We finished 4th in the LRRL Reunion League Grand Final. For a club that is not performance-focussed, that’s a great result. Our ladies finished on the podium (3rd) in their competition (based on the best 4 results over the series) and our men 6th. Whilst our biggest asset was our consistency, we did benefit from some excellent individual performances and this is reflected in the individual awards. John McDonald capped a superb campaign with a comprehensive win in the V40 category, with Gurmit taking 3rd and Mark finishing just out of the prizes in 5th. Gem Wheldon also finished 5th V40. Kathryn was 2nd V45 and Jackie 2nd V45. I managed to finish 2nd V60. Fiona and Charlotte W would also have been in contention if they’d been able to do an extra race.
Yesterday was London Marathon day and we had lots of members competing, both in ‘The Smoke’ and virtually. There are so many stories and personal journeys behind the bald facts of finishing times; for some, just making it to the start line was an achievement in itself. In London, Marathon Major queen Kathryn, led the way with a stunning 3.17.48 PB. David overcame multiple injuries to run 3.35.18, similarly, Haseeb came through adversity for a 3.38.42. Anna ‘stuck to the plan’ and was rewarded with 3.48.33 and Komal (a beautifully paced 4.27.50), Amit (4.45.22) and Charlie G (4.34.18) made their Marathon debuts. Hilary Buckley produced a superb 4.43.48.
Our virtual runners included Gurmit with 3.19.38 and Blake with a debut 4.23.09. We also had ‘The Three Amigos’, Adele (4.36.48) , Alice B (4.59.26) and Helen (4.59.26), who have supported each other all the way to achieving the goal of running a first Marathon. A mention too for the members like Terry, Harry and Gem who were out supporting others to achieve their personal goals.
I missed doing a parkrun round up last week so well done to Anna and young Ashveer Garcha on their PBs. This week, it was good to see a quick time for Richard R and Nigel and Deborah getting PBs. After last week’s lie in (Watermead) Harry visited Lichfield for the Beacon pr.
