Waveney Valley AC are celebrating a successful start to competitive road running this autumn with the crowning of a county champion to add to numerous personal best times achieved by members. At the Framlingham 10k, which served as the county championships, Samantha Lines ran almost a minute faster than her previous best to record a time of 36:58. She was the first lady to finish and was duly crowned Suffolk champion. Coach, and Sam’s training partner, Matt Jeffries ran a season’s best 33:10 to finish second overall.

At the Wissey Half Marathon, Jim Burgess and Steve Carruthers achieved PB’s. From a field of 255 runners, Jim was placed 13th in 1.25:40 and Steve 18th in 1.26:54. Sarah Norman ran a PB by almost seven minutes at the Great North Run, finishing in a time of 1.45:32. Other GNR times:- Leon Neeve 1.36:00, Andy Ayers 1.40:35, Matt Baldry 1.43:24, Dylan Neeve 1.58:13, Sonny Neeve 1.58:13, Chris Pitman 2.11:38, Angela Mower 2.39:14, Donna Cuppleditch 2.51:44. At the Great East Run held at Ipswich, Stuart Spurgeon ran a personal best 1.38:23, with a PB also for Daren Coulter in 1.45:49. Other GER times:- Andy Ayers 1.45:49, Vladimir Laptikhovsky 2.02:28, Lisa Wilson 2.06:50, Michaela Gooch 2.17:58, Kirsty Howe 2.23:24, James Gooch 2.30:57.

The Jolly Jaguars 10k, held at the former RAF base at Coltishall, proved a happy event for Waveney’s athletes. From a field of 503 runners, new member Stuart Coe finished 14th in 38:49, with personal best runs from Mike Quantrill, 42nd in 40:55, Dave Catchpole 213th in 50:48, Demelza Hammond 279th in 54:27, Debbie Foster 348th in 58:32, Rachael Finch 363rd in 59:05 and Peter Lang 366th in 59:03. Phil Hazell finished well placed in the 70+ age category, and an overall 285th in 54:50.

Eight members competed in the Bure Valley 10m race. Zoe Chase and Chris Strange, in their debut 10m races, finished 53rd in 1.11:28 and 55th in 1.11:50 respectively. There were personal best times for Matt Baldry, 57th in 1.12:02, Lisa Knights 73rd in 1.14:38, Ian Hawkes 82nd in 1.16:14, Louise Harrod 171st in 1.26:44 and Angela Mower 286th in 1.50:11. David Mower was close to his best with 87th place in 1.16:28.

Four members, Becky Langford, David Mower, Danni Liffen and Bill Kingaby, took part in the annual Reebok Ragnar White Cliffs Experience, a coastal relay race covering approximately 177 miles from Sittingbourne in Kent to Brighton, East Sussex. Ten runners per team competed over the 30-leg race, with each competitor running three legs each. Waveney’s part team of four, plus local runner Carl Frisby, were joined by Google employees, mostly from Seattle, to make a full team named Googling Warriors. In wet, muddy conditions, with several steep gradients, the team, with very little sleep, were pleased with their finishing placing of 37th out of 114 teams, in just under 26 hours.

Other results:- Greater Cambridge 10k – Antony Croucher 41:27. Nottingham Half Marathon – Stuart Smith 2.04:51.

63 members of Waveney Valley AC competed in the Gt Yarmouth East Coast 10k, a record number of entries by the club for a race. Many were running for Waveney for the first time. Matt Jeffries followed his win from a week earlier at the Lowestoft Half Marathon, to triumph again, from a field of 816 runners, with a time of 33:04. New member Dean Bain was fifth in 35:51, Jim Burgess 12th – 1st vet 45+ – in 37:02 and Stuart Coe 28th in 38:59. Andy Ayers was 60th in a personal best 42:04 with Zoe Chase just behind in 62nd in 42:16. Zoe was awarded the trophy for first female vet 40+.The club also won trophies for 2nd men’s veteran team and second ladies open category.

There were personal best 10k runs by Chris Strange 43:44, Sarah Norman 46:39, Danni Liffen 46:46, Robin Jones 46:57, Layla Bedford 52:56, Stuart Smith 54:02, Lisa Stewart 54:10, Paul Maccormick 55:16, Natalie Brown 55:40, Lisa Cone 55:48, Lauren Finch 57:50, Kim Stone 1.09:33, Kate Howlett 1.14:46 and Paul Hierons 1.18:43.

