Week Ending - 2024/03/24

COX OUT AT KIBWORTH

The opening race of the 2024 Leicestershire Road Running League took place on Sunday with the sell-out hill fest event the Kibworth 6 mile. Badgers had high hopes of a strong showing once again but their men’s team were dealt a hammer blow in the lead-up to the event when former skipper Mark Cox had to withdraw from the field due to work commitments. The hard-hitting floor fitter from Stoke Golding was expected to feature prominently again this season and his absence was keenly felt by his teammates. 

Thankfully, the club’s semi-legendary strength in depth paid dividends as all six scoring men made the top thirty. Matt Scarsbrook was way out in front for most of the race and looked set to carry on where he left off last season, but his nemesis Mo Hussein of Roadhoggs produced a monumental effort to rein in the Badgers man with a mile to go, to take the race win leaving Scarsbrook in a gallant second spot. His time of 31:29 was over a minute inside Dave Hill’s club record, a truly outstanding performance on one of the most challenging courses in the league, especially given the 27-year-old had raced the day before for Birchfield Harriers, helping them to qualify for the National Road Relays at Sutton Park. 

Captain Dave Hill was next back in 33:10, a decent effort once again as he returned from illness to take fourth place. Ryan Preece too is on the comeback trail, although somewhat longer term. The tough-as-teak Atherstone hard-man bagged 15th place in a quality time of 35:00, scalping several notable names in the process. Danny Warren was soon over the line in 18th position, another excellent effort from the club chair who clocked a fine 35:44. 

In-form Neil Russell was the next to finish, his race punctuated by an attack of stitch just past halfway. The Bulkington-based flying machine still finished in a magnificent 21st place despite the impromptu stoppage and got home in 35:59 to record just one of four Diamond-level county standards on the day alongside Scarsbrook, Hill and fellow key man, Chris Horton. The latter made a welcome return to action after breaking a bone in his foot racing in November and completed the Badgers scoring six in 36:28, (27th place).

Just four places behind him and sixteen seconds later came yet another V45 ace in the shape of Glyn Broadhurst. He kept pace with the in-form Adrian Payne throughout the race, outsprinting the Baddesley man to the line as the duo took 31st and 32nd places respectively to head a B-team that outscored all but two other team’s A-teams! Chris Tweed (38:18) produced another good run off the back of another Herculean training week to ensure the men’s vets team went top of the table while Luke Neal (38:34) showed his quality with a great effort in 56th place in his first attempt at the race. Mark Repton, fresh back from his marathon mission ran a great race a place behind Neal and also four seconds quicker on chip time, Mark Coggan also produced an excellent run of 41:42 in what was something of a baptism of fire, incorporating the infamous Gumley Hill in his very first six-mile race. 

The muscular physique of Dave Jackson (42:13) was next over the line, the former pool-playing pace man and one-time holder of the 8-mile club record (senior), chipped in with a determined run to seal the coveted honour of being 13th Badger back. He was quickly followed by Ashley Taylor (42:36) and Matt Green (43:10), with Stefan Martin (44:36) earning himself a silver standard county time award. 

Wayne Repton, fresh off the back of his 250th parkrun appearance the day before, produced a good run in 45:10 swiftly followed by Bill Gutheridge, Jim Cottom and Chris Young. Colin Lees was next before V60 star Rob Crow pipped V60 and V70 club record holder for the distance, Mick Bailey, to the line by a single second. Paul Cooper also finished well as did Kieran Coopey who ran a PB in 58:29, a feat matched by Carl Ford in 59:14. Matt Smith and veteran Rick Reilly completed the male action. 

The women were led home by their captain, Megan Griffiths, who romped home in a superb time of 46:03, taking her to the giddy heights of 34th in a competitive field. In form Suzy Farrell was next back, the Polesworth based veteran has improved no end over the last twelve months and here she put down a marker for what is likely to come for the rest of the season, with her time of 48:43. New signing Victoria Jones ran a super debut to score well with her time (52:29) and just eight seconds later, Stephanie White, manufactured one of the runs of the day in the ladies team. One of only two Badgers in the field who contested the club’s very first league race at this venue ten years earlier, White, now in her twelfth season at the club, ran a sparkling 52:37 to score for all three possible teams, the ladies, the ladies vets and the mixed team. Not only that but she recorded the highest level of county standard (silver) of all Badger women competing, a fabulous achievement. 

The ladies' B-team was jam-packed with quality performers as firstly Rachael Browne gave a focused fast finish to cross the line in 53:11. She was followed by the long-serving 100 Marathon club member Liz Peel, who has more race miles as a Badger under her belt than any other runner in the club. Peel ran 52:58 in a vintage display with Jill Miller and Kat Wilson both running brilliantly in 54 minutes. Beth Woodward is deep into her marathon training at present but still managed to add another six hilly miles into her week with a steady run here alongside Grace Barsby who has come on leaps and bounds since joining the club last year. Both athletes finished well inside 55 minutes. 

Jane Barrett was next home in 55:29 with Alice Belcher doing well in her debut LRRL race. The experienced Judy Parkes ran a classy 57:02 before Joanne Crow crossed the line in a fine 58:33. Krystal Knight made her league debut with an excellent 58:53, a time made all the more impressive given the gradients on offer and the fact that only a week earlier, she had completed the arduous Ashby 20 race in a magnificent 3:33:24, another runner to have worked incredibly hard en route to the London marathon in four weeks’ time. 

Someone else at Badgers well-schooled in the art of marathon running is none other than Ann-Marie Currier, a veteran of the London marathon itself no less, and she turned out at Kibworth to pass on the wisdom of her expertise to all the up-and-coming stars at the club, and anybody else who was remotely interested in hearing about it for that matter. She finished one-second shy of a palindromic 1:00:01 before Maggi Savin-Baden headed a quartet of athletes including Sarah Reynolds, Clare Whetton, Karen Draper and Andy Venney. There were still more to come however as Teresa Satchel led out Kate Rathbone for the final personal best of the day in a hard-fought 73:17. 

Away from the cut and thrust of the league, Holly and Andy Smith contested the Fission 20:20 half marathon at Berkeley Power Station in Gloucestershire, finishing together in 2 hours 25 minutes. Vicky Brunsdon ran a 10K PB at the Derby 10K in 67:17. Parkrun saw top ten finishes for Rachael Browne, Jill Miller and Liz Peel at Kingsbury while Dave Hill had to settle for a rare second at Leamington despite running a rapid 17:24. Janey Barrett finished 9th at Northampton Sixfields, the same position as Jack Burton-Peet at Doddington Hall, who not only set a personal best for 5K, but ran his first ever sub 21 minute time as well as his first ever sub 20 – a gigantic step forward in just one event.

Last but not least, the latest batch of Badgers beginners completed their 5K graduation at Kingsbury Water Park on Saturday, under the tutelage of the likes of Clare Whetton, Joanne Crow and Paul Cooper amongst others. They all did really well over the twelve weeks, turning up in mostly cold, dark and wet Wednesday evenings to progress far enough to run a 5K at a seldom dry Kingsbury.