40 members of Waveney Valley A.C. converged on Gt Yarmouth seafront for race one of this year’s 5-mile Promenade Series. More than 500 athletes took part in the event and the highest placed WVAC runner was Jim Burgess who finished 13th in a personal best 29:22. Leon Neeve was 61st in 32:44, Bob Milner 112th in 34:50, Darrel Roberts 114th in 34:55 and Mike Illingsworth in a pb 35:25. Other club times:- Colin Galer 35:49, Alex Chalmers-Wilkes 36:14, Bill Kingaby 36:45, Ian Hawkes 37:15, Nicole Goffin 37:32, Daniel Critoph 38:03 pb, Susannah Close 38:00, Sonny Neeve 39:18, Daniella Liffen 41:48 pb, Paul Peek 41:16, Jon Andrews 42:10, Louise Harrod 42:50, Dave Catchpole 43:48, Tina Winney 43:40 pb, Steve Betts 44:24 pb, Natalie Brown 44:39, Lisa Cone 46:18, Demelza Hammond 46:30 pb, Donna Milner 47:09 pb, Lauren Finch 47:21, Debbie Foster 49:40, Emma Branch 49:51, Sarah James 50:09 pb, Caroline Clamp 50:12, Tara Carroll 50:47, Angelene Ayers 50:50, Rachael Finch 50:58, Alison Barnard 50:59, Simon Cross 51:38, Samantha Paolantonio 51:44, Rachel Calver 51:50, Kim Stone 54:16 pb, Lorraine Barker 54:32, Jenny Green 58:14.

On a very hot Bank Holiday weekend, club members raced in distances ranging from 5k to the marathon. At the GEAR Kings Lynn 10k, Ricci Wilson finished 101st in 41:59, Mike Quantrill 134th in 43:09 and Ian Hawkes 314th in a personal best 47:22. Just under 2,500 runners competed.

Milton Keynes was the setting for a busy weekend of races with a 5k warm-up event on Sunday, followed by the main event of a half marathon and marathon on Bank Holiday Monday. 5k results:- Sarah Norman 23:17, Matt Baldry 23:17, Angelene Ayers 29:52, Andy Ayers 29:53. There were over 2,000 competitors in the marathon with Waveney’s Karim Ouaddane finishing 73rd in 3.20:51, Andy Ayers 246th in 3.47:45, Matt Baldry 848th in 4.34:20 and Sarah Norman 944th in 4.41:17. In the half marathon, Beth Stephens ran a time of 2.34:55.

In East Sussex, Lisa Wilson took part in the Three Forts Challenge, a 27-mile event over the picturesque South Downs. She completed the tough course in 6.25:57

Thirteen members of Waveney Valley A.C. took part in Sunday’s London Marathon. More than 40,000 runners faced the record hot temperatures for the event, and over 38,000 crossed the finish line. Waveney’s athletes all completed the race safely and returned home in good spirits.

Ross Lambert ran a very high standard time of 2.38:28 and was just outside the top 100 finisher’s. He improved on his previous time, at New York in November, by just over a minute. After just 8 week’s training following injury and illness, Samantha Lines produced a fantastic personal best time of 3.09:12.

The race times of Steve Carruthers have got faster in recent month’s over several distances, and his time on Sunday of 3.20:04 was another good performance. Mark Thompson was the club’s next finisher, with a time of 3.30:02. Becky Langford, running in aid of Prostate Cancer UK, finished in 3.37:48, just three minutes outside her best time.

Lisa Knights recorded a time of 3.42:25, raising funds for the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation. Matt Jeffries has endured several months of injury, but the enthusiastic club member still made it to the start line. He ran with Samantha Lines until the 20-mile mark but was then hampered by his injury and slowed down. For most of the latter stages of the race, he assisted a struggling competitor and crossed the finish line, with Tina, in 3.52:12, more than an hour outside his best. Matt has previously won a marathon, but on Sunday he won huge respect and a new friend.

David Mower was competing in his fourth London Marathon and crossed the line this year in 4.36:14. Tim Moore was next in 4.48:06. Tim’s ‘negative split’ was interesting, running the first half in a steady 2.51, then the 2nd half in a much speedier 1.57. Grainne Purvis, raising money for Sence, was running in her 2nd ‘London’ and achieved a new PB of 5.03:25.

