Results

The past fortnight has seen a plethora of Romsey Road Runners in action on the roads and trails of southern England. On Saturday, 11th June, Ryan Snell was busy representing the club at the Dartmoor Discovery, a hilly road race of 1,152m elevation spread over 32.5 miles. Ryan stormed home in 3:46 hours to take a well-deserved first place. 

Ryan said of the race: “this is the best race I’ve ever done for so many reasons. The organisation is incredible, with every detail thought through from registration to the disco at the end. To be waited on with all the food and drink you want is brilliant, and to have your own drinks at super-friendly drinks stations makes a massive difference too – you don’t have to carry anything if you don’t want to. The course is obviously stunning, totally brutal and a real test – anyone who can get around it is an awesome runner. Claire on the lead bike was so much more than just a person to follow. It was pretty much non-stop encouragement and positivity all the way (except when distracted by David Tomlin!), while the ‘well lubricated’ announcer was fab. The atmosphere got better and better as more finishers were there to cheer their fellow runners home. The t shirts and medals were excellent as was the hoody. It was also really nice having Dartmoor Discovery legend Sian Longthorpe buzzing around the course with her cow bell and smiles. This race was a big one for me after giving up at 20 miles in 2017; it was a total privilege to come back and lay those demons to rest.”

The following day, Alice Lane was in Wales for the Man V Horse, a tough 22-mile race involving horses and runners, with the aim of seeing whether a human can beat a horse to the finish. Alice was running the relay, but ended up doing two legs of the hilly course when one of her team-mates fell ill. She finished in an impressive time of 2:54 hours, having run 14 miles over an elevation of 740m. The event was won by a human for only the third time in its 42-year history.

Meanwhile, Susie Parker was busy competing in the Dorset at the Big Sea 18-mile event on the Purbecks near Corfe Castle. Susie finished in an impressive time of 3:27 hours and said of the experience: “it was the perfect run for a sunny day – views of the Purbecks and a stunning run into Corfe Castle – even better that I could cool off in the sea afterwards!”

The same weekend, Alex Prinsep took on the Dorney Lake Olympic-distance Triathlon, gaining himself a new PB of 2:09 hours; Gemma Quarendon ran the Dorney Lake half marathon in the heat in 2:04, and Keith Stone ran a 200m track event in Winchester in 39:1, ranking 6th in the UK.

The following weekend Alice headed down to Cornwall for the Clovelly marathon, completing the hilly course in a time of 6:49 hours, while Mark Stileman took second place at the Ferndown 10k in a time of 38:05.

Monday evening saw several RRR’s competing in the Copythorne Carnival’s 5 and 10k races. Tim Parker took first place in the 10k in an impressive 35:42 calling the event a “really fun and friendly race”; Matt Cheales, running in his first competitive race, gained an excellent PB of 47:15, and Sue Sylvester came 2nd in her age group in a time of 53:03. 

Matt said of his experience: “I really enjoyed it. It was a lovely route and there was a great atmosphere with a BBQ and music afterwards,” while Sue added: “I enjoyed the race very much. The route was two laps around the country lanes and village of Copythorne. There was a great atmosphere with a pre-race warm up and super support from the villagers all the way round.”

Excelling in the 5k were RRR’s Anna Duigan, who romped home in 29:35 to take first in age, and Wendy Couper who finished in a strong 46:58 to come fourth in age.

The 8th of May was Houghton trail race day. Moira (1:23); Sue (1:04); Ray (1:00); Linn (1:17); Derek (1:20); Julia (1:30); Anna (1:18); Karen (1:24); Alice (1:06); Liz (1:06); Louise (1:15); Gemma (1:28); James (1:23); Amy (1:15) and Giovanni (54:24) all braved the hot weather to complete the 11k race.

