Distance Running News, 17-21 October

22 October 2018

Ben Price claimed a fine second place as he set an impressive new personal best at the Stroud Half Marathon. The recent Cheltenham Half marathon winner was hoping to become the first man to win Gloucestershire’s leading two half marathons, but with Stockport’s GB international Andrew Davies on the start line, the strong field of Gloucestershire runners were never going to compete with an athlete who ran a 2:15 marathon in last year’s London Marathon and who placed eleventh in this year’s Commonwealth Games. Whilst Davies took a comfortable win in 68:05, Price moved clear of Harry Bishop after eight miles before passing the ten mile mark in 52:20 as he had a solo run into the finish. With his winning time at Cheltenham of 69:50 in sight the Dave Newport coached athlete dug deep to cross the line in 69:42 as he finished 33 seconds clear of third placed Dave Bell of Cirencester. Dave Tomlin produced another good performance to finish as second veteran and first V45 athlete as he crossed the line in eleventh place in 75:40 whilst Paul Barnes’ 88:51 saw him finish as third over 55 athlete home. Hannah D’Ambrosio ran well to finish as tenth lady in 90:23 before Paul Wade completed the Harriers contingent in 94:33.

Alex Lee and Marcus England travelled to Portsmouth for the Great South Run to compete against some of the country’s top athletes over 10 miles. After a brief TV appearance, the pair got carried away in the opening mile and probably paid for starting too quickly as they finished 28th and 32nd in 53:28 and 53:55 respectively. New V60 member Nick Holliday impressed in his first race in a Harriers vest with a time of 69:10. Meanwhile at the Abingdon Marathon V50 runner Ian Giles ran another consistent half marathon as he posted a time of 2:58.44. Earlier in the week Alex Bampton represented UCL in the London Universities and Colleges Cross Country league where he opened up his season with a pleasing fourth place. At the Cheltenham parkrun Harriers filled the top three spots with Dom James (16:07) moving up to eighth place on the all-time event rankings before Joe Willgoss (17:15) and Jacob Pickering (17:26) followed him home. Josh Playle (18:21) placed sixth before Amber Watson (19:30) and Vickie Wilkinson (20:03) finished as second and third ladies home. Alex Doherty (17:28) and Phil Beastall (17:49) finished first and second at the Evesham parkrun whilst at the Tewkesbury parkrun James Wilkinson (20:04) finished fifth and Kaitlin Sheppard (20:06) was the first lady home.