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Wootton Road Runners

Race Reports 2007

THREE COUNTIES XC RACE 3 NORTH HERTS

Wootton Road Runners took a team of 38 to the 3rd round of the 3 Counties Cross Country League at Letchworth on Sunday. The team took the overall victory, maintaining their 100% record in the series. In sunny but crisp conditions over 300 runners took to the course and Woottons men stormed to victory with all 7 scoring runners finishing in the top 20. First home was the ever consistent Mike Aldridge in 3rd place, closely followed by veteran Steve Poole in an excellent 4th. The other scorers were Chris Gallagher, 10th, Craig Mattocks having just returned from his brilliant run in the Everest marathon, 11th, Gareth Oliver, 14th, Richard Lack in 17th and veteran Dave Parkins in 20th. There were also promising runs from Ian Rogers, Jim Shaw and Stuart De Freyne.

In the Ladies race Wootton finished 3rd, a mere 4 points behind North Herts and Bedford who tied for the win. First Wootton Lady home was Kirsty Whigham, completing her record breaking 2007 racing season with a comfortable 4th place in a very strong ladies field. There was a brilliant run from Nicky Harris who equalled her best ever finish with a fine 9th place, with Caroline Parkins completing the scorers in 11th. There were 3 other Wootton ladies in the top 20 with Fran Malin 13th, Polly Randell winning her category in 17th and Beth Sergeant cotinuing her rapid improvement to finish 20th.

With 2 races remaining Wootton are well placed to retain their Overall and Mens titles and the ladies are sitting in a clear 3rd place from the 10 teams in the series.

Inside Race report
Bob Ward

I wouldn’t normally write one of these for a cross country, 5 miles around a field makes for a simple run in my opinion, especially when there aren’t streams let alone any obstacles to cross. However, North Herts was a little different because of a slight faux pas on my part. When I arrived at the XC HQ the brass monkeys were looking very worried so I milled around to try and keep warm before taking the 15 minute walk to the start with less time to spare than I would normally allow. At the start I took off my Ronhill Tracksters, on to keep me warm as I’m getting on a bit now. Those of you who wear them will know they are a little tight and removal of the shoes is necessary in order to take them off. Once I had removed the Tracksters and put my shoes back on, I started walking to the actual start line with a couple of minutes to spare when I felt something sharp digging into my foot. A quick stop to remove said sharp digging in thing was made and I started walking again, the digging in thing was still digging in so I stopped again and took of both my shoe and sock this time to try and remove the offending sharp object, when the starting gun (horn) went off! A quick scramble to put the sock and shoe back on was made before I chased down the pack, who were now 50 yards down the course, with the digging in thing still digging in and me so far back that I couldn’t even see any pink and purple. You will be pleased to hear that by the time I caught the pack the digging in thing wasn’t digging in anymore and I was able to make my way through to finish in 193 place. Well that’s my excuse for finishing in that place anyway. So my moral is, make your way from HQ to the start of a race early so you can take your time taking of your warm coveralls whilst ensuring no foot digging in things are digging in, or get some baggy jogging bottoms so you can quickly pull them off over your running shoes stopping said digging in things getting there in the first place. Alternatively, to give yourself a nice feeling, wait for a few seconds for the pack to get ahead of you at the start then instead of everyone overtaking you, you get to overtake everyone else instead, well some people at least (don’t give me that, there is always someone slower than you). And one final tip, if it is a 15 minute walk to the start, make sure you have a slight need for the loo before you start out as this turns into desperation at the end of a 30 (ahem) minute 5 mile run and the walk back is a lot quicker than on the way there, although your running colleagues may think you a little unsociable as you rush past them without saying hello lest you wet yourself. I never did find out what it was that was digging in by the way, probably just a wet leaf knowing me???

BEDFORD HALF MARATHON 9TH DECEMBER 2007
Over 30 Wootton Road Runners braved atrocious conditions to compete in the popular half marathon, which as always was superbly hosted by Bedford Harriers. In a field of about 1800, Mighty Mike Aldridge yet again lowered his PB for the distance, the second time this year, to finish 4th in 1.11.18. Mike also led Wootton's men to the team prize and it was fitting that Phil Melling 18th in 1.17.46 and Steve Poole 24th in 1.19.49 also contributed as both men have had fantastic first year's with the club. Andy Fairley completed Wootton's scoring quartet finishing in 32nd in 1.21.15. Lee Berrill 1.27.16 and veteran Ed Smith 1.28.32 both had strong run's. Nicki Harris was first Wootton lady home, capitalising on her summer of Triathlon Training to record amazing PB of 1.31.55. Defying the rain, cold and wind there were several other PB performances Mike Carrea 1.38.27, Steve Marsh 1.40.21 Beth Sergeant 1.42.31 Brian Singleton 1.42.31 and John Jeffries 1.42.55. There was a welcome return to racing from Jason Helmsley finishing in an impressive 1.38.53. Ian Bond 1.37.24, Daniel Gillert 1.48.24, Vicki Knight 1.50.38, Ahmed Khan 1.53.56 and Rachael Pateman 1.59.48 all made fine road running debuts for the club. Wootton's other competitors at the event were Rob Green 1.35.28, Paul Matthews 1.39.51, Steve Borondy 1.40.21, Mike Kendall 1.43.11, Mike Dowdy 1.49.38, Zoe Hemsley 1.50.36, Karen Daly 1.51.37, Helena Higgs 1.55.10, Sarah Woolley 1.55.42 and Lorayne Keet- Marsh 1.59.08
Inside Race Report
Brian Singleton

Well I just had to do one, will try and keep it short. Was not too bad at the start, even took my gloves off after 3 miles, but boy when we hit 5 miles wind got up and lashed with rain," nice" I said to Mr Borondy. Race plan, get to Cranfield in decent shape, then go for it. It worked, felt good and we put the foot down. As usual Mike Carrea came passed smiling in the last couple, he stormed to a PB, good man. Mile to go and Mr B said off you go, I had left something for the hill finish, truffled to the line, and crossed with a PB of over two and half minutes (where the hell was Rob Burgess and his pesky cam corder this time). Fell into Steve Marsh's arms, he had an astounding run and am so pleased for this onetime reluctant runner who will only improve. Turned round to see John Jeffries finish just behind me shattering his PB, we also hugged (ooops perhaps too much Pink and Purple male bonding). John has returned from injury in fine fashion and you could see how much it meant to him (he wasn't feeling like a hug later on when the mighty Hammers cuffed his lot at Ewood Park). It was so good to see so many good performances Nicki, Jason, Mike of course and Beth (I cajoled her up to group 3 and she repays it by beating me).
So thanks to Mr B for getting me round and all the Saturday morning club for the early hour training run's. They have paid off This year I have managed to lower my times at 5K, 5mile, 10k and now the elusive half .
So White Peak and Great North "How do you like those Apples"!!!

CHARITY CUP XC KETTERING 8TH DECEMBER 2007
Two Wootton Runners competed in the event at Wicksteed Park. In the Senior Men's category Chris Gallagher was 11th in 38.23 for the 10K course. The ever impressive Kirsty Whigham won the Master's Ladies 4.9K event by over two minute in 19.45

BENIDORM MARATHON AND HALF MARATHON 25TH NOVEMBER 2007
WRR took a large party on their annual excursion to the Costa Blanca. In the full marathon Graham Hollowell was the first Wootton home, running his second marathon of the year in 175th place in 3.31.06. Next was Maggie Mulvey who defied an injury ravaged race build up to finish 189th, 9th lady overall in 3.32.47. Pete Diamond was running his third marathon of 2007 finished in 251st place in 3.43.23.
Wooton had 23 runners in the Half Marathon. Phil Wood continued his impressive season with a PB time of 1.24.36 to finish in 127th place. Next was veteran Ian Randell with a fine run to finish in 143rd in 1.25.39. Paul Matthews was next in 347th 1.32.18 followed by Martin Frost with a strong run to finish 397th in 1.33.54. Annette Burgess also enjoying a fine season was first lady in 428th 1.34.45. Nicki Harris and Stacey Penn finished 598th and 599th with respective times of 1.38.17 and 1.38.18. Full results of all runners are on the Race Results Page.

WOLVERTON 5 24TH NOVEMBER 2007
4 WRR braved the bitingly cold conditions to compete in the 5 mile race around Willen Lake. First home was Richard Fowler in 67th place in 30.05. next was Ian Bond in his first race in Wootton colours in 132nd place in 33.33. John Henderson was 206th in 37.39 and Mike Dowdy was 237th in 39.45.

