News Oct 2009-Mar 2010 Apr-Sep 2009 Oct 2008-Mar 2009 Apr-Sep 2008 Oct 2007-Mar 2008 Apr-Sep 2007

26/09/10 Cirencester 10k

Jane Leckebusch produced the standout performance from a Gloucester AC athlete at the Cirencester 10k on Sunday, claiming victory in the highly competitive lady over 45 category. Despite preferring longer distance races, Leckebusch ran well to finish in a time of 45.05 minutes.

Also claiming age group honours were Peter Lloyd who took silver in the veteran over 45 category with 38.47 minutes, which was good enough for 29th place overall from a field of more than 600 runners. The evervescent Arthur Daley was narrowly beaten into second place in the over 60 category, despite running a superb time of 40.23 minutes. Dave Gresswell was third in the over 40 section with 36.56 minutes and 14th place overall.

Michelle Stark celebrated her birthday in style by producing a new personal best time of 43.09 minutes for 92nd place overall, while Dave Spackman finished in 206th place with 48.34 minutes and Chris Campbell claimed 228th with a time of 49.27 minutes

25/09/10 Midlands Road Relays (Birmingham)

Gloucester AC's mens and womens teams put in strong performances at the Midlands road relays on Saturday, held on the familiar course in Sutton Park, Birmingham. They were the only club from the city to qualify teams for either men or women to the National finals to be held at the same venue in 3 weeks time.

Irish international Rose-Anne Galligan led off on the first stage for Gloucester and produced a superb run to bring the team back in 2nd place overall from an entry of more than 70 teams, just behind eventual winners Charnwood AC. Galligans time of 14.58 minutes proved to be the 4th fastest time of the whole day and shows that she has maintained her superb track form through to the autumn. On the difficult second leg was Chris Campbell who ran well to finish in 20.19 minutes, before handing over to Anne-Marie Edwards who was pleased to finish in 19.47 minutes despite training primarily for triathlon this summer. Gemma Collier stormed around the final stage for Gloucester, gaining 12 places to bring the team back in 24th place with a time of 17.04 minutes, which was over a minute quicker than last year. Despite missing several key athletes, this was a superb performance from the Gloucester ladies team and the strength in depth was illustrated by an excellent run from Helen Davies who ran a solo effort for the incomplete B team, finishing in 19.47 minutes.

In the mens 6 stage relay, with 6 'legs' of approximately 5.9km each, Gloucester moved through the field well to claim 18th place overall, one place better than last year. After falling behind city rivals Severn AC on the initial opening stage through Tom Randles in 20.20 minutes for 45th place, Luke Herbert moved Gloucester past their neighbours with a time of 20.11 minutes which was good enough to gain 13 places for the team. Steve Millward then continued the forwards progression with a move of a further 12 places to bring the team to halfway in 20th spot, with a time of 18.44 minutes which was one of the quickest runs of the stage. Andrew Renfree moved the team further ahead of both Cheltenham and Severn and up to 16th place with a time of 19.27 minutes, which was slightly quicker than his time from last year. After a severe delay in getting to the race venue, Nico Constanti performed well considering the unhelpful pre-race preparation to keep Gloucester in a contention with a time of 20.55 minutes, almost half a minute quicker than last year. Richard de Camps completed proceedings for the talented Gloucester squad by running 20.25 minutes for the final stage, again a good time considering his delay in getting to the race.

Emphasising Gloucester’s strength in depth despite missing a full team of athletes, the B team also performed well to claim 58th place from an entry of more than 105 teams. Dave Gresswell started things off well with a time of 21.19 minutes for 61st place, followed by new mens team captain Simon Fortnam who showed signs of a return to form with 21.27 minutes for the second stage. The dependable Mark Ingram ran well for 22.31 minutes on stage 3, before Omar Alim made a welcome debut for the club on stage 4 with a time of 24.10 minutes which kept the club in 62nd spot. Veteran Arthur Daley ran strongly for 23.44 minutes on stage 5 before the team performance was completed by Andrew de Camps who looked comfortable in clocking 21.50 minutes to bring the team home in 58th place.

12/09/10 Woodchester Park 8 (Stroud)

Gloucester AC's Lee Smith was a delighted winner of the mens over 40 title at the Woodchester Park 8 mile multi-terrain race held in Stroud on Sunday. Currently in hard training for the forthcoming UK Coastal Series in which he finished third overall last year, Smith produced a superb run over the challenging terrain to finish third overall in a time of 52.33 minutes, good enough for the age group win. Club cross-country captain Dave Gresswell was next home for the club in 9th place overall, with a time of 55.39 minutes as he tries to get over a chest infection. Ian Summers was pleased with 13th place overall and a time of 56.37 minutes, just ahead of veteran over 45 Peter Lloyd who claimed 16th place and a time of 57.12 minutes.

Gemma Collier continued her excellent recent form with 2nd place in the ladies race behind seasoned athlete Ann Nixon, sneaking into the top 20 overall from a field of more than 150 runners with a time of 57.45 minutes. Terry Onions completed a good day for Gloucester with 65th place in a time of 67.46 minutes.

12/09/10 Harewood Hurtle 6 (Hereford)

Gloucester AC claimed a double victory in the Harewood Hurtle 6 mile multi-terrain race in Hereford on Sunday, with Steve Millward winning the mens race and Kim Drinkwater winning the womens race. Racing over private land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, Millward was content to run with Matt James of host club Hereford Couriers AC for the first half before stretching away over one of the long climbs to win by more than two minutes in a time of 36.11 minutes. Drinkwater was involved in a much closer tussle in the womens race but came out on top in the final mile to claim victory and 6th place overall in a time of 44.05 minutes, which bodes well for a strong cross-country season.

05/09/10 London to Brighton Trail Race

Gloucester AC's Wayne Mayer had a good debut in his first ultra race at the London to Brighton Trail Race of 57 miles which involved some navigation in this off road event.

It was a tough run with 9000 feet of climbing over the 57 miles. Mayer was unfamiliar with the route being a rookie at this event so he teamed up with someone who knew where he was going and stuck with him. They were 3rd and 4th with ten miles to go and then the runner that Mayer was with, started to cramp up. They had to slow down, and Mayer stuck with him as they had been working together. Two runners then passed them in the final few miles and Mayer eventually finished a very respectable 6th place in 9 hours 32 min. Mayer hopes to give it another go next year and improve on his performance now he knows the route.

Mayer has been doing long runs with Gloucester's Welsh international ultra runner Jeremy Mower who will be taking on his second 24 hour Track Race at Tooting Bec, London on 25th September. Mower hopes to break 200km for the first time and boost his selection chances for the Commonwealth Championships in 2011. Mower said "Wayne has been very strong in training and some days I'm the one struggling to keep up with him especially over hilly terrain and it was very honorable of him to stay with the runner he was with as it probably cost him 3rd place."

05/09/10 Bristol Half Marathon

A small but select contingent of Gloucester AC athletes made the trip down to Bristol for the half marathon, producing some good results. Taking the honours was Alistair Wakefield who finished 295th from a field of more than 15000 runners, with a solid time of 1 hour 26:18. Chris Campbell was delighted to revise her personal best by over a minute with a time of 1 hour 47:05 minutes, while Rachael Hancocks also ran well to finish in a time of 2 hours 07:08.

05/09/10 Beacon 10k

Gloucester AC were well represented at the Beacon 10k on Sunday, organised by Angels Running Club, with all our athletes finishing in the top half of the field. Dave Gresswell was first home for Gloucester in 4th place overall with a time of 37.08 minutes, followed home in 5th place by ultra-runner Jeremy Mower, who is preparing for a 24-hour race in a few weeks time, in a time of 38.39 minutes. Arthur Daley was 22nd overall and just pipped for victory in the mens over 60 catgegory, finishing in a time of 42.04 minutes. Michelle Stark continued her fine summer season with 39th place and 2nd lady over 35 with 44.06 minutes, narrowly beating club-mate Hayley Winters who claimed 48th place and a time of 45.19 minutes. Paul Loveridge completed a good day for the club with 51 st place and a time of 46.12 minutes.

