23.07.16 Race Report

Not for the first time, twelve year old Harry Bond (custodian of best times for a junior in the three longer distances), shot off to lead the 5K field from the front and recorded an unchallenged 21.58, followed home almost 80 seconds later by a ‘Pokémon’ weary, Jack Hancock – Jack was seen late in the evening casing out local drinking establishments, however, not to sneak an underage tipple or two but, to seek out PokéStops and Gyms in the ‘Pokémon Go’ phenomenon that is sweeping the ‘world’ of Leek – however, his youthful time was a minute ahead of a resurgent, Paul Goldstraw.
Sarah Whatman once again visited the town and took time-out to enter the run, being piped on the line by Ethan Ollier’s, returning-to-form 26.04; half a minute later, Dan Smith, ambled home as he limbered up for his upcoming Meerbrook 15K, challenge.
Remarkably, Kevin Gidman, smashed 123 seconds off his previous best to record 26.55, whereas, Karl Birch has been marooned for six weeks in the later seconds of the twenty seven minute mark. Two new entrants, Matthew Littlewood and Suzie Noble recorded 28.10 and 29.29, with Neil Perkins consolidating his second 5K with a 28.56 finish.
Pushing hard to once again break that mile-stone 30 minute mark, saw Amanda Hampson record 30.14 which was 84 seconds up on last week; the Lee contingent of Wendy and Katie returned after a few weeks absence and their times of 30.43 and 34.09 reflected this; Jan Percival also recorded a slower time of 30.48 on her return after holidaying in Nice, France.
It’s hard to recall if the Williamson pair, Claire and Tony, have run the full distance together?
Well! No matter how jubilant Tony was at the finish, (before their time was announced) the plan hadn’t worked; perhaps, Claire should stick to listening to the Ska beat of Madness rather than the scaring tones of: what shall we have for lunch, I hope the kids are ok, and have you ironed me a shirt, not to mention, ‘this is only a small hill, three times; which seemed to be the cause of, what is hoped, a temporary blip’ in progress; their 30.21 finish was almost half a minute off Claire’s two mile-stone-breaking previous runs.
Rebecca Dodd once again competed in the 1.5K, gaining a whopping 116 second PB in 5.09 – Ok! Last week she did a few hundred metres extra – while hubby, Richard, escorted, William (4) to the 2.2K line in 14.38 and a PB of 50 seconds.
In an attempt to loosen up his battered and bruised leg muscles, following a week at rugby school, Jack Bray, eased around the 2.2K event in 10.26 with Grace Bond 46 seconds behind; James Burgess and Liam Perkins recorded slower times than their best, with a more senior, Jenny Lovatt, breaking through her own mile-stone and continuing to progress with a two second PB of 13.59. Training nights seem to work, with nine year old Brooke Pickford consolidating that run to record 15.51 in her first Saturday event, followed a minute later by an ambling Joshua Eames.
In the junior event, both Jack Bray and Jack Hancock, doubled up on the day, in an attempt to run off their respective ‘blues’, to return times of 9.12 and 9.32, with Sienna Phillips pursuing to chip nine seconds of her last outing in 9.35. Luke Hopkins’ surge in form is down to continued efforts in the mid-week SMAC Summer Series, better medication to control his asthma, and constant returns in this event – around the ten and a half minute mark – on this occasion he smashed all those times to record a PB of twelve seconds in 10.17. Edward Dodd, Eden Pigott followed on with slower times and Esme Hopkins managing to chip ten seconds off her last outing time in 13.45.

Thanks to the staff: Sam Goldstraw, Eric England, Bryan Vigrass and Donna Eames, and Jack Bray for making up.
B. (An ear to the ground and an eye on the times).