A great start to 2023!

Recent race results

At the end of January, Simon Dodd and Frances Crozier travelled down to Cornwall to take part in the Arc of Attrition. Starting at the iconic Minack Theatre in Porthcurno, The Arc is a 50-mile extreme coastal race with runners required to self-navigate the challenging South West Coast Path, heading past Lands End and then along the North coast, passing St Ives before finally finishing in Porthtowan. The weather was unusually good for Cornwall in January, providing runners with some stunning scenic views along the rugged route. Both were delighted to complete the distance and really enjoyed the day, with Frances crossing the finish in 12hrs,18 mins and Simon over the line in 14hrs,1 min.

Several members have competed in Half Marathons this year, with Leo Packham and Beth Bryant heading north to the Warwick Half; part of their training for the Rome Marathon in March. Both had a great race, with Leo just a few seconds off his best time, finishing in 1.30:39. Beth was really pleased to achieve her first sub-1:40 result, especially on a hilly course, crossing the line in 1.38:56.

Paula Hall opted for an off-road event, taking on the Doynton Hard Half. The race lives up to it’s name and is a challenging cross country course in South Gloucestershire. Paula enjoyed the route, which includes a river crossing and some serious hill climbs.

Back on the roads, Joanne Gallagher ran well at the Exeter Half, a 2-lap course around the city, finishing in 1.29:39 and finishing 2nd in her age category. Fran Rawlings also had a good day of racing at the Wiltshire 10, completing the scenic course as 4th Lady and 1st FV40.

Well done everyone – great running!