Anna said of the experience: “the Houghton run was an excellent route for its 11k distance across the countryside from the village, including plenty of hills along farm tracks and woodland paths with a good length of the Test Way towards the finish across the valley floor. I found it tough and hot but well worth the effort! The results showed that I had won my age group!!! My time was 1.18.21.” Julia said: “a few of us have done this race for several years now and it was great to be able to return to it after the Covid lay-off. It’s a tough route with some sharp hills but made up for by the stunning scenery when you finally get to the top!” And Moira said: “according to Strava my time was 1 hr 23. I’m going with that one as it is a few seconds quicker than the Houghton race table! (I started my watch when I crossed the start line). Really enjoyable run, good atmosphere and warm!”

Alice headed down to Cornwall mid-week for the Godrevy 10k on the 11th May. This is an evening, off-road hilly run that starts at Godrevy beach before heading out along the coast path to the dunes where it drops down onto the beach and follows the wide expanse of Gwithian sands before finishing by the river. Alice had a super run and finished in a very respectable time of 59:36.

The 15th of May saw Gretel take on the GU36 – a 36-mile hilly circuit of Guernsey, which she completed in an impressive time of 6:55, while Alice, Mark, Bridget and Nicola ran the Netley 10k, a multi-lap course of Royal Victoria Country Park. Mark finished in an impressive time of 37:25, coming 33rd overall and 3rd in age, while Alice finished in 52:12 and Bridget and Nicola in 1:01.

The bank holiday weekend was a busy one for Romsey Road Runners. Four intrepid friends from the club headed to the Isle of Portland on Friday to undertake an unusual challenge: the Portland Pig Backyard Ultra. Competitors have to run consecutive 4.17 mile laps within an hour, timing it so they can rest and refuel before the bell rings for the next lap. The winner is the last person standing. The record for a Backyard Ultra is 354.2 miles and 85 hours, and the Portland Pig winner eventually finished on 120 miles. Having started running at midday, Ian Ralph and Hannah Shutt called it a day at midnight, after completing an impressive 12 laps in 12 hours and covering 50 miles, while Matthew Hammerton and Becky Tovey ran through the night to finish an amazing 24 laps in 24 hours covering 100 miles. 

Hannah said of the experience: “I signed up on the spur of the moment, thinking more about a fun weekend camping with mates rather than running in circles for a long time. Over the following months, it dawned on me what I was about to try and do!! Having never run further than 30 miles before I had no idea what I would be capable of, but I knew I needed to finish and still be able to function as a mum, wife and employee by the end of the bank holiday weekend. Ian, Matt and Becky are phenomenal ultra-runners so I learnt a lot from them about how to plan nutrition and pace myself. The first few laps were a lot of fun as we chatted to each other while the sun shone. About 30 miles in I had a bit of a strop- I was starting to ache and I was questioning my life choices – but the joy of this format is that every hour you’re reunited with your friends who encourage you to get going again and shove you over the start line. I absolutely loved running into the night and through the Portland quarries by torchlight. At midnight, 12 hours and 50 miles in, I happily called it a day with Ian. Watching the others continue through the night was exciting. It’s definitely got me thinking about other ultra-marathons in the future but I think I’ll take a few months off long distance for now!!”

Matt said of the experience: “The BYU was always going to be a challenging event. Not just for distance, sleep deprivation and fuelling, but also the fact that speed really didn’t matter. I was definitely out of my comfort zone. The race had fantastic highs – running with mates, the applause as each lap was completed, the party atmosphere back at base. And it had difficult lows – one in the morning with failing muscles and the thought of doing another 11 hours to hit 24. However, the laps ticked by and with the rising sun and fantastic support, those last few laps (cake and cola fuelled) became manageable. I was hugely ecstatic to cross the line for 100 miles beside my fantastic friend and fellow athlete Becky. ‘Just one more?’ the organiser asked us. A brief second passed before we decided – no let’s leave it on a high – we’re done!”

Saturday saw four RRR runners – Sue Sleath (40:00), James Byrne (42:49) and Alice Lane (50:47) – take on the Hurstborne Tarrant 5-mile trail run. Sue said of the event: “It’s a lovely run with a stiff climb at the start but the reward of some beautiful bluebell woods to run through when you reached the high ground.” 