ST. NEOTS RIVERSIDE HALF MARATHON 18TH NOVEMBER 2007
Mike Aldridge continued his amazing year by finishing third in the St. Neots Riverside Half Marathon. In biting cold and with a strong wind blowing on parts of the course Aldridge finished in a time of 1.11.54. Notts Athletic Club athlete Matt Blunden won the race with a course record of 1.09.16. His colleague Paul Rowland was second just 22 seconds ahead of Mike. Mike's time was 16 seconds outside of his best half marathon time which was achieved on the more forgiving White Peak Half Marathon course earlier this year. It caps a fine year for Wootton's top man, who has achieved PB's at 5 different distances this year. A total of 9 Wootton Road Runners competed in the event. Next home was Chris Lazenby 65th in 1.26.30. The ever consistent Graham Hollowell was 114th in 1.28.46 and Dave Lazenby 123rd in 1.29.44. There were strong runs from Mark Slater 159th in 1.31.59, Graham Tee 216th with a PB time of 1.36.05 and Simon Parsons 387th in 1.44.42. John Jeffries was 478th 1.48.49 and Gwyn Evans 584th in 1.55.56.

THREE COUNTIES XC RACE 2 BIGGLESWADE 11TH NOVEMBER 2007 (courtesy of Mark Exley)
Wootton Road Runners gained a hard fought victory in the latest round of the Three Counties Cross Country League. The race, held on Sunday at Shuttleworth College near Biggleswade, saw 400 runners from 11 clubs taking on the challenge of a 5 mile parkland course, in bright and breezy conditions.
With several potential scoring runners absent, Wootton dug deep and produced a gutsy team performance to take the Mens and Overall races, with the ladies finishing a creditable 3rd behind strong North Herts and Bedford teams.
Mike Aldridge, returning to form, was first Wootton man home in third place. Veteran Steve Poole finished a superb 5th overall with Iain Hazell, continuing his rich vein of form, in 9th place. The scorers were completed by Chris Gallagher, Richard Lack, newcomer Gareth Oliver and veteran Dave Parkins. There were other excellent runs from Eddie Smith, Phil Wood and super veterans Ian Randell and Terry Peters.
First Wootton lady was Kirsty Whigham in 3rd place, with the scoring team completed by Caroline Parkins and Nicky Harris who finished 13th and 14th respectively. There was a superb seasonal debut for Beth Sergeant in 22nd and amongst the other 15 Wootton ladies taking part, promising runs from Anna Woodward and Paula McMahon in their first ever cross country races for the club.
After 2 rounds Wootton head both the Overall and Mens League, with the ladies sitting in a comfortable third place.

NEW YORK MARATHON 4TH NOVEMBER 2007
5 Wootton Road Runners journeyed over the Atlantic to compete in one of the World's biggest marathons. On the challenging marathon course Steve Heighway was first Wootton home with a time of 4.00.26. Sam Jess, competing in her second marathon ran a PB of 4.31.33 beating her London 2006 time by 7 minutes. Experienced marathon runner Fran Malin on this occasion forsake personal time targets to accompany her sister who is not a club runner around the course. They finished in respectable times of 4.24.25. Laura Norman and Angus Stevenson both completed their first marathons in the same time of 4.36.31. Many of the group ran for charities, raising funds for concerns such as Children with Leukemia and Get Kids Going.
Inside Race Report Sam Jess
As you know, I ran in the New York Marathon on Sunday 4th November 2007 which was absolutely amazing....The start of the day was a bit rubbish because we had to get a bus to Statton Island at 5am and it was freezing!! Anyway, when the sun eventually arrived it turned into a beautiful morning (still cold though) so after a 5 hour wait (by this time I had found Angus and Laura so it wasn't quite so boring) and the stress of depositing the bags in the transportation trucks we were on our way to the start line and over the first bridge towards Brooklyn. The weather was fantastic so the view from the bridge was breathtaking and even caught a glimpse of my favourite landmark - The Statue of Liberty.The whole course was really well organised apart from the drinks stations which were quite hazardous towards the end as the gatorade and water was handed out in cups and not bottles so it was flying everywhere and so were my fellow marathon runners!! I even managed to use the ladies in the Bronx...how exciting was that!! I managed to see my family at mile 16 and then at 25 which kept me going on the last mile towards the end, even though it was slightly uphill and anyone who knows me, knows that I don't like hills but I managed it to the end and my garmin said 4hrs 29mins so I was very pleased with myself although my IngNY Marathon official time is 4hrs 31mins. Either way, I'm really pleased with myself because I now have a new PB.The whole New York Marathon experience was fantastic and I would recommend it to anyone.
See you soon....Sam Jess

CARDIAC ARREST 4TH NOVEMBER 2007
For the record 8 Wootton road Runners took part inthe Multi-Terrain event organised by HeartBeat Events and held near Weston Underwood. Andrey Starcevic completed the 8 mile course in 40th place with a time of 1.02.26. The WRR Dawn Patrol Team of Steve Borondy, Karen Daly, Gabby Deere, Maria Dunham, Martin Frost, Brian Singleton and Bob Ward finished together in places 200-207 with the same times of 1.28.24, although Karen has been attributed with a time of 1.10.13 in 94th place, but the pictures will prove she finished with the rest of the team. The team score was 4.25.12, 19th place
Inside Race Report
Brian Singleton Click on the Picture for Report

CANI-X 5K SHERWOOD PINES 4TH NOVEMBER 2007 (Martin Fowler)

Something different for the Wootton colours to brag about!Cani-X 5Km off road race held at Nottingham Forest Pines near Mansfield.Competitors and either one or two doggy friends set off at ten secs intervals in the usual athletic catagories.Following a marked trail through woods and tracks. Overtaking was a bit daunting, especially if Meg was a bit nervous.We were attached together at the hip. Well, she had a harness and I had the lead clipped to a bit of bungy cord around the waist so there was a little bit of control. She didn't pull me along as much as I had hoped, but she's not that daft.We shot off at 5million mph. Soon to drop into a rythm which was upset when she didn't know the command to turn right at the first junction.After untangling the lead from my leg we managed the rest of the 5k course in some semblance of order.After a couple of log jumps the finish post appeared. Unfortunately Ann was cheering us on just before the end and Meg felt obliged to head towards her rather than the finish line!Anyway--- The lead youthfull pair managed it in 17mins. Hu! Meg and I in the Vet 50 section did a fine 20min 2secs and got first place! Paws for thought.
A big red rosette and a "doggy bag" full of treats (of unknown animal origin) made the trip well worth it for Meg.A single car seat protection cover and a bottle of water was my prize. I think.May have to do another, now that I know that the series first prize is a years supply of "Burn's" dog food....yum, yum!
Cruft's here we come? Woof Woof.
Martin & Meg.

DOVEDALE DASH 4TH NOVEMBER 2007 (Lorayne Keet-Marsh)

A handful of Wootton Road Runners (Caroline & Dave Parkins, Woody, Paul Matthews, Steve and I all stayed for the weekend; Mark Fowler, Chris Gallagher, Phil Wood and Nicky Harris all came up for the day) took part in the 52nd Dovedale Dash near Ashbourne on 4 November. Poor Kirsty came too but the demands of motherhood meant she couldn't run as Scarlet and Will needed supervising!The club have been regulars at this event for at least 10 years. I have taken part for several years but this one was on the best day so far. It was mild and the sun was shining. The terrain is usually wet and muddy but this was the driest I`ve seen - apart from the river crossing of course, although that was just calf high and not mid thigh as it sometimes is!

As ever we set off down the hill towards the stepping stones and river crossing. It really is a mad dash, there were 1100+ runners, some quite young children and so its not easy going. The river crossing attracts the crowds for obvious reasons. Caroline apparently stayed on the her feet this time having launched herself into the water one year, being rescued by Paul. It is not considered appropriate to use the stepping stones so we all run/wade through. Then off upwards towards Ilam through fields before crossing the river twice more by bridge this time. The route back is flatter, but usually very slippery and muddy - someone near commented that they didn`t realise it would be so muddy (I thought it was Annette for a minute!!) but I didn`t like to say it was the driest I`d known. Before long we were meandering along the riverside in and out of the water to pass people, and then the long climb back up to the finish. Strangely the finish is organised in such a way that the queue of finishers back up down the hill whereas the likes of Parky and Chris have to run all the way to the top! You don`t get published results, just a certificate saying what position you ended up. Everyone had a good run and most importantly enjoyed themselves.It`s a great race, costs £3 on the day and is only about 4.5 miles. Why not think about it for 2 November 2008? Better still think about joining us for the weekend we stay at http://www.pinelodgeholidays.co.uk/sandybrook.ihtml

which is 5 minutes from the start! Have word with any of us for more info.

Lorayne Keet-Marsh

THREE COUNTIES XC 2007/2008 RACE 1 DUNSTABLE 28TH OCTOBER 2007
Wootton made a successful start to the defence of their Three Counties XC crown. Taking a team of 45 runners to the course on the Dunstable Downs, the Men's Team romped home in first place from Ampthill & Flitwick Flyers. Wootton men dominated the leaderboard, scorers were Mike Aldridge 4th, Craig Mattocks 6th, Steve Poole 7th, Iain Hazell 9th Andy Fairley 10th, Dave Parkins 17th and Richard Lack 22nd for a score of 75.The ladies finished narrowly third to North Herts, a strong Bedford Harriers ladies team winning the race. Caroline Parkins had a storming run to finish 8th, Fran Malin was 11th and Nicki Harris 13th contributed to the ladies score of 32. The combined total of 107 saw Wootton in a comfortable first place taking maximum points in the first of the 5 race series from 2nd place Bedford Harriers 170 and 3rd place Ampthill & Flitwick Flyers 202.

