Week Ending - 2024/07/14

COOPER’S SUPER WALSALL THREE-LOOPER

With time running out for Badgers to achieve their club standard times for this season, a handful of athletes made their way to Walsall Arboretum on Saturday to give the famously fast three lap parkrun a thrash, in the hope of ticking another box along the way to personal achievement. 

It was Paul Cooper who turned in one of the most remarkable runs of his storied career, shattering his personal best set at Arrow Valley two years earlier by an incredible 57 seconds as he crossed the line in a fabulous 23:03. To put the magnitude of this run into context, Cooper, who graduated from the Badgers beginners program in 2017, recorded his first 5K parkrun in a time of 35:07. Seven years later and now a man in his forties, the dad of two set off with real intent and while his pace dropped after an opening mile of 7:10, he held on well enough to run a huge PB in his 143rd attempt at the distance, a quite brilliant achievement and amazing improvement in both real and percentage terms from when he started out. 

Accompanying Cooper at the Arboretum was the grafting trio of Rob & Joanne Crow and Professor Liz Peel. Rob ran a fine 23:41 with wife Jo clocking her fastest 5K in seven years with a rip-roaring 25:44. Long-distance Liz showed her prowess over the shorter stuff with a terrific 24:56, the fastest 5K of hers in 6 years. The pacy pair have amassed a staggering 386 parkruns between them so to produce these feats against such a large backdrop of prior runs shows just how dedicated and determined they are to their craft. 

At the popular Brooksie’s Bash 10 mile trail race on Sunday, Ryan Preece (65:54) took a quarter of a mile detour mid-race and wound up in second overall, although the winning margin was such that the navigational error likely only affected Preece’s time rather than position. That said, it was another excellent effort from one of the stars of 2024 and he led home a trio of Badgers in the top ten as Danny Warren (6th in 70:29) and a returning Adrian Payne (8th in 71:21). Stefan Martin put in a good run in 85:26 while club founder Nivette Chester (94:10) and her good friend Stephanie White (97:53) also enjoyed good runs.

Colin Lees and Suzy Farrell both ran at the Compton Verney half marathon, coming home either side of the 1 hour 50 mark and the rest of the weekend’s action focussed solely around parkrun.

At Long Eaton, Chris Horton revisited the site of his parkrun PB set in 2022 and not only came away with the race win in 16:47, just four seconds shy of his ultimate best, but scored the second quickest 5K of his life in some 212 attempts. In addition, his wava rating of 87.19% was an all-time Badgers best benchmark by any runner over any distance. Glyn Broadhurst was in good form at Greenfield Valley taking 3rd in 19:29 and Megan Griffiths finished in an excellent 4th lady in 24:24. Matt Green 9th male, Jane Barrett 4th female and Sharon Jackson 8th all placed well at Chipping Norton alongside former Badgers Sam and Laura Starkey. 

Zoe Yeatman ran at Snowden Field, Maggi Savin-Baden clocked 31:24 at Grove Fields and Ivana Babicova flew the flag at Edgbaston Reservoir. Rachael Shelton and Jim Cottom tore it up at Sutton parkrun with Colin Lees and Paul Restall both going well at Chasewater. 

Elsewhere, Kingsbury Water Park saw the largest contingent of Badgers descend on a parkrun event with former skipper Mark Cox leading the way in a punchy 18:57 to take 5th place, one ahead of the semi-legendary Dave Jackson in 19:01. Jill Miller was 7th female and there were also appearances for the likes of David Craig, Leon Millership, David Niven, Kieren Coopey, Grace Barsby, Rick Reilly, Pete Coogan, Steph Nickless, Nick Miles and Claire Bradford. Mark Repton was in good shape at Beacon in Lichfield running a fine 18:54 to take fourth spot with Alice Belcher running 26:50 further back. Martin Graham recorded a good time of 25:25 at Wollaton Hall and Cameron Barnes dipped just under 20 minutes to take fourth along the promenade at Minehead in Somerset. 

Yvonne Faulkner-Grant managed her fastest parkrun of 2024 in 27:52 at the flat Worcester Pitchcroft course, with husband David for company. Alan Argyle and Chris Tweed were out in force at Conkers and Rugby saw the touring collective of Merv Jones, Nicki Bowman, Clare Whetton, Janet Crumpton, Karen Draper, and Eileen McCarry all in action. 

Bedworth parkrun saw Andy and Holly Smith being part of a group including Gail Gunn, Anna Savin-Baden, Kate Rathbone and Anne-Marie Matthews and Tamworth Castle Grounds was a happy hunting ground for Ashley Taylor as he penetrated his way into the top ten in 20:45, Adrian Parkes and Carl Savage backing him up not long afterwards. Last but by no means least, Wayne Repton managed an impressive 21:40 to just miss out on the top ten at Chippenham Playing Fields and Stephanie White was the sole Badger at Market Bosworth.