At last Sunday’s Holt 10k, the final event in this years Norfolk Grand Prix series, Zoe Chase led her clubmates home, finishing 96th in a time of 44:05. Thirteen club members took part, with pb’s by Paul Maccormick 53:49 and Jenny Green 1.06:07.

Chris Pimlott and Lisa Wilson competed in the Plusnet Yorkshire Marathon and both ran impressive personal best times on a very cold and wet day. An achilles heel problem in August had set Chris’ training back for a couple of weeks but he still managed to run 23 minutes faster than his only previous marathon – London 2011 – clocking 3.02:05. His time qualifies him for a ‘ Good for Age ‘ entry to the 2020 London Marathon. It was Lisa’s fourth marathon and she has improved her time at each. She finished in 4.27:13, more than eighteen minutes faster than her previous marathon, at Brighton in April.

Other results: Great Barrow Challenge 10k David Goosey 49:42 pb, Lisa Wilson 53:57 pb ( trophy winner 1st lady ). Saxmundham 5m Mike Quantrill 34:04, Daren Coulter 37:49, Alison Cooper 46:23, Tara Carroll 58:31, Rachael Finch 58:32, Peter Lang 1.02:34.

The 23rd staging of the Lowestoft Scores Race, which took place on Sunday, had a record number of entries as 306 runners, a huge increase on last years record of 255, tackled one of the region’s toughest events.

The race, organised by Waveney Valley Athletic Club, started in the High Street and followed a route along the north sea wall, Gunton Cliff and all of the town’s historic Scores before finishing at the Triangle Market, covering a distance of approximately 4.75 miles.

Michael Eccles, the winner from the last two years, was unable to compete this year through injury, and a new name was added to the roll of honour as Stephen Balfe of City of Norwich AC, crossed the finishing line first in a time of 28:12. Jo Andrews of Bungay Black Dog RC, the 2016 winner, was first lady in a time of 30:32. Host club Waveney Valley’s Zoe Chase, Harriet Lyman and Becky Langford were prize winners for first ladies team and Bill Kingaby was the award winner for first in the M65+ age category. 46 members of Waveney Valley competed in the senior race.

In the junior race, over 1.4 miles, the boys’ winner of the 9-12 age group was Waveney’s William Browne in 8:53, with his club mates Lewis Barnes (8:55) and Josh Smith (8:57) second and third respectively for a clean sweep of the prizes for Waveney. Billy Girling won the boys’ 13-15 age group in 8:04, with Waveney’s George Browne second in 8:07. The girls’ 9-12 winner was Tess Andrews, BBDRC in 9:11 and the girls’ 13-15 winner was Alice Daniels, CONAC
in 9:03. Additional combined age group results for Waveney were: 6 Thomas Spurgeon 8:52, 15 Vaughn Beckham 9:17, 17 James Burgess 9:26, 19 James McAllen 9:33, 20 Theo Chong 9:33, 29 Nathan Littlejohns 10:01, 32 Gabby Wright 10:15, 33 Agatha Gouldby 10:16, 35 Jude-Benson Smith 10:28, 38 Benjamin Littlejohns 10:46, 39 Reuben Colbridge 10:46, 40 Cruz Harewood 10:53, 41 Henry Reynolds 10:57, 42 Ana Colbridge 10:57, 44 Charlie Mudd 11:29, 49 Ruby Benson-Smith 12:48, 51 Wilf Gouldby 13:04, 54 Callum Dootson 13:55.

At the prize presentation, race organiser Tim Earl thanked Birds Eye for its generous sponsorship plus Lowestoft Vision and Sportlink for their support. Thanks were also given to Christchurch for race facilities, plus all of the marshals, first aiders, traffic management officers and helpers who ensured the event was a success.

Waveney Valley AC’s over 60’s team have been presented with their winning trophies from the Ekiden Relay event after a delay of a few weeks. The event took place last month but a mix-up with the results meant the team could not receive their trophies on the day of the event. The team retained their top place after being victorious last year also.