SNOWDONIA MARATHON 28TH OCTOBER 2007
7 Wootton Road Runners travelled to North Wales to compete in the gruelling Snowdonia Marathon. Kirsty Whigham produced an incredible run to finish 67th overall and 4th lady in 3.18.20, an awesome effort considering it is only 5 weeks since she finished 2nd lady at the Nottingham Marathon. There were incredible performances from husband and wife team Jeff and Terri Mason who finished the Jersey Marathon only three weeks previous. Both completed the mountainous route, Jeff, (who pathetically had three weeks between marathon's this year) was 232nd with 3.43.58 and Terri 846th place in 4.35.31. Mike Kendall who ran his first marathon 25 years ago in Snowdonia finished 390th in 3.57.21. There were fine run's from all Wootton's marathon debutees Steve Marsh 411th, 3.58.11, Sarah Woolley 619th, 4.15.27 and training partner Helena Higgs 620th in the same time.

Inside Race Reports. Click on any Picture to read all the Inside race Reports.

Sarah Woolley

Mike Kendall

   A Tale of a New Race
         Supporter
         Ian Rogers

AMPTHILL TROPHY CROSS COUNTRY 21ST OCTOBER 2007
5 Wootton Road Runners competed in the Cross Country event hosted by Ampthill and Flitwick Flyers. In bright sunshine and blue skies Chris Gallagher was first Wootton home over the 8k course in 12th place in a time of 31.24. Kirsty Whigham was next in 29th overall and 2nd lady in 33.43. Sean Curley was 53rd in 36.05 and husband and wife team Emma Baross and Tony Baross completed the Wootton contingent in 176th and 177th with times of 51.26 and 51.27.

LADY GODIVA HALF MARATHON 21ST OCTOBER 2007
Two Wootton road Runners travelled to Coventry for the Lady Godiva Half Marathon. Prolific racer Graham Hollowell was first home in an impressive 63rd place in 1.28.13. Charles Howard was 262nd in 1.39.49 after some start challenges (see report below).
Inside Race Report
Charles Howard

I had an interesting race. I got to the start just over 12 minutes after the race had started, because I didnt bother reading the race literature properly. I couldnt work out why the start area was so quiet ("Where are all the half marathon runners hiding?"). There were a few hundred fun runners but I was sure this race had a couple of thousand. I asked one of the many helpful marshallers whether the Half Marathon had started and he pointed to the race clock which already said over 12 minutes. The urge to turn round and go home was overwhelming, but I did what any Wootton Road Runner would do and jumped onto the start line and started running solo flat out through the streets of glorious Coventry city centre on roads that were still just about closed.I managed to get past 1400 runners before the finish line but the last 250 proved slightly too quick for me. Probably one of the most enjoyable half marathons I have done because of the novelty of starting so far behind the field, then slowly catching so many people. (Cries of "Slow Down!", "We'll catch him later" and the inevitable "Go on Wootton!" all added to the experience) My gun time of 1h39m46s is the time I am going to stick with, part of racing after all is having the skill, nerve and intelligence to turn up at the correct time.

LEICESTER MARATHON AND HALF MARATHON 14th OCTOBER 2007
Zoe Hemsley was Wootton's sole representative in the full marathon. In her debut marathon, she had a fine run to finish in 317th place in 3.56.40
In the Half marathon Steve Poole yet again was first Wootton home, to finish 7th overall in a very strong field with a time of 1.17.35. For the ladies Hannah Watson was 557th in 1.56.41 and Jess Mistry 574th in 1.57.25
Inside Race Report
Di Rogers (Click on the Picture for the report)

GREAT EASTERN HALF MARATHON 14TH OCTOBER 2007
Veteran Mike Kendall who is preparing for the Snowdonia Marathon in a couple of weeks recorded a fine time of 1.38.40 to finish in 407th place. His best time for the distance for almost 20 years.
"Not the most exciting route through housing estates, but good for a PB as it is pretty much flat. Not quite a lifetime PB but the first time I have run a sub 1.40 half marathon in over 20 years with less than a minute to lose to get the lifetime PB as well as good preparation for the Snowdonia Marathon in 2 weeks time although the hills may present a different challenge."
Regards Mike

CARDIFF HALF MARATHON 14TH OCTOBER 2007
3 Wootton Road Runners made the trip to South Wales. First home was Dave Lazenby with an impressive 1.28.59 in 225nd place. Dave's mum Tricia Harrison, a popular runner and coach at Wootton defied long term injury problems to put in a strong run in 2.06.06 in 3771st. Tracy Watts finished in 2.21.58, 4941st.

JERSEY MARATHON WEEKEND 7TH OCTOBER 2007

Wootton Road Runners took a sizeable party to the festival of running on the Channel Island. The event in it's second year incorporates a marathon, a relay marathon and a 3k run.The marathon which started and finished in St. Helier was dominated by Wootton Runners. the irrepressible Mike Aldridge led the way to finish in 2nd place overall with a storming PB time of 2.38.36. Phil Wood was next home in his first marathon in 16th place with an awesome run of 3.00.43. Paul Matthews was next in 25th in 3.10.50. Jeff Mason defied an injury plagued build up to the race to finish 34th in 3.17.08 and marathon stalwart Pete Diamond completed the men's compliment at the race to finish 48th in 3.24.37. The high finishes of the men's contingent ensured Wootton also took the male marathon team prize. For the ladies Terri Mason finished with a PB time of 3.52.37 in 117th, and Maggie Mulvey who also overcame injury problems was 118th in 3.52.38.

Wootton sent two teams to compete in the relay marathon. The competitive event featured over 200 teams. Wootton B Team of Martin Fowler, Dawn Exley, Mark Exley, Hannah Watson and Caroline Parkins finished 16th with a combined time of 3.14.21. Wootton "A" team of Lorayne Keet-Marsh, Steve Marsh, Dave Buckler, Gabby Deere and Angie McQueen were 36th in 3.28.50.

The 3k event was strongly contested by varied abilities. "Bully" Dave Parkins trampled through the assembled field, casting aside deprived children and "Run Fatboy Run" types wearing non technical gear and plimsolls to finish 3rd overall and first male vet in 10.22. Interviewed after the race a tight lipped Parkins remarked," if it wasn't for that pesky kid and the geriatric I could have won this sucka" and then stormed off like an Australian Rugby player heading for Marseille Airport. Caroline Hubbard was first lady vet in 12.50. Andrey Starcevic 12.07 and Lyn Keable 15.32 also competed in the run.

Inside Relay Race Report
Mark Exley Click on the Picture for Report

DAVENTRY 6 7TH OCTOBER 2007
Closer to home 8 Wootton Road runners ran in the Daventry 6. Continuing his fine year Steve Poole was first Wootton home in 3rd place in a time of 33.53. Chris Gallagher put in another strong run to finish 7th in 34.54. Kirsty Whigham put in superb performance to be beat the ladies course record to finish 12th overall and 1st lady in 36.17. The Lazenby boys were next with Dave 17th in 38.34, Chris 18th in 38.53 closely followed by Graham Hollowell 19th in 38.54. Kevin Jeary was 21st in 39.12 and Mike Dowdy 67th in 48.17.

GREAT NORTH RUN 30TH SEPTEMBER 2007
Two Wootton Road Runners travelled to the North East for the world's largest half marathon. The race had a field of over 50,000 and was run in warm conditions. Brian Singleton finished in a time of 1.45.46 in 4243rd place. Karen Daly finished in 1.56.29 in 9487th place.
Inside Race Report
We missed our friend Mr. Borondy. We both would like to dedicate our run's to Steve, Sarah, Thomas and mostly to the brave little James. We are all with you.
Tough times never last Tough people do.
Karen and Brian

CRANSLEY HALF MARATHON AND 10K 9TH SEPTEMBER 2007
Mike Aldridge recorded yet another 2007 race victory, by retaining his crown at the Cransley half marathon. On a hilly course and windy conditions Aldridge had pushed on up the second climb and pulled clear of all contenders. His finishing time of 1.12.08 was almost 3 minutes clear of the second placed Philip Critchlow of Kettering Town Harriers, ideal preparation for the Jersey marathon in October. It was a double triumph for Wootton as yet again they won the 1st team prize, Aldridge being backed up by Steve Poole 6th in 1.22.18, Matt Fowler 14th in 1.29.33, Martin Fowler 22nd in 1.32.31, Rob Green 35th in 1.36.35 and Mike Carrea 64th, 1.46.15. completed the scoring for the team in Wootton's other men competitors at the event were Mike Kendall 73rd in 1.47.50, Mike Dowdy 97th 1.53.58. Our two ladies at the race who are both training for the Snowdonia marathon had strong run's Helena Higgs was 109th in 1.56.18 and Sarah Woolley was 117th in 1.57.37.
Our sole competitor in the 10k race was Andy Davidson who finished 167th in 55.32.
Inside Race Report Mike Aldridge
Click on the Picture for Report