29/08/10 Galway City Half Marathon (Ireland)

Gloucester AC's Gemma Collier was an ecstatic winner of the Galway City Half Marathon in Ireland on Sunday, taking over 7 minutes off her previous best time. Collier, who has been in superb form recently over an eclectic range of race distances, finished 20th overall and first female from a field of more than 500 runners to take the first prize and winners cheque in her biggest race victory yet. Collier won in a time of 1hr 27min 20sec.

Dave Gresswell was the only other Gloucester AC athlete to compete over in Ireland and also ran well to claim eighth place overall with a time of 1hr 19min 56 sec, dipping just under the 80 minute barrier.

25/08/10 County Championships Part3 (Cheltenham)

Gloucester AC's u15 girls 4x100m relay squad took a convincing gold medal at the county track relay champs held at the Prince of Wales Stadium in Cheltenham. The combination of Harriet Hunter, Lurenda Mudd, Kelly Constable and Kate Davies won in a time of 53.3 seconds, which was quicker than several senior mens teams competing in the next race.

Jeremy Mower took 8th place overall in the county 10,000m race, but was pleased to claim bronze in the mens over 40 category with a time of 37.23 minutes on a wet and windy evening. In the mile races held at the same meeting, Dave Gresswell ran well to finish first over 40 man with 5.10.5 minutes, with Paul Loveridge claiming first over 50 with 6.02.9 minutes. British Masters 5k bronze medallist in the 5000m Michelle Stark, stepped down in distance and was first female 0ver 35 with 6.06.3 minutes, followed home by Chris Campbell in 6.53.2 minutes.

24/08/10 BMC Gold Standard Track Meeting (Stretford, Manchester)

Gloucester AC's Andrew de Camps broke through the 1.52 minute barrier for the first time with a superbly-paced race at a BMC track meeting in Manchester, to become the fastest athlete over 800m in the county this year with 1:51.89 minutes. De Camps ran an excellent tactical race sitting last but one from the break until 150 to go, having hit his check times at 400 and 600 spot on. He then closed on the field and came from virtually last to first in the last 80m. Father and coach Paul de Camps said afterwards "I think we are at least getting a glimpse of what might have been had he remained injury free as he still cannot train properly as he is not pain free. Plan is to have his last race of the season at Cardiff on Saturday in BMC GP final and then have rest and get the injury sorted."

19/08/10 Barbury Castle 5mile

Gloucester AC's Gemma Collier produced yet another superb run to claim victory at the Barbury Castle Track n Trail 5 mile race on Thursday, following on from her recent success in local road and trail races. Collier was in second place as the field ascended the tough hill in the first mile but moved into the lead and pulled away over the final stages to win convincingly in a time of 33.19 minutes. Providing excellent back-up to take the team prize were Becky Summers and Michelle Stark who combined to comfortably win the ladies team title. Summers was fifth lady overall and first junior female and Stark was ninth lady in a time of 39.51 minutes.

On the mens side, Gloucester were unlucky to miss out on the team prize by just one point from Newbury AC. Leading the way was Luke Herbert in a fine second place with a time of 29.28 minutes, proving that he is coming back into form just in time for the cross-country season. Dave Gresswell was 12th home in a time of 31.47 minutes and the team was completed by Ian Summers who finished 18th with a time of 32.12 minutes. Mark Ingram also ran well after missing training in recent weeks, claiming 36th place from a field of 123 finishers with a time of 35.25 minutes.

19/08/10 White Horse 5k

The final Severn AC 5k race of this year saw most of the Gloucester AC athletes setting best times. Andrew Renfree finished 7th with 15:48 in a high standard race, his fastest 5k time since 2004. Next to finish in 54th  was V60 Arthur Daley running his second fastest 5k of the season in 19:06 and taking the County AAA Championship in his category. Paul Loveridge improved to a season's best for 84th position with 21:17 and Phil Duplessis took over 20 seconds for another season's best with 22:24 in 96th.

The two ladies from Gloucester AC were both making their first attempt at this distance. Middle distance specialist Sam Roberts finished 77th in 20:20 gaining Bronze in the U17 County Championships whilst Hayley Winters used the opportunity to set a new best whilst developing speed for her first marathon to complete the 5k in 85th place with 21:21

15/08/10 Standish Woodland 10 mile

Gloucester AC's Lee Smith was delighted to take second place at the Standish Woodland 10 mile multi-terrain race on Sunday, from a field of more than 150 runners. Smith was the first male to cross the finish line in a time of 61.56 minutes, but had to concede to GB international athlete Kate Goodhead from Bristol and West AC for the overall victory. Taking second in the ladies race and a fine 18th overall was the in-form Gemma Collier in a time of 68.06 minutes. Collier, who has won several recent events, continued her superb recent form which bodes well for county honours over the winter season.

15/08/10 Castle Combe 10k

Dave Gresswell was pleased with a solid ninth place at a sunny Castle Combe 10km in Wiltshire on Sunday, finishing the course in a time of 36.18 minutes to take second in the veteran over 40 category. Gresswell, who is the Gloucester AC cross-country captain, showed that he is coming into form at the right time as the build-up to the winter season begins in earnest

14/08/10 Wrexham Games

Newcomer Lucy Humphreys competed at the Wrexham Games on Saturday 14th August and had a busy afternoon in the throws events. Competing in the under 15 girls category,she finished 4th in both the shot and Discus and was disappointed in her performance, but made amends with a Silver medal in the Hammer with her first throw of 18.98m. Her last was over 20m but just landed out. This was a great achievement for Humphreys in her first ever hammer competition, considering she had only started to learn to throw the hammer the Thursday before at training.

07/08/10 Cranham Boundary Chase

Gloucester AC's Steve Millward was a relieved winner of the 59th edition of the Cranham Boundary Chase, after defending his title from last year despite only arriving 5 minutes before the start of the race. After working all day at his shop Gloucester Sports, Millward made a last-minute decision to race and arrived on the start line just before the gun went to begin the race. After swapping the lead with Mike Smith of Bourton Road Runners throughout the race, Millward powered up the final hill up onto the common to eke out a 30 second gap over Smith to regain the trophy he won last year with a time of 32.36 minutes. Providing superb backup to ensure that Gloucester AC won the team title for the second successive year, 2007 winner Tom Randles took fourth place with 34.25 minutes and Dave Gresswell was fifth and second veteran over 40 with 35.20 minutes.

Emphasising Gloucester AC's current strength in depth, Lee Smith was sixth with 35.38 minutes, Ian Summers was 11th in 37.54 minutes and newcomer Dave Lucas made a promising debut in 38.57 minutes for 15th place. Kim Drinkwater, who also made a last-minute decision to compete, was pleased to finish in 20th place overall and second lady back, in a time of 40.31 minutes which would have been good enough to win the ladies event last year. Omar Alim produced a strong run to claim 22nd place before jetting off to Spain on holiday, completing the 5.8 mile course in 40.46 minutes. Jason Gresswell ran well for 27th place and a time of 42.41 minutes, while British Masters track 5km medallist Michelle Stark moved onto the roads with consumate ease to claim 37th place and a time of 46.59 minutes. Completing a hugely successful evening for the host club was Christine Campbell, fresh from a 49.32 minute 10km at Bugatti the previous Wednesday, finishing 43rd on this occasion with a time of 49.08 minutes.

01/08/10 Midlands Track and Field League (Tipton)

Gloucester AC's composite track and field team narrowly missed out on promotion to division one of the Midlands Track and Field League at the weekend, despite a strong performance in the final fixture at Tipton. An improved womens team made up for a lack of numbers with some sterling results to finish fourth on the day, which combined with a fourth successive win for the mens team to claim second overall on the day and third for the season, narrowly missing out on promotion.

Sisters Sophie Lambert and Cleo Lambert produced some encouraging sprint performances to take several second and third places in the 100m, 200m and 100m hurdles between them. Kathryn Purcell took a third in the 400m hurldes B string and fourth in both the long and triple jump, while sister Alex Purcell claimed fifth and fourth in the same horizontal jumps. Youngster Becky Summers had a busy afternoon with fifth in the 400m and 800m and third in the 400m hurdles. Gemma Collier also performed well in the 800m, 1500m and 3000m with a useful haul of points. Anna Robertson claimed victory in the womens hammer and was backed up in the other throws by Kate Yhnell, Beverley Jones and Marion Loveridge who all scored well. Highlight of the afternoon for the womens team was a superb 4x100m relay team made up of the Lambert and Purcell sisters who produced some slick baton changeovers to storm to second place.

