SPA Striders returned to action in near perfect racing conditions last weekend, with runners representing the club in a number of events across the country.
Bourton 10k had four Striders take part, Chris McKeown notably going close to beating the club’s 10k record at the event, going below the 35 minute mark for the first time with a personal best (34:48).
Daniel Stannard finished in 40:25, whilst Susie Stannard in her first road race since December 2016 was the fastest female runner with a time of 44:28.
Lucy Tugwell capped off the afternoon for the Striders in 50:47.
In the Tarpley 20, Ian Allen was denied the opportunity to take a second club record in as many weeks after an unusual turn of events.
The lead vehicle directing the lead runners took a wrong turn, resulting in a corner being cut.
His official time of 1:53:01 therefore does not count, but the racing panel nevertheless honoured his fourth placed finish.
Mairi Walker as the other Spa Strider finished the 20 mile Suffolk course in 2:53:58.
Over in Wokingham, Ben Cohen dug in deep to shave off two minutes of his half marathon personal best (1:36:24).
Jo Fleming and Keith Wilson took part in the National Cross Country Championships at Harewood House in Leeds, with Fleming finishing 408th (28:43), and Wilson in 1,083th (50:25).
Liz Draper’s 61st marathon resulted in a time of 4:33:35, after taking part in the Northumberland Coastal Trail marathon.
Rounding off the action for the Striders was Rob Egan and Louise Dwyer at the Birmingham University Aquathon.
The course involved a 400m swim followed by a 5k run, which Egan finished in a time of 27:49 to take a 30th place overall, whilst Dwyer came 73rd in the rankings (32:39).