EXPERIAN ROBIN HOOD MARATHON AND HALF MARATHON 9TH SEPTEMBER 2007
A number of Wootton Road Runners took part in the Experian Robin Hood Full marathon and half marathon on Sunday.
In the marathon, Kirsty Whigham had a storming run to finish 53rd overall and second lady. On track for a sub 3 hour marathon at 20 miles, the last 6 miles proved tough with difficult windy conditions around the exposed National Water Centre. Whigham nevertheless recorded a PB with an impressive 3.04.45. Graham Tee running in his first marathon finished in 455th with a credible time of 3.57.28.
In the half marathon Chris Gallagher continued his recent return to form, overcoming pre race illness to finish in 74th place in 1.22.49. Graham Hollowell was next in 214th place in 1.30.31, followed by Steve Heighway in 294th, in 1.32.47. Wootton's other runners at the half event were Bob Ward 1.50.38, Paul Quinn 2.06.29, Gwyn Evans 2.09.28 and Caroline Hamlett 2.40.58.
Inside Race Report Bob Ward

Wind, wind, wind, thank goodness for city streets! No, I hadn’t had a curry on Saturday night, I decided to park in the park & ride about a mile away from the start and the wind was rather biting on the walk from car park to start and more than a little worrying when you are about to run 13.1 miles but fortunately the various houses, office blocks and even a castle helped to keep said wind away for most of the race. Thankfully I was only doing the half marathon because it can’t have been nice for the marathon runners as they went out towards the more exposed areas of Nottingham after following the same route as me for the first half of their run. Well done to Graham Tee, who I saw at the start line where he told me he was targeting 4 hours for the marathon but then overtook me at 3 miles where I was running at 3.40 marathon pace. My warnings about going to fast while he overtook me were obviously unfounded as he finished at around the 4 hour mark right on target. This run is not undulating but it is not flat either, with hills around the castle, University and Wollaton Park so it is more of real world run than the two MK and White Peaks half marathons I have run so far this year. Support was good with a splatter of people all the way round but good crowds around the Castle, through Wollaton Park and at the finish line. I thought it was a nice route as well with a good mix of park land, city roads and even a Castle to look at along the way; you go up a hill as you come go past it so it’s a nice distraction from the temptation of watching your feet as you climb. There’s even a chance to get on the telly with BBC Nottingham present at the start. My target was 1.50 and I came in at 1.50.38 so spot on (well almost), I do wonder if I could manage it without the help of the little man on the Garmin though.

CHICKS CHASE AND MEN'S ONLY 5K'S MILTON KEYNES 30TH AUGUST 2007
3 Wootton Road Runners competed in the 5k races hosted by Heartbeat Events at Milton Keynes. The course was new for 2007 around the shores of Caldecotte Lake which provided for a fast track. In the Chicks Chase ladies race Karen Daly had a strong run to finish in an impressive 23rd place with a personal best of 24.19. Hannah Ridnell was the other lady runner finishing 109th in 31.59. In the Men Only race birthday boy Brian Singleton continued his recent fine form to storm home in 40th place in a time of 20.57, beating his personal best by 1 minute 40 seconds.
Inside Race Report Brian Singleton

Now don't believe all that storming home nonsense, that is the for press report. For some reason I decided to run a 5K to celebrate my birthday, and persuaded Karen to do likewise. There were two races, the Chicks Chase for the ladies which is not a bad title, but we mused that they could have come up with something more original than Men's Only. We came up with the Gentlemen's Jaunt or the Guy's Gallop or perhaps the Chap's Chase(actaully maybe the Chap's Chafe would be more appropriate), but Men's Only it is, wouldn't be so bad if we got free samples of a similarly named magazine. Anyway Karen's race was off first, so I dutifully jogged the 600m to the start with her and saw her off. Then jogged the 600m back to the finish. You could see the race unfold around the lake, the finish of the ladies race was close, Imogen from MK pipping Donna from Bedford both about 18 odd minutes. Karen soon came into view and despite having a stitch issue at 2 miles, finished real strong with a pb of 24.19 in 23rd place. I then had to jog the 600m back to the start quite quickly (bloody killing me all this jogging). And we were off at just before 8pm. Now it's only a 3 mile race, and three miles just disappears on your weekend long run's, but by kilometre 2 I was already sounding like a wild boar truffling in a lavender covered meadow on a Tuscan hillside. Still I managed to maintain form, keeping to the racing line (if I had packed me cossie I could really have cut some corners off), chased a couple of MK guys down in the last kilometre, and snorted rather than stormed home in the gloom to a pb of 20.57. The girls got a medal, we didn't, but the organisers had provided scrummy melon slices and bananas. It was home via chip shop, and then my prezzies. Karen had masterfully put a post race goody bag together, which had some typical race type giveaway's but also enclosed some cool L'Occitane toiletries, and some theatre tickets for a classical pianist I admire. Now you don't get that at the Great North or London do you. She is a star.
Cheers Brian

MOULTON 10K 27TH AUGUST 2007
11 Wootton Road Runners participated in the second running of the local race hosted by Northampton Road Runners. On a testing course which incorporated climbs along Hocot Road, Pitsford and Spectacle Hill first Wootton home and continuing his recent good form was Chris Gallagher, an impressive 6th in 36.21. Next was Dan Barrett in his first season with the club , 21st in 39.39 followed by Sean Curley 28th in 41.10 and the consistent and prolific racer Graham Hollowell 30th in 41.24. First Wootton lady home,in her first season of running was Emma Baross 127th in 55.53. Wootton's other runners at the Bank Holiday event were Kevin Jeary 41.36, Steve Heighway 42.23, Graham Tee 46.19, Dom Goring 46.42 Tracy Watts 55.53 and Mandy Dennis 60.17.

RUGBY SPRINT TRIATHLON 26TH AUGUST 2007 (courtesy of Nicki Harris)
3 WRR took part in the Rugby Triathlon (Iain Hazell, Nicki Harris and Carolin Parkins). It was a very early start but it was a lovely morning - sun shining. Caroline was scheduled to swim first, after her head on collision with another swimmer who was clearly not obeying lane rules, she was out of the pool, on her bike and away. Iain was next in the pool, this was Iain's first triathlon. With his new time trial bike, he was off on his bike in no time. Nicki was next in the pool, then out on her bike. The cycle route was 20k around the local villages and up a rather steep mile and half hill (No, Vic we never complain about hills, do we !! - love em). Next the run - after racking the bikes we were off on our 5K run route (with legs like brick) around part of a golf course, 2 laps. The effects on the bike soon wore off on your legs and as runners this was our time to overtake a few people feeling less energetic than ourselves - cruel but good for your motivation!. Caroline finished first in a time of 1.08.59, Iain in 58.06 and myself in 1.06.57. The race was well organised (excellent goody bags) and definitely one for the events calendar next time.

BLISWORTH 5 MILE 17TH AUGUST 2007 (courtesy of Mark Exley)

In perfect running conditions 262 runners took part in the Blisworth 5 Mile Road Race on Friday night. The race was won by prolific veteran racer Gordon Lee who runs for the OWLS club in Leicester, in an excellent time of 25 minutes and 9 seconds. Lee was chased home by Wootton Road Runners trio, Mike Aldridge (25.50), Phil Melling (26.30) and Craig Mattocks (27.16), which was enough to give Wootton the coveted Male team prize. In a great night for the host club they also took second place with their 'B' team of Iain Hazell, Richard Lack and Jeff Mason who all finished in the top 15 in the race. The veteran male team prize was taken by a strong Marshall Milton Keynes team of Phil Jones, Chris Mahon and Michael Groom who beat the Wootton team of Richard Fowler, Guy Glennon and the evergreen Martin Fowler. There were some great runs from other veteran category winners, notably M50 winner Garry Payne who finished 6th overall in 27.24 and M45 winner Rob Sheen who was 7th in 27.26.
The ladies race was a high quality affair with Leamington,s Sue Harrison winning in an excellent 28 minutes and 59 seconds. Top Wootton lady Kirsty Whigham ran a great race, recording a new personal best of 29.16 to finish second. Third place went to Imogen Thornburgh (30.00) who led her Marshall Milton Keynes team home to the Female team prize. Thornburgh was supported by veterans Julie Dalzell in 5th and 12th placed Diane Farmer. Second placed team was Wootton with Whigham joined by Caroline Parkins, an excellent 6th place in 33.22 and Beth Sergeant 15th in 36.05. The veteran ladies team prize also went to Marshall Milton Keynes, with Dalzell and Farmer scoring again, along with F50 winner Deborah Hindmarch. There was a disappointing turnout from the Rugby and Northampton club but some pride was restored by the lady veterans who finished second veteran team. The team was led by Angela Copson who won the F60 category in a stunning 34.33 and she was well supported by F55 winner Linda Carter in 36.50 and the ever consistent Ann Rollings.First Rugby and Northampton man was Vince Carroll who finished a creditable 8th overall in a time of 27.54, followed home by Guy Petersen, 17th in 28.38. With most of the club's top veterans absent it was left to ever cheerful coach, Neil Glover, to lead the veteran team home in a solid 32.42, closely followed by Adrian White in 33.02 and David Fearn, 33.11. There were 46 runners from host club Wootton and the good conditions produced many personal best performances. Behind the leading group there were great runs from David Lazenby, 29.55, Charles Howard, in his 6th 5 mile road race of the year, 29.58 and Mark Fowler an excellent 31.19. There were improved performance from Steve Heighway, who finished in 32.24 in preparation for the New York Marathon and Mike Carrea who ran an excellent 34.12. There were pb's for veterans Brian Singleton, 34.54, Tony Swindells 36.36 and Steve Marsh 36.51. The Wootton ladies also put in some big runs with Zoe Hemsley, 38.35, Sarah Woolley, 38.37, Helena Higgs 38.57 and Lisa Jones a pb of 41.44, putting in stellar performances. Northampton Road Runners took a small team to the race and first home was Simon Tootell in 32.13, with the consistent Maree Jesson finishing 7th lady in 33.40. .

