Week Ending - 2020/05/17

BADGERS JOY CANN CONTINUE DESPITE LOCKDOWN

With no end in sight to lockdown measures enabling competitive racing to recommence, Badgers took it upon themselves to host a series of races over the course of the remainder of the season to fill the void and also help members achieve their club Standard Times awards. These awards are earned annually with runners needing to meet a certain time over a range of race distances during the season which then results in an award being won and presented on awards night. There are ten race distances ranging from 5K to marathon and the scheme is open to all ages and ability levels with awards ranging from Copper through to Platinum plus. Target times are graded dependent on age and gender and athletes need to run at least five of the different distances at the relevant standard to qualify As several members had already embarked upon their 2020 award before lockdown, the management committee felt it only right to give members the opportunity to finish what many had started.

The Joy Cann 5 in Huncote is a hugely popular Leicestershire Road Running League race, on account of its geographical accessibility, relatively short length and novel midweek evening start time. Badgers voted to take on the 5-mile distance last week as individuals set their own routes and sent their times in via Strava for verification. Over 30 Badgers took part and many if not all of them achieved the club standard they were seeking, despite it being far harder to fun fast alone than in a competitive racing environment.

Husband and wife duo John and Anne Devenney ran 55:09 and 56:10 respectively, Anne cruelly thwarted by just seconds in her aims by an errant Eddie Stobart wagon causing her a minor delay. Fiona Reidy went well in 55:00 with Stephanie Attenborough attaining Copper Plus with her 52:19. The enduring Gail Gunn went off like a shot, bulleting round as she tried to hit her target, emerging back with a time of 52:10. Few members of the club are as determined as Mandi Stain and she pulled on every part of that vital facet to grab her 49:15 reward. Andy Smith and Holly McClay ran in tandem yet again in 47:06 with club coach and 2019 London marathon ace Clare Whetton managing a steady 45:47. Veteran Steph White went back to her Yoxall roots to make 44:26 with the improving Sarah Vine running an impressive Silver standard of 44:15, faster than her existing 5 mile PB.

Newly qualified run-leader Jo Davies clocked a quality 43:59, three seconds behind partner Rob Crow with Vicki London going a further two seconds quicker than the silver thatched Birmingham City supporting keyworker. Kerry Clover is in top form right now and she ran 41:42 for a Silver time, even faster than her distance PB! Popular club chairperson Karen Thompson has been particularly busy of late even by her own industrious standards, project managing a stunning garden makeover despite continuing to work. A former senior club record holder for the distance with a fabulous PB of 38:11, she ran a nonetheless impressive time of 41:38. Pip Weston achieved one of the best standards of all with a Platinum time of 41:18 as the experienced former school secretary continues to knock out top performances after decades in the sport. Adam McElhone managed a super Bronze plus with his 41:07 and Jason Clover almost eclipsed 40 minutes, falling six seconds shy for a fine Silver performance.

Fourteen runners broke the magical 40 minute barrier with club singer Paul Grubb hitting all the right notes, for a change, care of a time of 39:49. V60 club marathon record holder Mick Bailey was another to go faster than his PB with a stunning 38:40 while Ian Orton helped himself to a Bronze plus time of 38:03. The ever-reliable Bill Gutheridge weighed in with 37:27, just seven seconds behind a resurgent Ashley T-Dogg Taylor. If Taylor was a dog, which he isn’t, he would probably be a greyhound and no doubt accompanied by the phrase “HARE’S ON THE MOVE”, an even more apt epithet given his recent beard shaving exploits, whereas it should be a case of “MAYOR’S ON THE MOVE” for long serving Martyn Barrett who was a minute ahead in 36:27, as the former mayor of Middle Grendon recently relocated to another parish. The popular Bristolian handsomely secured his coveted Brown Gold time with what would have been a new V60 club record had it met the qualification criteria, a tremendous effort from the future hall of famer.

Former vice captain Robert “Bulging” Boland is the 8th most capped Badger in history with 51 league appearances and yet again he went off far too quickly, seemingly a long-standing issue for the giant striding dad of two. He still ran a decent 35:42 with the pacy Ben Satchell hitting some good lockdown form with a very respectable 35:27. Graham Engley was another Badger to beat his PB in training effectively, with a rapid 32:57 while vice-captain Mark Repton quietly led by example with a brisk 31:06. Top V40 star and key-man Neil Russell has been a pivotal figure in the club’s back-to-back league triumphs, and he stepped up again with a speedy 30:31 – Gold plus. Foot-injury specialist and likeable veteran Sam Starkey smashed it out of the park with a marvellous 30:19, one of the stand-out runs of the week for sure. Chris Horton remains the only Badger to date to secure the highest level of club standards with successive Platinum Plus with distinction awards in the last two years. Here, he did it again with a rip-snorting 29:24 but this time was dwarfed into relative insignificance by the electric performance of Chris Baxter who may well become the second person to nail the very top level. His 26:51 at Long Eaton was another run of real quality and also quicker than his existing PB of a none too shabby 27:55 set at the real Joy Cann 5 last summer, showing just how far he has come in the last twelve months.