Sunday was Broadlands Relay Marathon day. Romsey have won the event in the past and were keen to do so again, despite fierce competition from the Winterslow Whippets who put Romsey’s A team under pressure from the start. After a very exciting final leg by Matt Bennet, Romsey snatched victory from the Whippets by 42 seconds to win in a time of 2:29 hours. Out of the 112 teams taking part, Romsey’s B team came 8th in 3:05; the C team came 35th in 3:27 and the D team came 83rd in 3:54.

Bank Holiday Monday saw Susie Parker, Alice Lane and Steve Geary take part in the Big Way Round, a multi-distance event staged in the countryside around Winchester. Susie completed the 14-mile event in 2:10, Alice the marathon in 4:55 and Steve finished the 50k, his first experience of ultra-marathon running, in 5:07. 

Monday was also the Harewood Forest 10k. Liz Slade (1:00), Anna Duigan (1:09) and Sue Sleath (48:48) took part, with Liz saying: “The route through the forest was stunning with the bluebells at their absolute best.”

The weekend of 2nd – 3rd April was another busy one for the club, with Matthew Hammerton kicking things off at the Test Way Ultra on Saturday. Matt won the fifty-mile race, his first competitive run over that distance, in an amazing time of 6:41, a clear 40 minutes ahead of the nearest competitor. He said:

“It was a fantastic event with great conditions. The Test Way was largely dry allowing for a quick pace with minimal boggy bits! With the support of Ian Ralph as crew, I was able to achieve a long-term ambition of running the Test Way with the bonus of achieving 1st place.”

On the same day, Mark Nixon completed the Podium 5k in a fantastic time of 14:50.

On the Sunday, Alice Lane completed the 24k, 942m elevation KVK race in Cornwall in an impressive time of 3:15, despite taking a nasty fall on the route, while Andy Brown (1:08), Susie Parker (1:20 PB), James Byrne (1:22 PB), Nigel Hemsted (1:14), Rob Gowman (1:37 PB), Neil Jennings (58:49), Penny Jennings (1:24), Duncan MacDonald (1:14 PB), Alex Prinsep (58:54 PB), David Morrison (1:07) and Dorota Koschmidder-Hatch (1:34) all ran the local Salisbury ten-mile race. Penny said: “I was thrilled to finish in under 1:25 and found the event brilliantly organised”, while Nigel said:

“We had a perfect morning for running – cool and bright with no wind. The course was very attractive, following the river to the Woodfords and then back to Salisbury.”

James, who was running in his first ten-mile event, said the route went through “superb countryside with a very supportive group of runners,” and Susie noted that it was “a really lovely route, taking in some of the most picturesque scenery round Salisbury.”

Also on the Sunday, Elizabeth Prinsep took first in age in the Manchester Marathon with a brilliant new PB of 3:19. Liz said of the event:

“24,000 runners lined up in near perfect weather conditions. The day started cool but it stayed dry and there was hardly any wind. It was a flat course and there was good crowd support. I felt strong and kept a consistent pace throughout and was really pleased with my new PB.”

Romsey Road Runners have been busy representing the club at races across the country in recent weeks. Early February saw Alice Lane travel to Beesands in South Devon to complete the Endurance Life Coastal Trail Series marathon. This is a tough race with over 1300m of elevation. The following weekend, Alice took part in the Greenham Common 40th Anniversary Peace Camp run in chilly, damp conditions, and the week after that she travelled up to Northumbria to take part in another Endurance Life Coastal Trail Series marathon, this time running along the coast to Bamburgh Castle with her dog, Jim. The same weekend, Tom Watson and Gretel Hardwick completed the ten-mile Hard Yard trail run in East Hampshire, while Elizabeth Prinsep ran the Brighton half marathon. Liz said: ” it was a bright day but very cold around the streets of Brighton. There were thousands of runners competing, and the race was well supported with a great crowd. However, the last 3 miles along the sea front were a battle against a strong head wind. All things considered I finished with a strong last km in 1.39.”