On the mens side, there were several wins for the Gloucester and Severn team, led by Gareth Winter with victory in both the mens shot and discus who finishes the season unbeaten in those events in Midlands League competition. Also unbeaten for the league season are Andrew de Camps and Nico Constanti in the 800m and Steve Millward in the steeplechase, just missing out on the league record in that event. On his return from injury, Ryan Preddy was in great form in the 100m and 200m with a pair of second places before producing a sensational 400m relay leg, moving the team through from 6th to 2nd in just 48.9 seconds. Team stalwart Brendan Goss had a busy afternoon with third in the 110m hurdles, victory in his preferred triple jump, third in the pole vault and fourth in both the high and long jump. Also weighing in with a healthy amount of points was the unsung hero Lloyd Andrews, who won the long jump B string, before taking third in the triple jump and a pair of fourth places in both hurdles events.

Wayne Powell won the hammer event and was backed up by Tim Williams who won the B string, while senior league debutant Tim Campion won the B string discus and took fourth in the shot putt.

Team managers Richard Blackwell and Jeremy Mower were pleased with a strong finish to the season and with reinforcements to cover a slight lack of strength in depth, are hopeful that next season will see Gloucester and Severn finally make the step up to the top division of Midlands athletics.

24/07/10 Gloucester Half Marathon

Gloucester AC's Tom Randles was the best placed local athlete at the Gloucester Half Marathon held on Saturday at Newent, which resulted in the organising club also winning the mens team title. Randles, who is in great from at the moment, was always to the fore in the race and was pleased to finish 5th overall in a time of 77:05 minutes, despite the undulating course and humid conditions. New recruit Tony Marshall made his debut for the club and ran well to be the leading male over 45 in 10th spot overall from a field of more than 250 runners, with a time of 81:50 minutes. Club stalwart Jeremy Mower was next home for the club in 11th overall with a time of 1 hour 22.32 minutes to wrap up the team title.

Jane Leckebusch won a close battle with Hayley Winters for the honour of being the first Glos AC lady home, finishing in 73rd and 74th places respectively, with times of 99:02 for Leckebusch which was narrowly outside her pb, and 99:43 for Winters. Also making her debut for Gloucester was Ruth Hill, who is currently preparing for a marathon in Ireland in 6 weeks time, and ran well throughout to finish 191st with a time of 2 hours 10:21 minutes.

The race was well organised by Gloucester AC although the club was slightly disappointed that more runners didn't make the most of an evening race which also has a plentiful goody bag for all finishers. Gloucester AC will also be organising the 59th edition of the Cranham Boundary Chase 5.8 mile road race on Saturday 7th August. The race starts at 6pm on Cranham Common with two large hills to negotiate on the run and a fayre and hog roast for all runners afterwards. See Road Running page.

21/07/10 Cheltenham Midsummer Open

Former GB athlete Ryan Preddy made a welcome return to form at the third Cheltenham AC Midsummer Open, with a superb victory in the 150m. On his return from a long injury lay-off, Preddy effortlessly moved away from a strong field to take victory in 16.8 seconds which is one of the quickest times in the UK this year. This followed on from a succession of victories for Gloucester AC athletes, with Lurenda Mudd winning the U15 girls 150m and 300m with 19.9 seconds and 43.0 seconds respectively. Laurence Leat won the U13 boys 150m in 18.6 seconds and Andrew de Camps won the senior mens 400m with an encouraging 50.6 seconds, one of his fastest ever runs.

Gloucester AC's hammer throwers dominated the competition as expected, with Wayne Powell winning the senior mens competition with 54.83 metres and Kate Yhnell winning the womens competition with 47.77 metres. These two were backed up by Beth Sewell in 2nd with 43.17m and Anna Robertson in 3rd with 41.08 metres. In the younger age groups, Charlotte Stallard won the u15 girls category with 36.95m and newcomer Joshua Pilipczuk won the u13 boys event with 16.74 metres.

Kate Davies continued her good recent form with 2nd place in the under 15 girls high jump with 1.35 metres.

17/07/10 Bourton One Mile Road Race

Gloucester AC’s Irish International Rose-Anne Galligan narrowly missed a £500 prize for beating 4 minutes 30 over Bourton Road Runners One Mile Road Race course as she stormed in to win the women’s race in 4:37 in 5th place overall. 

Tom Randles battled with an improving Luke Herbert throughout the race, with Randles showing the greater speed as they finished 10th and 11th in 4:49 and 4:51. 

Jeremy Mower and Lee Smith shared the same time of 5:05 with Mower taking Smith over the last 100yds for Silver and Bronze in the County AAA Championships (18th and 19th).  Gemma Collier continued her outstanding series of races taking 34secs off her PB for the mile finishing County Champion in 5:24 (as Galligan is not eligible for County races) and was closely followed by Becky Summers who gained the U20 title in 5:33.

Jason Greswell, wishing he had spent more time on speed work, concentrated on maintaining form to run 5:42 for 38th place whilst Michelle Stark, in her third competitive event over 3 days, was bitterly disappointed to miss out on equalling her club W35 record by 1 sec but was compensated by gaining Bronze in the W35- 44 category as first W35.  Arthur Daley running less confidently than in June because of an Achilles tendon injury was beaten in a sprint finish by Stark for 6:10 to Stark’s 6:09 and compensated by the County Silver.

Christine Campbell finished in 6:46 for PB and Jane Leckebusch ran quickly over the first half mile to complete the course in 6:52

15/07/10 White Horse 5k

Tom Randles prooved the strongest  Gloucester AC athlete in the White Horse 5k road race held in windy and wet conditions finishing 8th in 16:48, only 5 secs in front of 10th placed Luke Herbert who is beginning a return to form. Under 17 Adam Thrall finished 3rd in his age group in 16:53, one place behind Herbert. Mark Thrall was next home for the club in 38th place with 20:25. An ecstatic Michelle Stark closed in 45th place to record a 16sec improvement in her road PB despite the adverse conditions and was followed by V50 Paul Loveridge who recorded 21:22 making 20 sec improvement on this course.

14/07/10 Cheltenham Harriers Midsummer Open

Gloucester AC's Andrew de Camps ran a scintillating 600m at Cheltenham last Wednesday at the Cheltenham Harriers Midsummer Open, to continue his comeback from injury. De Camps followed the fast early pace of Luke Carroll and unleashed a strong kick for home, finishing first in 1:19.9s which is a new personal best by 3 secs. The time broke the longstanding senior mens club record belonging to Richard Blackwell from 1986 and also puts de Camps top of the UK rankings for 2010. 

Not to be outdone, Tim Campion also broke a longstanding club record in the under 17 mens discus, with a superb throw of 41.72m. Campion, who was disappointed with a below-par showing at the English Schools Champs, beat the previous record which had stood for more than 35 years by over half a metre. For good measure, Campion also won the shot as well with 10.85m. In the under 15 girls Javelin, the promising Kate Davies won with a distance of 25.79 metres, before also performing well in the 100m. The only other Gloucester AC athlete to compete was Oliver Clarke in the under 15 boys 100m and he made it 4 wins out of 4 for the club with victory in a time of 12.4 seconds.

12/07/10 Frampton 10k

Gloucester Athletic Club's three entrants in the Frampton 10k finished satisfied with their performances, with Alistair Wakefield finishing 31st in a time over a minute faster than last year of 38:16. Christine Campbell completed the course in 187th out of the 454 finishers and Josie Thomas made a rare appearance on the road just beating the hour with 59:25 for 375th position.

10/07/10 Gloucestershire AAA 10 mile Road Race Championships (Hardwicke)

Gloucester AC Women had the most successful 10 mile County Championship race at Hardewicke. They convincingly took the team title with Kim Drinkwater leading them home in 71:38 placing 15th out of over 40 starters. As first senior women Kim also gained the County AAA 10 mile Championship title. Five places behind, Jane Leckebusch finished 2nd woman to take the W45 title with a new personal best time by more than a minute. Michelle Stark, aiming mainly for points in the County Road Race Series, achieved her aim of maximum points whilst gaining the W35 title with 29th place in 81;35. Christine Campbell completed the Championship collection by coming in 41st in 89:16 to win the W35 bronze.