Daren Coulter, in his debut marathon, finished in 5.20:38 and raised £1,000 for Access Community Trust. Gavin Hamilton crossed the line in 6.07:54 and Amie Ogilvie, in her debut also, recorded a time of 6.38:48. She raised a terrific sum of £2,600 for Spinal Research after her husband Kev was injured by an IED blast whilst serving in Afghanistan in 2012 and is paralysed from the waist down. Prospective new member Rain Crowson, who started training with the club recently, finished in 6.28:31.

Haverhill XC

Waveney Valley Athletic Club seniors just narrowly missed out on retaining their Suffolk Winter Cross Country League Combined Ladies and Men’s team title, only one point separated Waveney and St. Edmund Pacers. Despite winning the final fixture at Haverhill, Waveney’s A team total over the six races amounted to 18752 points, against Pacers total of 18753.

Waveney was successful in defending their Men’s team title, finishing top with a massive 15684 points. The B and C combined ladies and men’s teams finished first in their sections.
Seven members won individual series trophies in their age groups: Lisa Knights 2nd F45+, Ann Millett 3rd F60+, Dominic Oliver 1st Senior Male, Jim Burgess 3rd M40+, David Mower 2nd VM60+, Bill Kingaby 1st V65+ and Alan Varle 3rd VM70+.

Waveney had twenty-five seniors competing at Haverhill, and once again Dominic Oliver was first home for the club finishing in second place with his swift time of 29:01. Dominic has finished in the top 4 in five races of the series, which secured him the senior men’s individual title. Jim Burgess posted 31:30 in 15th place was second in his age group V40+. Dylan Neeve clocked 32:38 in 23rd place not far behind was the youngest member of the senior squad Josh Barnard who finished a very creditable 25th with his time of 33:02. Steve Barber recorded his highest finishing position in the series crossing the line in 30th place with his time of 33:39. Leon Bernasconi and Tim Earl both finished in the top sixty with Leon recording 34:58 in 45th place and Tim 35:55 in 54th place. The men’s A team total on the day was 2638, which retained them the men’s series-winning shield.

Rest of the men’s team results: 59th Leon Neeve 36:33. 64th Robert Milner 37:23. 68th Stuart Spurgeon 37:55. 82nd Matt Baldry 39:18. 84th Bill Kingaby 39:38 (1st V65+). 86th David Mower 39:41 (2nd V60+). 93rd Ian Hawkes 40:15. 102nd Robin Jones 40:37. 193rd Alan Varle (3rd V70+) 50:03.

The men’s B and C team also topped their sections in the overall team standings.

Waveney’s top finisher in the ladies section Lisa Knight posted a very creditable time of 38:36 in 76th place was 14th lady (2nd V45+) Sarah Norman clocked 41:49 in 109th place (26th Lady). Stephanie Pimlott recorded 42:40 in 122nd place (29th lady).
It was good to see Ann Millett back in action after having to drop out of the race at Bury St. Edmunds with a leg injury, she was delighted to finish the race at Haverhill in a respectable time of 44:15 in 139th place overall. Rosemary Plant was 180th in 48:17. Rachel Finch 183rd in 48:42. 201st Donna Milner 52:41. 209th Debbie Foster 54:22. 210th Alison Barnard 54:56. All these ladies scored valuable points for the club which all counted towards the combined ladies and men’s A, B and C teams finishing top of their sections.

In the junior one lap race, new member Zak Barber in his first cross country race for the club posted an impressive time of 14:51 in 22nd place, and fourth in his U: 13 age group. William Browne was also in good form, competing in the same age group; he clocked 15:35 in 28th place (7th U: 13).
Thanks to all senior and junior members who competed in the league, but special mention must go to club captain Chris Pimlott who although injured so could not compete in all of the races, was mainly instrumental in Waveney’s strong presence in the league.

A number of senior club members have competed in half marathon and 20-mile events, some as part of their preparation for spring marathons. At the Tarpley 20-mile race, there was little to separate Lisa Knights and Becky Langford and at the finish line, both achieved excellent personal bests with Lisa 105th from 325 runners in 2.38:10 and Becky 114th in 2.39:50. Chris Meadows led his teammates home in finishing 65th in 2.27:22 with Sarah Etherton-Nicoll 314th in 3.53:15.

