Distance Running News
11 December 2016
There were impressive personal bests for Phil Beastall and Ben Price as Cheltenham Harriers enjoyed success at the Telford 10k road race. In one of the highest standard 10ks in the country this year, and certainly the Midland’s premier race over the distance, it was Phil Wylie who led the Harriers nine man squad home as he posted a time of 30:35 to take 30th place. Whilst it was Wylie who was the leading Cheltenham runner it was the next two harriers who broke new barriers to record big personal bests. After going through halfway in 15:22, Beastall took 44 seconds off his previous best time set in Bristol in 2016 to come home in an impressive 31:08. Not far behind, Price took 40 seconds off the time he posted at Leeds in 2015 to clock a very pleasing 31:28 as both athletes moved into previously uncharted levels. Alex Bampton then recorded 32:00 whilst Will New put in a solid performance with 32:43. Marcus England lowered his PB by 29 seconds with a time of 33:10 and Mark James returned from injury with 36:13. The final Harriers PB saw Gareth Edwards lower his best time by nine seconds with a time of 36:27 before Lee Groenewegen completed the Harriers contingent with 39:45. Elsewhere Dave Rantell ran a time of 37:08 at the Andy Reading 10k in Bicester whilst Andy Gardiner won the Kingsway parkrun in Gloucester in 17:28.