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27/09/09 Millward and Turtle take county 10km titles

Gloucester AC's Steve Millward and Gemma Turtle were just two of several club members who claimed medals at the county 10km road championships on Sunday, incorporated into the popular Cirencester Park 10km. Turtle, a second claim member of the club, set a stunning new course record of 35.33 minutes as she finished 12th overall from a field of more than 550 finishers, comfortably winning the county title.

Held over a challenging course on a beautiful Sunday morning, Millward was content to sit in the pack until just before halfway, before accelerating over the second half of the race to take second place overall in a time of 32.37 minutes, which was good enough to claim the county title and secure the double for the club.

Gloucester were also dominant in the mens team event, holding off a strong challenge from Stroud AC to secure the win thanks to superb runs from Luke Herbert in 7th overall in 34.32 minutes, and newcomer Andy Renfree in 9th position with a time of 34.46 minutes.

Dave Gresswell extended his lead in the veteran over 40 county series rankings, finishing 17th overall in 36.09 minutes, which was good enough to take bronze in the county event. Ultra-runner Jeremy Mower showed his contemporaries a clean pair of heals over the final kilometre as he claimed 30th spot in 38.09 minutes, just ahead of clubmate Alistair Wakefield in 38.10, who took a break from training for the Dublin marathon next month to get a race under his belt. Nick Cousins also sneaked inside the top 40 with a solid run on his comeback from a knee injury, finishing in 39.14 minutes. Arthur Daley produced his quickest road 10km of the year as he claimed 58th place overall in a time of 40.17 minutes, just ahead of Lorraine Ryan who was delighted to claim senior county bronze in a time of 40.56 minutes.

Dave Spackman dominated the veteran over 60 category to claim the county title and 80th position overall, winning in a time of 41.46 minutes. Gemma Collier produced the only club personal best of the day, finishing in 43.03 minutes for 105th place a dn 6th senior lady. Paul Loveridge made a welcome return to racing after a long term knee problem, to finish full of running in 45.04 minutes. Michelle Stark belatedly celebrated her birthday from the previous day, by consolidating her position at the top of the county series rankings in the over 35 category with 49.08 minutes. Bogdan Jochym completed an excellent day for the club with a time of 50.59 minutes for 263rd position.

27/09/09 Upton Bishop Big Dipper Road Race

Kim Drinkwater was the sole Gloucester AC representative at the race in Upton Bishop on Sunday, held just outside Ross on Wye, but made up for a lack of clubmates with an excellent run to win the ladies race in a new course record. Finishing in 12th overall on a hilly course of approximately 5.7 miles, Drinkwater finished in 39.27 minutes to win comfortably. Not content with this, Drinkwater then took part in a rowing regatta in the afternoon and also won her event there as well.

20/09/09 Anglesey Marathon - Welsh Masters Marathon Championship

Competing in the Anglesey Marathon Jeremy Mower of Gloucester AC finished 4th position overall, first Vet 40 and won his first ever Welsh Masters Marathon title beating his fellow countrymen. Mower set off in a group of several Masters and broke away from them after 6 miles, establishing a 3 minute gap by half way. Anglesey has a notoriously hard 3 mile uphill finish and Mower eased off with no-one in contention to beat him in his age category. A sprint finish saw Mower catch another runner on the line and finish in 3 hours 36 seconds. The time was not particularly fast for him but it was a job well done. This was Mower's second national title adding to the Welsh Ultra Championship earlier in the year.

19/09/09 Midlands 6 & 4 Stage Road Relays

Gloucester AC had a successful day at the Midlands Mens 6 Stage and Womens 4 Stage Road Relays at Sutton Coldfield on Saturday, qualifying a team in both events for the National finals in four weeks time. On a beautiful sunny afternoon on the undulating course the womens team were pleased to finish 28th overall from a starting entry of more than 80 teams, running four 'legs' of approximately 2.7 miles each.

Gemma Collier led the team off for the first time, clocking 18.06 for 42nd position on the notoriously strong first stage. Kim Drinkwater then produced a superb run on leg 2 to move the team up 12 places into 30th with a time of 17.26 minutes, for the fastest run of the day by a Gloucester athlete. Anne-Marie Edwards kept the momentum going on the penultimate stage with a 19.56 minutes clocking to keep the team in contention, before Lorraine Ryan defied recent injury problems to finish in 28th place overall with an individual time of 17.32 minutes.

The womens B team were started off by Gill Gresswell, coming home in 68th place with a time of 23.10 minutes. Christine Parkin took over for leg two and was pleased with a solid 23.07 minutes for her run. Jane Leckebusch had a storming run on leg three, moving the team up into the top sixty with the teams best time of 19.31 minutes, before Helen Davies rounded off an excellent afternoons work for the women with a time of 20.38 minutes to bring the team home in 55th position overall.

Gloucester fielded 3 mens team for the first time in more than a decade, with strong competition from numerous athletes trying to get into those 3 teams, proving that the club is encountering a renaissance in distance running. The mens A team qualified for the National finals by claiming 20th place overall, from a starting entry of more than 100 teams. The large majority of teams put a strong runner on first leg, so Andrew de Camps led the way for Gloucester and was pleased to run over 40 seconds quicker than last year for the 3.8 mile leg, coming home 55th with a time of 21.08 minutes. Steve Millward than started the charge up the field, gaining 24 places for the team with a time of 18.38 minutes, the fastest of the day for the club. New signing Andrew Renfree proved to be a great acquisition for the club, with a strong run to take Gloucester up to 18th place with a time of 19.31 minutes. Luke Herbert took over on leg four and broke 20 minutes for the first time, claiming a time of 19.55 minutes to continue the clubs progress. Richard de Camps then had a lonely run on leg five as the field started to spread out, finishing in 21.39 minutes to keep the club in the hunt for the qualifying places. Pete Kellie then produced a superb run on the final leg to bring the team home in 20th overall with a personal time of 19.05 minutes. To emphasise a measure of the clubs progress, the aggregate time was over 10 minutes quicker than the previous year, dipping under 2 hours.

The mens B team also acquitted themselves well, clocking several individual personal bests. Lee Smith was the finest example, bringing the team back on the first leg in 20.32 minutes, over a minute quicker than last year. Alistair Wakefield continued his strong form in the build-up to the Dublin Marathon with 21.40 minutes on leg two. Nico Constanti performed well to finish in 21.39 minutes for leg three, before handing over to the consistent Dave Gresswell who clocked 21.11 minutes for the fourth leg. Richard Moor was back in 22.33 minutes for the fifth leg before Ian Summers rounded things off with a time of 22.01 minutes, bringing the team home in 42nd position.

The mens C team produced some encouraging performances, Mark Ingram starting them off on the opening leg with 22.38 minutes. Matt Wade produced a solid run for 23.23 minutes on leg two, before Ben Jones took over and finished in 25.07 minutes. Dave Edwards moved the team forwards on leg four with a time of 24.33 minutes, before Nick Cousins completed leg five in 22.55 minutes despite nursing a niggling knee injury. Wayne Mayer completed an excellent day for the club with the teams fastest leg and 64th position overall, running 22.33 minutes.

13/09/09

Gloucester AC's Lee Smith was delighted to record a new personal best at the Chippenham Half Marathon on Sunday, taking 11th place overall and 2nd veteran over 40 from a field of more than 1200 runners. Smith flew round the course in a time of 78 minutes 26 to consolidate his recent good form.

Lorraine Ryan finished in 124th position and 9th senior lady in a time of 90 minutes 14 on her comeback from injury. Anne-Marie Edwards was pleased to finish in a new personal best time of 1 hour 47 minutes 56, showing that Gloucester has a strong womens team for the upcoming cross-country season. Terry Onions ran extremely well to finish in 398th place with a time of 1 hour 43 minutes 48.

13/09/09 Nottingham Marathon

Chris Campbell was one of two Gloucester AC athletes to make the journey over to Nottingham to run the marathon on Sunday. Campbell was delighted to revise her personal best figures with a time of 4 hours 7 minutes and 4 seconds, taking more than 20 minutes off her previous best. Paul Robins was the other club member, finishing in a time of 4 hours 37 minutes and 41 seconds.

13/09/09

Gloucester AC athlete Adam Thrall was a convincing winner of the most recent Lloyds TSB Fitness 4 Mile Road Race held at the Pilot Inn in Hardwicke. Racing to the front from the start of the race, under 15 athlete Thrall moved steadily away over the out and back course to finish 20 seconds clear in a time of 23 minutes 41 seconds. By dipping under the 24 minute barrier, Thrall is now excluded from future races in this series. His father Mark Thrall was the only other Gloucester athlete to compete, finishing in 26th position and 2nd veteran over 40 in a time of 27 minutes 56 seconds.

11/09/09 Deaflympics (Taipei)

Local athlete Beth Sewell, part of Lorraine Shaws training group at Gloucester AC, took 6th place in a high quality womens hammer final at the Deaflympics in Taipei on Friday. In a competition where the first four athletes broke the previous championship best, Sewell opened her competition with 42.98 metres and consolidated this with two further throws over 41 metres.

06/09/09

Alistair Wakefield was the leading Gloucester AC athlete in the Bristol Half Marathon on Sunday, finishing in 190th position from a record field of more than 12000 runners in a time of 1 hour 23.44 minutes. Wakefield, who is in the middle of training for a marathon debut in Dublin in October, worked his way through the field to claim a top 200 spot on the fast course. Following close behind was training partner Nick Cousins, who performed superbly to finish 292nd in 1 hour 26.37 minutes, despite having missed several weeks of regular training with a knee injury.

Maxine Gray was the leading lady for the club, producing a personal best performance to finish 836th with 1 hour 34.27 minutes. Gray was pleased with a new best time but felt that there is more to come at the Great North Run in 2 weeks time. Christine Parkin completed the course in 2 hours 44.41 minutes.