In the Tarpley 10-mile event, which had 337 competitors, Alan Richardson finished 161st in 1.26:59 and his wife Jayne 230th in a personal best 1.36:39, almost four minutes faster than her previous best time. Amie Ogilvie was 307th in 1.55:16. David Mower competed in the Cambridge Half Marathon and recorded a time of 1.42:44 with Beth Stephens, in the same race, finishing in 2.23:20.

On Sunday, Amie Ogilvie was again in action, tackling the very hilly Dartford Half Marathon. Amie, who is raising money for Spinal Research in next months London Marathon, completed the tough course in Dartford in a time of 2.44:56.

Mindful that the club year ends on March 31, members of Waveney Valley Athletic Club have been keeping active for their age graded standards awards. Members must achieve times at three different road race distances with bronze up to platinum trophies to be awarded.

The popular 5k parkruns provide members with a weekly opportunity at one of the distances and there is never a shortage of personal bests each week. Recent pb’s have been achieved by Louise Harrod, who has improved her times steadily since joining the club two years ago. Her best is now 25:28. There have been pb’s also by Rachel Calver 31:42, Neil Gooch 21:36, Phil Acton 24:41, Tara Carroll 30:05, Chantell Warren 31:22 and Jan Piggott 38:06.

On Sunday, seven members travelled to the western outskirts of Norwich to take part in the Valentine’s 10k. From the 521 athletes that competed, the first home for WVAC was Mark Thompson who finished 17th in 37:09 then 172 Ian Hawkes 47:17, 272 Lee Roth in a personal best 52:54, 345 Louise Adamson 56:30, 364 Demelza Hammond 57:27, 402 Alan Varle 1.00:30, 473 Millie Darling 1.07:08.

Waveney Valley Athletic Club’s Sam Lines produced a first-class performance on Sunday at the Great Bentley Half Marathon. After being side-lined through injury and illness for four months, she took part in one of the top races in Essex and, on just two weeks training, she ran a personal best 1.28:02, knocking almost ten minutes off her previous best she had set at Bungay two years ago. From a strong field of 647 athletes, a delighted Sam finished 86th overall and second female senior.

There was a record number of 676 finishers at the Freethorpe 10 mile event, which included 21 from Waveney Valley A.C. Despite very windy conditions, just under half of club members achieved PB’s. First to finish for Waveney was Chris Meadows in 46th in 1.04:49 then Steve Carruthers in 47th in a personal best 1.04:54. Andy Ayers, in his debut 10 miler, was 100th in 1.10:22 then Bill Kingaby finished 170th in 1.15:12 and won second prize in the Mens 65+ age category. Other results: 184 Lisa Knights 1.15:59, 211 Mike Illingsworth 1.17:28, 221 David Mower 1.17:52, 230 Becky Langford 1.18:24 – PB by almost three minutes, 251 Wayne Freeman 1.19:27, 301 Stephanie Pimlott 1.22:08 PB, 328 Daren Coulter 1.24:27, 405 Louise Harrod 1.28:42 PB, 407 Grainne Purvis 1.28:43 PB, 408 Anita Drake 1.28:49, 411 James Drake 1.28:51, 468 Louise Adamson 1.33:30, 469 Lee Roth 1.33:33, 513 Demelza Hammond 1.36:42 PB, 579 Alan Varle 1.43:20, 598 Gavin Hamilton 1.45:43 – PB by more than three minutes, 633 Sarah Etherton-Nicoll 1.52:34.

On January 27, Bob Milner tackled the Peddars Way Ultra from Knettishall Heath near Thetford to Holme in North Norfolk, a distance of around 48 miles. He finished in 70th place in a time of 10 hours,15 mins and 11 secs. 5k parkrun PB’s: Mark Smith 20:59, Mark Spackman 26:45, Jim Burgess 17:40, Daren Coulter 22:07, Rachel Carver 32:03, Sue Cole 38:45, William Browne 21:20, Robin Jones 22:47

Cross Country – Stowmarket.