LUTON 10K 29TH JULY 2007
Jeff Mason
Well that was bizarre! Luton being the ugliest town in the UK, was reluctant to show us ‘outsiders’ a whole 10k of itself. Thus we were confined to three laps (yes…three!) around the Vauxhall Sports Complex. The course, being rather shoe horned in, was a very tight figure of eight over some pretty ropey pathways and a road that had proper metal, get-over-these-buggers-if-you-can speed humps.To complete the surreal feel, one of the loops was completed with the classic up to the marshal and round the cone jobby, which are so loved by people with dodgy knees (….three times!). The sun was also out, but with a stiff breeze…but that wasn’t necessarily Luton’s fault.On the plus side, the facilities were excellent, showers, locker and a bar, whilst it was perfect for spectators with the figure of eight (…three times!). The wife claimed there was a constant stream of runners for the duration, whom she had to clap non-stop. I did notice, however, that she managed to paint her nails (fingers and toes!) at the same time…clever girl!Would I recommend it? …………………….Yes….especially to people I don’t like!Honestly, if you fancy a PB then no, but if you want a tough, stand alone race, because it is a long way from being flat, or training for something longer, then yes…give it a go.I ran a pretty brainless first lap and so was blowing out of my a***e for the rest of the race. Tenth place in 36.52 was ok but without Chris G 400m behind me it was hard to judge how I ran!!!! My 10k pb, which was so long ago we were paced by a horse and cart, remains out of reach.

NSPCC HALF MARATHON MILTON KEYNES 22ND JULY 2007
15 Wootton Road Runners competed in the annual half marathon at Milton Keynes.
Following his impressive East Midlands Grand Prix performances Phil Melling was first Wootton home in 4th place overall with an outstanding time of 1.13.34. Next for Wootton was Dan Barrett in 87th place in 1.31.34. Next was first Wootton lady Caroline Macmillan 228th in 1.40.43 closely followed by colleagues Lindsey Romecin 263rd in 1.42.56 and Steve Borondy 264th in 1.43.11 There were strong run's from Graham Tee 271st in 1.43.28 and Bob Ward 363rd in 1.47.39. Wootton's other runners at the event were Maria Dunham 428th,1.50.27, Mike Dowdy 443rd, 1.51.10, Lorayne Keet- Marsh 480th, 1.52.52, Tom Thompson 556th, 1.55.57, Steve Marsh 559th, 1.56.02, Mick Wood 560th 1.56.05, Laura McCormick 626th 1.58.38 and Bonnie Woods 1075th 2.25.47

TRAILWALKER 14TH JULY 2007

Dan Barrett (Team 'Chasing Gurkhas') 16h 51m 12s. 16th position.
Trailwalker is a 100km trek across the South Downs, within a team of four. We set out with the tactics of running down hill, walking up hill and running on the flat if we could face it. We started at 6am from Petersfield having rapidly tried to force down some breakfast and set off with a steady jog and watching some teams of Gurkhas race off in front.The next 15 hours are a blur of never ending hills, loose stony paths, painful feet and burning sun, with a pause every 10k or so at check points were we could reload our bags with water, lucozade, jaffa cakes, ibuprofen etc. As a team we stayed steady most of the way despite two of the team suffering with blisters and knee pain. As we left the final check point after around 90km we realised we needed to push on to hit our ever changing target time so managed to run most of the last few miles to arrive at Brighton Racecourse just after dark to a great reception from our support crew, followed by a badly needed shower, curry and blister inspection (i managed to wear through my '1000 mile' socks to end up with a lovely big blood blister).The winning teams were from Gurkha regiments, finishing in just over 10h30m. We finished in 16h51m, with the last teams taking over 30 hours. Over 400 teams started the event, we came 16th, with only another 195 teams managing to complete it with all four team members due to the high drop out rate.
This is a tough event but is fantastic to be involved in. We hope to have raised £1500 for Oxfam/Gurkha Welfare Trust. If anyone would like to donate, please go to:www.bmycharity.com/v2/chasinggurkhas

JARNAC 10K, CHARENTE FRANCE 14TH JULY 2007
Brian Singleton and Karen Daly

Aaah, a race on holiday. On Bastille Day too, fully justified packing our Wootton vests you might think and an ideal opportunity to test drive Brian's new shoes. However we arrived in the Charente the day before the race and only read about it on the following Monday.We were absolutely gutted, honest. Now I can hear you say why did we not scour the local press on our arrival as dedicated runners should, but after our drive from the foothills of the Pyranees the pool was too inviting. For the record a French bloke called Feix Inglis won the race in about 30.33. If we had competed I think I would have been about 165th and Karen about 200th out of 400 odd runners( I have not factored in the previous evening's traditional Charentais meal into this prediction, Oysters with Leeks followed by local delicacy of Eels for me, and Goats Cheese followed by Gammon in a Pineau sauce for Karen, washed down with a bottle of white).
We spent the 14th in blissful ignorance of the race with a picnic by the river, a "degustation" at a local cognac distillery and more pool lounging. (we did do 4 miles before breakfast though).

MILTON KEYNES 10K 3RD JULY 2007
MK 10K Photos - http://www.flickr.com/photos/lutonian/sets/72157600684340699/
The Milton Keynes 10k Road race provided a night to remember for the club as we won all 4 team categories and clinched the overall East Midlands Grand prix titles for male and female teams for the first time. Wootton provided 61 runners from a field of over 300 and were led home by Phil Melling, who finished 4th overall in an excellent 33.10. Phil was well supported by top veteran Steve Poole, 9th in 34.25, Craig Mattocks 11th in 35.02 and Richard Lack 12th in 35.21 to take the male team award. There were other great runs from Iain Hazell, Chris Gallagher and Lee Berrill, who all finished in the top 20 and a superb pb for Charles Howard, 23rd in 36.57. The winning veteran team was led home by Steve Poole with Dave (Perky) Parkins finding his way to the finish (eventually) in 37.38, Eddie Smith 38.19 and Richard Fowler completing his 8th race of the series in 38.29. In the overall series the Veteran male team tied with Milton Keynes but we had to settle for 2nd place on countback, a great effort.
There was another stellar performance from Kirsty Whigham who finished 23rd overall and second lady in 36.53. Kirsty also finished second overall in the series. The winning Wootton female teams were completed by fellow veterans Maggie Mulvey 41.24 and a pb performance of 43.04 by Fran Malin. In the series the female veteran team was a creditable second to a strong Bedford Harriers team, our best ever result. There were other good runs from Stacey Penn, Nicki Harris, Alex Winfield and Helena Higgs. It is fitting that we have achieved so much this year in our 20th anniversary season. The East Midlands Grand Prix Series team wins have added to the National and Regional Cross Country Titles achieved earlier in the year, to make this our most successful season ever.
Thanks to everyone who has run in the series it makes a great sight with our subtle colours and we are certainly now 'on the map'.

HARBOROUGH 5 19TH JUNE 2007
It was a triumphant night for the pink and purples at the Harborough 5. Another amazing turnout of over 50 runners from the club,saw an outstanding set of performances that landed Wootton the Senior Men's, Vet Men's and Vet Ladies team prizes and second place in the Senior Ladies.
Leading the way again was Phil Melling, who continued his fine season finishing 3rd in 26.50 behind winner Gordon Lee of Owls and Nathan Holmes of Northbrook AC. Veteran Steve Poole had an outstanding run to finish 8th in 27.36, scoring for both the senior and vet men's team. Next was the ever consistent Craig Mattocks 13th in 28.23. Richard Lack completed our winning Senior Men's quartet in 15th place in 28.38. Steve Poole was backed up in the Vets by Dave Parkins 26th in 29.41, Andy Clancy 37th in 30.08 and Ed Smith 40th also in 30.08.
For the ladies Kirsty Whigham was 2nd lady home, 24th overall in 29.33, behind Huncote Harriers Nicki Nealon. Maggie Mulvey enjoying a renaissance in shorter distance races was next in 124th in 33.39, and Fran Malin 151st in 34.29 completed our scoring ladies for both Senior and Vet categories.
The results set up an exciting finale to this season's EMGP series in the last race at Milton Keynes on 2nd July. The ladies are in a dominant position in both Senior and Vet's but the men's categories promise to be a tense affair with Wootton locked with rivals Rugby & Northampton in the Senior Men's and a narrow 2nd to Marshalls MK AC, going into the last race.