The older men were also successful; Arthur Daley also aiming at maximum points in the County Road Race Series ran his first 10 mile race since the late 1980's to finish 16th, 12 seconds behind Drinkwater, and winning the County M60 title. Dave Spackman, recovering from injury, finished in 27th place(80:07) to gain gold in the M65 group.

For the younger men it was a constant club competition: coaches Dave Gresswell and Jeremy Mower showed doggedness in their battle over the undulating course with Gresswell triumphing over Mower to finish 6th, 8 seconds ahead of Mower's 64:45. Jason Gresswell ran 84:38 for 33rd place  narrowly beating Phil Dupleis who finished one place behind in 84:56.

03 - 04/07/10 British Masters Championships (Cardiff)

Gloucester AC's Michelle Stark exceeded everybody's expectations in her first 5000m track race. Racing in her first Veterans Track Championship at Cardiff, Michelle ran a superbly paced race with the first 1200m just below her target pace, the middle third spot-on and, with an increase in pace over the last 4 laps to bring her home in the Bronze place of V35 category in a time of 20.49 minutes. This was 28 seconds faster than her road 5k personal best and over 2 minutes faster than her first 5k of the year only 2 months ago. 

Arthur Daley competed in the V60 group and showed more even pacing than he usually does but despite this, missed his target time of 19:00 to gain 7th place in the V60 final with 19.11 minutes.

Marion Loveridge also came away with a bronze medal at the championships, claiming a medal in the womens over 45 hammer event. Loveridge was satisfied with a medal but slightly disappointed with the distance of 32.25 metres.

03/07/10 Midlands Track and Field League (Rugby)

Becky Summers might have been the youngest member of the Gloucester AC team at the Midlands League fixture at Rugby on Saturday, but she produced the standout performance of the day in shattering the club u17 womens 400m hurdles record. 15 year old Summers ran 71.2 seconds to take more than a second off the previous club best, before claiming 2nd place in the 3000m a few hours later.

Despite a severely depleted team, the composite Gloucester and Severn team performed admirably to claim third place on the day which leaves them mid-table with only one fixture remaining. The mens team again dominated the opposition to win their category comfortably, thanks to several club stalwarts who competed in numerous events to good effect. Justin Sysum won his hammer competition convincingly before also winning the B string shot and discus, while Gareth Winter won the A string shot and discus and also the B string javelin. Brendan Goss won the triple jump which is his preferred event, before filling his afternoon with third in the long jump and a couple of fourth places in the 110m hurdles and the pole vault. Lloyd Andrews also had a busy afternoon with two second places, two third places, a fourth and a sixth in a variety of events.

Tim Dalton continued his excellent recent form with commanding wins in both the 800m and 1500m, with a time of 3:51.6 minutes which would grace the highest leagues in the UK. Steve Millward broke his own Midlands League record in the 2km steeplechase with a time that ranks him 6th in the UK before taking second in the 400m hurdles and third in the B string 1500m. Andrew de Camps won the B string 400m and 800m with composed runs on his welcome return from injury, whilst brother Richard de Camps won the B string steeplechase and took fourth in the A string 400m.

On the womens side, sisters Kathryn Purcell and Alex Purcell competed in the maximum number of events each and were rewarded for all their endeavours with a good haul of points. Kathryn took third in the A string 100m and 200m, fourth in the long jump, fifth in the triple jump and sixth in the 100m hurdles before running both relays! Alex ran well to take third in the B string 100m and 200m, and fifth in the A string long and triple jump before also doing both relays.

Gemma Collier continued her sensational recent form with another massive personal best in the 3000m, taking 17 seconds off her previous best with 11.10 minutes, before taking fourth in the 400m hurdles B string and fourth in the 1500m A string.

Kate Yhnell won the hammer competition from clubmate Anna Robertson, before taking fifth in the shot put, while Robertson took third in the B string shot and sixth in the javelin.

Paula Whitcher made a rare appearance on the track with a fifth place in the 400m before returning to her preferred event of the javelin with another fifth place.

01/07/10 Aerospace 5 (Cheltenham)

9 65 Gemma Turtle Gloucester AC L 00:28:17 17 84 Lee Smith Gloucester AC M40 00:29:51 20 50 Jeremy Mower Gloucester AC M40 00:30:17 29 85 Gemma Collier Gloucester AC L 00:32:09 54 111 Arthur Daley  Gloucester AC M60 00:34:15 71 93 Jane Leckebusch Gloucester AC L45 00:36:05 79 43 David Spackman Gloucester AC M65 00:37:35 88 96 Michelle Stark Gloucester AC L35 00:39:14 94 105 Christine Campbell Gloucester AC L35 00:39:46

South African Etienne Paatjies running for his second time in a Gloucester vest set a new course record in the Aerospace 5 mile with 00:24:52 yet was hardly challenged with the second placed runner being over a minute behind. The next Gloucester runner was the first woman, Gemma Turtle again with a course record in 9th place overall in 28:17. Frisky Lee Smith followed in 17th place with 29:51 whilst ultra runner Jeremy Mower magicked a 30:17 out of his tired legs for 20th spot. The outstanding run of the day by a Gloucester runner came from Gemma Collier who continued a series of personal best runs, this time taking 3 mins 20 secs off her 5 miles best for 29th place in 32:09. Over 2 mins behind V60 Arthur Daley ran a gentle paced race in 34:15, contenting himself with gaining 9 points in the County AAA Road Race series. Jane Leckebusch, 2nd W45, completed the Glocuester Women's team to gain the  first team prize. Dave Spackman was 3rd V60 in 37:35. Michelle Stark also aiming at good points for the County AAA Road Race series ran a steady but undemanding race to gain the maximum points by being first W35 in 39:14. Chris Campbell running on tired legs after two half marathons in the two preceding weekends finished 3rd W35 in 39:46.

26/06/10 Cotswold Way Relay (Chipping Camden to Bath)

Gloucester AC put out a strong team for their inaugural attempt at the Cotswold Way Relay, a 100 mile 10-stage relay which travels from Chipping Camden all the way down to Bath, finishing fifth overall and second mixed team, just 2 minutes 30 seconds behind Westbury Harriers. The team performed extremely well in the uncomfortably hot conditions, with stage wins for Lucie Woodyatt on leg one and Gemma Collier on leg 6. Woodyatt, who was a last-minute replacement, ran well to finish 16th overall but first female on the demanding first leg, while Steve Millward ran as a guest for Cotswold Allrunners and claimed second spot overall.

Jeremy Mower ran leg two, fresh from a pb over 100km the previous week at Boddington, and was satisfied with 10th place, before Lorraine Ryan defied recent injury problems to finish 11th overall on leg three and second female. Lee Smith took on leg four which was the longest of the day, claiming eighth place against a strong field. Ian Summers atoned for going the wrong way last year with a great run on leg five, finishing in 6th place as he led the team into Stroud. Gemma Collier was 13th and first female on leg six, before passing on to Dave Gresswell who enjoyed the relatively short leg seven to take an excellent fourth place.

Wayne Mayer produced a superb run on leg eight to finish second as the runners began the homeward stretch towards the finish at Bath Abbey. Richard Moore followed on from this with a solid fifth place on the penultimate leg nine, before Luke Herbert finished off proceedings with sixteenth place on the final leg.

23/06/10 BMC Grand Prix (Birmingham University)

Gloucester AC's Steve Millward was delighted to finally dip under the four minute barrier for 1500m at the BMC Regional Grand Prix meeting at Birmingham University last week. After several years of near misses, UK Inter-Counties steeplechase champion Millward managed to stay with the lead group before sprinting down the home straight whilst watching the clock, to finally go under four minutes for the metric mile, with a time of 3.58:83.

20/06/10 Young Athletes League - Match Report 3

The boys and girls of Gloucester Athletic Club took on the might of Radley AC and Oxford AC in round three of the McCains Young Athletes League at Abingdon on Sunday 20th June.

It was a mixed day for the Youth Squad with over 30 Personal Bests being recorded despite finishing lower down the placings than in recent meetings. The strength and sheer numbers of athletes competing for the other Clubs was again Gloucester’s downfall, finishing third on the day by some margin.