The third fixture in the Suffolk Winter Cross Country League was staged at the picturesque Haughley Park Stowmarket, on a bitterly cold day. The 2-lap course at Haughley although on parkland proved to be very complex, with lots of hazards that included jumping over logs as well as runners having to cope with some very uneven terrain.
Waveney Valley Athletic seniors were down on numbers, mainly owing to a numerous number of members being out of action with injuries and illness, which was reflected in the combined ladies and men’s team A team dropping from their top spot to third place in the league. Credit must be given to the squad of thirty-seven members who competed, although Waveney moved down to third place thanks to their brilliant all round team effort, only a small margin of points separate the top three teams in the league, and with three remaining fixtures in the league, Waveney are still in contention to regain their senior team title they won last season.
Dominic Oliver ran a very intelligent race, by not getting carried away with the fast pace of the first lap, he judged his pace to perfection passing several runners on the final lap to clinch third spot overall in 31:49. Mark Thompson also put in a strong finish, in crossing the line in 29th place with 35:01. New member Jim Burgess in his first season of cross country running put in a very impressive performance by finishing in the top 40. Only one second separated Martin Horlock and Club captain Chris Pimlott who finished in 42nd (35:48) and 43rd place respectively. Chris Meadows clocked 36:38 in 57th place overall. Lloyd Scriven recorded his highest position this season, in crossing the line in 62nd place with 37:11. Other notable performances, Peter Rogers, Richard Aukland and Tim Earl all finished in the top 100. The consistent Bill Kingaby once again claimed 2nd place in his V65+ age group.
In the ladies section, Waveney had a very creditable turnout of 14 ladies despite the squad missing several of their regular members. Fist lady home for the team was Lisa Knights who continues her fine run of form, in finishing in 170th place overall, (23rd lady) with her time of 43:21. Sarah Norman posted 47:05 crossed the line in 236th place overall. Grainne Purvis clocked 51:29 in 313th place; close on her heels were Louise Harrod (315th) and Ann Millett (316th) who both recorded the same time of 51:21. Cheryl Goymer was 5th in her V55+ age group

Waveney’s senior results:

Third, Dominic Oliver 31:49. 28th Mark Thompson 35:01. 39th Jim Burgess 35:40. 42nd Martin Horlock 35:48. 43rd Chris Pimlott 35:49. 57th Chris Meadows 36:38. 62nd Lloyd Scriven. 37:11. 73rd Peter Rogers 38:18. 77th Richard Aukland 38:23. 86th Tim Earl 39:07. 103rd Karim Quaddance 40:08. 126th Daniel Harris 40:56. 160th Anthony Croucher 42:44. 167th Matt Baldry 43:00. 170th Lisa Knights 43:21. 171st Bill Kingaby (2nd V65) 43:26. 192nd Jon Comyn 44:47. 196th Darren Coulter 45:02. 227th Steve Gibbs 46:45. 231st Ian Hawkes 46:54. 236th Sarah Norman 47:05. 313th Grainne Purvis 51:29. 315th Louise Harrod 51:34. 316th Ann Millett 51:34. 318th John Skelly 51:35. 327th Dave Martindale 52:03. 330th Tony Millett 52:21. 342nd Layla Bedford 53:15. 349th Cheryl Goymer 54:00. 355th Stuart Smith 54:26. 361st Lisa Wilson 55:11. 372nd Pat Tuttle 56:11. 396th Rosemary Plant 60:53. 401st Jenni Skelly 61:54. 411th Debbie Foster 65:23. 412th Tara Carroll 66:36.421st Rachael Finch 68:45.
In the junior one lap race, James Burgess was Waveney’s only representative owing to most of the junior competing the day before in an indoor event. James who is in the first year of his U.13’s, age group, looks a promising prospect as a distance runner, he ran well over the difficult terrain to record 16:59 for 16th place in his age group.

The remaining three fixtures in the league:
Sun 18th Feb – Nowton Park. Bury St. Edmunds.
Sun 11th March – Fritton Lake.
Sun 25th March Haverhill.

