HRRL Solent Half Marathon and other races

HRRL Solent Half Marathon

The day after many Farnham Runners helped the club to stage the Alice Holt races, seventeen travelled to the coast for the second round of the Hampshire Road Race League series. Organised by Hardley Runners, this is a friendly race with a maximum field of 500 entries. It follows a scenic course winding through the New Forest around Exbury and along the Solent shore at Lepe.

Both men and ladies came away with good team results and they snapped up eight top ten age group placings. As in the first event, the mens’ A squad secured second place in Division Two, just two points off first. They lie second on aggregate.

Adding to his lead in the club’s Grand Prix table, James Clarke led them in, 16th of 444 finishers and 7th senior man in 1 hour 22 minutes. Rob Gilchrist was 3rd M40 in 1:23:39 with new member Matt Saker 4th M45 in 1:27:34 and Ali Hardaway 7th M50 in 1:32:51.

Men’s Road Captain, John Phillips, after stretching his legs in the Alice holt 5km the day before, led in the B string in 1:36:21, followed by newcomer Harvey Wickham in 1:36:58, Neil Ambrose in 1:38:19 and Keith Marshall (8th M50) in 1:42:01. They clinched second slot in B Division Two and are also second on aggregate. The Cs missed a complete team by one but the three placed above any with fewer runners and were joint tenth of eighteen and lie seventh in the table. They were Tim Farrant (1:44:54), Stu Laurie (2:01:41) and Ian loader (2:16:01).

Eloise Stradling settled for 1:45:24, 8th senior lady, to lead in the Farnham ladies who gained a valuable sixth in Division One rising to eighth of ten clubs after two events.

Anne Snelson made a fine contribution in her second Hampshire race, clocking close to her personal best in 1:46:06 (3rd F50). Tara Hunt completed the score in 1:54:06. Tina Harrison (2:05:40, 8th F50), Pauline Hamilton (2:06:28) and Mary Denise Fitzgerald (2:18:50) gave the club a sound eighth in B Division One.

Other races

Rob Gilchrist picked up 2nd M40, 8th overall, in the Basingstoke Half the following week, his time 1:23:58 on a more demanding course.

Farnham Runners came away with a haul of medals from the Alton Downland Challenge 10k. Kayleigh Copeland was 3rd senior lady, Terry Copeland 1st M50, Colin Addison 2nd M50, Linda Tyler 1st F55 (just one week after a 3:51:23 Berlin marathon), Kay Copeland 2nd F55.

Stuart Haig placed 7th in the 38 mile tough, muddy Downslink Ultra in 5:08.