06/09/09 Hay Hill Raiser

Kim Drinkwater was the sole Gloucester AC athlete to tackle the 11.3 mile multi-terrain race at Hay-on-Wye, but produced a superb run to finish in 10th place overall. On a course that climbed several hundred feet, Drinkwater was a convincing winner of the ladies section, finishing in a time of 1 hour 23.21 minutes

06/09/09

Gloucester AC ladies were delighted winners of the team prize at the Beacon 10km on Sunday, as they build towards a strong winter cross-country season. Gemma Collier led the winning team home, finishing 4th lady overall in an impressive 43.06 minutes. Michelle Stark showed an encouraging return to form with her strongest run for months, finishing 64th overall in 47.23 minutes from a field of approximately 130 runners and first lady veteran over 35. This cements Starks position at the top of the county road race series for her age group. Following closely behind was Chris Campbell to seal the team win with second place lady veteran over 35 in a time of 48.07 minutes, just one week before she races the Nottingham marathon.

Steve Millward continued his recent winning streak to take the overall race victory, pulling away from CLC Strider Will Ferguson over the final 500m to win in a time of 33.04 minutes on the undulating course. Luke Herbert moved through strongly over the final mile to take a convincing 4th place with a time of 34.53 minutes. Dave Gresswell consolidated his position at the top of the veteran over 40 county series standings with a solid 11th position overall and a time of 37.44 minutes. Just one place behind on his return to racing after six months out was Andy Hawkins, who was satisfied with a time of 37.54 minutes.

Jeremy Mower produced his customary strong finish to claim 14th spot overall with a time of 38.14 minutes, before Arthur Daley finished in a time of 40.21 minutes. Daley narrowly failed to break the 40 minute barrier, but had to be content with winning the veteran over 55 category. Dave Spackman also claimed victory for Gloucester AC in the veteran over 60 category with a time of 42.27 minutes, before Bogdan Jochym completed an encouraging day for the club on his return from injury and illness to finish in 81st position with 50.41 minutes.

30/08/09

Several athletes from Gloucester AC combined a cycle trip around the Cotswolds with a run out at the first ever Winchcombe Hill Race from Sudeley Castle on Sunday. Despite the unorthodox warm-up, club members dominated the race to take several prizes and win the mens team competition.

Steve Millward was the lead athlete home for the club on the tough course, pulling away from Seb Foy (Cheltenham Harriers) on the gruelling climb up to Belas Knap to take the race win in the multi-terrain 10km, finishing in a time of 36.31 minutes for a 90 second victory. Lee Smith ran a superb race, sneaking third place on the line with a time of 39.25 minutes. Club stalwart Ian Summers enjoyed the hilly course and moved through well on the steep downhill sections to claim 13th place overall in a time of 42.43 minutes. Lorraine Ryan continued her tentative comeback from injury with a well-judged run, taking second place in the ladies race and 26th overall with a time of 45.14 minutes. Peter Lloyd also had a fine race, finishing close behind Ryan in 28th place overall from a field of more than 100 runners, with a time of 45.32 minutes.

To complete an excellent day for the club, Gemma Collier was victorious in the accompanying 5km race, winning the ladies section in a time of 19.34 minutes.

26/08/09

Three Gloucester AC veteran athletes placed themselves high in the 10,000m national rankings for their age groups whilst competing in the County AAA Championships at the county's only track in Cheltenham. Jeremy Mower's 6th place(38:03.3) in the race and Silver medal in the V40 competition ranked him 9th in the V40 national lists. One place behind Arthur Daley's 40:05.2 was his fastest time over that distance for 20 years and in his last track race as a V55 raised him to lead the UK list in his age group. Dave Spackman added a V60 Gold to Daley's V55, finishing in 10th place with 43:37.0. This puts him third in the UK lists for 10,000m for this year.

In the accompanying relays, Gloucester AC mens 4x400m were dominant, leading from start through Ben Jones to the finish with Andrew de Camps, Ashleigh Naylor and Richard de Camps supplying the other legs to win county gold with a time of 3.37.7 minutes.

The senior mens 4x100m took second overall but senior county gold with a 48.5 seconds clocking, while the under 15 Girls 4 x 100m team took county silver with a time of 55.6 seconds.

20/08/09

Gloucester AC's new signing Andrew Renfree was pleased with a 6th place finish at the White Horse 5km on his debut. A former track specialist for Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers with an excellent pedigree, Renfree clocked a time of 15.56 minutes on his comeback after taking several years out of the sport. U15 athlete Adam Thrall was next home for the club in a time of 17.13 minutes, only marginally outside his personal best on a windy evening at Sandhurst. U17 athlete Jack Evans made a rare appearance in the club vest to finish in 18.32 minutes, for 38th overall from a field of more than 110 runners. The evervescent Dave Spackman was next home in 59th place and second male veteran over 60 with 20.22 minutes, just ahead of clubmate Maxine Gray who was pleased with 9th place in the ladies category with 20.29 minutes.

Gareth Malsom made an encouraging racing debut with a time of 21.21 minutes for 75 place, before Rachel Hancocks and Helen Roberts crossed the finish line together in a time of 26 minutes and 29 seconds

18/08/09

Gloucester AC's Andrew de Camps was delighted to record a new personal best over 800m at the recent Trafford AC Open Meeting in Manchester. Staying on the shoulder of the leader throughout, de Camps sped down the home straight to finish in a time of 1 minute 52.08 for second place, taking four-tenths of a second off his previous best. In the next 800m race, training partner Nico Constanti found the going tough at the end of a long season to finish in 8th place with a time of 1 minute 55.06. Richard de Camps also finished 8th in his heat of the 800m in a time just outside 2 minutes, coming off the back of his 1 minute 56 personal best the previous week.

In the throws, Bola Ogun consolidated her UK top ten ranking with a win in the senior womens hammer, throwing a distance of 53.61m. Alex Warner won the corresponding mens competition with 58.61m. Kate Yhnell was back to her best with 47.56m to take third place with training partner Beth Sewell in 4th place with 42.18m.

15/08/09

Gloucester AC's Becky Summers raced to a new age group course record at the annual Race the Train festival at Tywyn on the Welsh coast on Saturday. Competing against a steam railway train on an approximate three mile course, Summers produced a superb run to finish 7th overall from a field of more than 170 runners with a time of 20.07 minutes, quick enough to claim a new age group record in the Tynllwynhen Challenge.

In the main race, again racing the steam train over a difficult multi-terrain course of more than 14 miles, the Gloucester AC Ladies team were delighted to win the team prize against tough competition. Led by Lorraine Ryan who managed to beat the train and finish sixth lady overall in 1 hour 46.29, the team was completed by Gemma Collier who ran well to finish in 1 hour 56.14 minutes and a resurgent Anne-Marie Edwards who came home in 2 hours 14.43.

The Gloucester AC mens team also performed superbly well, with several athletes beating the steam train from a field of more than 950 runners. Luke Herbert was first back for the club in an excellent 15th place in a time of 1 hour 34.07, followed closely behind by Lee Smith in 29th overall with 1 hour 36.16. Dom Malson was pleased to finish in 38th place in 1 hour 37.24, but was frustrated that a hamstring problem prevented him from coming even further up the field. Ian Summers was the final athlete to sneak home in front of the train, in 58th position with a time of 1 hour 40.26. Dave Edwards was pleased to sneak home just under the two hour mark with 1 hour 59.49 minutes in 316th position overall.

New Training Group Established at Gloucester AC

Gloucester AC has launched a fresh training group for new or slightly slower runners, held every Thursday from 7pm at Blackbridge track. Run by qualified coaches, the group is aimed at those who are worried about being left behind or not being quick enough to run with a group. Taking place over a mixture of grass, road and trails, everyone is welcome and is guaranteed a friendly and inclusive atmosphere.

Come along and try it out before you take up membership

16/08/09

Nick Cousins was the leading Gloucester AC athlete at the Standish 10 mile trail race held near Stonehouse on Sunday. On a tough multi-terrain course, Cousins was delighted to claim a top-ten spot with 8th place overall from a field of more than 140 runners, finishing in a time of 63.35 minutes. Close behind was veteran Peter Lloyd in 20th position with a time of 67.20, with Dave Spackman claiming 2nd place in the veteran over 60 category and 52nd overall with a time of 1 hour 13.25.

15/08/09

De Camps storms to personal best

Gloucester AC's Richard de Camps produced a sparkling performance at the British Milers Club Grand Prix Finals in Cardiff on Saturday, taking more than 1.5 seconds off his personal best in the mens 800m. Drawn in a tough heat, de Camps hung on to the quick early pace to record 1 minute 56.8. Brother Andrew de Camps also ran well to clock 1.53.4 in his heat of the 800m to finish 3rd, not far off his own personal best. Nico Constanti was also in fine form, finishing 2nd in his heat with a time of 1 minute 54.7.

05/08/09

Gloucester AC's Steve Millward was a delighted winner of the Bugatti 10km, hosted by Cheltenham and County Harriers on Wednesday evening. Over a hilly course near Winchcombe, Millward was content to stay in the lead group for the first four kilometres, before pulling away on the testing hills to come home a convincing winner in a time of 33.40 minutes. Millward is now closing in on Bourton Road Runners Dennis Walmsley at the top of the county series standings. Veteran over 40's Lee Smith and Dave Gresswell were next back for Gloucester in 18th and 23rd respectively, with times of 37.05 and 38.29, to leave them 3rd and 1st in the series rankings for their age group.