BANBURY 5 12TH JUNE 2007
A Warm Humid night at Banbury, Wootton again took over 40 runners to Banbury. With several of our top runners taking a rest, it was a quieter night on the team front. Richard Lack was first Wootton home in 13th place in 28.41. Dan Crooks was next in 25th in 29.46 closely followed by Lee Berrill 28th in 29.52. Dave Parkins was our first Men's Vet 33rd in 29.59. New boy Dan Barrett had a fine run to finish 35th in 30.12. For the ladies Maggie Mulvey was first home in 33.56, followed bt Fran Malin in 35.08 and Stacey Penn 35.24. On a night that was difficult for good times there were good run's from Martin Frost in 33.43, Dom Goring 36.15 and a PB for Brian Singleton in 36.45. Jess Mistry 41.25 and the rapidly improving Emma Baross 44.01 also had strong run's.

BEDFORD TRI SPRINT SERIES RACE 2 10TH JUNE 2007
Nicki Harris

Bedford Triathlon series 2 was 400m swim, 24km bike and 5k run. It was an early start on Sunday morning, my start time was 8.30am although unlike running there is alot of preparation and kit to take, so that mean't getting up at 5am! With some extra cycling training under my belt, I felt confident I could beat my previous time, which I did by 2 mins. As a previous competitor swimmer and also runner, the cycling is my weakness discipline, but the Wednesday and Saturday training sessions are helping, as a sprint tri is won or lost on the bike. I was the only 'Wootton RR Tri' completing that day, but I think I made the 'pink and purple' army known at yet another event, as I was announced on the speaker several times, coming out of the swim third overall female! My overall time 1.21.13, I came 2nd in my age group and 11th female overall. So really pleased.
Nicki

LAMM GLEN LOCKAY 9th/10th JUNE 2007
Click on Mike's Picture for the Report

Mike Kendall

Andrey Starcevic

THE BLAYDON RACE 9TH JUNE 2007
Inside Race Report.
Barry Donaldson

It’s always nice to run through a city centre when the roads have been closed for the event & this was no exception. This brilliant race starts in the centre of Newcastle & finishes at Blaydon. It roughly follows the course described by the Geordie anthem “The Blaydon Races” by starting at “Balmbra's”, going “alang Collingwood Street”, “alang the Scotswood Road” & “past Airmstrang's factory” to its final destination 5.7 miles later. The 1862 song states that the race was on the 9^th of June and so this race is too – irrespective of what day of the week that happens to be. The 4,000 places are now filled well before the closing date & I can now see why – the atmosphere was superb! There were local bands dotted along the route (much like the Great North Run) and a troupe of can-can girls to entertain the runners at the start. Then after a rendition of the song itself the race was started at 6pm. It’s a pretty level route as it runs along the banks of the Tyne. Mind you, by the time I’d got to Scotswood Bridge my legs were telling a different story. The bridge’s gentle arch had become something akin one of Doc Dave’s fell runs… well, to me anyway. That was (partly) due to the heat – it was bloody roasting (it’s not always grim-up-North) and there was no wind to speak of. There was excellent support all the way along the course though & that helped a lot, or at least it shamed me into not stopping which is about the same.
At the finish we all got a rather bizarre (but welcome) goody bag : T-Shirt (rather nice one too),Bottle of water, Carton of orange juice Ham & pease stottie (king of sandwiches),Bag of Pretzels, Bag of crisps, Bottle of lager.
In previous years one of the sponsors was Ross’ Pickles & so you also got a pickled onion and some tripe (which apparently tasted like urine soaked felt), but they didn’t do it this year.
Shame!

WEEDON 10K 5TH JUNE 2007 (courtesy of Mark Exley)

Wootton Road Runners took a team of 59 runners to the Weedon 10k road race on tuesday evening. In a field of 300 runners Phil Melling put in an excellent run to lead the team home in 34.12 and 2nd place behind Rugby & Northampton's Matt Almond. The prolific Craig Mattocks put in his usual consistent run to finish 6th in 35.22 with Richard Lack, in a rare road race appearance, a superb 10th in 36.45. The Wootton scoring team was completed by Lee Berrill who finished 18th in 37.52 with the team finishing second behind the victorious Rugby & Northampton men. Wootton's veteran men also performed well with Richard Fowler continuing his recent run of good results with 40th place in 38.58. There were other inpressive runs from Martin Fowler who was 3rd in his category in an excellent 40.52 and Damian Murphy 5th in his category in 40.58.

It was a stellar evening for the Wootton ladies who took both the ladies team prize and the veteran ladies title. Kirsty Whigham put in one of the greatest runs of her career to finish 16th overall and 2nd lady, in 37.42. The other scorers were marathon specialist Maggie Mulvey, 2nd in category with an excellent 42.32 and making a welcome return to road racing Annette Burgess in 44.30. There were other good performances from Fran Malin 45.01, Alex Winfield 47.25, Pam Larham 53.09 and Lisa Jones 53.49.

CORBY 5 30TH MAY 2007 (courtesy of Mark Exley)

After a day of miserable weather 36 Wootton Road Runners lined up for the Corby 5 mile road race, to face a stunning course with a nasty sting in the tail provided by the 1 mile hill to the finish. The team were led home by another great run from Phil Melling, who finished 4th in a time of 27.10. Prolific racer Craig Mattocks put in his usual all out effort to finish 7th in 27.50. Next up was veteran Steve Poole, 11th in 28.42 and with Dave Parkins finishing 23rd in 30.15 the male team prize was taken by Wootton. Making the result even better Poole and Parkins, along with Richard Fowler 30.40 and Eddie Smith 31.30 also took the Male Vet team win.

Another powerful run by Kirsty Whigham brought her home as 3rd Lady and 22nd overall, in a very respectable 30.13. The womens team prize was secured by Wootton with Kirsty supported well by Stacey Penn 35.02 and Nicki Harris 36.01. The womens veteran team completed a great night for the club, taking 3rd place with Kirsty supported by Lorrayne Keet Marsh and Dawn Exley.

There were many other notable runs, with Charles Howard 26th in a personal best of 30.25 and Roger Barton, winning the M60 category in 36.18. There were other good performances from Alex Winfield 37.37, John Henderson 37.48 and Tony Swindells improving again after his return from injury with a time of 38.16. A final mention must go to Gareth and Lisa Jones who just made the start of the race following their 150 mile trip from Blisworth to Corby. Despite this setback Lisa managed an excellent 42.56 and Gareth returned to form with a 36.43.

Next up is the gently undulating Weedon 10k.

EDINBURGH MARATHON 27TH MAY 2007
Three Wootton Road Runners made the long trip to Auld Reekie. In it's fourth year following a long break from the racing calender, our runners took their place on the start line with over 3500 marathon runners and a further 5,000 in the Marathon Relay Event on a new flatter course for 2007. On a day which the organisers described as a difficult day for PB's due to the inclement weather, all three of our runners defied the conditions to put in strong performances. Graham Hollowel was first home in 556th place with a superb run of 3.29.40. Next was Phil Grimes who was aiming for a four hour marathon came home 8 minutes under in 3.51.44 in 1260th place. Not far behind was our only lady runner at the event Karen Daly who had a storming run to finish 1320th in 3.35.15 a massive PB of 26 minutes.

Inside Race reports
Karen Daly - A Very Blustery Day. Click on the Picture for Report (Also Phil Grimes report)

BEDFORD 6 23RD MAY 2007
Wootton took nearly 40 runners to this year's Bedford 6. A warm and humid night made for difficult race conditions. Craig Mattocks was again first Wootton home finishing in 5th place in 34.05. Matt Fowler was next 19th in 36.01, followed by Dan Crooks 22nd in 36.31. Dave Parkins was our first veteran home, 25th in 36.46. Dave Lazenby ran a PB to finish 29th in 37.08. Fran Malin was our first lady home, 122nd place in 42.46. Nicki Harris was next in 135th in 43.30 closely followed by Stacey Penn 138th in 43.33. There were strong run's by Dom Goring 44.51, John Henderson 45.37, Sam Nash 45.39 and in her first season Emma Baross 54.42.

