02/04/11 Grocery 4 mile
Tom Randles was Gloucester Athletic Club’s top performer in the 36th annual Gloucester Grocery 4-mile Road Race held in Sandhurst last week, taking an excellent 5th place in 22:46.
Omar Alim continued his development and reduced his best time for the distance to 25:23 as he finished in 17th position with Leigh Nelmes finishing in 28th with 28:00.
Whilst Alim and Nelmes are relative newcomers to the sport, their club mate Dave Spackman has graced the local scene for nearly 30 years and shows no sign of ending his career yet, as he finished 1st V65 and 31st overall in 28:16.
The Gloucester contingent was completed by Mike Anderton in 40th position, with a time of 36:36.
There was a minute’s silence at the start of the race in memory of ex-Gloucester AC distance legend, Norman Thomas, who tragically died the previous week. Thomas was one of the club’s leading runners in the late 1970s and 1980s and was a familiar face at many local road races in recent years.
In the recent Gloucestershire short-course cross-country championships, held over 4km at Plock Court, Gloucester Athletic Club took titles in two individual and one team categories. Arthur Daley placed 20th overall and first in the M60 age group whilst Dave Spackman finished in 24th position overall and took the M65 category. John McClean finished in 27th place, taking the silver medal in the V60 category in the process. The team took gold in the V60 section.
Three Gloucester Athletic Club members competed in the final race of the Bridge Inn Winter 5km series in Bristol, with two of them gaining titles in the series.
Arthur Daley continued his recent rich vein of form to place 41st overall in 18:41, an improvement of one second on his V60 club best, to clinch the V60 category prize.
Next home was Matt Drinkwater, two days after running a half marathon, in 59th place. His time of 19:45 was just 15 seconds off his personal best for the distance.
The trio was made up by Michelle Stark in 74th place overall and 2nd L35 with a time of 20:46. Though disappointed with her time, she won the L35 category for the series.
03/04/11 YAL (Yate)
Gloucester Athletic Club’s young athletes were in fine form at the early-season Open Meeting at Yate on Sunday, producing a host of personal best performances.
In the field events, Gareth Winter was the star performer setting new club age group records in the shot putt (15.90m) and discus (49.46m) with junior weight implements.
Two younger members of Lorraine Shaw’s throwing squad also competed. Ellen Thrall improved her personal best in the U15 girls hammer by over four metres with a throw of 36.82m, whilst Lucy Humphreys was just 4cms off her best with 7.71m in the U15 girls shot putt.
The youngest member of the Gloucester contingent, Hayley Ralley, set a new personal best of 3.55m in the U13 girls long jump.
The stand-out performer on the track was Andrew Bowers who took large chunks off his personal best times for the 200m (25.6 secs), 400m (61.5 secs) and 800m (2:12.0 secs), whilst Sean Beckett lowered his personal best in the 200m to 26.8 seconds.
Kelly Constable set two new personal bests in the U15 girls 100m (13.1 secs) and 200m (27.3), whilst training partner Harriet Hunter equalled her 100m personal best with a 13.5 second clocking before dodging the showers to record a distance of 4.33m in the U17 girls long jump.
Coach Garry Hunter said afterwards, “Considering we haven’t introduced any speed work into their training sessions yet, I’m really pleased with the times that the youngsters recorded today. It promises to be a good season.”
03/04/11 Chedworth 10 multi-terrain
Five Gloucester Athletic Club members took part in the Chedworth 10mile multi-terrain race on Sunday.
Leading the Gloucester team home, in 13th position overall and 2nd V50, was Peter Lloyd in 67:17. Ian Summers was next Gloucester runner home, in 27th place and 4th V40, with a time of 70:09. Matt Powell, in his first attempt at this race, was next to finish, in 30th place, with 71:02, while Terry Onions finished in 100th position overall and 4th in the V55 category with 78:51. Ruth Hill completed the Gloucester team, placing 250th overall in a time of 95:56.
Gloucester Athletic Club’s Tim Williams was in outstanding form at the Stroud AC Open Meeting held at Yate on Sunday.
Competing in the Junior Men’s hammer event, the Loughborough University student threw a mightily impressive 63.65 metres to shatter his personal best and the club record and firmly established himself towards the top of the UK early-season ranking list.
Additional Gloucester AC members’ results from the Stroud AC open meeting held at Yate on 3rd April:
75m U13 girls Chloe Jones 11.9 secs
Hayley Ralley 11.9 secs
1500m U15 girls Hannah Jones 6:08.0
Hammer U15 girls Lucy Humphreys 21.24m
Hammer U17 girls Charlotte Stallard 32.72m
Hammer F45 Marion Loveridge 35.17m
400m U20 men Sean Beckett 67.1 secs
Hammer U20 men Tim Williams 63.65m
10/04/11 Radley AC Open (Abingdon)
Four of Gloucester Athletic club’s young athletes competed at the Radley AC Open Meeting in Abingdon at the weekend.
