Category: Race Report

The Vets Leading the Way

Mahamed Mahamed walked in to the tent to collect his number and was met by Pete Mackrell, full of excitement following his brief chat with race favourite Andy Vernon. “Here’s your number, good luck. Andy Vernon’s over there, reckon you can beat him?” was Pete’s short jokey conversation with the shy Southampton AC athlete who just smiled and walked away. A couple of hours later and that same quiet runner stormed around the six mile course at Teardrop Lakes in 29:18 to take victory and push Vernon down to third. When you consider that Elliot – who has broken most of our club records recently – was nearly three minutes behind, this is a whole different level of running! read more

If Noise is a Drug then New York is Full of Addicts

New York Marathon

by Kassia Gardner

SO. MUCH. NOISE. Not today though. Today in Central Park, New York, the roar has gone and there is just the low rumble of distance traffic, a city ambience punctuated by the low ‘whoop, whoop’ of emergency vehicles – NYC emergency vehicles don’t make a ‘nee naw’ sound like they do in the UK but anyway I digress. Let me take you back 48 hours to the NYC Marathon.

Kas in trouble with the locals!

I hadn’t slept well since arriving in NYC on Thursday, the cacophony of noise from irritating garbage, emergency vehicle sirens, and construction noise coming in through the open window meant for a restless night’s sleep, of course we could have shut the window but then the room would get too hot, or we could have put the air con on, but even that was loud. read more

Feeling a bit “non-league” in Mansfield

English Cross Country Relays

by Sam Dear

The English Cross Country Relays has been staged in Mansfield since 1989 and LBAC were last there in 2010 and 20011, however on both of these occasions one member of the team had somehow forgotten to put their timing chip on and so the team was disqualified, much to the annoyance of those who wore their chip! Andy must have been one who was left with a DQ next to his name as I got an almost daily reminder to wear my chip in the week leading up to event.

The relays are part of the build up to the trials at the end November to get into the GB team for the European Cross Country  Championships and so there was definitely some talent around quite often has some GB athletes that you may recognise. read more

46th is Not Too Shabby

Despite spending three years at university in Leeds I’d never entered the Abbey Dash until this year.  The Dash has been going 32 years and has a big reputation for being one of the fastest 10k races in the country.  It starts and finishes in Leeds city centre and is an out and back course along Kirkstall Road, turning at Kirkstall Abbey (a ruined monastery built in 1152).

If you’ve been a regular reader of my reports you’ll know that 2017 has been my real breakthrough year.  I’ve set PBs at every distance I’ve entered, with only the 10k (31.55 from 2016) missing.  I ran two great 10ks in May (but it was too soon after London Marathon for my legs) and then the Bedford 10k in June (when it was very hot); all three were between 32.11 and 32.21. read more

Trying to Love Luton

Love Luton Half

by Pete Mackrell

Last weekend, Amy Inchley and I both travelled over to Luton to run in the Love Luton Half Marathon. The race is named as such because Love Luton is a campaign which aims to “create confidence, pride and a positive image for Luton”. With Luton’s reputation, that’s quite an ambition! It aims to do this by organising various events for the community including the Love Luton Half. This year marked the 5th anniversary of the race and they have added a 10k.

Amy had been looking for a local half marathon since the unseasonably warm NSPCC Half in September where she had hoped to run under 1:40 but missed out by a couple of minutes. I entered because I wanted to see where my fitness is as my long injury comeback continues. read more

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