Jeremy Mower followed close behind with his customary strong finish to claim 27th position in 38.57 minutes, before an excellent run from veteran over 55 Arthur Daley in 43rd overall with 41.01 minutes. Lorraine Ryan was delighted to finish 3rd lady overall with a time of 41.03 minutes, after struggling with a hamstring injury in recent weeks which has curtailed her training, putting her second in the county series. Veteran over 60 Dave Spackman was a clear winner in his age category with a time of 43.26 minutes, putting him first in his section of the county series.

Gemma Collier was pleased with a top hundred finish for 95th place with 44.26 minutes, fresh from a strong performance on the track at the recent Midlands League fixture. Terry Onions continued his return to full fitness with 45.48 minutes for 108th place. Chris Campbell was narrowly outside her personal best despite the tough course, with a time of 50.16 minutes for 186th position. Just behind was Dave Janetta in 200th place overall from a field of almost 400 runners, with 50.54 minutes. Bogdan Jochym was satisfied with 52.11 minutes for 214th position, consolidating his top five spot in the veteran over 55 county series. Closing the team performance was Michelle Stark, the current leader in the over 35 county series, with a time of 54.06 minutes for 245th place.

02/08/09

The Gloucester AC and Severn AC composite team fell agonisingly short of gaining promotion to the top flight of the Midlands Track and Field League, at the final fixture of the season in Kettering. Missing several key athletes through illness, injury or holidays, the combined team were just 9.5 points short of being promoted from an aggregate total of 1391.5 points from the season. Despite winning numerous events, the team lacked a strength in depth which resulted in a fourth place finish on the day and thrid place overall for the season, the same match points as the two promoted teams Charnwood and Notts AC, but a lower aggregate total.

Again leading the way in the final fixture was the mens distance runners, with comprehensive victories in the 1500m and 3000m from Midlands 5000m champion Josh Lilley, in the 3km steeplechase from fellow Midlands champion Steve Millward and from Andrew de Camps in the 800m. They were backed up by fine B string wins from Ben Coldray in the 1500m and Jeremy Mower in the steeplechase.

The male throwers also weighed in with valuable points with a pair of second places from Gareth Winter in the A string discus and shot, a typically busy afternoon from Justin Sysum with a B string win in the discus, 2nd in the B string shot, 3rd in the A string hammer and 4th in the A string javelin. Wayne Powell also performed well on his comeback from injury with a win in the B string hammer and 2nd in the B string javelin.

Brendan Goss took a convincing victory in the mens long jump and followed it up with 4th in the 110m hurdles, 4th in the triple jump, 6th in the high jump and 6th in the pole vault. He was ably supported by Lloyd Andrews who took 2nd in the B string long and triple jump and 4th in the B string 400m hurdles.

The female throwers also brought home a large haul of points, with Lorraine Shaw winning the A string shot and discus before claiming 3rd in the javelin. Kate Yhnell suffered a rare defeat in the womens hammer but recovered to take valuable 2nd places in the B string shot and discus.

On the track, Gemma Collier had an extremely busy day taking 2nd in the B string 400m hurdles, 4th in the 100m hurdles, 4th in the 800m, 4th in the 1500m and 5th in the 3000m. Kathryn Purcell took 5th in the 100m hurdles, 5th in the 200m B string, 5th in the 400m hurdles, 6th in the 400m A string and  6th in the 100m B string. Sister Alex Purcell also claimed 3rd in the long jump, 4th in the triple jump and 6th in the 800m.

To finish off a largely successful season, the mens 4x400m relay team took victory in the final event following an outstanding third leg from Nico Constanti

25/07/09 UK Athletics Throwsfest (Birmingham)

Gloucester AC athlete Mike Tommey produced an outstanding new personal best in the mens hammer at the recent UK Athletics Throwsfest held in Birmingham. Throwing the senior mens 7.26kg hammer, Tommey launched it out to a new personal best distance of 52.90m, more than 3 metres further than his previous best. Training partner Kate Yhnell won her event in the womens hammer, claiming a distance of 47.96m with Beth Sewell managing 39.72m as she prepares for the Deaflympics in Taiwan in September. In the womens elite hammer competition, Bola Ogun took 4th place with a consistent 51.15m.

25/07/09

Competitors in the 9th Gloucester Half Marathon at Newent were fortunate to avoid the rain and enjoy sunny breezy conditions. The event was sponsored by C&G Cheltenham and Gloucester for the second year and also supported by Wincanton Logistics who provided the goody bags. Although the change to a Saturday evening attracted a higher number of entries, 386 athletes and fun runners, a similar number to last year, crowded onto the start line on Watery Lane at 6.00pm.

A leading group of seven athletes soon formed, and the eventual winner Paul Hocking of Stroud & District AC pulled away on his own after 4 miles. Hocking was able to maintain a good pace, finding miles 8 to 10 the hardest. He finished over three minutes ahead of Matthew Harvey of Neath Harriers, running his first half marathon event. Followed seconds later was local runner James Rose of Severn AC who finished in a time of 1hr17min30sec. The host club was represented by Alistair Wakefield, who finished in a time of 1hr24min54sec.

The first woman across the line was Myshola Kirkham of Coventry Godiva Harriers in 17th place in a time of 1hr23min53sec, two minutes ahead of Emma D'Alton of Westpury Harriers in 26th place, seconds ahead of local runner Gwen Kinsey of Severn AC who finished in a time of 1hr25min54sec, one place behind.

The winning mens team of Stroud & District AC was made up of Paul Hocking, Andy Furley, and Chris Young. The winning ladies team was Westpury Harriers, made up of Emma D'Alton, Sandra Price and Jane Thornton.

Stuart Matthew and George Bryant of the Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service bravely brought up the rear running in their fire kit and breathing apparatus in a time of 2hr45min, raising money for a school in Africa.

22/07/09

The final Quedgeley 5 mile race saw Gloucester AC members win both the male and female series. Dave Gresswell gained the series championship with his lowest placing. His 3rd place in 29:04 saw him easily take the title whilst Christine Campbell won not only the Lady V35 event but also the series championship in 15th place in the race with 38:22. David Jannetta finished just in front of Christine in 38:11 whilst new club member Hayley Winters ran strongly to complete the course in 34:16 and take first Senior Lady spot.  Ultra distance specialist Jeremy Mower just missed the 30 minute barrier by finishing 5th place in 30:04. Tom Meheran of Severn AC, who trains with Gloucester on Tuesdays and Thursdays, ran his first race since taking the County V50 Cross Country League title in March and was first V55 in 30:56.

Campbell is one of the coaches taking a new beginners running group on Thursdays at 7:00 and Mower leads a group of under 11's on Tuesdays from the club's Blackbridge headquarters.

22/07/09 Cheltenham Harriers Midsummer Open

Tim Campion produced the perfomance of the night from the small contingent of Gloucester AC athletes who travelled over to Cheltenham for the final open meeting on the series, hosted by Cheltenham Harriers. Competing in the U17 mens shot putt, Campion claimed a new personal best distance of 10.46m, fresh from a double gold-medal winning perfomance at the recent UK Disability Athletics Champs held in Blackpool.

Mike Tommey took victory in the U20 mens hammer with a distance of 53.86m, while Adam Thrall just missed out on a personal best in the U15 boys 800m with 2nd place and a time of 2m10.4. Lurenda Mudd completed the strong Gloucester AC performances with 27.7 seconds for the U15 girls 200m, also narrowly missing out on setting new personal best figures.

19/07/09 National Young Athletes League (Yate)     (3-page results here)

On Sunday 19th July, GLOUCESTER AC hosted round 5 of the Young Athletes League 2009 at Yate. They were joined in the final round by athletes from Llanelli & Neath, Bridgnorth and Yeovil who all had to cope with the start of the school holidays and intermittent heavy showers.

Gloucester competed well against good opposition from Clubs much larger than theirs, particularly in the under 13 section. 

Under 13 boy Laurence Leat is having an excellent end of season, having only started competing for the club in the last month. Having recorded excellent times in his 200m of 27.5 secs and 100m of 13.3 secs he finished off his day with a Club record in his first attempt at Shot putt with a distance of 8.62m.

Not to be outdone, Kelly Constable continued her great form for the U13 Girls with PB's in the 75m of 10.4 sces and 150m of 20.4 secs, both only 0.2 away from the current Club records.

New U15 girl Leah Glover came away with an excellent points haul from three events, coming first in both Javelin and Shot with a creditable third in the discus.

Kate Davies battled hard in her 800m race to finish second with a PB of 2.39:6 secs knocking 5 seconds off her previous best.

In the under 15 girls, Harriet Hunter and Lurenda Mudd had to battle torrential rain for their 200m and 100m races despite having slightly better weather either side of both events, with both athletes running well to secure good points for the club.

The U15 boys saw only two athletes take on a difficult 1500m race, both from Gloucester. Adam Thrall finished first as the "A" runner with a time of 4.39:4 secs. He was supported well by Douglas Bryant who finished first as the "B" runner knocking over 6 seconds off his previous best to PB with 4.44:9 secs. 

Overall Gloucester finished third for the day which sees them retain their position in the Midlands West 1 League for 2010.

The results have shown to the young athletes that what they sadly lack in numbers, they more than make up for in quality of results with a staggering 111 PB's throughout the five rounds! 

18/07/09 British Milers Club Meeting (Solihull)

Three athletes from Gloucester AC travelled up to Solihull on Saturday for the latest meeting in the BMC Grand Prix Series with considerable success. Andrew de-Camps showed his early season injury problems were behind him with a convincing victory in the 800m when recording a season's best performance of 1min 52.94secs.   For the second week in a row he was followed home by his team mate and training partner, Nico Constanti, who recorded a personal best performance of 1min 53.44secs.   There was disappointment for Richard de-Camps who could only manage 6th in his race in a time of 1min 58secs but as the first race of the evening he had to contend with the worst of the blustery conditions.

