With restrictions beginning to ease off and multiple races taking place, the Clubs Road Runners seized the opportunity and entered a plethora of races over the last few months! We have strung together a roundup of the recent races that took place. This is the beginning of a more regular road racing update.
Podium 5km, Barrowford, Lancashire (Sat. 3rd Apr.)
Taking advantage of cool, still conditions on a flat course Holly Dixon ran a very impressive PB of 15:59 for her first sub-16 clocking. Astonishingly, this was the same race that Beth Potter unofficially broke the world 5km record in a time of 14.41. Beth Potter was the only other female athlete to beat Holly!
Holly Dixon
Olympic Park 10km, London (Sat. 3rd Apr.)
On very cold, windy morning Emily Meins (38:55) and David Worden (33:49) both ran PBs on one of the first races since lockdown restrictions were eased. Although the race was still in the rolling time-trial format we are becoming accustomed to, it had the feeling of an actual race rather than a solo time-trial.
David Worden
Headcorn Half Marathon (Sun. 11th Apr.)
Three Cambridge Harriers travelled to Ashford to run in the fairly flat Headcorn course. The route takes in Swifts Green, Egerton Forstal, Pembles Cross and Southernden, and back to Headcorn. There were some very notable performances from Dmitrij Savickij (1:18:50), Catherine Martin with a superb PB of 1:30:14 and Maria Macdonald coming 1st in her age group with a time of 2:03:36.
Catherine Martin & Maria Macdonald
Dorney Lake Half Marathon, Buckinghamshire (Sun. 18th Apr.)
Dorney Lake typically lends itself to flat and fast conditions but can often be quite windy. Two Cambridge Harriers completed the half marathon race alongside other distances, and both managed to PB on the multi-lap course. Lewis Baker recorded 1:16;12 and Emily Meins time of 1:24:40 was especially impressive as she lowered her previous half marathon time by over 4 minutes.
Gravesend Floodlit 5km, Cyclopark (Thur. 29th Apr.)
Luke Ford was the Cambridge Harrier to enter the Gravesend series on this occasion. Luke ran a very respectable time of 17:37 on an undulating course to kickstart the racing season.
Henley Trail Half Marathon (Sun. 2nd May)
Luke Ford managed a very respectable 1.24 Half Marathon set in the beautiful scenery of Henley. The race begins at Temple Island Meadows which is typically the start line for the Royal Henley Rowing Regatta. The tough terrain and undulating course took its toll on Luke’s legs, although he still managed to show up for the track the following Tuesday.
Luke Ford
Whitstable 10km (Mon. 3rd May)
Dominic Fiore was the only Cambridge Harrier to make the trip to Whitstable. This flat, out and back course coupled with a headwind on the way back meant that a negative split was almost impossible. Dominic capitalised on this by pushing ahead in the first half of the race. Dominic finished in a very impressive 6th place overall in a PB 37:35 and 1st his age category.
Battersea – Friday Night 5km Under the Lights, Battersea Park (Fri. 7th May)
In near to perfect conditions, the fast, flat tarmac of Battersea Park enabled David Worden (16:22) and Peter Reynolds (17:01) to achieve personal bests. Although runners were set off in waves based on predicted times rather than a mass start it had the fantastic feel and excitement of an athletics meet. The event itself was well organised and the races became progressively faster throughout the evening. The fastest time on the night over the 2-lap course was 13:35 by Jack Rowe of Aldershot and Farnham District. Ben Shearer (15:46) produced a very impressive sub-16 time.
Clapham Common 5km (Sat. 8th May)
On a morning of torrential rain, Clinton Lowe (18:41) and Emily Meins (19:31) raced the flat 5km course around the Bandstand on Clapham Common. Muddy trails in places and sharp turns made the course slightly trickier and not as quick as it could be. Clinton admits taking off too fast and paid for this in the final kilometre. Still, a great effort from both.
Clinton Lowe
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