In the Under 13 Group new girl Shiya Pinnock ran well in her first YAL competition, recording 11.1s in the 75m and 21.9s in the 150m sprints finishing second in both with PBs. She was supported well by fellow U13 girl Jenny Hayward who not to be outdone ran three PBs with 14.6 in the 70m hurdles, 11.4s for 75m and 22.7s in the 150m. There were further PB performances by Ellen Thrall Shot-7.61m, HJ-1.10m, Joe Beckett HJ-1.10m, LJ-3.12m, Shot-4.48m, Joe Morgan LJ-3.32m, 100m-16s and 800m-2.53:2s.

The Under 15 Group put up more of a fight with a greater number of athletes competing in both girls and boys. Star performance was from Josh Jakeway who continued to improve with three PB performances 100m-13.1s, 200m-26.4s and Long Jump-4.57m. The girls saw Kate Davies improve her High Jump and Hurdles and Danni Mulraney knock eight seconds off her 800m time. Another new girl to the competition saw Lucy Humphreys score well in the Discus and Shot, showing no first competition nerves.

Laurence Leat 100m-12.8s, 200m-25.9s, Discus-13.54m. Tom Beckett Javelin-19.01m, Discus-14.96m, LJ-3.92m. Niall Gibbons 400m-64.9s, Javelin-20.87m, 800m-2.39:0. Jacob Lange Hammer-32.63m, 800m-2.45:9s, Shot-9.89m. Andy Bowers 1500m-5.10:3s, 400m-62.4s.

Harriet Hunter 75mH-12.9s, 100m-13.9s, Shot-5.33m. Kate Davies HJ-1.40m, 75mH-13.6s, Javelin-27.33m. Elin Caine 1500m-6.09:7s, LJ-3.32m. Kelly Constable 100m-13.7s, 200m-28.5s. Danni Mulraney 800m-2.45:6, LJ 3.17m, 200m-29.2s. Hannah Jones 1500m-6.09:0s, Javelin-13.36m.

The Under 17s saw Sean Beckett record three PBs in 400mH-77.9s, 100mH-19.8 and Javelin-29.65m. A welcome return to YAL competiton saw Becky Summers also record three PBs in 800m-2.25:5s, 300mH-50.2s, 200m-28.4s. They were supported by Charlie Simmonds 800m-2.27:5s, 1500m-5.28:1s, LJ-3.63m. Douglas Bryant 1500m-4.50:3s, Shot-6.66m. Tim Campion Discus-38.74m, Shot-11.93m, Hammer-22.93m

Team Manager and Coach Garry Hunter said ”I am pleased with the days performances and the Teams never ending enthusiasm and Team Spirit that makes it all worth while. I know that Round Four at Swindon on 18th July will see an even greater improvement in our athletes times and distances which will be thoroughly deserved”

19 - 20/06/10 UK U20 Championships (Bedford)

Gloucester AC's Tim Williams was delighted to come away from the UK age group champs with a bronze medal in the under 20 mens hammer, despite being one of the youngest competitors in the event. Williams, who is part of Lorraine Shaw's prolific throwing group, was lying in fourth spot just oustide the medals after three rounds with a best of 58.85 metres. In the fifth round, Williams unleashed a huge 61.45 metre throw which put him into third place and was just short of his best ever distance. Despite fouling in the final round, Williams hung on to third and was happy to come away with a bronze medal.

19/06/10 Bourton Hilly Half (Bourton on the Water)

Kim Drinkwater was the leading Gloucester AC athlete at the fourth event in the county road race series, a very hilly half marathon in Bourton on the Water, taking maximum points and finishing second lady overall. Drinkwater powered up the big hill taking the runners out of Bourton just after the start and also finished strongly in a time of 1 hour 33:12 minutes. Jane Leckebusch continued the success story for Gloucester by taking 55th place and first lady over 45, with a time of 1.42.38, followed home by Terry Onions in 1.42:46. Chris Campbell completed a good day for Gloucester in 91st spot and a time of 1.51:36.

19/06/10 UK 100km Ultra Running Championship, Anglo-Celtic Plate

A much improved performance for Gloucester Athletics Club's Jeremy Mower saw the 44 year old from Elmbridge knock an amazing 28 minutes off his personal best when competing for Wales at the UK 100km Ultra Running Championship, Anglo-Celtic. This years event was held in Gloucestershire at Boddington where Mower ran a new PB of 8 hr 28 min 26 sec. He finished 9th in the men's race and helped Wales to second team place behind England. This was Wales best ever performance in the event finishing ahead of Scotland and Ireland. Mower seems to be on form this year having set a 40 mile PB at the Barry Track race in March. He must now decide if he steps up to a 24 hour race later in the year at Perth, Scotland. During the race Mower went through the Marathon distance in 3:18:32 and 50km a little over 4 hr 4 min. Despite the good time the race did not go entirely to plan due to Mower suffering three hay fever attacks because of rape seed and grass pollen. Fortunately a few blasts of nasal spray got him going again. There was plenty of local support from family and fellow athletes from the county, which helped him to dig in at the end when the legs were beginning to stiffen up.

16/06/10 Mallards Pike 5 (Forest of Dean)

Gloucester AC's Steve Millward was back to winning ways at the Mallards Pike 5 mile multi-terrain race, after a disappointing performance at the Midlands track champs the week before. Running with Kyran Hale (Severn AC) for the first mile, Millward moved away on the long uphill section to three miles before pushing the pace in the final two miles to finish almost a minute clear of the field in a time of 26:13 minutes. Richard de Camps, who only decided to run the race whilst on a training run in the area an hour before the race, was satisfied with 5th spot and a time of 28:23 minutes.

13/06/10 Midlands Champs (Birmingham) & Welsh Champs (Cardiff)

Gloucester AC's hammer throwing group had a very successful weekend at both the Midlands Championships held in Birmingham and the Welsh Championships held in Cardiff over the weekend. Leading the way was UK number 1 Zoe Derham who threw a seasons best of 66.89m to win the Midlands title by more than 10 metres, as she prepares to defend her UK title in two weeks time. In the senior mens event, Justin Sysum took his first ever Midlands medal with a superb silver as he threw consistently well, claiming a seasons best distance of 60.92metres. Mike Tommey finished fifth with a distance of 43.58 metres. Kate Yhnell had a busy weekend as she took bronze at the Welsh Championships with a seasons best of 48.47 metres, followed by seventh place at the Midlands Champs with 46.88. Beth Sewell was ninth with 43.95m and Anna Robertson claimed eleventh spot with a distance of 39.57 metres.

Over at the Welsh Championships, Carys Parry was a convincing winner of the womens hammer with a solid 62.79 metres as she looks to cement her place in the team for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi later in the year. Also performing well for Gloucester was Paralympian Beverley Jones, who produced a new IPC European record in the discus in the F37 category as she threw 27.85 metres to win comfortably. The distance was also enough to qualify Jones to compete for Great Britain in the World Championships in New Zealand next year.

09/06/10 Cleeve Cloud Cuckoo Land 5 (Cheltenham)

Gloucester AC's Gemma Collier was a delighted winner of the Cleeve Cloud Cuckoo Land 5 mile race, taking her maiden open race victory on the challenging multi-terrain course. Collier has been in superb form recently with personal best times for a range of distances on the track and roads, and ran strongly throughout the hilly race to win by 15 seconds from Sarah Harper of Bourton Road Runners. Collier completed the course in a time of 38 minutes 55 which was good enough for 36th place overall.

Tom Randles was the leading male Gloucester athlete with a fine performance for tenth place, finishing in a time of 35:12 minutes. Ian Summers was next home for the club in 14th place and a time of 36:37 minutes after a race-long battle with Dave Smeath of CLC Striders. Also running well was Paul Nash, who continues his comeback from a long-term injury layoff with 33rd place and a time of 38:30 minutes.