Lisa Wilson took part in the Bath Two Tunnels Half Marathon on a course that took in the Limpley Stoke Valley and Bath City Centre. She completed the race in a time of 2-24:12

Entries are still being accepted for the Lowestoft Scores Race which takes place on September 9th. The senior course takes in 254 steps of the towns iconic Scores, covering a distance of approximately 4.75 miles. The juniors race over a distance of 1.4 miles.

Club members that have achieved late summer personal best times in the 5k parkrun events include: Denise Bjorck 34:00, Mary Jones 33:05, Carol Ryland 30:19, Rachel Collins 28:18, Seth Frankland 26:38, Daryl McKeown 24:23, Vaughn Beckham 23:37, Danni Liffen 23:26, Lily Collins 23:17, Jessica Hall 22:55, Chris Strange 20:19, George Browne 19:04, Steve Carruthers 18:43, Jay Lingwood 18:04, Jenny Green 33:50, Michelle Caldwell 32:33, Natalie Brown 26:28, Jo Fisher 26:15, Paul Maccormick 24:28, Nigel Lyman 22:54, James McAllen 22:28, Theo Chong 21: 29, Sue Cole 37:18, Emma Platt 33:44, Jo Garbutt 30:57, Claire Randall 27:37, Thomas Spurgeon 20:39, Sarah Norman 23:16, Stephanie Oldman 32:19, Gail Barnard 28:24, Debbie Foster 28:05, Dean Bain 16:55, Laila Spurgeon 33:44.

The busy programme of road races this summer has kept athletes from Waveney Valley AC in regular competition. Leading the way in popularity in recent weeks was the Run Norwich 10k, which had more than 6,000 entries. Just under 60 of those competing on a very hot day were Waveney Valley members. The top ten finishers for Waveney were Chris Meadows in a personal best 37:59, Steve Carruthers 39:22, Andy Ayers 42:41, Mike Quantrill 43:14, Ricci Wilson 43:16, Colin Galer 43:58, Michael Hollidge 44:02, Matt Baldry 44:25, Bob Milner 46:45 and Ian Hawkes 47:12. Sarah Norman was delighted with her personal best time, by over two minutes, of 48:11.

The Scottow Coltishall 5k proved to be a happy event for Waveney as five of the seven club members recorded PB’s. The ever-improving Mike Quantrill recorded another Diamond age-graded performance with his PB 19:51, finishing 45th from a field of 511 runners. Dan Critoph was 135th in 22:38 PB with Mark Smith 183rd in 24:10, Paul Maccormick 184th in 24:15 PB, Lauren Finch 297th in 27:27, Rachael Finch 301st in 27:34 PB and Kirsty Howe 326th in 27:58 PB.

A new race, the Wortwell Friday 5m Sizzler, organised by Bungay Black Dog RC, attracted an entry of over 200 with 35 of those being Waveney Valley AC members. Waveney’s Matt Jeffries won the race in a time of 26:27 and there were age category wins for Jim Burgess, M45-49 in 29:22 and Phil Hazell M70+ in 45:02. Club members achieving PB’s were Tim Moore 30:58, Andy Ayers 33:01, Stephanie Pimlott 40:21, Lisa Stewart 43:45, Gavin Hamilton 44:54, Alison Cooper 45:42, Rachel Maydom 54:06 and Paul Hierons 1:00.32.

Samantha Lines is fast becoming one of the region’s big names in road running and her superb run at the Great Yarmouth Half Marathon produced a personal best time of 1:22.43. She finished 8th overall (2nd lady) out of 381 finishers, with her pace maker, club coach Matt Jeffries, recording the same time in 9th place. Mark Thompson was 27th in 1:28.14, Bob Milner 87th in 1:38.33, Jason Browne 95th in 1:39.05 PB, Mark Smith 225th in 1:56.58, Kirsty Howe 334th in 2:22.49 PB and Donna Milner 372nd in 2:39.22

Other results: Ipswich Twilight 10k Jayne Richardson 1:00.30, Alan Richardson 1:01,51. Dereham 5k Demelza Hammond 27:48 PB.

Nearly two dozen members of Waveney Valley AC took part in the third and final race in the Bungay Summer 10k series. The club’s most award-winning athlete in the series has been Jim Burgess, who joined the club last year and since then has made a real impact with notable performances in 5k, 5 mile and 10k events.