The Suffolk Cross Country Championships took place on Sunday at Culford School near Bury St Edmunds. There were nine races covering 11 age groups, from Under-11 boys and girls through to Senior Men and Women. There were awards for the first three in each age group and for the veterans 5-year age bands. Waveney Valley A.C. entered five runners, though Matt Jeffries withdrew from the event due to a foot injury.
There were 139 athletes in the Senior Mens 12k race and Bill Kingaby’s first race of the year brought him success as he finished first in the Men’s 65-69 age category. He was 92nd overall in a time of 57:28. Chris Pimlott finished 30th in 48:28 and Carl Prewer of Lowestoft Road Runners was 10th in 44:23 and 2nd in the Men’s 45-49 category.
In the Women’s Under-17 event over a distance of 5k, Harriet Lyman was the 3rd place trophy winner, in a time of 21:36 and Sam Stevens competed in the Men’s Under-17 race (6k) and was very pleased with his fifth place as he recently entered the age group and was one of the youngest in the race. His time was 23:08.

Several club members took part in a variety of events over the Christmas and New Year period. At the East Coast Santa Dash 5k at Gorleston, Mark Thompson recorded a personal best 17:59 in finishing 4th from an entry of 211. Other Waveney results: 56 Louise Harrod 26:25, 57 Grainne Purvis 26:25, 66 Lee Roth 26:33, 101 Beth Stephens 29:16, 154 Simon Cross 33:16 (pb), 186 Denise Bjorck 37:07 (pb), 187 Jane Jackson 37:07, 204 Paul Hierons 41:42, 205 Jan Piggott 49:15.

The popular Groggy Doggy races, organised by Bungay Black Dog R.C. on Boxing Day, always attracts a keen entry as man’s four-legged friends lead their masters to Outney Common in Bungay. In the one lap plus dog 2.1mile race, Susannah Close finished 9th in 19:40 with Jay Butcher 20th in 24:31 and Beth Bell 37th in 30:20. In the two lap plus dog 4.2mile race, Chris Bradford was 16th in 47:49. In the events with no dog, Oliver Owen in the 1.5mile 9-12 age group was 6th in 9:55 and in the 2.1mile senior race, Rebecca Harris was 12th in 21:46 and Janet Markwell 44th in 33:44. Waveney results in the 4.2mile event: 16 Steve Barber 34:23, 18 Richard Aukland 34:33, 23 Chris Meadows 35:27, 26 Peter Rogers 35:40, 37 Tim Earl 37:16, 43 Darrel Roberts 37:36, 83 Matt Plummer 42:14, 111 Nicole Goffin 45:47, 112 Phillip Goffin 45:49, 159 Jane Hunt 53:40.

Wymondham New Year’s Day 10k results: 284 Alan Richardson 52:30, 407 Louise Adamson 57:13, 428 Alan Varle 58:21, 432 Jane Hunt 58:32 and 484 Jayne Richardson 1.01:23. There were a total of 635 runners.

