TWENTY-EIGHT Kenilworth Runners competed in the Stratford Summer 6 in Wilmcote on Saturday – the fourth race in the Warwickshire Road Race League.
Incredibly, 16 of the Kenilworth contingent ran new personal bests on the night and Kenilworth had seven runners in the first 12 places, securing the senior men’s team prize for the Warwickshire Road Race League.
The race start was put back by 15 minutes to allow all entrants to register, which also allowed the rain that had been falling for some time before the race to abate by the start, providing ideal conditions for the race itself.
The Kenilworth duo of Chris McCarthy and Richard Simkiss were in the leading pack in the first half but fell off the pace set by the eventual winner Andrew Peat of Birchfield Harriers, who ran 31:18. McCarthy and Simkiss finished 2nd and 3rd in the same time of 32:09 – a PB for both at this distance.
In 4th place, Kenilworth’s Phil Gould also ran a new PB time of 32:39, spurred on by the 5th and 6th placed athletes who were pushing Gould the whole way.
In 7th position, Kenilworth’s Connor Carson also ran a new PB in 33:01 which is a WAVA age graded score of 84:17, breaking his own club record age grading score set earlier in the year.
New men’s captain, Stephen Page, was the other top ten finisher for Kenilworth in 8th position in a time of 33:14, also a new PB.
For the ladies, Claire Goult had a fine run, producing another PB of 41:23 in 71st overall, followed by Louise Andrews 80th overall in 41:45 and Laura Pettifer 81st in a new PB time of 41:46.
This trio made up the Kenilworth ladies team, who are pushing Spa Striders for supremacy in the Warwickshire Road Race League.
KENILWORTH Runners maintained their 100 per cent record of first senior men’s team in the 7th and penultimate race of the East Midlands Grand Prix Series at the Weedon 10k last Tuesday.
The winning team comprised Andrew Siggers 4th in 34:01, despite running a marathon just 3 days before, Paul Andrew 5th 34:08, Richard Simkiss 6th in 34:49 and Martin Dorrill 25th in 37:38.
Other Kenilworth Runners were Mick Williams 81st overall and 2nd VM55 in 41:19, Dave Pettifer 94th overall and 1st V65 in 42:33 and Tom Dable 234th in 53:17.
The race was won by Michael Aldridge of Wootton Road Runners in 33:38.