The Bungay Summer series, in particular, proved successful for him with first place in the M45-49 age category in all three races. Steve Carruthers, Dan Critoph and Donna Milner all ran personal best times in race 3, Donna knocking almost six minutes off her previous best. Results: 4 Jim Burgess 36:49, 8 Steve Carruthers 38:48 PB, 11 Lloyd Scriven 39:55, 45 Stuart Spurgeon 44:12, 49 Chris McAllen 44:21, 53 Chris Strange 45:08, 67 Jason Chong 47:28, 69 Bob Milner 47:33, 74 Dan Critoph 47:42 PB, 86 Becky Langford 48:44, 92 Tris Holtzer 49:08, 134 Cheryl Goymer 53:55, 140 Jon Andrews 54:34, 141 Dave Catchpole 54:46, 145 Stuart Smith 55:08, 162 Alison Cooper 57:44, 169 Tina Winney 58:20, 170 Kate Holtzer 58:25, 180 Michaela Gooch 59:43, 182 James Gooch 59:45, 189 Donna Milner 1:01.31 PB, 199 Bill Kingaby 1:03.14.

On Saturday, the club held its summer BBQ and awards presentation evening at the Lowestoft & Yarmouth Rugby Club. Trophies were presented to members for their achievements over the last club year with 67 runners awarded for age-graded standard times over three different distances. Awards: PLATINUM – Matt Jeffries, DIAMOND – Steve Carruthers, Wayne Freeman, Bill Kingaby, Samantha Lines, David Mower, Dylan Neeve, Karim Ouaddane, Mark Thompson, GOLD – Louise Adamson, Andy Ayers, Matt Baldry, Tim Earl, Lisa Knights, Becky Langford, Harriet Lyman, Liam Nudd, Chris Pimlott, Mike Quantrill, Alan Richardson, Patricia Tuttle, SILVER – Jason Browne, Daren Coulter, Antony Croucher, Steve Gibbs, Daniel Harris, Paul Harrod, Louise Harrod, Ian Hawkes, Joe Mayne, Bob Milner, Tim Moore, Leon Neeve, Sarah Norman, Paul Peek, Stephanie Pimlott, Grainne Purvis, Jayne Richardson, Darrel Roberts, Mark Smith, Stuart Smith, Stuart Spurgeon, Billy Underdown, Alan Varle, Ricci Wilson, BRONZE – Jon Andrews, Emma Branch, Susannah Close, Jon Comyn, Caroline Clamp, Dan Critoph, Camilla Darling, James Drake, Sarah Etherton-Nicol, David Goosey, Demelza Hammond, Tris Holtzer, Kate Holtzer, Malcolm Huggins, Sarah Phillips, Angela Mower, Amanda Scarff, John Skelly, Emily Skelly, Lisa Wilson, Vicky Wood, Tina Winney.

On Sunday, Waveney Valley AC took nine senior and five junior teams to the Ekiden relay races, which was organised by Ipswich Jaffa RC at Woodbridge School. The event was a sell-out with 200 teams entered and staged on what turned out to be yet another very hot weekend this summer.

The event has its origins in Japan and the marathon distance of 26.2 miles is covered by six runners in each team in relay legs, consisting of 1 x 7.2k, 2 x 10k and 3 x 5k in the senior race. The juniors had four runners in a team, covering legs of 1.1 miles. It is one of the most popular events in the region, with all of the competing club’s gazebos providing a colourful display.

Award winners for Waveney Valley were Samantha Lines, who was fastest female over the 5k distance with her time of 18:21, and the club’s Over 60’s team ‘ Waveney Silver Surfers ‘ ( Robin Jones, Patricia Tuttle, David Mower, Dave Martindale, Bill Kingaby and Stuart Smith ) who retained the title they won last year, in a time of 3-34:44. Other senior results: Mens Open – 35 teams – 13th Waveney Turkey Trotters 2-53:49, 24th Waveney Blue Beach 3-10:49, 35th Waveney Cods Wallop 4-27:54. Ladies Open – 16 teams – 14th Waveney Stardust 4-17:15. Mixed Mens/Ladies – 80 teams – 5th Waveney Seagulls 2-42:54, 16th Waveney Speedboats 3-18:04, 64th Waveney Third Crossing 3-57:36, 71st Waveney Scores 4-08:42.