Around 355 hardy runners, just short of last year’s record 375 finishers, tackled Sunday’s Beccles Turkey Trot 10-mile road race in cold wintry weather, many braving the conditions in festive costumes. The race was organised by Waveney Valley Athletic Club with first-time sponsors Galloper Wind Farm, Sportlink and Wine Vaults of Beccles provided further sponsorship support.
Only on one occasion in recent years, in 2010, has the race been cancelled due to icy roads, but the go-ahead was given this year with just puddles and slush underfoot for the competitors to deal with. Early morning rain turned to sleet as the race got under way from outside Sir John Leman High School.The route then took in the country lanes – many with unavoidable deep puddles – of Ilketshall St Andrew and Ringsfield, before returning to the school.
The event winner for the third time, and second successive, was Joe Skipper of Team Skipper, who took an early lead which he held onto to cross the finishing line in a time of 56:26. Second was Rob Chenery of Ipswich Jaffa in 56:56 and third Framlingham Flyer’s Jim Last in 58:10. Emma Attwood of Stowmarket Striders, who was third lady last year, was this year’s winning lady in a time of 1:09.05. Second was her team mate Gemma Porch in 1:10.31 and third Jessica Behan of Norwich Road Runners in 1:11.13. Framlingham Flyers were the Men’s team winners and Stowmarket Striders won the ladies.
The fancy dress entry was again well supported. The trophies were sponsored by Wine Vaults of Beccles and the men’s winner was ‘ Mr Christmas Tree ‘ Ben Hadingham with ‘ Lady Burlesque ‘ Sarah-Jane Lumley, the ladies winner.
Host club Waveney Valley had 33 finishers, more than a dozen of them running a 10-mile race for the first time. There were personal best times, despite the tough conditions, by Steve Carruthers, Chris Bradford, Stuart Spurgeon, Stephanie Pimlott and Donna Milner. Club results: 23 Steve Carruthers 1:05.53, 37 Chris Bradford 1:08.22, 55 Daniel Harris 1:11.05, 60 Tim Earl 1:11.40, 62 Ricci Wilson 1:12.10, 67 Rob Milner 1:12.58, 83 Lisa Knights 1:15.58, 84 Stuart Spurgeon 1:16.19, 86 Bill Kingaby 1:16.46, 92 Leon Neeve 1:17.59, 93 Darrel Roberts 1:18.08, 119 Becky Langford 1: 21.26, 139 Stephanie Pimlott 1:23.23, 142 Daren Coulter 1:23.40, 147 Ian Hawkes 1:23.53, 165 David Mower 1:25.59, 166 Paul Harrod 1:26.00, 178 Daryl McKeown 1:27.07, 218 Grainne Purvis 1:30.54, 224 Louise Harrod 1:31.33, 225 Joe Mayne 1:31.34, 243 Lee Roth 1:33.20, 244 Stuart Smith 1:33.33, 250 John Skelly 1:35.06, 255 Camilla Darling 1:36.04, 266 Dave Catchpole 1:38.04, 277 Demelza Hammond 1:40.09, 280 Rosemary Plant 1:40.39, 288 Beth Stephens 1:43.28, 299 Caroline Clamp 1:44.50, 311 Lisa Farrington 1:46.35, 322 Donna Milner 1:50.06, 323 Lisa Cone 1:50.08.
There were trophies and vouchers for first three men and women and for age category winners, with wine for team winners and Christmas puddings for all finishers.
Before presenting the prizes, race organiser Tim Earl, who also competed in the race, thanked the sponsors and all marshals, caterers and volunteers for their help and support.

Waveney Valley A.C. members Bill Kingaby and Becky Langford attended the Leathes Prior Norfolk Grand Prix series awards evening at the Assembly House in Norwich on 17 Nov. The 2017 series had ten races from which points from the best seven for each runner were calculated to find the top three in each age category. Bill finished top in the Men’s 65+ category.
Medals were also awarded for the Norfolk ‘ Postal ‘ Marathon Championships. With no marathon taking place in Norfolk, eligible runners were invited to send in their best times at events during the year. Becky was awarded 2nd place in the Female 40-44 age category with her time of 3:34.51 achieved at Milton Keynes in May.
At the Snetterton Race Track Half Marathon a few day’s later, almost all members taking part either recorded a PB or were running the distance for the first time. Steve Carruthers finished 46th out of 775 in a PB 1:28.58. Leon Neeve was 101st in 1:34.22 (PB) with 131 Anthony Croucher 1:37.23, 146 Ricci Wilson 1:38.34, 208 Stuart Spurgeon 1:43.30 (PB), 233 Steve Gibbs 1:45.14 (PB), 486 Lee Roth 2:04.32 (PB), 508 Demelza Hammond 2:06.32 (PB), 604 Sarah Etherton-Nicoll 2:14.30 (PB) and 638 Emma Hollidge in a debut 2:19.08.
In the Hadleigh 10 mile race, Tim Earl finished 55th from a field of 265 in a time of 1:11.03. Mark Smith’s challenge of completing ten marathons this year in aid of Prostate Cancer UK concluded with the ‘ Running the Rift Marathon ‘ in Uganda. With just six day’s rest since race nine in New York, he found the very hilly terrain even tougher but still managed to complete the race in a time of 5:42.16.
Around half of club members competing in the Southwold 10k recorded personal best’s. Results: 25 Lloyd Scriven 40:13, 28 Steve Carruthers 40:33 (PB), 40 Tim Moore 40:48, 60 Andy Ayers 42:32 (PB), 81 Matt Baldry 43:51, 92 Billy Underdown 44:27, 159 Jason Browne 47:13, 203 Tris Holtzer 48:26 (PB), 250 Anita Drake 50:49, 251 James Drake 50:50, 272 Jon Andrews 50:47 (PB), 330 Louise Harrod 52:52 (PB), 417 Dave Catchpole 55:54 (PB), 468 Beth Stephens 56:56 (PB), 469 Rob Knights 56:47, 496 Kate Holtzer 58:06, 536 Demelza Hammond 59:01 (PB), 647 Angelene Ayers 1:04.44 (PB), 683 Sarah James 1:08.09, Jo Illingworth 1:09.43. There were 732 finishers.
Member’s 5k parkrun personal best’s for November: Josh Smith 22:09, Demelza Hammond 29:01, Simon Cross 33:50, Emily Harding 45:15, Tim Moore 19:36, Fiona Houghton 29:05, Tara Carroll 30:10, Theo Chong 22:22, Rebecca Harris 23:46, Pat McCabe 24:22, Lisa Cone 27:15, Caroline Clamp 27:15, Michelle Lyman 27:27, Natalie Brown 27:42, Sarah Jones 32:00, Bev Hudson 32:28, Phil Acton 25:18 and Emma Hollidge 27:31.