18/07/09

Gloucester AC athletes were amongst the medals at the Bourton 1 Mile Road Race on Saturday, a county series road race which also incorporated the county 1 mile championships. Leading the way was Steve Millward, who took second place overall with 4.27 minutes, losing out in the final quarter mile to Severn AC's Tim Dalton by three seconds. Dave Gresswell was next to finish in 13th place overall and 1st veteran over 40 with 5.01 minutes, despite suffering from a stomach bug. Displaying his customary strong sprint finish, Jeremy Mower snatched 16th place and 2nd veteran over 40 on the line with 5.08 minutes. Matt Wade and Jason Gresswell had a close tussle throughout the race to claim 20th and 22nd respectively with times of 5.18 and 5.20. 14 year old Becky Summers continued her excellent recent form to take 2nd place in the junior lady category with a time of 5.34 minutes, finishing just behind U20 winner Stephanie Lane of Bourton Road Runners.

Gemma Collier was delighted to dip under the 6 minute barrier with a time of 5.58 minutes, which resulted in a bronze medal in the county championship race. Dave Spackman followed closely behind in a time of 6.02 to claim the veteran over 60 county gold medal, while Michelle Stark was happy to win the female over 35 category gold medal with a time of 6.14, which consolidates her position in the county road race series. Bogdan Jochym completed a successful evening for Gloucester AC with third place in the veteran over 55 category and 48th place from a field of 92 runners, with a time of 6.27 minutes

16/07/09

Five Gloucester athletic club members set personal bests in the third 5km race in the series hosted by Severn AC at the White Horse in Sandhurst.  The two youngest runners, Adam Thrall and Jack Evans were competing in their first 5K road race and showed most of the Seniors a clean pair of heels. Under 15 athlete Thrall produced a fine run to finish in 17:07 in 18th position, with Evans 33rd out of the 81 starters in 19:29. Ultra-distance specialist Jeremy Mower was sandwiched between the two finishing 23rd in 17:55.  Thrall's father Mark Thrall completed the course in 21:43 (62nd) with Dave Edwards coming back in 20:17 for 43rd place.

The three Ladies running all achieved personal bests with Maxine Gray finishing in 20:40, Anne-Marie Edwards whose training is emphasising core fitness in 21:55 and Rachael Hancox in 26:07.

10-11/07/09 Yhnell takes bronze at English Schools

Gloucester AC's Kate Yhnell was delighted to come away from her final English Schools Track and Field Championships with a bronze medal in the senior girls hammer. After narrowly missing out on a medal at the UK Champs a few weeks ago, Yhnell showed the mental fortitude to come back from that disappointment to win bronze at the competition held in Sheffield. Yhnell threw 45.70m to snatch the medal by a small margin from Oxfordhsires Helen Broadbridge.

Tim Williams was again the pick of the male hammer throwers, taking an excellent 5th place despite being a year younger than the majority of his rivals with a distance of 57.66m. Showing the strength in depth at Gloucester AC, Mike Tommey was just one place behind in 6th with 52.45m, while training partner Ashley Andrews from the Forest of Dean AC claimed a big new personal best to finish 7th with 51.76m.

08/07/09 Cotswold 10km Series

Dave Gresswell was the sole Gloucester AC runner at the most recent race in the Cotswold 10km series held over a hilly course near Bourton On the Water. Gresswell was always with the lead group but lost out to Elliot Prince (Cheltenham AC) over the final kilometre and had to settle for second place overall and first veteran over 40, with a time of 37.18 minutes.

08/07/09 Midsummer Open (Cheltenham)

Gloucester AC's Lurenda Mudd produced a composed piece of sprinting to win the U15 girls 200m at the recent Midsummer Open, held at the Prince of Wales Stadium in Cheltenham. Mudd clocked 27.8 seconds to take victory, just outside her personal best set earlier in the season.

Several distance runners from Gloucester AC managed to achieve personal best performances in a high calibre senior mens 1500m at the same meeting. Steve Millward was pleased with a new best time of 4.00.6 but was frustrated not to dip under the four minute barrier. Competing at a longer distance than normal, training partners and 800m specialists Andrew de Camps and Nico Constanti also claimed new personal best times with 4.01.5 and 4.02.9 minutes respectively.

13/07/09 Avon Track & Field League records broken

Andrew De Camps lowered the Avon Track & Field League 800m record by 2.5secs to 1:53.9, running a strong race despite the blustery conditions. Nico Constanti also dipped under the previous best mark but had to concede to his training partner on this occasion.

De Camps and Constanti were also part of the Gloucester team along with Ashleigh Naylor and Richard De Camps who lowered the 4 x 400m record by 1.5secs to 3:27.5.  The latter is particularly noteworthy as their lead was so great it was really just them against the clock in difficult conditions and their average age is less than 20. Ashleigh Naylor also recorded a new PB for the 200m which he won in 22.6. Naylor followed this up with a second place in 11.3 for the 100m.

Gareth Winter also claimed a new league record in the senior mens shot, with the results still to be published.

11/07/09 Pilot 10 mile road race

There was a good turn from Gloucester AC in the Pilot Inn 10 mile road race which was also a County Championship race. The course around Longney and Elmore is a notoriously tough race with plenty of hills. The added high humidity caused a number of athletes to drop out during the race and finishing times were a little slower than normal because of the conditions. Individual prizes in the race were given in 5 year age groups and in the county Championship they were awarded in 10 year age groups. Dave Gresswell followed the leaders from the start and was the clubs first finisher and picked up the first Vet 40 male prize. Gresswell took the Vet40 County silver medal behind Bourton's Dennis Walmsley finishing ahead of Severn AC's Dave Lander and club mate Jeremy Mower. Gemma Collier was the most pleased with her run as she managed to beat her personal best for the distance by a couple of minutes and in finishing second lady picked up the County senior lady silver medal. On a better day and flatter course Gemma should be capable of meeting her target of seven minute miling for the 10 miles. Recent recruit Maxine Gray was ahead of Gemma in the early stages of the race but eventually finished a couple of minutes behind her to take 4th placed lady. Jane Leckebusch and Chris Campbell both won Gold medals in their age categories and completed Gloucester women's team to take the Ladies team prize.

Times & Positions:
Dave Gresswell 5th 61:57 1st Vet 40, silver medal Vet 40 County Championship
Jeremy Mower 11th 64:51
Gemma Collier 2nd Lady 30th 73:43, silver medal SL CC
Max Gray 34th 4th Lady  75:14
Jane Leckebush 37th 77:45 1st LV 45, gold medal LV45 CC
Christine Campbell 44th 82:20, gold medal LV35 CC

The Lady's won the team event. 57 finished

04/07/09 Midlands Track and Field League Division 2 (Cheltenham)

The combined Gloucester and Severn AC track and field team achieved a memorable victory in the third fixture of the Midlands League division 2 on Saturday, completing a convincing win over host club Cheltenham Harriers. At a hot but windy Prince of Wales Stadium, the combined team won both the mens and the womens sections to finish almost 30 points ahead of their local rivals to cement top spot in the overall standings and push to reach the top flight of Midlands athletics.

The womens team produced a superb turnaround from the previous two fixtures, narrowly edging out Notts AC from the top spot with a great allround performance. Leading the way was Lorraine Shaw with victories in the shot putt and discus, ably supported by Paralympian Beverley Jones who won the B string in both events. Kate Yhnell continued her unbeaten record in Midlands League competiton with a win in the hammer. Amber Watson produced a composed run in the 800m to claim a comfortable victory, while Emma Gooderham made a welcome debut in the 3000m to win another event for the composite team. Alex Purcell was delighted with a personal best distance in the triple jump to take the teams 6th A string victory of the day.

Sophie Lambert had a busy afternoon collecting points, taking third in the 100m, 2nd in the 200m, 5th in the 100m hurdles and producing two excellent relay legs in the 4x100m and 4x400m. Sister Cleo Lambert also ran well under pressure to claim third in the B string 100m and 200m. Becky Summers took her usual haul of points in the 800m and 1500m with 2nd B string and 4th A string respectively. Amy Whitcher and Kathryn Purcell both produced seasons best performances to win valuable points which enabled the team to move into first place with one fixture remaining.

The mens team also had a fantastic day, producing 7 A string victories and 6 B string wins. Midlands 5000m champion Josh Lilley took a comfortable victory in his favourite event before stepping down in distance to also win the 1500m from team-mate Tim Dalton. Andrew De Camps continued his unbeaten Midlands League season with a strong run to win the 800m, before also moving down a distance to win the B string 400m. Steve Millward managed to claim a new Midlands League record with a win in the 2km steeplechase before returning to the high jump to get a seasons best in that event.

Justin Sysum snatched victory in the mens hammer with his final throw, supported well by Wayne Powell who was a convincing winner of the B string on his return from injury. Gareth Winter won the discus and took second in the shot and B string javelin, while Sysum returned to take second in the javelin, first in the B string discus and second in the B string shot.

The Gloucester/Severn team also dominated the jumps, with triple jump wins in the A and B string coming from Brendan Goss and Lloyd Andrews respectively. The same two athletes then followed this up with two 2nd places in the long jump.

02/07/09 Lloyds TSB Fitness 4 Mile Road Race

A combination of speed work and and sustained endurance runs over the hills helped Gloucester AC distance runners to good times in the July Pilot 4.

Arthur Daley (V55) and Matt Wade raced each other over the 4 mile event with Wade staying off the pace for the first mile then taking Daley just after the hill at 1.5 miles. Daley surged pas Wade on the flat after the turn only to be overtaken by 3 miles.  The lead alternated several times during the last mile with Daley just beating club mate by one second finishing 6th in 25:28 to Wades 7th in 25:29.