06/06/10 Midlands Track and Field League Div 2 (Cheltenham)

Becky Summers produced one of the many highlights for the combined Gloucester AC and Severn AC team at the second fixture in the Midlands Track and Field League at Cheltenham on Sunday, with a new Gloucester AC U17 club record in the 400m hurdles. Summers showed that her recent training has progressed well to knock four-tenths of a second from the previous club best. There were improved performances from several members of the ladies team, with A string wins for Rose-Anne Galligan in the 400m, Gemma Turtle in the 1500m, Jo Fletcher in the 3000m and Kate Yhnell in the womens hammer with a seasons best. Also securing good points were Anna Robertson with first in the B string hammer in a new personal best and fourth in the shot, Sophie Lambert with third in the 100m, fourth in the 200m and fourth in the 100m hurdles. Sister Cleo Lambert also ran well to claim second in both the B string 100m and 200m.

The mens team also had a strong afternoon, winning the mens section comfortably from local rivals Cheltenham Harriers. As expected, the throwers produced almost maximum points with A and B string wins in the shot, discus and hammer through Gareth Winter, Justin Sysum and Tim Williams. Steve Millward took victory in the 400m hurdles in a seasons best and also the 3km steeplechase, while Tim Dalton dominated the 1500m to win convincingly from team-mate Ben Coldray who wrapped up the win in the B string. Curtley Phillips claimed a win in the triple jump and fourth in the long jump, while Lloyd Andrews had his customary busy afternoon but was particularly pleased with a win and seasons best in the 400m hurdles B string.

Harrison Sayer belied his tender age with two superb new personal best times in the 100m and 200m, performing well against athletes several years older. Nico Constanti was pleased to produce a new personal best in the 400m for 2nd place, not long after taking 2nd in the 800m. Also claiming personal best times were the rapidly improving 15 year old Kyran Hale in the 3000m and also Tom Randles in the same event in his first track race in several years.

The composite team finished third overall on the day and currently lie third in the table after two fixtures, with the next fixture away in Rugby in four weeks time.

31/05/10 Brewer Games (Cheltenham)

Tim Williams of Gloucester AC was the standout performer at the Brewer Games held at the Prince of Wales Stadium on Monday, winning the mens hammer competition by a massive margin with a throw of 61.57 metres. Williams was pleased with the distance, after taking his second successive Midlands age group title two days previously in Birmingham with a distance of 58.29 metres.

There were also wins for Mike Tommey in the senior mens hammer with 45.20 metres and Marion Loveridge in the lady over 45 category with 33.91 metres. Fine second places were achieved by Jacob Lange in the under 15 boys hammer with 31 metres, Ellen Thrall in the under 13 girls hammer with 28.75 metres and Charlotte Stallard in the under 15 girls with 37.46 metres.

Conor Farr took first place in the under 17 discus with 40.26 metres from team-mate Tim Campion with 38.91 metres. The positions were reversed in the shot put with Campion taking victory with 11.54 metres from Farr with 10.74 metres.

Kate Davies had a busy afternoon in the under 15 girls category, taking second in the javelin, second in the long jump, fourth in the 80m hurdles and fifth in the shot put.

In the sprints, Laurence Leat dominated the under 15 boys age group taking first in both the 100m and 200m, while Harrison Sayer claimed second and third in the under 17 mens 100m and 200m respectively.

Harriet Hunter took third in the under 15 girls 80m hurdles and 100m, with Lurenda Mudd claiming third in the 200m and fourth in the 100m in the same age group.

30/05/10 UK Inter-Counties Championships (Bedford)

Gloucester AC's Steve Millward was a delighted winner of the UK Inter-Counties 3km steeplechase title on Sunday, winning his first ever national title. Racing in Bedford in near gale-force conditions, Millward was content to run a tactical race and run in the middle of the lead pack for the majority of the race, before following a break made by Josh Tighe (Lancashire) with two laps to go. Millward then took the lead at the bell and pulled away over the final lap to win by six seconds in a relatively moderate time of 9 minutes 38.82 seconds.

"This has been one of my main aims for the season, but I didn't think I was capable of winning. Quite a few of the top athletes were missing so I thought this was my best opportunity and I felt good throughout the race, despite the windy conditions" said Millward.

At around the time Millward was winning his event, Bola Ogun was also claiming her first ever UK medal after several near misses in recent years in the womens hammer. Ogun, who is part of the impressive throwing group at Gloucester AC, made up for finishing fourth in the two previous seasons, by producing her best throw in the final round to claim a well-deserved bronze with 51.47 metres. "I'm pleased to finally get a medal, but the chance was there to win, so I'm also slightly disappointed. The wind was causing the throwers all kinds of problems so it is encouraging that I still managed to produce a 50m plus throw when I needed it".

Kate Yhnell also competed in the womens hammer and despite being one of the youngest athletes in the field, she threw well to finish 14th with a distance of 43.50 metres.

22/05/10 UK Inter-Counties Fell Running Championships (North Wales)

Three Gloucester AC Ladies represented Gloucestershire in the British Inter Counties Fell Race Championships held at Llangynhafal, Denbighshire. Gemma Collier, Michelle Stark and Christine Campbell ran their first ever Mountain Race to support experienced Longhope based Helen Fines to ensure that Gloucestershire had its first ever lady's team.

Helens Fines lead the team home over the nine and a half mile course in 1:33:24  gaining 9th place in the Lady's race. Gemma Collier, who only two days before had taken over a minute off her 5k best time, finished 37th Lady in 1:48:37 remarking " That was fun!" as she sipped water in the 26°C heat. The ever cheerful Michelle Stark ran steadily to climb the 2050 feet - some of it near vertical - in 2:12:00 finishing 63rd lady whilst Christine Campbell, a late replacement on Friday night, ran 2:36:43 for 67th place. The Ladies team finished 10th in the Championships and were the only English county team south of Cheshire to finish.

Dave Gresswell of Gloucester AC was the leading County man finishing in 68 place in 1:48:11 and finding he could run better uphill than down and was accompanied in the team by Rob Brown in 2:23:57 for 67th place and the first V65 award.

22/05/10 BMC PB Classic (Milton Keynes)

Gloucester AC's Becky Summers produced a superb run at the British Milers Club PB Classic meeting at Milton Keynes on Saturday, producing a time that ranks her sixth in the UK for the under 17 women 1500m steeplechase. In only her second competitive outing over the barriers, Summers finished in a time of 5 minutes 42.55 seconds to claim third in the combined under 20 and under 17 race. After a disappointing run at the White Horse 5km on Thursday, Summers bounced back in style with an excellent run which suggests she is capable of going quicker in her new event over the coming months.

16/05/10 Hereford Half Marathon

Gloucester AC's Kim Drinkwater produced another superb run at the Herefrod half marathon on Sunday, claiming her second podium finish of the week with second place and a big new personal best time. Drinkwater paced her run well despite the hilly nature of the course, to take almost four minutes off her previous best to finish in a time of 1 hour 30 minutes 32 seconds. Andy Hawkins was the only other Gloucester AC athlete competing and he performed well but was slightly disappointed to miss out on a top ten overall placing from a field of more than 500 runners. Hawkins finished 15th in a time of 1 hour 23 minutes 42 seconds which was impressive considering the tough opening three miles of the race.

16/05/10 National Young Athletes League - Round 2, Abingdon

Sunday 16th May saw the Gloucester AC Youth Team take on Marlborough and Stratford upon Avon in round two of the McCains Young Athlete League in Abingdon.

Gloucester's sprinters proved too strong for the opposition with 1st and 2nd placings in the U15 girls 100m with Kelly Constable holding off Harriet Hunter for the win in a new PB time of 13.3s. Kelly also won the 200m ahead of team mate Lurenda Mudd in another PB time of 27.7s. Harriet Hunter was also the runaway winner of the 75m hurdles in a new PB time of 12.8s.

Not to be outdone the U15 boys had a 1st and 4th in the 100m with Lawrence Leat and Josh Jakeway, and a 2nd and 5th in the 200m by Lawrence and Josh again. Both boys ran PB's in the two sprints with Lawrence recording 12.5s and 25.7s and Josh 13.2s and 26.8s respectively.

The U17 men saw Ashley Phipps and team mate Harrison Sayer repeat the superb performances seen at the County Champs only last week where Ash narrowly came out on top, both recording 12.5s. The two didnt hold back in the 100m which again saw them share the same impressive time of 11.5s, a second quicker than the previous week. The win was given to Harrison on this occassion with Ash coming 2nd, both running new PB's. The 200m saw them come together again with another blistering performance which again saw Harrison pip Ashley to 1st place in a new PB time of 23.9s. Ashley came a close 2nd with a seasons best time of 24.1s. The 400m saw Alex Runciman dominate the race from the gun, running a quality lap to record a seasons best of 53.9s.

