Saysky PB 5k, Ardingly
Results – http://results.eventchiptiming.com/results.aspx?CId=16202&RId=5018&EId=1
Race videos – (see club facebook/instagram for ESM biased commentary by Pete Flewitt) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLsIY69fGao
ESM 5k road rankings – https://esm.org.uk/about-us/rankings/
The ESM Men’s Team had a very successful day rewriting the club record books at this 5k road event at the South of England Showground in Haywards Heath, despite strong winds and even some flurries of snow.
Under Covid restrictions there were 5 separate races and the start was split into waves of around 40 runners. Loughborough student Oliver Way started in the 2nd wave of the elite race. However, he soon found himself leaving this pack well behind and ran the whole race solo, fighting the wind and chasing athletes in the first wave.
This didn’t seem to affect him though as he romped home in a 30 second PB and equalled the club record of 14.34 originally set by Bill Gristwood in 1993 at Perivale. This performance has been a long time coming and is testament to Ollie’s incredible work ethic and bordering on obsessively consistent mileage. Since mid November he has completed no less than twenty 80 mile weeks.
There were four ESM athletes in the next wave, Chris Mason (15.10, PB), Elias Ahmed (15.17, PB), Jamie Taylor-Caldwell (15.35) and Chris Hepworth (16.04). And Jonathan Horan completed the ESM team in the elite race, and was delighted to finally officially break the 16min barrier he has been the wrong side of the last couple of years, with a 15.58. More to come this season for all hopefully.
In the next race Dan Porter made his ESM debut and exceeded expectations running 16.22 and cemented his place in the squad for next week’s Wimbledon Team 5k challenge.
And it was great to see club treasurer Phil York who has moved down to Dorset. He forgot his ESM vest but generated some good publicity for the Perivale 5 (see photo below) which of course he was race director of for many years. He was pleased with his run of 21.01 and is looking forward to the track season starting with a 3k at Harrow on April 22nd.
RunThrough Kempton Park
Results – https://results.racetimers.co.uk/Results.aspx?CId=16487&RId=4471&EId=1
Nicky Payne continued her impressive streak of PBs in an ESM vest, making it three from three. She ran 41.07 which knocked 80 seconds from her previous best. Maybe it’s the luck of the green and yellow vest, but it might also be down to the hard training Nicky has been putting in under the guidance of coach Jim Buckland.
2nd claim ESM runner Andy Bowen was also competing in the 10k at Kempton and was pleased with his 38.00 clocking and 2nd place in the V55 category. The overall race was won in 29.59 by 2.10 marathoner Scott Overall.
Dorney Marathon
Results – http://results.eventchiptiming.com/results.aspx?CId=16202&RId=8252&EId=8&dt=0&adv=0
Adam Goodman smashed his way through the 3 hour barrier at the Dorney Marathon running a 2.57.18. He’s been waiting since his 3.06 in Berlin 2019, to get another crack at it.
Adam ran 2.13.47 for 20 miles (2.55 marathon pace) in March 2020 shortly before the first Covid lockdown and his training throughout the pandemic has finally paid off.
Bill Lonsdale, also competing at Dorney, ran his first sub 4 hour marathon since 2016, clocking a 3.50.34. And it might have been a sub 3.50 but for a pit stop in the bushes! That performance currently puts him #1 in the UK V65 2021 marathon rankings.
If you spot any errors or omissions in this report please let us know. Next up, ESM Senior Men’s & Women’s teams are racing at the Wimbledon Team 5k challenge on April 11th.