The next two club runners also finished sprinting alongside each other. Gemma Colllier overcame the sultry conditions to take another 30 seconds off her personal best narrowly beating Max Gray who  also took half a minute of her best.  Collier followed Gray by several seconds for most of the race but used her strength gained from training up the Cotswold scarp to gradually catch Gray until both Ladies were sprinting over the final 100m. Collier finished 22nd with 27:46 to Gray's 27:50.

Vet 55 Gerry McGarr completed the 4 miles - his first race for several months- with sore calves in 29:41 for 38th place about half a minute in front of V50 Paul Loveridge who ran steadily, until a final sprint, echoing his speed work from Tuesdays session to take 58th place in 30:19. New member Nathan Gregory finished in 30:43.

27-28/06/09  AAA U20 & U23 Championships (Bedford)

Gloucester AC's Kate Yhnell fell agonisingly short of claiming a medal in the hammer at the Uk age group track and field champs held at Bedford at the weekend. Competing in the under 20 competition, Yhnell produced a personal best performance when it mattered most to finish in 4th place, just 3 centimetres short of the bronze medal. Yhnell is peaking just at the right time with the English Schools championships coming in 10 days time.

In the mens under 20 hammer competition, Yhnells training partners at Gloucester AC all competed well with Tim Williams producing the standout performance. Despite being one of the youngest in the event, Williams claimed a new personal best with 58.29 metres for 7th place. Mike Tommey was not far behind in 9th place with 52.31 metres are suffering some early no throws. Ashley Andrews, representing Forest of Dean AC, was tenth with 47.66m which was narrowly short of his personal best.

On the track, Welsh under 20 800m champion Nico Constanti took on the best in the UK and finished fifth in a high quality heat with 1 minute 55.35. Training partner Andrew de Camps claimed a seasons best in his heat of the U23 800m and was unlucky to miss out on the final with a time of 1 minute 53.91

24/06/09

In the second event of the Quedgeley 5 Mile Race Series Gloucester AC again dominated the top places. Newly turned Vet 40 athlete Lee Smith beat club mate Dave Greswell who had previously won the first event. Gresswell went off hard over the first couple of miles and Smith sat in behind him and made his move half way. Over the last mile Smith took 20 seconds out of Gresswell. Smith was delighted with his first ever race win and setting a new 5 mile PB. Only last week Greswell had beaten Smith by two seconds in a 5K race and Smith put his victory down to the extra miles he had done during his London Marathon training earlier in the year. Gresswell afterwards vowed to step up his training miles and regain some endurance before the next race. Gresswell remains overall leader in the series with a 1st and 2nd place. Despite running a marathon only four days earlier Jeremy Mower managed to come in 4th place and move up into 2nd place in the series. Gemma Collier set a new PB and finished second lady behind Kim Mazzucca of the Forest of Dean. Christine Campbell was the 3rd lady in the race and is now 2nd lady overall.

Finishing Details of Gloucester runners:
1st man, Lee Smith, MV40 male, 28:35 PB
2nd man, Dave Gresswell, MV40 male, 28:57
4th man, Jeremy Mower, MV40 male, 30:31
2nd lady, Gemma Collier, SL, 35:37 PB
3rd lady, Christine Campbell, LV35 39:34

21/06/09 Midlands Championships (Birmingham) - Millward takes second Midlands title

Gloucester AC's Steve Millward stormed to his second Midlands title at the regional Track and Field Championships held at Birmingham on Sunday. Taking part in the 3km steeplechase, Millward was content to trail Ed Womersley from Stroud AC for the majority of the race, before hitting the front with 500m to go and winning convincingly in 9 minutes 24.99.

On a successful day for Gloucester AC, Kate Yhnell produced a seasons best in the senior womens hammer with 49.97metres to claim fourth spot despite still being under 20. Training partners Beth Sewell, Anna Robertson and Marion Loveridge took 5th, 9th and 10th places respectively in a high-standard event.

On the mens side, Nico Constanti underlined his recent superb form with silver in the U20 mens 800m in a time of 1.54.83, just outside his personal best. Justin Sysum defied a recent illness to take fourth spot in the hammer with 57.76m, frustratingly just outside the medal positions. Andrew De Camps finished 6th in a close-fought and high quality mens 800 metres with 1.54.43, after dominating his heat earlier in the day. Younger brother Richard de Camps was 5th in his heat with 2.03.4, in his first year in senior competition. Ashleigh Naylor finished eighth in his heat of the 100m with 11.61 seconds before following up with 5th in his 400m heat with 51.04 seconds, narrowly outside his recent personal best.

21/06/09

Sunday 21st June saw a happy and enthusiastic gathering of Gloucester AC's athletes for Round 4 of the Young Athletes League at Telford.

Although low in numbers the team got stuck into the opposition early and amassed a total of 153 points for the day. The low point score was no reflection on their performances, as they managed 13x 1st placings and 20x 2nd placings in their events.

The Under 13 Boys team scored well Ryan Hearn setting a Personal Best in High Jump with 1.16m and running well in the 800m to record 2.33:4secs. Joe Morgan had a good day with strong races in the 100m and 800m but recording a PB in his Long Jump of 3.36m. The best day was had by Joe Beckett who set PB's in all three of his events! He recorded 15.4secs in the 100m, Long Jump 3.15m and in the Shot Put came 1st with 4.20m. Sam North started the day attempting the High Jump which is no mean feet as he has never even practiced! He also ran well in the 200m before injury saw him pull out of the 100m later in the day.

Not to be outdone the Under 15 boys recorded several of their own PB's with Joe's brother Tom Morgan managing 5.52m in the Shot also. The sprinters did well with Harrison Sayer finishing the 200m in 1st with 24.4secs, the 100m in 2nd 12.3 and a PB in the Long Jump of 4.95m where he also finished 1st. Niall Gibbons recorded a PB in his 200m of 27.3secs, a PB in Javelin of 22.10m and a good finish in his 400m rounded off his good day. Andrew Bowers recorded PB's in the 400m of 62.2 coming 1st, then 20 minutes later came 1st the the "B" race of the 100m in a PB of 14.0secs. He almost made it a trio of PB's for the day but just missed out in the 800m with a time of 2.26:4secs. 

The U17 Men saw Tim Campion finish 1st in the Discus with 33.09m, a day after competing in the South West Finals in Exeter where he threw a PB of 37.29m. Tim finished off his day with a Shot of 9.30m and a PB in the Javelin of 25.23m. He was supported by Sean Beckett who had a trio of PB's, firstly in the Long Jump recording 3.57m, the 400m in 69.2secs and the Javelin in 24.08m. The only other runner saw Jack Evans finish 1st in the 3000m in a time of 10.13:8.

The girls took the boys success in their stride and competed well starting with the U13's. Kelly Constable continues to perform well in the sprints with a 150m time of 21.4secs finishing 1st. She also finished 1st in the 75m where she recorded an excellent PB of 10.7secs. After only two meetings Kelly is now ranked joint third in the South West in both short sprints! Not to be outdone Jennifer Hayward matched her PB in the 75m with a time of 12.0secs, a PB in the 70m hurdles of 15.4ecs finishing second and a long jump of 3.21m. Hannah Jones knocked seconds off her 1200m time to record a PB of 4.44:0, along with a PB in Shot with a 1st place in the "B" throw of 4.79m. She also ran well in the 150m race with a time of 24.8secs finishing third. Ellen Thrall scooped two PB's with a Shot of 6.03m and a Long Jump of 3.16m. The girls took the opportunity to run the 4x100m relay, finishing a strong third with a PB time of 62.20secs.

The small contingent of U15 girls saw Harriet Hunter finish 1st in her 100m in 14secs, a seasons best time in her 200m of 28.5secs and a PB in her Shot of 5.79m coming 2nd. She was encouraged by Danielle Mulraney who started the day well with a 2nd in Long Jump with 3.60m, and then recorded a PB in her 800m of 2.57:3 coming second in the "B" race with a PB in the 100m of 15.4secs. Kate Davies rounded off a great day with a PB in the Long Jump of 4m, a PB in the 800m of 2mins 47secs and a 1st place in the Javelin with 18.67m

In all the Team had an enjoyable day which saw several of them try out new events for the first time. They now look forward to Round 5 of the Y.A.L which is their home meeting on the 19th July.

20/06/09 Mower sets another off-road Marathon course record.

Gloucester ultrarunner Jeremy Mower was the first finisher amongst a group of over 50 runners who completed the Malvern Midsummer Marathon. The 26 mile event is over and around the Malvern Hills and invloves taking in all the peaks from the south at Chase End up to North Hill, with over 2500 metres of ascent and descent. The final few miles are very tough over the last few peaks as by then most runners are walking up the hills as their quads can feel like they are about to explode. Mower ran round the first 19 miles with local Malvern runner Chris Lewis-Farley whose navigation skills were far superior to Mower's. At 19 miles we both knew a course record was on and it was just a question of whose legs lasted the distance and fortunately for Mower the more experienced athlete he was the stronger over the last few miles and managed to run up most of the final hills. Mower set a new fastet time for the 26 mile course in 4 hours 31 minutes. Afterwards Mower said "I felt a bit guilty finishing ahead of Chris as without him I'd have taken a few wrong turns and he would have beaten me, but in the end his legs went first and he did set a new PB by some way." http://www.ldwa-bristolandwest.org.uk/

18/06/09

Ten members of Gloucester AC's 40+ strong distance squad competed in a windy 5k race at the White Horse in Sandhurst. Club captain Dave Gresswell held off a fast finishing challenge by Lee Smith to finish 15th in 17:01 with Smith closing  2 seconds behind for 16th place.  Second claim member Gemma Turtle, course record holder, won the women’s race with 16:13 and Becky Summers took victory in the U17 women’s category in 19:34. Arthur Daley won the Vet 55 division with a season's best of 18:49.

