number of events across the UK, but BRJ’ers returned to Haga (Sweden), Keswick, Pocket, Rushcliffe (Matthew Ainscow had a Course PB), Storeys Field & Whittlesey. No PB’s were achieved at these venues. At Millennium Country (Forest of Marston Vale), Sebastian Burley secured a 5 Sec Club 5K PB (#4 of 2021)
At Huntingdon, Jack Parker secured a 7 Sec Club PB (#5 of 2021) when compared with the time he set at Huntingdon in June 2019. Both Stuart Hathaway & Jane Farrow completed Parkrun Milestone numbers 50 & 100 respectively.
Bass Belle 10M
William Dales, in his Club Debut 10 Miler, was the sole BRJ’er facing the windy & cold conditions. The event was based at the former RAF Bassingbourn, with the “Belle” celebrating “Memphis Belle”, a WW2 US Army Air Force (USAAF) B-17 Flying Fortress bomber that successfully completed 25 operational missions from that airfield. Of the 331 finishers, William was bang on target finishing in 9th position in a chip time of 1:01:27.
Hereward Relay
The Multi-Terrain event, hosted by March AC, follows the Hereward Way from its start in Peterborough to Ely, a distance of approx 39 Miles. The event includes 2 race options which are a 4-person relay or a single person Ultra. The 4 relay stages are Peterborough to Whittlesey, Whittlesey to March, March to Welney & Welney to Ely.
The Hereward Relay started back in 1988 with just 14 teams with the Ultra being a recent addition. Over the years BRJ have had a good track record, taking relay podium places on 4 occasions.
2000 – 1st team / 86 in 4:24:21 (Pete Galpin, Alan Hannibal, Roger Horn & Phil Rudd)
2002 – 1st team / 88 in 4:11:10 (Pete Galpin, Mike Gullis, Derek Lines & Phil Rudd)
2003 – 1st team / 103 in 3:55:06 (Tony Cotton, Pete Galpin, Derek Lines & Phil Rudd)
2004 – 2nd team / 108 in 3:57:23 (Pete Galpin, Alan Hannibal, Derek Lines & Phil Rudd)
Because of flooding & then COVID, the event has not been held since 2018. In 2021, BRJ entered 1 relay team namely the BRJ Veteran & there were no club Ultra competitors. Thankfully, the strong winds from Storm Arwen the previous day had reduced dramatically, but were still very much in evidence along with air temperatures that rarely reached above 3 degrees. In 2021, there were a total of 90 finishing teams, with the overall winners completing the route in 3:57:24 with team 90 finishing in 7:08:17. The BRJ team results were:-
BRJ Veterans – The 4 Relay Runners, were Nigel Maggs, Paul Treadwell, Alan Hannibal & Paul Mitton. The all important logistics & transport support to the team was provided by Adam Covell. Our team finished in a combined time of 5:46:46 in position 70. The individual stats were:-
STAGE NAME STAGE RUN TIME STAGE FINISH POSITION
1 (6.9M) Nigel Maggs 1:03:05 77
2 (10.5M) Paul Treadwell. 1:28:57 54
3 (11.5M) Alan Hannibal 1:56:23 84
4 (10.9M) Paul Mitton 1:18:21 23