Bourton 10k and Wokingham Half Marathon – Sunday 26 February 2023
Striders hit the road
Almost at the end of their long cross-country season, and having secured promotion in that discipline to the top flight of their regional leagues for next season, a good crop of ladies and men CLC Striders athletes took to the roads on Sunday 26th February 2023 on a bright and crisp late winter morning.
No fewer than 13 club members were racing in the hugely popular, fast and flat-ish local Bourton 10k, while two Striders ventured further afield, as part of their marathon preparation, to compete in the equally fast and flat Wokingham Half Marathon. It was to prove a day of massive PBs.
Up at Bourton on the Water, first home for CLC Striders was the incredibly impressive Tom Burgess in a blistering time of 33:36 in 12th place overall in a super-fast field, a PB by 30 seconds (in only his second ever 10k!). He was followed home by the equally impressive Rob Barnett in 17th place overall in a time of 34:09, again a PB, but by almost two minutes!
The next pair of Striders home were John Comer in 51st in a great PB time of 36:55 and Will Pearce in 58th in a time of 37:20. Adam Greenwood was next to finish in a massively improved PB time of 38:30, taking over four minutes off his previous PB, and the always impressive Helen Knight in her first sever ub-39-minute time of 38:48 as the 6th lady finisher overall and registering a new LV40 club record to boot.
Having been nip and tuck for the first half of the race, the next four Striders home were Joel Freeland in a very strong PB time of 39:37, Liza Bradshaw, fresh from her Seville Marathon the weekend before, in 39:55, Paul Northup in 40:18 and Rachel Vines, registering her fastest 10k time since 2016, in 40:37. (The ladies finished as second ladies team on the day.)
The remaining three Striders home on the day were Matt Ashman in a solid PB time of 42:31, Tim Brock in 43:12 and Nigel Bailey in a PB time of 43:13.
Meanwhile, much further from home, two intrepid Striders took part in the Wokingham Half Marathon. Nick Ledwold raced to an incredible PB time of 1:19:56, a PB by a huge margin, and Kate Telford finished in a PB time of 1:26:53. Both athletes are in preparation for spring marathons and, judging by these strong performances, both look set to achieve their goals – and some.
All in all, a great day back on the road for CLC Striders.
Pictured at the Bourton 10k Back row from left to right: Nigel Bailey, Adam Greenwood, Rob Barnett, Tim Brock, Matt Ashman, Paul Northup Front row from left to right: Will Pearce, Tom Burgess, Joel Freeland
Pictured: Nick Ledwold and Kate Telford at the Wokingham Half Marathon