Despite the windy conditions, two runners improved their personal bests. Finishing in 57th place, Gemma Collier took over 30 seconds off her personal best with 20:34 and newly qualified coach Christine Campbell also improved by 30 seconds for 82nd place in 22:42.

New signings Wyn Edwards and Helen Roberts set new bests in their first attack on this distance with Wyn finishing 44th in 19:19 and Helen 85th in 23:28. 

The club's most prolific racer, Michelle Stark, enjoyed a good first 2 miles but then tightening hamstrings slowed her down, finishing steadily in 22:22 for 81st place.

14/06/09

Dave Gresswell from Gloucester AC stormed to a fine third place at the St James Place charity 10km run in Cirencester Park on Sunday. After losing touch with the two lead runners, Gresswell hung on well to claim third spot with 37.04 minutes on the testing multi-terrain course. On the womens side, prolific racer Michelle Stark was 56th overall and 6th female with a time of 49.04 minutes.

14/06/09

Gloucester Athletic Club's Jeremy Mower was the fastest finisher at the Cheltenham Circular Challenge Marathon. Mower clocked 3 hrs 33mins 10secs over the 26 mile multi-terrain course and beat the previous record by more than 18 minutes. He ran the first half of the race hard, knowing there were slower sections ahead and the heat would take its toll later in the race. With seven miles to go Mower was feeling the effects of dehydration and becoming tired. Managing to get half a litre of water and a caffeine gel into him he managed to get going again through the final section which he knew well having been brought up in Swindon Village.

13/06/09 Parry wins third Welsh title

Carys Parry took her third straight Welsh Senior title in the womens hammer on Saturday in Cardiff. Parry, who is part of the strong throwing group at Gloucester AC, dominated througout the competition and won by almost four metres with 66.10m, just short of her personal best. In the mens hammer competition, training partners Mike Tommey and Ashley Andrews took 6th and 7th place respectively but were the best two under 20 throwers on shoe. Tommey was just short of his personal best with 49.36m and Andrews continued his fine recent form with 43.30m

10/06/09

Lorraine Ryan produced the standout performance at the first race in the Cotswold 10km series at Temple Guiting, winning the womens section by a considerable margin in a time of 41.33 minutes. Defying some pre-race nerves, Ryan was in control from early on and stretched her lead throughout. Lee Smith was equally delighted with his run, taking 4th place overall with a time of 37.23 minutes on the undulating course.

07/06/09

The Gloucester AC and Severn AC composite track and field team managed a creditable third place overall, at the second fixture in the Midlands Track and Field League Division 2 fixture at Loughborough on Sunday. In a close contest, the combined team snatched third place only on the final event, the mens discus, thanks to wins in the A and B string for Justin Sysum and Gareth Winter.

Leading the way in the second fixture were the male distance runners, scoring almost maximum points. Victory in the 800m A and B string was secured through Andrew and Richard de Camps respectively, both running astute tactical races to do enough to win. Josh Lilley and Gary Hope won the 3000m A and B string, Lilley pulling away convincingly over the final laps. Lilley also took 2nd in the 1500m and was backed up by 2nd in the B string from Tim Dalton,on his welcome return from injury. Steve Millward took a comfortable win in the 3000m steeplechase and was supported by Jeremy Mower who claimed 3rd in the B string despite slipping in the water jump early on in the race.

The throwers claimed their usual excellent haul of points, Justin Sysum and Gareth Winter dominating throughout the day. Sysum claimed two first places, a second and a fourth while Winter took a first, second and fifth.

Not to be outdone, the female throwers also won lots of points with former Commonwealth Gold Medallist Lorraine Shaw taking two first places and a fourth. Kate Yhnell took victory in the hammer and also a second and third place. Marion Loveridge also claimed a win in the B string hammer.

In the jumps, Curtley Phillips and Lloyd Andrews both took a second and a fourth place each in the long and triple jump respectively. Kathryn Purcell had a busy afternoon, competing in five different events plus a relay, bringing in good points for the team.

04/06/09

Five of the growing number of Gloucester AC's Lady's chose to compete in the June edition of Severn AC's TSB Fitness 4 rather than train at Blackbridge with the mixed group of distance runners with three gaining personal bests.

Newcomer to the club Max Gray, learning the challenges of the course, was 3rd Lady in 28:24. Jane Leckebusch, returning in her second run after injury, finished 37th from the record 120 runners in 29:09 and first female Vet 45.  She was closely followed by another runner returning from injury, Anne-Marie Edwards who took over a minute off her personal best to break 30 minutes for the first time with 29:49 in 42nd position. Only two places behind, Christine Campbell finished in 29:55 also breaking the 30 minute barrier for a PB. Second newcomer to Gloucester AC Rachel Hancox made an encouraging debut performance, with 36.16 for 83rd place.

The consistent Arthur Daley was first male vet 55 in 8th place overall with 25:13.

23/05/09

Steve Millward from Gloucester AC was absolutely delighted to come away from the UK Inter-Counties Championships with a bronze medal in the 3km steeplechase on a sweltering afternoon in Bedford on Saturday. Representing Gloucestershire, Millward ran a sensible race staying off the early pace before moving through into third at midway and claiming a surprise bronze medal with a new personal best performance of 9.20.14.

Bola Ogun was pleased but frustrated to come away from the hammer event at the UK Inter-Counties with fourth place for the second successive year. Ogun produced a consistent series of throws to claim fourth with 50.43m, but was an agonising 20 centimetres away from snatching a medal.

23-24/05/09 Midlands U15 & U20 Champs  (Birmingham)

Gloucester AC athletes dominated the hammer throwing events at the Midlands U15, U17 & U20 Champs at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham over the bank holiday weekend. Mike Tommey led the way with his first ever regional title in the under 20 mens section, taking victory in a closely-fought event with 51.95m. Training partner Ashley Andrews, representing Forest of Dean AC, took fourth place with 45.54m, just missing out on bronze by less than a metre. In the Under 20 womens competition, Kate Yhnell was dominant in claiming victory with 48.14m, more than 5 metres clear of her nearest rival. On the track, Adam Thrall produced an excellent performance with a massive personal best in the under 15 boys 1500m. Taking over 16 seconds from his previous best time, Thrall was delighted with 5th place with 4.30.24.

Competing on a higher claim basis for Birchfield Harriers in the National Junior League Midlands Premier Division on Sunday, Tommey and training partner Tim Williams were again a class above the rest with some excellent throwing. Tommey won the A string with 54.76m, just below his personal best, with Williams throwing 53.33m to comfortably win the B string.

17/05/09 National Young Athletes League (Swindon)

Sunday 17th May saw the Gloucester AC youngsters take on Cwmbran, Marlborough and Hereford at the National Young Athletes League meeting in a very wet and windy Swindon. Gloucester started well and with a much strengthened team of twenty four athletes the scores and Personal Bests came flooding in, very much like the weather!

The U13 boys age group was fiercely contested, with Gloucester fielding six athletes. Ryan Hearn had an outstanding day with a height of 1.05m in the high jump, which he had never tried before, along with a PB and commanding win in the 1500m- 5.04:6s. He was supported by new boys Jake Selway and James Sedgley who volunteered for any event going and lapped up the experience with good performances in the 800m, Shot, 75m hurdles and 1500m. Not to be outdone Joe Morgan, Joe Beckett and Sam North gave their all in the 100m and 200m to give Gloucester vital points.

Harrison Sayer dominated the 200m and 100m sprints in the under 15 boys section with PB's of 24.5s and 12.3s respectively. Scott Price competed well in the throwing winning the "A" string hammer in a new PB of 22.26m. He also won the Shot with a distance of 7.03m in difficult conditions. The U15 boys competed well with good performances from Tom Beckett along with Adam Thrall, Douglas Bryant and Andy Bowers in the middle distances.

Ashley Phipps come up against a strong Cwmbran sprint team in the under 17 mens section, but still claimed second in both the 200m - 24.5s and 100m -12.1s. Tim Campion continues to have a good throwing season with first places in the Discus- 27.9m and the Shot - 9.22m. There were also good performances from team mates Charlie Simmonds and Sean Beckett.

The U13 Girls had a good day with the five athletes competing well. Newcomer Kelly Constable put in an outstanding grade 3 performance in her 150m sprint, winning by nearly two seconds with a time of 21.2s. She completed her day with a solid Shot of 5.45m. There were also strong performances from Hannah Jones in the 200m and 800m and Ellen Thrall in the Shot and Long jump. Jade Price and Jenny Hayward took on the 75m hurdles for the first time and did well, with Jade recording a good time of 16.6s and Jenny 17.9s, despite falling mid-race.

Kate Davies in the U15 Girls also improved her distances in the Discus -14.14m and Javelin - 18.66m with Lurenda Mudd gaining a PB in her 200m race of 28.1s. They were supported in the age group with good performances from Harriet Hunter and Danni Mulraney.

Despite the torrential rain at times, Gloucester completed the meeting with some strong performances in the relays. The U13 Boys of Sam North, James Sedgley, Joe Beckett and Joe Morgan recorded 70.2s in what could only be described as torrential hail! The U15 boys fared better with Tom Beckett, Andy Bowers, Adam Thrall and Harrison Sayer recording a storming 56.8s. Not to be outdone the U15 Girls of Lurenda Mudd, Kate Davies, Danni Mulraney and Harriet Hunter competed in a hotly contested race narrowly coming 2nd with 57.5s. Despite the great british weather Gloucester performed well, coming third overall with a Team points score of 174.0, a massive improvement on the previous fixture.

If you are interested in joining in please check out the rest of our website membership and training for times and dates.