The Clubs throwers held their own with outstanding performances coming from three of Lorraine Shaw’s throwing Squad. A debut performance from Charlotte Stallard saw her take on the Discus, Shot and Javelin to secure an impressive 13 points for the team. Fellow debutante Jacob Lange came 1st in the U15 boys Hammer recording PB of 32.04m, twice the distance of his nearest rival. Jacob also recorded 8.04m in the shot despite being in his sprint spikes whilst waiting at the start line of the 800m where he ran 2.43:11. Top of the throwers was again Tim Campion who not only came first in Hammer, Discus and Shot with three commanding scores, but also ran in the U17's victorius 4x100m relay at the end of the day. Tim was the biggest points scorer for Gloucester, amassing an impressive 24 points ! 

By the end of the day Gloucester haad acquitted itself well against two larger Teams, managing to come first in 16 events. We now look forward to our next YAL meeting on Sunday 20th June.

RESULTS

U13 Boy: Joe Beckett 100m-15.7s, HJ - 1.20m PB, Shot 4.27m PB.

U13 Girl: Ellen Thrall LJ-2.75m, Shot-6.55m.

U15 Boys: Laurence Leat 100m-12.5s PB, 200m-25.7s PB, Discus-12.56m PB. Josh Jakeway 100m-13.2s PB, 200m-26.8s PB. Tom Beckett Javelin-16.94m PB, Discus-16.27m. Niall Gibbons 400m-63.2s PB, Javelin-17.58m, LJ-3.94m PB. Jacob Lange Hammer 32.04m PB, 800m=2.43:1 Pb, Shot-8.04m PB.

U15 Girls: Harriet Hunter 75mH-12.8s PB, 100m=13.7s, Shot-5.68m. Kelly Constable 100m-13.3s PB, 200m-27.7s PB. Lurenda Mudd 200m-28.1s. Kate Davies 800m 2.40:6, HJ-1.35 PB, Javelin-20.51m. Elin Caine 1500m-6.06:5 PB, LJ-3.32m PB. Dannielle Mulraney 800m-2.53:1 PB, LJ-3.97m PB. Charlotte Stallard Discus-14.8m, Shot-6.58m, Javelin-10.79m.

U17 Men: Tim Campion Discus-38.74m, Shot-11.73m, Hammer-24.53m PB. Sean Beckett 400mH-81.9s, 100mH-20.7s PB, Javelin-24.32m. Adam Thrall 800m-2.09:0, 400m-58.5s PB, Shot 3.77m PB. Harrison Sayer 100m-11.5s PB, 200m-23.9s PB, Discus-19.83m PB. Ashley Phipps 100m-11.5s PB, 200m-24.1s. Alex Runciman 400m-53.9s, LJ-5.55m PB.

16/05/10 Mower selected for Wales

Jeremy Mower of Gloucester Athletic Club has been selected to run for Wales in the Anglo-Celtic Plate 100km race against England, Scotland and Ireland. This will be the 6th time Mower will have run for Wales which is a remarkable achievement as selection for ultra-running gets harder each year, with the overall standards improving. At the age of forty-four, Mower managed a personal best over 40 miles in the selection race. This enabled him to claim the final spot in the Welsh team with only four places, instead of the usual five. When Mower started ultra-running six years ago, selection was often on the basis of being able to run 100km (62.15 miles), whereas today the criteria is the ability of running that distance under 8 hours 45 minutes. Wales is probably the least fancied of the teams but often surpassing expectations, managing to claim a second or third position.

NOTE: This year’s race will be held at Boddington, nr Cheltenham at 8.00am on Saturday 19th June, so come and support Jeremy

10/05/10 Berkeley 10k

Personal best times were achieved in abundance for Gloucester AC athletes at the Berkeley 10k. Steve Millward was narrowly beaten into second place overall but was delighted to record a 40 second personal best with a time of 31.39 minutes, finishing strongly over the second half of the race. Kim Drinkwater also claimed a new best time of 40.32 minutes to take a fine third place in the ladies category, with Gill Gresswell taking a massive three minutes off her previous best time with 52.52 minutes.

There was a strong contingent from Gloucester AC at the Berkeley 10k and the mens team were pleased to take the team title for the second year in a row. Dave Gresswell was 7th overall with 36.30 minutes, followed closely by Jeremy Mower in 12th place with 37.08 minutes and Andy Hawkins in 16th with 37.27 minutes. Ian Summers just missed out on making the scoring team with 20th place and 37.48 minutes, evidence of the strength in depth at Gloucester.

Herve Tribuilloy was next home in 52nd place with 41.16 minutes, followed by the evervescent Dave Spackman who claimed 2nd place in the veteran over 65 category with 42.51 minutes. Jane Leckebusch narrowly missed out on a personal best with 91st place and 44.42 minutes. Humphrey Phillips made a welcome return to racing after a long injury lay-off with a time of 47 minutes, while Chris Campbell completed a good day for the club with 48.15 minutes.

09/05/10 Tewkesbury Half Marathon

Dave Edwards was the leading Gloucester AC athlete at the Tewkesbury half marathon on Sunday, claiming an excellent new personal best time of 1 hour 35.06 minutes, more than three minutes better than his previous best for 161st place from more than a thousand runners. Training partners Melissa Whitlock and Gareth Malsom were both delighted to break the 100 minute barrier for the first time, clocking 1 hour 39.38 minutes to take 244th and 245th places. Terry Onions showed a return to form with 338th place and a time of 1 hour 43. 42 minutes.

07/05/10 and 09/05/10 Gloucestershire County Track & Field Championships

Gloucester AC's Harrison Sayer was one of the many talented young athletes who took medals at the county track and field champs held at the Prince of Wales Stadium in Cheltenham over the weekend, taking two golds and a silver. Sayer won the U17 men 200m and the triple jump before narrowly missing out on the hat-trick in the 100m, beaten by clubmate Ashleigh Phipps who took gold. Also taking home double gold was Ellen Thrall in the U13 girls section, winning both the javelin and hammer as well as third in the shot put. Becky Summers showed her ability over a range of events, by winning the U17 girls 3000m on Friday night and then returning to win the 400m hurdles on the Sunday.

Also winning county titles for Gloucester AC were Ashleigh Naylor in the senior mens 100m, Kate Davies in the U15 girls javelin, Ollie Cooper in the senior mens triple jump and Tim Campion in the U17 mens discus with a new personal best performance of 40.96 metres. Dave Gresswell and Arthur Daley won the veteran mens over 40 and over 60 categories respectively for the 5000m, with Daley producing a UK-leading time of 18 minutes 53 for his age group.

Lorraine Shaw's hammer throwing group dominated as expected, sweeping all age group titles that they contested. Justin Sysum won the senior mens title with a seasons best 60.87 metres, just ahead of Alex Warner with 60.30 metres. Bola Ogun comfortably won the senior womens title with 53.44 metres which was also a seasons best, from Kate Yhnell who threw 47.06 metres. Marion Loveridge won the ladies over 45 category, while Tim Williams threw a massive 61.83 metres with the junior mens implement to win from training partner Ashley Andrews. In the younger age groups, Jacob Lange won the U15 boys category with 29.18 metres and was joined on the top of the podium by Charlotte Stallard who won the U15 girls section with a personal best 38.27 metres.

Gloucester also claimed numerous minor medals, with standout performances coming from the U15 girls sprint group, Harriet Hunter taking silver in the 80m hurldes, Kelly Constable winning silver in the 100m and Lurenda Mudd taking silver in the 200m. Adam Thrall took silver in the U17 mens 1500m and Gemma Collier took silver in the senior womens 1500m with another big personal best time, following on from her breakthrough run in the 3000m on the Friday night.

02/05/10 Young Athletes League (Leamington)

Gloucester AC found life difficult in the first McCain Young Athletes Track and field meeting of the season, competing with a severely depleted team in Leamington and finishing third on the day.