WHITE PEAK MARATHON AND HALF MARATHON 19TH MAY 2007
Wootton took some of their elite runners to Derbyshire for the increasingly popular Matlock AC races, and what a day for the pink and purples. Mike Aldridge stormed to win the half, with a PB of 1.11.38 setting a new course record. Dave Parkins was next in 6th place in 1.19.03 closely followed by Kirsty Whigham with another PB and ladies course record of 1.19.24, the trio ensured Wootton won the Team Prize. Next was Chris Gallagher 12th in 1.21.43. There were many PB's on the fast course Paul Matthews 1.23.51, Martin Frost 1.32.34, Annette Burgess 1.34.33, Steve Borondy 1.34.45, Bob Ward 1.43.06 and Steve Marsh 1.44.24. In the marathon our sole competitor was Terri Mason who overcame all her injury problems to record a PB of 3.54.44 to finish in 91st place, a fine achievement.
Inside Race Reports
Click on Any Picture to go to all the Inside Race Reports on White Peak


Terri Mason	Mike Aldridge	"BACK" to the Future Brian Singleton
Also : What a weekend that was!! – written by Joe McMahon (Spectator)

BLISWORTH 5K 18TH MAY 2007 (Report courtesy of Mark Exley)

Rugby and Northampton's Matt Almond completed a stellar week, adding the Blisworth 5k to his Rugby 6 win two days earlier. Almond successfully defended his title with a crushing victory in 15.30. Second place fell to Simon Cotton of the OWLS club in 16.11 with Phil Melling of Wootton Road Runners third in 16.17. The male team prize went to Rugby and Northampton, with Almond supported by 4th placed Stuart Nelson, recording a personal best of 16.18 and 7th placed Guy Peterson in 16.50. In a great night for Rugby and Northampton's juniors Josh Cardwell took a superb 8th overall and first under 20 male in 16.52. The under 17 prize was taken by Jack Betts in 17.32 and a remarkable run by George Cardwell saw him finish in 17.19 and first under 15 male. First veteran was Neil Ovington of Marshall Milton Keynes,finishing 9th in 16.54. Silson Joggers were well represented with the evergreen Jeff Haynes winning the Male Veteran 50 category in 17.26, supported well by veteran club mates Kevin Reboul, 17.55 and James Darcy 18.51. With several runners competing in Derbyshire, hosts Wootton Road Runners were led home by 3rd placed Melling with other excellent performances from Ironman Craig Mattocks 6th in 16.45, Andy Fairley 10th in 16.58 and Chris Lazenby a fine 20th with a pb of 17.49.

First lady home was Imogen Thornburgh from Marshall Milton Keynes in an excellent 18.12, well supported by first veteran Jane Preen in 18.31. The team prize was taken by Milton Keynes in a very close finish with Rugby and Northampton. It was under 20 winner Hannah Jones who led the way for the Sixfields based club, with coach Neil Glover left in her wake as she powered to 3rd place in 19.42. Close behind were team mates Alison Cooper in 19.49 and fellow under 20 athlete Natalie Hills in 19.55. First Wootton Road Runner was Stacey Penn who recorded an excellent 20.50 and there were also good runs from the improving Laura Norman 20.14, veteran Sam Nash 22.25 and Alex Winfield 22.58. First veteran 40 lady was Deb Ovington from Marshall Milton Keynes and Anne Rollings from Rugby and Northampton put in an excellent performance to win the veteran 55 category in a phenomenal 22.20. There were 220 finishers on a bright and breezy evening with many running their first ever race.

Inside Race report
Sam Nash
Click on the Picture for the Report

SILVERSTONE 10K 8TH MAY 2007
Wootton took nearly 50 runners to the first EMGP series of 2007 and it proved to be a highly successful night for the pink and purples. Our top men produced a stunning set of performances to take the men's team prize and the overall team prize, in an elite field ahead of Warwick Uni, Coventry Godiva and Rugby & Northampton. Led by the impeccable Mike Aldridge who finished 3rd overall with a PB time of 32.19. Phil Melling came in 8th in 33.23, Craig Mattocks 25th in 35.37 and Richard Lack 30th in 35.59 completed our 4 scoring men. Kirsty Whigham produced her now usual storming run to finish 3rd lady and 1st in her category in 36.11. She was ably backed up by Laura Norman who had a PB of 44.08 and Karen Daly with a PB of 48.15, to give our ladies 3rd in the team prize. There were many other PB performances on the night including Lee Berrill 37.20, Rob Green 41.36, Brian Singleton 45.51, Phil Grimes 48.35, and Andy Davidson 49.58.

Inside Race Report
Phil Grimes
Getting towards the final weeks of my training for the Edinburgh Marathon on 27th May I included the Silverstone 10K as one of my last training races. With nearly 1000 runners braving the cool and blustery conditions we had 49 entries from the Club. As my first time at Silverstone I did not know what to expect from the course except that Woody said it was flat, fast and boring! Great, then I'd get a good time at least. Well it was almost flat and having completed the one lap, the second lap was fairly boring! Although.....the head wind on the back straight was fairly strong, strong enough for me to tuck in behind some 'large' chap who acted as a good wind break! An easy course to measure split times, I found I ran with almost identical times with the second lap being 15 seconds longer than the first. I was pleased with my time of 48mins 35 seconds, my personal best by a full 2 minutes so the course must have been fast! I will definitely run it again next year, if only for a good time!

SHAKESPEARE MARATHON AND HALF MARATHON 29TH APRIL 2007
Marathon

Paul Matthews recorded an astounding personal best of 3.10.15, taking 7 minutes off his time at the London Marathon in 2006, to finish 49th overall. Katharine Patrick also achieved a whopping 23 minutes off her previous marathon best to finish 257 in 3.44.13 which gives her a pre qualifying time for next year's London. Mark Fowler was our other runner who finished in a time of 3.58.59

Half Marathon

Dan Crooks had a superb run to finish 9th overall in 1.21.22. next was Lee Berrill 26th in 1.25.39, then Damian Keane 45th in 1.49.05. Beth Sergeant and Hannah Watson were our other runners, finishing in 1.49.04 and 1.55.54 respectively.

FLORA LONDON MARATHON 22ND APRIL 2007

First Wootton home was Matt Fowler with an amazing sub 3 hour 2.59.40. A great effort from Matt considering he combines his running with playing scrum half for Men's Own First 15. Next was Richard Lack in 3.08.40, then veteran Andy Clancy in 3.11.18. Charles Howard followed in 3.26.56. First Wootton lady was Fran Malin who finished her third consecutive London Marathon in 3.27.52. Pete Diamond who was doing his 12th London Marathon finished in 3.28.15. Annette Burgess was second Wootton lady home with a PB by 9 minutes to finish in 3.32.44, a fantastic performance in the conditions.

Inside Race Reports
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A spectators tale Rob Burgess	Annette (a PB by 9 minutes Burgess	Very Hot Day Pete Diamond
Charles Howard		Bob Ward

NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY FINAL 1ST APRIL 2007
Wootton Road Runners retained their National Cross Country title in magnificent style at the National Final held at Shipley Country Park, in Derbyshire. In the competition which is open to teams who have won their local Sunday League Cross Country divisions, Wootton took their place on the start line against teams such as Reading and Liverpool. On a tough 6 mile course in sunny, but blustery conditions Mike Aldridge led the 25 strong Wootton contingent home finishing in 2nd place. Craig Mattocks was next in 4th, Iain Hazell had a great run to finish 8th, Chris Gallagher was 17th, Richard Lack was 23rd and veterans Dave Parkins 29th and Andrew Clancy 31st completed our scoring men. The awesome Kirsty Wigham won the ladies race, and was backed up by strong run's from Fran Malin 14th and Caroline Parkins 19th. Our combined team score saw us clinch the title for the second year running by nearly 50 points over second place Reading Road Runners. Wootton's other runners at the event were Lee Berrill, Phil Wood, Chris and Dave Lazenby, Allan Harrison, Paul Matthews, Ian and Polly Randell, Pete Diamond, Nicki Harris, Bobby Holding, Stacey Penn, team captain Roger Barton, Sam Nash and Steve Marsh. Congratulations to all those who ran in the final and those who competed in the 2006/2007 league season.

OAKLEY 20 1ST APRIL 2007
17 Wootton Road Runners took part in the Oakley 20, the traditional Marathon warm up race hosted by Bedford Harriers. First Wootton home in a field of over 700 was Jeff Mason who finished 14th in 2.08.39. next was Graham Hollowell who continued his recent good form to finish 74th in 2.23.03. Steve Buswell who is training for the Lanzarote Ironman in May was next in 89th place in 2.25.10, followed by Mark Fowler 125th in 2.30.07. The run of the day though came from our first lady home, Annette Burgess who took 14 minutes off her previous best recorded at the same event last year to come in with a time of 2.36.08, in 175th place. Steve Borondy also in fine form of late recorded a PB of 2.36.43 to finish 181st. Katharine Patrick 2.42.47 and Mike Dowdy 2.55.08 both had strong run's.