16/05/09 The Marlborough Downs Challenge

Gloucester AC’s Jeremy Mower was an unfamiliar face at the front end of the field in the Marlborough Downs Challenge 33 mile Trail ultra race. Having run many road ultra races this was his first serious off road event.  Early on he decided to run with the experienced off road ultra runner Tim Laney of Team Vasque and this proved a wise decision. Laney dragged Mower round the course for the first thirty miles and Mower finished in a very respectful time of 4 hours 44 min 50 secs in tenth position out of the 128 starters. Mower was pleased to make the top ten as this was probably the strongest field in the races history as it was part of the Vasque Ultra-Running Championships and he was ahead of some established off road athletes. Afterwards Mower said “It was an enjoyable experience running with Tim, it was like taking a master class in trail running and I learnt so much about pace judgement. I did struggle on the descents and muddy sections as five weeks ago I broke my big toe and could only get a pair of road shoes which had little grip.”

Six other Gloucester AC runners took part in the race. Ian Summers had run it on a previous occasion and for the others it was their first ultra race. They ran around together as a group making sure they took plenty of food and drink on at each check point which is wise if you’re doing this type of thing for the first time. All of them fished in great condition and thoroughly enjoyed the run and said they couldn’t wait to do another one and they even had enough energy to go out and party in the evening, whereas Mower had a quiet night in replenishing his glycogen stores.

 

Position	Name	Time
10 male	Jeremy Mower	04:44:50
67 male	Nick Cousins	06:19:32
68 male	Lee Smith	06:19:32
69 male	Ian Summers	06:19:32
70 male	Dom Malsom	06:19:32
16 female	Lorraine Ryan	06:19:32
17 female	Gemma Collier	06:19:32

13/05/09 Welsh Athletics Open Meeting (Cardiff)

Gloucester AC athletes led the way at the opening meeting of the Welsh Athletics Series held in Cardiff recently. In calm conditions, Mike Tommey claimed a big new personal best with the 6kg hammer, throwing 55.43 metres to win the under 20 mens section. Following closely behind was training partner Ashley Andrews from the Forest of Dean AC with 48.43m, just short of his personal best. Darren Andrews was also close to his current best with 36.60m in the senior mens competition.

Bola Ogun was a convincing winner of the womens hammer competition with a solid 49.94m, with Beth Sewell claiming 3rd place with 43.58m. University of Gloucestershire student Anna Robertson, a new addition to the training group at Gloucester, continued her recent improvement with 37.49m to take fourth place

11/05/09 Gloucester dominate at Berkeley 10km

Gloucester AC mens and womens teams led from the front at the Berekeley 10km on Monday, taking both team titles and also providing the third place mens team and the individual race winner. Personal bests were the order of the day in the fourth race in the county series, despite the windy conditions.

After a conservative start, UK-number one ranked 2km steeplechaser Steve Millward took control from just after the two mile marker and stretched away to win convincingly in 32.23. Following home in sixth place overall in a new personal best was Luke Herbert, who worked hard to beat the 34 minute barrier and succeeded with 33.53. Lee Smith was next home in ninth place with another personal best of 35.34, reaping the rewards of his marathon training. Completing the scoring for the winning team was Dave Gresswell who performed well despite a recent illness to claim 11th spot with 36.04.

Nick Cousins produced the run of the day to knock almost four minutes off his personal best to claim 14th place and a time of 36.37. Club stalwart Jeremy Mower was next in with 37.12, closely followed by Ian Summers with 37.25 which meant Gloucester AC had 7 runners in the top 20. Closing the scoring for the B team was Alistair Wakefield with 37.40, fresh from a personal best at the Tewkesbury half the day before. Mark Ingram continued his welcome return to racing with a solid 38.21, before Matthew Wade secured his first ever sub-40 run with an excellent 39.25 for 37th place from a field of almost 200 runners. The evervescent Dave Spackman claimed third in the mens over 60 category with 41.15, before a fantastic run by Kim Drinkwater brought her home in 41.44 for yet another personal best and second female overall. Gemma Collier also ran a personal best with 43.44 to take 6th female and 80th place overall, before Chris Campbell produced her third personal best time in as many weeks, taking five minutes off her previous best with 46.13. Bogdan Jochym and Martin Chopping had a close-fought tussle throughout the race to finish in 47.09 and 47.29 respectively, with Michelle Stark coming back in 49.35 after a conservative first half of the race. Fiona Roberts was delighted with a personal best of 52.43, after a long-term injury lay off before Gill Gresswell rounded off a superb evening for the club with the final personal best of 55.48.

10/05/09 Wakefield scorches around Tewkesbury Half

Alistair Wakefield was the star runner for Gloucester AC at the Tewkesbury Half Marathon on Sunday. Held on a new course in hot conditions Wakefield ran consistently well throughout to finish 30th overall from a field of more than 1500 runners, with a time of 1.25.53. Terry Onions showed a welcome return to form despite being unable to train for several weeks, with 1.42.52, closely followed by Dave Janetta who continues to record personal best times at every race distance, taking another 5 minutes off his previous best with 1.44.59. Steve Murden was next home for 335th place with a time of 1.46.56, with Christine Parkin just missing out on beating the 2-hour barrier with a pleasing 2.01.49. Josie Thomas was delighted with her run, taking over 20 minutes off her personal best recorded at the Forest of Dean Half Marathon held only 6 weeks ago.

10/05/09 Gloucestershire Track and Field Championships

Sophie Lambert was the pick of the Gloucester AC athletes at the Gloucestershire Track and Field Champs held at the Prince of Wales Stadium in Cheltenham on Sunday. The Birmingham University student took the senior womens 100m title with a time of 12.4 seconds, before also winning the 200m title with 26.1 seconds. Not to be outdone, sister Cleo Lambert took the junior ladies 100m title with a 12.9 seconds clocking.

Youngster George James flew to victory in the U11 boys sprint with 9.2 seconds for 75m. Harriet Hunter took the U15 girls 100m with 13.4 seconds before Ashleigh Naylor completed an excellent day for the sprint group under the leadership of Bob Purcell, with a win in the senior mens 400m with 50.7 seconds.

Ryan Hearn dominated the U13 boys 800m to win by a clear margin in 2.30.8, while at the other end of the age spectrum, Arthur Daley took the veteran 55 category win in the 5000m.

The hammer throwing group took their customary haul of titles, Zoe Derham and Carys Parry leading the way with 64.04m and 63.62m respectively to go to numbers one and two on the UK rankings. Kate Yhnell took the under 20 ladies title with 46.10m, with Scott Price winning the U15 boys title and Tim Williams taking the under 17 mens title with a huge throw of 63.65 metres.

04/05/09 Drinkwater wins at Blaisdon

The Blaisdon Bluebell 10km held on Bank Holiday Monday produced yet more success for the Gloucester AC womens team.

Kim Drinkwater ran a strong race to take her first ever road race victory with a personal best time of 42.46 minutes on a tough, undulating course. Michelle Stark also had a good run, only six days after a promising 3.54 debut at the London Marathon, with 45.32 minutes for second place. Helen Davis closed the team scoring to give Gloucester AC the team victory.

On the mens side, Dave Gresswell had an excellent run to record a personal best time of 35.30 minutes, to just miss out on third place overall in a sprint finish with Mike Smith of Bourton Road Runners. Dave Spackman took the veterans over-60 title with a typically strong run to clock just outside 40 minutes.

02/05/09 Midlands Track and Field League (Division 2) - Yate, Bristol

Throwers dominate to put Gloucester/Severn in promotion frame

The Gloucester/Severn composite track and field team got off to a flying start in the first Midlands Track and Field Division 2 match held at Yate in Bristol on Saturday. Having gained promotion from division 3 last summer, the combined team is looking to go straight up to the top flight of Midlands athletics after a promising second place overall in the opening fixture.

A large haul of points came from the exceptional throwing group, under the tutelage of Lorraine Shaw. Justin Sysum claimed 1st in the A string hammer with a UK top ten ranking distance, 1st in the A string discus, 2nd in the B string shot and 3rd in the A string javelin. Providing great support was Gareth Winter with 1st in the A string shot put, 1st in the B string discus and 2nd in the B string javelin. On the womens side, Lorraine Shaw took the A string shot with Paralympian Beverley Jones winning the B string. Kate Yhnell dominated to win the hammer, with Marion Loveridge comfortably winning the B string.

Other A string victories came courtesy of a well-judged run from Ben Coldray in the mens 1500m and Steve Millward in the mens 2km steeplechase. Brendan Goss completed his usual full complement of events with some strong performances in the triple jump (2nd), 3rd in the 110m hurdles, 3rd in the B string 100m and 3rd in the B string pole vault. Becky Summers scored well in the 800m and 1500m with 3rd place in both events despite being the youngest member of the team, while Cleo Lambert, Amy Whitcher and Kathryn Purcell all produced encouraging performances to boost the team score. 