Athlete of the day was U15 girl Kate Davies competing in the 800m, high jump and Javelin to which she came 2nd twice and 1st amassing a brilliant 16 points. Not to be out done U17 man Charlie Simmonds competed in the 800m, 1500m and then the 400m straight after! He too scored well for the Team with two 2nd's and a 4th to bring home 13 points. In the U13's Joe Beckett battled hard in the 100m, long jump and high jump in which he jumped a PB of 1.15m. Jenny Hayward also ran a PB in the 75m in 11.5s and did well in the 70m hurdles (15.1 secs) and High Jump (1.05m).  

The U15's saw a welcome return to the 75m hurdles for Harriet Hunter, running a Pb in 13.4 secs. On a cold windy day the sprinters were off their times with Harriet running the 100m in 13.9s and stepping into the 200m at short notice to run 30.5s. Lurenda Mudd also ran well in the 200m, finishing 1st and claiming the full 6 points. She also joined newcomer Elin Caine in the Shot to record a below par 4.88m. Elin performed well on her debut for the McCain Young Athletes League recording PB's in the Shot (3.69m) and 800m (3.07:8). Another newcomer to the League Josh Jakeway also competed well, running the 100 in 13.5s and the 200m in 27.8s coming 4th in both. He was supporting fellow sprinter Laurence Leat who recorded 13.2s in the 100m and 26.7s in the 200m. The last of the U15's saw Tom Beckett take on the throwing events due to recent injuries. He competed well and recorded two PB's of 14.80m in his Javelin and 17.32m in Discus. Gloucester’s final competitor saw Tim Campion take on the Discus and Shot. Tim did not let the side down recording two 1st places with 39.51m in Discus and 11.69m in Shot.  Despite the poor numbers, the team spirit was excellent and team manager Garry Hunter is hoping for a stronger turnout and better weather for the next meeting Sunday 16th may at Tilsley Park, Abingdon.

01/05/10 Midlands Track and Field League (Div 2) Coventry

The composite Gloucester AC and Severn AC track and field team made a solid if not spectacular start to their Division 2 campaign of the Midlands League on Saturday, claiming 4th place overall. Despite missing several key athletes in certain events, the team rallied with some excellent individual performances.

The mens throws produced its usual plethora of points, with Gareth Winter winning the A string shot and discus, Justin Sysum dominating the mens hammer to win and also winning the B string shot and discus, supported by Tim Williams winning the B string hammer and newcomer Dave Anderson taking 2nd in the Javelin B string.

Tim Dalton and Ben Coldray controlled the mens 1500m to win the A and B string comfortably, while Steve Millward waited until the final 100m to unleash a sprint finish to win the 2km steeplechase and, taking 2nd in the A string 400m hurdles and B string 5km. Ashleigh Naylor was a delighted winner of the mens 400m, after finding the competition in the 100m and 200m very strong.

Brendan Goss claimed his usual haul of points on a busy afternoon, among his highlights being a 2nd place in the triple jump, ably supported by Lloyd Andrews who claimed 3rd in the 400m hurdles among his range of events.

The best female performance of the day came from the youngest member of the team, 15 year old Becky Summers, who ran a composed race in the 3000m to move through the field to finish 2nd, after also claiming solid points in the 1500m and 400m hurdles. Gemma Collier provided strong back up by winning the B string 3000m in a massive new personal best. Cleo Lambert claimed useful points in the 100m and 200m before taking 2nd in the B string long jump, with Alex Purcell also faring well in the long and triple jump. Beverly Jones claimed 3rd in the womens shot put and was helped by Marion Loveridge and Paula Whitcher who also scored some useful points.

25/04/10 London Marathon

Gloucester AC's Lorraine Ryan produced a superb run at the London Marathon on Sunday, breaking her previous marathon best by almost 8 minutes to complete the event in 3hrs 7mins 2secs. Despite an injury-interrupted build up to the race, Ryan was able to put in some excellent training sessions on the recent club warm weather training trip to Portugal, and all the hard work paid off in spectacular fashion on only her second attempt at the historical distance.

Ultra-runner Jeremy Mower was pleased to be first club member home, in a time of 2hrs 56mins 47secs, but was restricted slightly by a troublesome hamstring problem which meant that he was unable to stride out fully.

Luke Herbert performed well on his marathon debut, but was disappointed to miss out on his target time, clocking 3hrs 06mins.54secs after finding the second half of the race particularly difficult. Dom Malsom thoroughly enjoyed the race after opting not to try and achieve a personal best, savouring the atmosphere and wonderful crowd support and still managing a very repectable time of 3hrs 26mins 14secs.

Jane Leckebusch was delighted with a new personal best time of 3hrs 31mins.05secs, which took several minutes off her previous best performance, but was frustrated to just miss out on going under 3 hours 30 by an agonising 65 seconds. Chris Campbell also managed a new personal best time, running a very even pace throughout to finish in 4hrs 03mins.57secs. Paul Robins claimed a time of 4hrs 37mins.29secs while debutant Rachael Hancocks was relieved and pleased to finish in a time of 5hrs 02mins.41secs to round off a great day for the club.

25/04/10 Stratford Half Marathon

Andy Hawkins made the trip to the birthplace of Shakespeare to write his own little piece of history, claiming a fine 10th place overall from a field of more than one thousand runners in this years half marathon. Finishing strongly thanks to some recent extra speedwork in training, Hawkins crossed the line in a time of 1 hour 21.45 for his quickest time in a couple of years on a deceptively tough course.

Peter Lloyd also competed and was happy to run quicker than at the recent Forest of Dean half marathon, finishing in a time of 1 hour 28.50 minutes.

17/04/10 National Road Relays (Birmingham)

Gloucester AC's Rose-Anne Galligan led by example at the National Womens 6 stage road relay championships, held in Sutton Park at the weekend, as the team were the highest placed county team on the day with a superb 28th place. Irish international Galligan produced an excellent run on the opening stage as she led the entire field home with a time of 16.20 minutes, an improvement of 15 seconds on her run at the Midlands event four weeks ago and good enough for the third quickest run of the entire day. Facing the unenviable task of following on from this was Jane Leckebusch, who ran a composed stage to keep Gloucester in the mix with a time of 21.25 minutes for the second leg, after coming in as a late replacement for the injured Gemma Turtle.

Anne-Marie Edwards took over on the third stage and ran well for a time of 22.30 minutes, before handing over to team captain Michelle Stark who kept the team in contention with a time of 22.46 minutes. Kim Drinkwater then moved the team back up the field with a superb run, gaining 7 places and a time of 19.19 minutes which was 25 seconds quicker than her run at the Midlands Champs. Gemma Collier produced her customary strong run on the final leg for Gloucester, bringing the team home in 28th place with a time of 20.21 minutes, her quickest ever run at the national event.

In the mens 12 stage event, held over alternate 5.4 mile and 3 mile stages, Gloucester AC found the going tough as several key athletes were missing, but still produced an excellent overall performance to finish in 53rd position. Jeremy Mower started proceedings off for Gloucester on the notoriously strong first leg, finishing in 71st place with a time of 33.23 minutes. Track specialist Nico Constanti moved the team up 5 places on the first 3-mile stage, with a strong run and a time of 16.34 minutes. Nick Cousins took over on the third leg and finished in a time of 34.21 minutes, despite missing large chunks of training in recent weeks. Fresh from a recent successful spell of warm weather training, Richard de Camps produced the quickest short leg of the day for Gloucester with a time of 16.24 minutes before handing over to Tom Randles who then ran the quickest long leg of the day for Gloucester, claiming a time of 30.45 minutes.

Mark Ingram took Gloucester through to the halfway point with a solid run and a time of 18.12 minutes, which left the team in 62nd place. Dave Gresswell then moved through to 58th place on the long seventh stage with a time of 32.35 minutes, passing onto Dave Edwards who kept the momentum going with a time of 19.03 minutes for the short eighth stage. Lee Smith clocked a time of 31.42 minutes for the long ninth stage as he eases down in preparation for the London Marathon next weekend, with Richard Moor producing a time of 20.38 minutes for leg 10 as Gloucester moved up to 55th spot. Andy Hawkins took over for the final long stage and completed the gruelling run in an impressive 32.20 minutes, before handing over to veteran over 60 Arthur Daley who finished proceedings off with a time of 19.13 minutes for the final short stage.