CLC Striders Race report for weekend of 26 and 27 October 2024
After an extra hour in bed and on a bright and calm morning perfect for racing, six CLC Striders joined the thousand or so runners on the start line for the 42nd running of the Stroud Half Marathon. Always well supported and organised, the event draws a strong field and sees runners race out through Stonehouse to the A38 before heading back into Stroud via Ebley.
Only two weeks after a great run in the Chicago Marathon, Rob Barnett was just testing his legs out over the half marathon distance, cruising home just under the 80-minute mark in 1:19:24 as the 25th finisher. Standout performance on the day came from Tom Fletcher who took to the roads after his recent ultra trail exploits to set a really strong new PB time of 1:21:36 and finish inside the top 50.
Next home was V50 runner Paul Northup, working his way back after a summer injury layoff to run a satisfying 1:31:38, with Andy Richardson finishing only just behind him in a new PB time of 1:31:48. V50 Colin Upton registered 1:58:00 and Heather Ip improved on her Cheltenham half marathon time by also ducking in under the two-hour mark in 1:58:18. All in all, a great morning’s racing in the beautiful conditions.
Elsewhere in Europe, CLC Strider Gavin Woods made his road marathon debut in Venice, clocking 3:24:17, while Jon and Helen Howes took part in the Jerez de la Frontera half marathon while on holiday in Spain, with Jon clocking 1:30.20.