Andrew Bowers continued his impressive start to the season, setting his 3rd personal best in eight days, when recording 58.8 seconds in the U17 men’s 400m for 5th place. He followed this up with his second fastest-ever clocking in the 800m, finishing 2nd in 2:13.2.
In the U17 men’s 5kg hammer event, Jacob Lange placed 4th with a throw of 37.12m.
In the U17 ladies events, Harriet Hunter leapt a very promising 4.51m to take 3rd in the long jump before finishing 4th in the 100m in a time of 13.5 seconds. Lurenda Mudd followed up her solid season’s opener from the previous week when taking 4th in the 200m (27.7 secs) and 3rd in the 300m (44.9 secs).
10/04/11 Tipton Games
Meanwhile, more Gloucester club members were in action at the Tipton Games in the West Midlands on Sunday.
Anna Robertson was in fine form in the senior ladies hammer, recording a best throw of 41.45m, whilst her younger training partner, Lucy Humphrey, threw a personal best 25.29m for the U15 girls hammer. Both girls are members of Lorraine Shaw’s Blackbridge-based throws group.
17/04/11 London Marathon
Gloucester Athletic Club were well represented at this year’s Virgin London Marathon.
Wayne Mayer was the first club runner home. His time of 2 hours 59 minutes and 06 seconds was the first time he had broken the 3-hour barrier for the distance and a personal best time by almost 10 minutes.
The next Gloucester runner to finish was Richard Moore, whose 3 hours 34:24 clocking was also a personal best time for the distance.
Alistair Wakefield had set himself a pre-race target of 3 hours 15. However, he suffered from the humidity on the day and finished in 3 hours 40:09.
Club cross-country captain, Dave Gresswell, running for the CLIC Sargent charity, donned a fairy fancy-dress costume for the day and ran a comfortable 3 hours 54:24. Also running for the same charity and wearing a similar costume, was Michelle Stark who finished just outside her 4-hour target, with 4 hours 05:2.
Sandwiched in between Gresswell and Stark was Terry Onions, running his second marathon in eight days, having run the Brighton marathon the previous week. Onions also dipped under 4 hours, running 3 hours 55:18.
The final Gloucester club runner to finish was Helen Davies, in 4 hours 13:29. Helen had missed a lot of pre-event training due to studying and only decided a few days before the race that she would actually compete. Despite this, she paced herself well and finished strongly, passing many runners on the run in.
A member of the Quedgeley-based “Run England” group run by Gloucester AC coaches, Arthur Daley and Christine Campbell, also finished the marathon. Paula Jones only took up running in January and completed the course in a creditable 4 hours 48:29, well under her target time in her first ever marathon.
17/04/11 Kidderminster & Stourport Open
Gloucester Athletic Club’s younger members were in action at open meetings on Sunday. At the Kidderminster & Stourport Open Meeting, Andrew Bowers continued his impressive start to the new summer campaign, placing 3rd in the U17 men’s 600m (94.7 seconds), a new personal best. In the rarely run 1200m, he placed 4th in 3mins 46.6 secs, a new personal and club best.
Harriet Hunter placed 4th in her U17 ladies 80m race with a new personal best and club record 11.2 seconds, shaving 0.2 off the previous record. She followed this up by winning the long jump with an excellent 4.50 metres.
Youngster Hayley Ralley set three personal bests in the U13 girls 80m (13.0 secs), 150m (24.2 secs) and long jump (3.68m).
At the Sprints and Hurdles Challenge meeting at Yate, U20 Sean Beckett tackled the senior-height hurdles for the first time. He recorded 78.6 seconds in the “man-killer” of track events, the 400m hurdles, and 23.65 seconds for the 110m hurdles.
Two of the club’s promising young sprinters, Lurenda Mudd and Kelly Constable, enjoyed encouraging runs. Mudd took victory in the U17 ladies 100m (13.31 secs) and 3rd place in the 200m (27.37 secs), whilst Constable ran 13.22 secs in the U15 girls 100m and 27.96 secs in the 200m.
17/04/11 Charnwood AC Open (Loughborough)
Gloucester AC’s top junior throwers were in record-breaking form at the Charnwood AC-organised open meeting at Loughborough on Sunday.