Matt Jeffries was second fastest over the 10k distance with 33:50 and in the Juniors George Browne was 4th fastest with 6:01 in the 12+ age group. His second lap for the second team team was 12th fastest with Joel Burgess 15th. Josh Smith was 7th fastest in the 11+ age group with 6:45 and Lewis Barnes just behind with 6:53.

At the Wroxham 5k race 3, Sam Lines achieved one of her best performances by finishing first lady trophy winner in a personal best 17:35. She was 23rd overall from more than 600 athletes. Chris Pimlott finished 30th in 17:49 and Steve Carruthers 64th in a personal best 18:49. Three club members competed in the Lord Mayors 5k race at Norwich. Jim Burgess was 53rd in 17:47, Chris Pimlott 81st in 18:19 and Tim Earl 183rd in 20:29…End

Four members of Waveney Valley AC completed energy sapping ultra marathons recently, at events in Sussex and closer to home in North Norfolk. James Cousins took part in the Race to the King 53.5 miles event which started at Arundel and finished at Winchester, near the burial ground of some of England’s first Kings. Most of the race took place over the hilly terrain of the South Downs and James crossed the finish line in a time of 13-57:48, raising money for his favourite charity Tommy’s, which funds research to save babies lives.

Bob Milner, Patricia Tuttle and Lisa Wilson competed in the Norfolk 100k, which started with a loop around Castle Acre then followed the Peddars Way to Holme-Next-the-Sea. The route then followed the coastal path to the finish at Sheringham. Bob completed the race in 14-41:34 with Pat and Lisa deciding to stay together, reaching the finish line in 15-55.54 for Pat and 15-55:55 for Lisa.

A dozen club members competed in the Humpty Dumpty 10k race, organised by Great Yarmouth & District AC in hot conditions at Freethorpe. An uphill climb, leading out of Reedham at about the half way point, made it even tougher for the competitors battling the hot weather. Results: 41 Chris Pimlott 39:02, 43 Mark Thompson 39:07, 48 Steve Carruthers 39:32, 197 Bill Kingaby 47:04 ( 3rd prize M65+ age category ), 222 Becky Langford 47:54, 235 Ian Hawkes 48:40, 380 John Skelly 53:47 PB, 393 Louise Harrod 54:22, 479 Phil Hazell 59:22, 484 Gavin Hamilton 59:26, 512 Grainne Purvis 1-01:05, 558 Alan Varle 1-03:34. There were 682 finishers.

Jim Burgess achieved another personal best run this year when he led his Waveney club mates home in race two of the Bungay summer 10k series. He finished third out of 221 runners in a time of 36:47. Other Waveney Valley results: 35 Neil Gooch 42:39, 42 Stuart Spurgeon 43:35 PB, 49 Chris Strange 44:38 PB, 73 Robin Jones 47:05 PB, 81 Daniel Critoph 48:14 PB, 113 Jon Andrews 52:21, 148 Lisa Stewart 56:36, 149 Cheryl Goymer 56:39, 152 Alison Cooper 57:09, 158 Tina Winney 57:56, 163 Demelza Hammond 58:31, 201 Rachel Maydom 1-08:40.

There were 826 finishers at last Saturday’s Holkham 10k. Waveney results: 37 Ricci Wilson 44:00, 46 Antony Croucher 44:59, 56 Colin Galer 45:30, 475 Natalie Brown 1-01:34, 488 Louise Adamson 1-01:58, 496 Rachel Finch 1-03:01, 566 Debbie Foster 1-06:03, 570 Alan Varle 1-05:47, 661 Sarah James 1-10:35 and 718 Donna Milner 1-13:54.

Members of Waveney Valley AC recorded commendable performances in regional road races recently, with many making big improvements on their fastest times. At race one of the Bungay 10k summer series, Jim Burgess set a new personal best, finishing 5th in a time of 37:53. Matt Baldry was next for Waveney, in 41st in 43:21. In 62nd was Stuart Spurgeon in 44:47, who had an excellent race to knock almost three minutes off his previous best 10k time. Bill Kingaby finished 80th in 46:51, Chris Strange 84th in 47:37 and Daniel Critoph 94th in a personal best 48:32. Jon Andrews was 134th in 53:11, Cheryl Goymer 143rd in 53:34 PB, new member Alison Cooper 156th in 56:54, Phil Hazell 158th in 57:09, James Gooch 185th in 1-01:16 and Amy Holmes 193rd in 1-02:56. Jim Burgess (M45+) and Bill Kingaby (M65+) won their age categories.