Sunday 6 March was another busy day for RRR. Liz Slade, Emily Gordon, Amy Spencer, Elizabeth Prinsep, Alex Prinsep, Neil Jennings, Giovanni Buldrini and Matt Cheales all did the inter-club CC6 competition at Badger Farm in Winchester; Sue Sleath took on the WSR Larmer marathon in Dorset; Louise Holiday ran the Cambridge half marathon with her daughter Sophie; Jane Jackson completed the Bideford half along the beautiful Tarka Trail in Devon, finishing in 2:18 hours, and Alice Lane, Susie Parker, Hannah Shutt and John Horton took on the Grizzly, a tough, twenty-mile race over cliffs and through bogs and rivers around the coast between Seaton and Branscombe.

Louise said of the Cambridge half: “I ran the Cambridge half marathon with my daughter Sophie. Sophie was running for MacMillan Cancer Support in memory of her grandmother who passed away exactly a year before. Amazingly she has raised over £900. The race was Sophie’s first half marathon and my third. It is quite a big event with over 14,000 runners. The course is very picturesque as it winds through King’s College, along the Backs and out to the pretty village of Grantchester. It is also flat which is probably one of the reasons it is so popular! There was great support all along the route with lots of live music which made the event really fun. The weather was also kind to us, although it was pretty chilly at about 3 degrees C – it was a relief to get going but as soon as we had warmed up we both really enjoyed it.”

Romsey Road Runners turned out in force to support the Romsey 5 at Broadlands last Sunday. They ran the flat, five-mile course in perfect running conditions with Alex Prinsep, returning from injury, taking sixth place for the club in a time of 28:13.

James Byrne, who finished the race in 42:33, said: “I took it a bit cautiously due to a recent knee injury but had enough energy left at the end so I will try and break that time on my next 5-mile race.”

Keith Morris set a new PB of 35:13, knocking 34 seconds off his previous time, while Sam Weston finished in 32:50, 90 seconds faster than two years ago.

John Quayle was also happy with his result of 34:57. He said: “I was aiming for under 35 minutes. I also got a “PB” for the section up to the Gatehouse and back which means I was finishing more strongly than I have done previously.”

New member Angela Milln finished in 43:37. She said: “this was my first race with the benefit of club support (which was fab!) and only 30 seconds short of my PB for this event so I was happy.”

Susie Parker set herself a new PB of 37:18 and noted that “it’s always great to run on home territory and what a super turnout, not just runners but fabulous, enthusiastic supporters. The perfect backdrop for a lovely run!”

Jonny Stevens finished the race in 35:10 and Clem Kingstone, another new member, ran it in 48:48. Clem said she was “glad to have completed my first race of the year. Loved having the supporting cheers of fellow Romsey Road Runners!”

Meanwhile, in Cornwall, Alice Lane was taking on the Stormforce 10, which she described as a “great undulating road race around country roads surrounding the town of Camborne.” Alice finished in an impressive time of 1:26.

The same weekend, Wendy Couper completed her 250th Parkrun with friends from the club turning out to support her at Eastleigh parkrun. Everyone at the club is very proud of her.

Five Romsey Road Runners took part in the 8 Mile George Skeates run on Sunday,
9th of January. The event was established in 1986 by a friend of George, a
Champion British sidecar racer who suffered a spinal injury in a motorsport accident
in 1985, and it is staged in aid of the George Skeates Benevolent Fund which
benefits the spinal injury charity INSPIRE, Wessex Heartbeat and Horacio’s Garden.
As well as the longer running course, there are also walking, a shorter run and
cycling options. 

It’s a friendly, low key event that takes in the fantastic countryside around
Stockbridge, and although this year’s run was boggy in stretches, the sunny weather
made for some stunning views on the higher parts of the course. 

While not being a race as such, Liz Slade and Sue Sylvester were awarded joint 3rd
lady, finishing in 1:21; Julia Abab timed her run as 1:24; Anna Duignan 1:27 and
birthday boy Derek Kelly crossed the line to a chorus of ‘Happy Birthday’ in 1:31.

Refreshments, including homemade cakes, and a raffle at the end made for a
thoroughly enjoyable morning and it was a great way to kick-start the New Year. The
run has always been well supported by Romsey Road Runners, especially when
there’s no clash with other races this early in the year.