North Norfolk and Snowdonia were the destinations for members of Waveney Valley Athletic Club at the weekend. On Sunday, ten members took part in the Holt 10k, the final fixture in this year’s Leathes Prior Grand Prix series. The entries limit of 450 was reached many weeks before the race and just under 400 made the start line at Gresham’s School. In cool and very windy conditions, on an undulating country lanes course, the first over the finish line back at the school for Waveney was Wayne Freeman in 63rd place in 43:15. Next was Mike Quantrill in 86th in 44:39 with Bill Kingaby just one place and three seconds behind, in 87th in 44:42. Bill was the trophy winner for first in the M65+ age category and should finish the series as category champion when the 10-race series final table is published.
Becky Langford finished 133rd in 47:35, just a few seconds outside her best time, with Paul McCormick, in his first race for the club, apart from 5k parkruns, in 226th in 55:18. Lisa Cone and Emma Branch finished together in 291st and 292nd in 1:00.10, a personal best for Emma with Lisa just outside her fastest time. Tara Carroll, in her debut race for the club, was 321st in 1:04.28, then Donna Milner 337th in an excellent personal best 1:07.02. Jenny Green, in her debut race for Waveney, was delighted to be close to her target time of 75 mins, finishing 361st in 1:15.47.

Five members competed in the Norfolk Coastal Trail Marathon and Half Marathon on Saturday which weaved along a 27 mile section of the Norfolk Coastal Path from Morston Quay to Holme-Next-The-Sea. The 124 marathon runners set off alongside the creeks and marshes towards Stiffkey. There was some respite from the 30mph gusts by a last minute route change through the pine forests of Wells and Holkham. The route picked up the half marathon runners at Burnham Market then led to a scenic but tricky board-walk section to Brancaster Staithe. The race then included a long hill with open views before the final punishing dune section to the finish. Matt Jeffries finished very strong in the marathon in 2nd place in 3:22.38, despite an unplanned one mile detour. Chris Bradford finished a superb fourth in 3:28.15 with Richard Aukland 16th in 3:44.36. In the half marathon, Matt Plummer finished 41st in 2:07.52 out of 140 with Chris Mills 76th in 2:24.20.

In the Brooks Snowdonia Marathon on Saturday, experienced long distance runner Tim Earl finished 156th in 3:30.46 and Matt Baldry was 521st in 4:00.10, just seven minutes outside his best time, a magnificent achievement on one of Britain’s toughest races.

Club members 5k parkrun PB’s for October:- Jim Burgess 18:33, Susannah Close 22:16, Paul Brown 22:20, Stuart Smith 26:41, Kirsty Howe 29:37, Tara Carroll 30: 23, Theo Chong 22:42, Josh Smith 23:00, Phil Acton 26:57, Andy Ayers 20:09, Malcolm Huggins 22:19, James McAllen 23:16, Caroline Clamp 28:17, Emma Hollidge 30:00, Bev Hudson 33:18, Rebecca Tate 40:38, Jenny Green 37:08, Mike Illingsworth 21:22 and Dave Catchpole 26:44