At the Framlingham Friday 5-mile event, Demelza Hammond finished 357th in 48:00 while Alan Varle and Louise Adamson travelled to Leicestershire to compete in the Market Harborough festival races. Alan was awarded first prize in the M70+ age category in the 10k race, finishing in a time of 1-03:24 and Louise, affected by recent injuries, recorded 33:08 in the 5k event.

At the Mike Groves 10k, organised by Coltishall Jaguars, more than half of Waveney Valley’s members ran personal best times on the former RAF Coltishall air base. There were 488 competitors with Mike Quantrill first for Waveney, finishing in 54th in a new best time of 41:02. He achieved his first Diamond age-graded performance. On a successful day for Waveney’s athletes, remaining results were:- 114 David Mower 44:43, 124 Ian Hawkes 45:21 PB, 158 Phil Acton 47:26 PB, 228 Dave Catchpole 51:53 PB, 288 Odette Goldsmith 54:40, 289 Grainne Purvis 54:41 PB, 392 new member Diane Burton 1-00:54, 408 Rachael Finch 1-02:19 PB, 409 Debbie Foster 1-02:23 PB, 415 Sarah James 1-02:36 PB, 437 Dee Acton 1-04:28 and 449 Angela Mower 1-06:45.

The 2017-2018 Suffolk Winter Cross Country League awards night was held at the weekend with Waveney Valley AC hosting the event this year at the Lowestoft & Yarmouth Rugby Club.

18 team’s competed in the league with Waveney Valley taking top honours in the men’s A, B and C team’s. However, they just failed to retain the combined men and women’s title by one point, losing out to Bury Pacers. Waveney’s B and C team’s finished top of their combined leagues.

Seven members received trophies in their age categorie’s. Dominic Oliver was the senior men’s winner, Bill Kingaby was 1st M65+, Lisa Knights 2nd F45+, David Mower 2nd M60+, Ann Millett 3rd F60+, Jim Burgess 3rd senior man and Alan Varle 3rd M70+. Team captain Chris Pimlott received the men’s team trophies.

A record turn-out of 48 members took part in race two of the Great Yarmouth 5-mile promenade series. A strong south-easterly breeze affected fast times but the in form Jim Burgess still equalled his best time of 29:22, finishing a strong 9th from a field of 531. Members achieving personal bests were: Chris Strange 37:02, Daniel Critoph 38:01, Dave Catchpole 42:49, Lauren Finch 45:56, Demelza Hammond 46:29, Rachael Finch 46:46, Gavin Hamilton 46:57, Debbie Foster 48:17, Sarah James 48:52, Caroline Clamp 49:11, Tara Carroll 50:04, Kim Stone 51:01, Lorraine Barker 53:01 and Paul Hierons 1.02:05.

Mark Thompson was first WVAC to finish in the Dereham 10m event. He was placed 30th out of 384 athletes in 1.03:51. Leon Neeve was 78th in a PB 1.08:56 and Mike Quantrill 89th in 1.10:07, also a PB. David Mower was 192nd in 1.18:06, Demelza Hammond 377th in 1.34:29 (PB), Grainne Purvis 378th in 1.34:32, Vicky Wood 383rd in 1.35:14 and Camilla Darling 408th in 1.39:07.

At the Bury to Clare Challenge, runners competed over an 18 and a half mile cross country course in aid of St. Nicholas Hospice Care. Malcolm Huggins finished 41st in 2.53:06, Stephanie Pimlott was 79th in 3.10:07 and Stephanie’s dad Stuart Smith was 99th in 3.22:20 and 3rd in his age category.

Club coaches Michaela and James Gooch competed in their debut triathlon’s on Saturday. The event was the Stradbroke Triathlon and included a 160 metre swim, 17k bike ride and 3k run. Michaela finished 84th in a time of 1.06:57 and James 86th in 1.07:32. In other events, Samantha Lines finished 45th out of 554 runners in the Wroxham 5k series (race one) in a time of 18:11 and Phil Hazell, a veteran of many decades of road racing, clocked 1.02:28 in very hot conditions at the Breckland 10k.