Mens Results (A string then B string) 100m - Ashleigh Naylor 3rd (11.4s), Brendan Goss 3rd (11.9s) 200m - Ashleigh Naylor 3rd (23.2s), Lloyd Andrews 4th (25.8s) 400m - Nico Constanti 4th (52.0s), Ben Jones 6th (57.9s) 800m - Nico Constanti 3rd (1.58.7), Ben Jones 4th (2.14.5) 1500m - Ben Coldray 1st (4.02.6), Gareth Howells 4th (4.43.4) 5km - Gary Hope 3rd (16.01.5), Luke Herbert 1st (16.15.6) 110mH - Brendan Goss 3rd (18.6s), Lloyd Andrews 5th (22.4) 400mH - Steve Millward 4th (60.4s), Lloyd Andrews 3rd (65.4) 2km S/C - Steve Millward 1st (6.01.1), Ian Summers 2nd (7.13.2) LJ - Brendan Goss 4th (5.83m), Lloyd Andrews 3rd (5.72m) TJ - Brendan Goss 2nd (13.01m), Lloyd Andrews 3rd (11.49m) HJ - Brendan Goss 6th (1.60m), Steve Millward 2nd (1.55m) PV - Nick Walker 4th (3.20m), Brendan Goss 3rd (2.10m) SP - Gareth Winter 1st (13.22m), Justin Sysum 1st (12.70m) DT - Justin Sysum 1st (39.47m), Gareth Winter 1st (38.40m) HT - Justin Sysum 1st (60.94m), Mike Tommey 2nd (49.50) JT - Justin Sysum 3rd (46.91m), Gareth Winter 2nd (37.96m) 4x100m - Gloucester/Severn 4th (47.3s) 4x400m - Gloucester/Severn 3rd (3.34.1m)

                                                                                                                     

Womens Results (A string then B string) 100m - Cleo Lambert 6th (13.1s), Rozalia Gombera 5th (14.6s) 200m - Cleo Lambert 6th (27.3s), Kathryn Purcell 6th (27.7s) 400m - Sarah Williams 6th (74.2s), Kathryn Purcell 3rd (64.9s) 800m - Becky Summers 3rd (2.31.3) 1500m - Becky Summers 3rd (5.03.1), Michelle Stark 3rd (6.04.7) 3000m - Michelle Stark 4th (12.38.4) 100mH - Rozalia Gombera 5th (22.2s) Sarah Williams 3rd (21.1s) 400mH - Amy Whitcher 6th (74.7s), Kathryn Purcell 4th (86.0s) LJ - Kathryn Purcell 6th (4.12m), Amy Whitcher 6th (3.65m) TJ - Cleo Lambert 4th (8.68m), Amy Whitcher 2nd (8.13m) HJ - Cleo Lambert 6th (1.30m), Amy Whitcher 6th (1.15m) SP - Lorraine Shaw 1st (10.82m), Beverley Jones 1st (8.23m) DT - Beverley Jones 3rd (24.06m), Kate Yhnell 3rd (17.53m) HT - Kate Yhnell 1st (46.06m), Marion Loveridge 1st (34.89m) JT - Paula Whitcher 6th (15.10m), Alex Purcell 4th (12.79m) 4x100m - Gloucester/Severn 6th (53.6s) 4x400m - Gloucester/Severn 6th (4.46.2m)

         

19/04/09

Taking part in his second race in two days, Nick Cousins confirmed his superb recent form with 9th place at the well-known Offa's Orror 20km trail race held near Chepstow on Sunday. After a cautious start which left him mid-pack, Cousins made light work of the challenging course to move through the field and snatch a top-ten spot with 1.31.16. Over-45 Peter Lloyd also had a good run to finish 24th from a field of 250 runners with a time of 1.37.58.

19/04/09

Fresh from her exploits at the National Relays the day before, Lorraine Ryan produced another encouraging run to take second place at the Eastnor Castle 7 mile multi-terrain race in Herefordshire on Sunday. Ryan completed the course in 52.00 minutes for 19th place overall, a time which would have comfortably been good enough to win the previous years race. Also faring well was Dave Janetta in 52nd place, dipping just under the hour mark for the tough, undulating course. Proving that his recent hill training has been working, Janetta ran strongly throughout for 52nd place from a field of almost 150 runners. Martin Chopping also ran well for 73rd position, taking a brief break from organising the Gloucester Half Marathon which takes place in July.

18/04/09

Gloucester AC made history on Saturday as they took part in the National Mens 12 Stage and Womens 6 Stage Road Relays, held in Birmingham, for the first time in almost 20 years. Leading off for the ladies team on the notoriously difficult first of six 3-mile legs was Michelle Stark, who came back in 20.19 for 51st from a field of 70 starters, over 20 seconds quicker than her run over the same course two weeks earlier. Lorraine Ryan then produced a customary strong run to move the team up the rankings, gaining 11 places with a time of 19.25 for the fastest run of the day. Anne Marie Edwards made a welcome return from injury and was delighted with a 23.32 clocking to keep Gloucester in contention. Gill Gresswell took over on the fourth leg and was equally pleased with her time of 25.57, as the field began to spread out, keeping the club inside the top 50. Chris Campbell, fresh from a big personal best at the Reading Half Marathon, moved the team up to 46th position with a time of 23.12, before Gemma Collier produced a strong last leg to run quicker than two weeks ago with 21.09, to bring the team home in an excellent 42nd place. Such a strong team performance bodes well as the Gloucester athletes prepare for a summer of road racing.

The Gloucester AC Mens Team also performed well in the 12 Stage race, alternating 5.4 mile 'long' legs and 3 mile 'short' legs for 57th place overall. After an excellent run two weeks ago at the Midlands event, Tom Randles started off on leg one and came home in 31.06 for 67th place. Mark Ingram continued his comeback from a long injury lay-off with 17.56 for the intitial short leg, followed by the consistent Lee Smith on the third leg, keeping Gloucester in 64th position with 31.30. Alistair Wakefield took over on the next short leg with his first ever sub-18 minute clocking, with Welsh international ultra-runner Jeremy Mower taking the next long leg with 32.15. On leg 6 was Richard Moor, who was considerably quicker than his Midlands run with a time of 18.24 for a short leg.

Club cross-country captain returned to the team to take long leg 7, coming back in a time of 31.21 to bring the team up to 62nd place and above several of the Midlands who defeated Gloucester at the Midlands relays. Ben Jones ran leg 8 and was over half a minute quicker than his Midlands run, showing a return to form with 19.00. Luke Herbert then produced arguably the run of the day with an excellent long leg time of 29.29, showing the confidence gleaned from winning the Tredworth Easter road race on Monday. Arthur Daley continued the forwards momentum with 19.11 for stage 10, before Ian Summers ran the final long stage with 33.19 to bring the team up to 58th place, before Nick Cousins ran the quickest short stage of the day to gain another place for Gloucester with 17.13, a big personal best.

11/04/09

All four Gloucester Athletic Club athletes in the Easter 10k run from the White Horse, Sandhurst came home with the traditional winner's chocolate biscuits. Luke Herbert, coming off a heavy weeks training matched pace with 2nd placed Will Ferguson (CLC Striders) until the last few miles when he dropped off to finish 4th in 34:18.  Pete Lloyd made one of his rare local appearances to secure the Vet. 45 prize in 11th place with a steady 36:57.   Vet 55 Arthur Daley slowed from 6:15 miling to just over 6:30 pace over the last 2 miles to just secure his aim of a 39 min. time with 39:59 in 21st place.  Helen Davis finished 51st in 47:06 to pick up the Lady's Vet 35 prize.

05/04/09 Millward wins at Chedworth

Steve Millward continued his encouraging run of recent form with victory and a new course record at the Chedworth Roman Trail Race near Cirencester on Sunday. After a cautious start, Millward pulled away on the hills during the second half of the race to win in 57.36, taking over a minute off the course record. Peter Lloyd produced his best performance this year to come home in 18th place from a field of 350 runners with 65.53, followed by Nick Cousins in 56the position with 72.01. Lorraine Ryan enjoyed the tough course and was pleased with 6th Senior Lady home and a time of 75.18. Terry Onions had a strong run to just miss out on a top-100 spot with 76.44, while Michelle Stark continued her build-up to the London Marathon with 130th position and a time of 80.08. Emma Jeffery made a welcome return to racing with 81.19 for 144th place.

04/04/09 Gloucester AC qualify for National Finals

Gloucester AC's mens team qualified for the National 12 Stage Road Relays for the first time in 17 years on Saturday, after an excellent team performance at the Midlands 12 Stage Championships. Showing tremendous strength in depth, Gloucester AC moved through the field over the course of the 45-mile twelve stage race at Sutton Park, Birmingham to secure a spot in the Nationals in two weeks time.

Leading off on the notoriously tough 5.4 mile first leg was Lee Smith, who came back in 36th from a field of 58 with a solid 31.21 clocking. Taking over was Nick Cousins who covered the 3-mile short leg in 17.57, before handing over to European Masters Indoor 800m finalist Keith Short, who clocked an impressive 19.07. Running the next 5.4 mile leg was Peter Kellie who started the forwards momentum by moving the team up five places into 35th spot with 30.29 minutes.

Alistair Wakefield consolidated that position on leg five with an 18.13 clocking for the 3 mile leg, passing on to Ian Summers who showed a welcome return to form with the clubs second best short leg of the day with 17.45, gaining 3 places. Steve Millward took over for the next long 5.4 mile leg and after a steady start, moved the team up another 4 positions with the quickest club time of 28.38 and the 6th fastest overall.

Ben Jones ran a controlled short leg to come back in 19.34 before passing on to top veteran Arthur Daley who sped round Sutton Park in 19.01 to take the team up to 27th place and within reach of a top-25 spot and qualification for the Nationals. Luke Herbert took over for the final 5.4 mile long leg and ran superbly to take the team up to 24th with 29.43. Richard Moor then took the team further up into 21st place with 18.35 for the 3-mile short leg before Tom Randles produced an excellent 16.28 on the final stage to bring the team up into 19th position.

Gloucester AC womens team also performed above expectations at the Midlands 6 Stage road relays at the same Sutton Park venue, finishing in 26th place and also securing a spot in the National Finals. Michelle Stark led the team off on the first stage with 20.40 to bring the team back in 31st position. Kim Drinkwater then moved the team up 10 places on leg two with an encouraging 19.59 clocking after months of injury troubles. Chris Campbell then timed 26.24 for the third leg and handed over the Fiona Roberts who kept the team in contention with 27.28. Lorraine Ryan then powered through the field to gain 7 places with a time of 19.21 before Gemma Collier produced a customary strong finish to bring the team home in 27th place with a time of 21.15.

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