HRRL Overton 5 and Andover Trail Marathon

HRRL Overton 5

Conditions were ideal, warm, sunny and with a light breeze, for the opening race of the Hampshire Road League series, the Overton Five miler. This was the 31st staging of the event by Overton Harriers and the route took in the scenic rolling countryside around the village. The organisation of the event was very good, as usual. There were plenty of marshals and water stations out on the traffic free course.

Twenty-three Farnham Runners completed the event, with the A men’s team back to the challenge of the top flight.

Their captain, John Phillips, was delighted with his teams’ performances: “This was an excellent first race for our teams. The men’s A team was fifth in the top division, which is a terrific start to our bid to ‘consolidate’ our promotion this year. The men’s B Team was seventh out of 13 teams in the top B division and the Men’s C Team was first in the B second division! “

The ladies also had a solid start with the A team coming 7th in the top division and the B team came 6th in the top B division.

Two of the men won their age categories while ten of the 23 Farnham Runners were in the top ten of their category.

Farnham Runners’ first finisher was James Clarke whose excellent time of 28:27 gave him 6th place overall and 5th of the senior men. Next came Mathew Morgan, 8th M40 in 30:06. Andrew Ellison was 6th M50 in 31:02 with Harvey Wickham final A scorer in 32:40, 10th M45.

Led by John Phillips in 33:35, the B squad was completed by Mark Maxwell in 33:55, Ali Hardaway in 34:27 (3rd M55) and Keith Marshall in 34:21 (1st M60).

The C team was made up of Steve Bailey in 34:48, Tim Farrant in 35:28 (a personal best by 2.5 minutes), Chris Cramp in 36:48 and Clive Frostick in 41:52.

Steve Payne clocked 42:58, Damian Probett 44:04, Craig Tate-Grimes 45:39 while a jubilant Douglas Blyth was first M75 with 46:52. He set a new club M75 5 mile record, bettering his time set at the flat Victory 5 last December.

The still improving Linda Tyler clocked 37:05 for another PB and second place among the F55 ladies, followed by Kay Copeland, fourth in this category in a PB 40:21. Close behind was Anne Snelson in 40:40, 8th F50.

For the B stream were Tina Harrison in 42:36, Clair Bailey in 45:32 and Helen Bracey with a new best of 45:42. Jane Probett giving valuable back up in 47:32.

After the race awards, winners of the Hampshire League age categories for the 2018-19 season were presented with trophies. Farnham Runners were delighted to come away with three of these – Ali Hardaway first M55, Linda Tyler first F55 and Jane Georghiou first F65.

Andover Trail Marathon

On the same day utra-runner Stuart Haig came an impressive second, as in 2018, in the tough Andover Trail Marathon in a time of 3.14.53.