SPA Striders were out in force last week as club members competed in league races, Lakeland adventures and Welsh half marathons.
Striders athletes took part in the Warwickshire Road Race Summer five-mile race hosted by Sphinx AC.
The Warwickshire Road Race League (WRRL) is a collection of a dozen races organised by local clubs where runners collect points to be crowned the top club in the area.
Some 33 Striders gathered at the leafy memorial park in Coventry for this flat, with a deceptive incline, two-lap race.
Weather conditions were ideal as a later start meant temperatures had dropped slightly and there were prizes for Chris McKeown who was fifth overall, John-Paul Hunt and Jude Baum with the latter pair achieving age group placings.
McKeown came home in 27 minutes 36 seconds and was followed by fellow Striders Adam Notley (29.17), Chris Wilson (29.54) and Steve Taylor (30.07).
Hunt finished in 30 mins 15 secs to place as the second M45 runner with Florian Le Gal (30.31) just behind whilst Jason Hemming (32.30) ran a personal best (PB).
Next across the line in under 35 minutes were Trevor Wilkinson (32.59), Will Allman (33.10), Iain Roebuck (33.39), Claire Davidson (33.40), Gethyn Friswell (33.49), Jo Fleming (34.02), Nev Chapman (34.48), David Chantrey (34.53), Shaun Martin (34.55) and Paul Kirby (34.58).
And Matt Leydon (35.05) also ran a PB and was followed by Paul Quinney (36.01), Katherine Robertson (36.19), Susan Cox (37.40), Richard Shelling (37.49), Naomi Cruden (37.52), Ben Cohen (38.49), Claudine Piper (39.36), Peter Schofield (40.12) and Doug Rattray (40.51).
Jude Baum made club history as her time of 40.52 set a new club record for her age group with thre remaining Striders to finish: Lucy Marcovitch (41.29), Catherine Barham (43.20), Emma Teevan (47.02), Kathryn Miller (51.56) and Kathryn Houliston (54.08).
Elsewhere, Elaine Sherwin and Kate Evans took part in a five-mile race as part of the East Midlands Grand Prix at Harborough.
Sherwin finished in a time of 34 mins 19 secs to secure second place in her age category whilst Evans completed the course in 48 mins 45 secs to place sixth in her age category.
Back in WRRL action, Striders stormed the field of runners at the Two Castles with the race described as ‘the London Marathon of the Warwickshire area’.
Striders highlights included second in her age group for Kelsey Wiberley and Davidson with Fleming third in her age group and McKeown first.
Hunt and Sherwin were both second in their respective age groups whilst Lucy Walton and McKeown both recorded new personal best times along with Hemming and Leydon.
There was also a return to racing for Kate Gadsby and Paul Palmer.
Over in Wales, Emma Bish took part in the Swansea Half Marathon and completed the course in 1 hour 45 mins to record a much-improved PB by just under three minutes.
Elsewhere, Luke Bennett headed North and finished 10th in the Lakeland Trails Half Marathon in a time of 1 hr 50 mins.
Sandra Stokes took part in the Alderford Lake Ultimate quarter triathlon which is a step up from Sprint triathlon without a daunting Olympic distance swim.
This was Stokes’s first mass start lake swim in what was a learning experience for her.
And the club would like to congratulate member John Barnes who completed his first 70.3 Ironman event in Aix en Provence, France.