Gareth Winter (18) bettered his own U20 shot putt and discus records with 16.45m and 50.89m respectively. The latter being the first throw by a city junior to better the magical 50-metres mark.
Tim Williams (19) also bettered his own one week-old personal best and club record in the U20 hammer, throwing 64.24m.
Both are now firmly established in the nation’s top 10 for their age group.
20/04/11 Birmingham Rowheath Open
Members of Gloucester Athletic Club’s hammer throwing squad continued their excellent starts to the 2011 season when competing at the Birmingham Rowheath Open Meeting Meeting at Birmingham University.
Tim Williams was once again over the 60-metre mark, throwing 63.73m to win the U20 men’s event. Kate Yhnell took 2nd place in the senior women’s event with 46.24m and Charlotte Stallard was a clear winner in the U17 women’s competition, throwing 32.21m.
23/04/11 Easter 10km (Sandhurst)
Gloucester Athletic Club’s road runners celebrated St George’s Day in style as their senior men finally won the team prize at the Severn AC-organised Easter 10km road race at Sandhurst on Saturday.
Leading the team home, in 6th place, was Tom Randles. Even though he was relatively fresh from a warm-weather training trip to Portugal, Randles was one of many runners affected by the un-seasonally hot and humid conditions. However, he was happy with his time of 37 minutes 05 seconds.
There was a very competitive tussle for the next three scoring places as Jeremy Mower (9th) was closely followed home by Peter Lloyd (12th), who just held off Arthur Daley in 13th. All three runners were rewarded for their efforts by winning their respective age groups, with Mower finishing 1st V45, Lloyd 1st V50 and Daley 1st V60.
Next home for Gloucester, in 16th place, was Matt Aspinall. A member of Arthur Daley’s training group, Aspinall went off hard from the gun, but suffered in the heat as he slipped back through the field. However, he showed his strength and resilience to recover well and finish strongly over the last mile.
Chasing Aspinall hard was Gemma Collier, in 19th place and 2nd lady. Her time of 42:32 was a personal best for 10km and augurs well for the forthcoming summer season.
Mark Thrall made up the scoring six with a good run to claim 2nd in the V45 category and 20th overall.
Next Gloucester runner home was Matt Drinkwater (27th) whilst V50 Gary Hamilton (41st) and Leigh Nelmes (42nd) had their own private battle.
The club’s finishers were completed by Christine Campbell, who finished 47th overall and 2nd L35, and Mike Anderton in 51st place.
Gloucester AC details:
Tom Randles 6th 37min 05sec; Jeremy Mower 9th 38min 47sec;
Peter Lloyd 12th 39min 29sec; Arthur Daley 13th 39min 32sec;
Matt Aspinall 16th 41min 36sec; Gemma Collier 19th 42 min 32sec;
Mark Thrall 20th 42min 42sec; Matt Drinkwater 27th 45min 06sec;
Gary Hamilton 41st 50min 26sec; Leigh Nelmes 42nd 50min 27sec;
Chris Campbell 47th 51min 53sec; Mike Anderton 51st 61min 28sec.
30/04/11 British Universities Championships (Bedford)
Gloucester Athletic club members were in fine form at the British Universities Championships at Bedford last weekend, taking two bronze medals.
Competing in the men’s hammer event, Tim Williams took 3rd place with a throw of 55.18m, a new personal best and club record by an Under 20 with the 7.26kg weight. That position was emulated by training partner Kate Yhnell who threw 50.03m in the ladies event, the first time she had bettered the 50m mark for over two seasons.
Two more members of Lorraine Shaw’s training group, Mike Tommey and Anna Robertson, also made their respective finals. Tommey threw a new personal best 49.54m in the qualifying round before throwing 49.49m for 7th place in the final whilst Robertson also continued her fine start to the new season, throwing 45.05 for 7th place in the ladies final.
Those results would have been some consolation for coach Lorraine Shaw who saw her UK record of 68.93m broken after eight years by Blackburn’s Sophie Hitchon, who was competing at Bedford as a guest. Hitchon threw 69.43 metres.
On the track, Andrew De Camps and Nico Constanti were in action in the 800metres. Both comfortably progressed from their heat to the semi finals where Constanti placed 7th in his race with a time of 1min 56.60 seconds. De Camps was 5th in his semi with 1min 53.19 seconds, narrowly missing out on a place in the final.
ANNOUNCEMENT
It is with great sadness that we report the sudden and tragic death of one of our former athletes, Norman Thomas.
Norman was one of the club’s leading distance runners during the halcyon days of the 1970s and early 1980s and was a regular attendee at local road and cross-country races where he effectively and efficiently manned the time-keeping and finish area.