Inside Race Report. Click on Jeff's picture for his report.
Jeff Mason

SANDY 10 25TH MARCH 2007 (Courtesy of Jeff Mason)
Wootton Road Runners mens team got their 2007 road racing campaign off to a winning start at the Sandy 10 on Sunday. A very strong squad comfortably won the team prize. Club stalwarts Mike Aldridge came in 2nd in 54.24, next was Craig Mattocks 7th in 56.38, Jeff Mason 20th in 60.28 all ran PB's. The outstanding performance though was by the 4th member of the winning team Phil Melling, who in his first road race for Wootton, came in a fantastic 3rd in 55.50. Chris Gallagher, 29th in 61.53 and Lee Berrell 43rd in 63.42 showed the strength and depth that WRR now have. Vets Michael Wood in 83.46 and Phil Grimes in 84.18 ran well to complete a great day for the pink and purples.

ASICS READING HALF MARATHON 25TH MARCH 2007
A number of Wootton Road Runners travelled to reading to compete in the popular half marathon. In a race with over 10,000 entrants Graham Hollowell was first Wootton home with a pb of 1.25.02 in 272nd place. Next was Richard Fowler 357th in 1.26.48. veteran Graham Laurie continued his good London warm up programme to finish 944th in 1.33.57. First lady home was Katharine Patrick in a time of 1.37.33. Laura Norman had a marvellous run, to finish in 1.38.45, whopping 13 minutes off her perevious best. Angus Stevenson 1.39.23, Chris Hopes 1.39.29 and Gabby Deere 1.40.59 all recorded personal bests at the event.
Inside Race Report Chris Hopes
Click on the Picture for the Report

ADIDAS LONDON HALF MARATHON SILVERSTONE 18TH MARCH 2007
Kirsty Whigham voted Female Road Runner of the year by the Northants Athletics Association capped a momentous week by storming to a pb of over three minutes to finish 6th lady in a time of 1.21.39. A remarkable achievement behind big names such as Liz Yelling and Tracey Morris. 20 Other Wootton road Runners endured the extreme weather conditions that saw pretty much all four seasons, including a rasping hailstorm. Phil Wood was first Wootton man home, lowering his PB only set two weeks earlier at Berkhamsted to finish a fantastic 180th in a time of 1.26.40. Next were the Lazenby twins, Dave 156th in 1.27.58, pipping brother Chris 158th in 1.28.04. Steve Buswell also went under 1.30 to finish 180th in 1.28.43. Diane Rogers training for the Shakespeare Marathon was the next lady home with a fine run of 1.47.22. John Jeffries also recorded a PB to finish in 1.47.59. Karen Daly who is preparing for the Edinburgh Marathon in May, took over 8 minutes off her previous best to finish in 1.49.03. There was another great run by Sarah Warden, who lowered her best time set at Milton Keynes the previous week to finish in 1.54.19. In such conditions all our runners should be proud of their achievements.
Inside Race Report : "Hail to all you Brave Woottonites" Brian Singleton
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NIKE MILTON KEYNES HALF MARATHON 11TH MARCH 2007

28 Wootton Road Runners competed in the popular half marathon.

Star of the show was Craig Mattocks who stormed to a fine 8th place finish with an awesome pb time of 1.15.46. next home was Lee Berrill in 98th place in an impressive 1.25.42. Paul Matthews 109th in 1.26.38 and Graham Hollowell 141st in 1.28.10 both ran close to their personal best times. There were strong run's from Graham Laurie 254th in 1.32.38 who is preparing another assault on London, and Gwyn Evans 470th in 1.39.34.

Nicki Harris was first Wootton lady home in 487th place in 1.40.08. Alex Winfield was next with a PB 1.50.30 and there were fine run's by Sue Stevens 1.51.47 and Laura McCormick 1.53.12. There were personal bests for Sarah Warden 1.56.42 who is also training for London, Jess Mistry 1.57.41 and Louise Ogden 2.01.42

BANBURY RUN 15 MILE RACE 11TH MARCH 2007

2 runners travelled to Oxfordshire to run the 15 mile race. Mike Dowdy completed the course in 209th place in a time of 2.07.28. Diane Rogers who is training for the Shakespeare marathon finished 256th in 2.12.17.

WOBURN 10K 4TH MARCH 2007
10 Wootton Road Runners competed in the Woburn 10k. First Wootton home was Graham Tee in 166th place in 44.28. Not far behind was new runner Wayne Buttrick 174th in 44.51. Next was our first lady Jess Mistry with a PB of 50.06. There were also PB's for Louise Ogden 51.51 and Dawn Exley 53.28. Sara Henderson 1.00.21 and Denise Donaldson 1.01.32 ran credible first races following their induction into Wootton's starter group programme in January. Wootton's other runners at the event were Phil Grimes 51.45, Michelle Fryatt 52.43 and John Henderson 1.00.21.

BERKHAMSTED HALF MARATHON 4TH MARCH 2007
Following the cancellation of the Gt. Daffodil Run, 5 Wootton Road Runners made late entries into the half marathon at Berkhamsted and it proved to be a fruitful change of race for most of them. Phil Wood was first Wootton home in 64th place with a fantastic pb run of 1.28.44, his first sub 1.30 half marathon. Mark Fowler also went under 1.30, with an impressive PB run to finish 69th in 1.29.04. Martin Frost was next with another PB effort of 1.38.07, ahead of training partner Steve Borondy who also had a marvellous run to break 1.40 for the first time to finish 241st in 1.39.39. Our sole lady at the race Maria Dunham completed the compliment of Wootton runners with a strong run of 1.45.51 to finish in 366th place.

Inside race report

Phil Wood
The alternative was to be sensible and have a duvet morning and a fine breakfast. Not for us!
We arrived and the race began –the race to the toilets that is. After a late registration, and one two more stops to the toilets (we were a weak bladdered lot) we were under starter's orders, and we were off. The race was downhill sometimes, interspersed with lots of up-hills and was soaking wet. It was so wet I was considering breaststroke at one point! The start followed a route through the town and out into the countryside. Then there were the hills - “steep” could be one word to describe the first hill when it came into view. The word most often used had 4 letters and began with “F”. Once on top, the course followed an undulating route through a few local villages to a National Trust stately home (lovely place). From then on it was downhill all the way. I have never ran so fast in the last 3 miles of a race. A great race, and many thanks to the organisers for allowing us all late entries.
Why did we do it? The bacon butties afterwards were divine.
Phil
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RODING VALLEY HALF MARATHON 25TH FEBRUARY 2007 (report courtesy of Mike Kendall)

I think I was the sole WRR representative yesterday at the Roding Valley Half Marathon - haven't seen any other WRR on the results list. The race is one I planned as part of my London Marathon training - good training time of 1.42.04 - this would have been a good time last year but I am expecting more this year.The morning was wet and cold - I was expecting a sunny morning according to the BBC website.

This North London race organised by the Woodford Green AC with Essex Ladies with a 9am start - a very early start from Northampton. This still attracted the 660 runners who finished. The course was not very exciting, it was run around the a mixture of residential and busy through roads with much pavement running and dodging cars; the marshalls did an excellent job trying to control them, although not always with success. The race is described as flat/undulating - I would say it is more undulating/hilly: I was taken by surprise by about how hilly the route turned out to be - 1,300ft of ascent according to my Garmin. I will have to rely on the flat MK half for a better time in two weeks.

Would I recommend the race? I will not be returning. It was well organised with good facilities at the start/finish, apart from shortage of car parking, it is just the traffic and narrow pavements that will put me off running the race in future.

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DRAYCOTE 35 18TH FEBRUARY 2007
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Alan Harrison

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THREE COUNTIES XC RACE 5 DUNSTABLE 11TH FEBRUARY 2007 (report courtesy of Mark Exley)
Wootton Road Runners regained the 3 Counties Cross Country Title after a nail biting 2 point victory over arch rivals North Herts, at a muddy Dunstable on Sunday. Leaving nothing to chance Wootton took a strong team of 36 runners to the race and were led home by the talisman like Mike Aldridge in an excellent 3rd place. Aldridge was well supported by Phil Melling in 5th, Craig Mattocks 6th, Chris Gallagher 8th, Iain Hazell 10th, Andy Fairley 12th, Richard Lack 13th, Daniel Crooks 17th and veteran Dave Parkins in 19th. There were other notable performances from veterans Eddie Smith in 30th, Graham Hollowell in 52nd and team co-ordinator and M60 veteran Roger Barton in 131st place from a 300 strong field. For the ladies there were excellent performances from Kirsty Whigham in second place and the ever consist trio of Fran Malin 10th, Caroline Parkins 13th and Nicki Harris in 14th.
Wootton took the coveted overall team title for a second consecutive year with the mens team easily taking their award and the ladies finishing a creditable third behind strong teams from North Herts and Bedford Harriers. It has been a great season for Wootton in the individual competition with winners in the Senior Ladies category, the prolific Kirsty Whigham, Lady Veteran 45 category, Polly Randell, Male Veteran 40 category Dave Parkins and Male Vet 50 category, Ian Randell. Mike Aldridge finished an excellent 2nd overall Senior Male and will lead to the team to the National Final in Reading, in the Spring.

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CHARNWOOD HILLS 13 MILE RACE 4TH FEBRUARY 2007
13 Wootton Road Runners travelled to Charnwood to compete in Leicestershire's only fell r