Hastings athletes are Marsh Marvels

HY Runners had another victorious weekend competing in a total of six events, ranging from a 5k to a marathon.

The Romney Marsh 10k start line was a sea of red and Ross Skelton stormed to victory in an amazing time of 30.08, a pace of 3.01 minutes per kilometre.

Skelton has an exciting few months ahead of intense training as races restart.

Carl Adams also had an amazing run and was first MV45 in a PB of 35.33, followed by Andy Edmonds with 38.59.

Jake Coleman took seven minutes off his PB. David Clarke also gained a new PB as did many more HY Runners, including Penny Braker who made a great comeback having not raced since 2019 getting an excellent time of 52.37.

Well done to all other HY members who ran: Joe Moore (42.43), John Waterhouse (53.22), Seb Cole (52.42), Susan Mould (54.37), Michelle Cole (1.00.38), Ivy Bucklan (49.40) and Chris Castleman (45.59).

Katie Turner took part in the Endure 24-hour run paired race and she and Marie Robson ran 53.6 miles, coming second overall.

The HY OCR team travelled to Leicester for the Spartan Super Open which included a 25 obstacles. Sophie McGoldrick came second V40, Dean Constable was third MV45, Ollie Garsed-Bennett came second in his age group, Jonathan Hatch was first MV35 and Barry Buchanan narrowly missed a podium finish in the elite race.

With 50m to go he missed a spear throw gaining him a penalty of 30 burpees which lost him two places, coming fourth overall.

Marathons are hard work at any time, let alone running one during the night up and down the South Downs, but Jemma O’Gorman did just that starting at 8pm at Hampshire’s Queen Elizabeth Country Park, running out and back along the South Downs. Jemma had missed out on a lot of training through isolating, but finished in an amazing time of 7hr 23min which showed true grit and determination.

And... at last the parkrun is back!!

HY athletes rushed to the Hastings start line barcodes in hand, Leo Cacciator was first MV40 with a fantastic time of 18.08.

Jake Coleman got another PB of 19.08. Terry Puxtey was first MV45 with a PB of 19.26 and Lisa Buchanan crossed the line with yet another PB for HY in a great time of 26.15.

These amazing PBs show how hard everyone has trained while we have been unable to race.

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* The sun shone off the blue and red of the Hastings Athletic Club team vests as the club’s youth team took on the second instalment of the Youth Development League lower age group track and field competition.

Despite the searing heat there were some great results.

Dewi Edwards, Conner Malcolm and Charlotte Rawlings are three new club members who were nervously experiencing their first ever competitive event but Malcolm came first in the shot put.

The under-15 boys obliterated the field in the 4x400m relay, almost 100m ahead of the other teams. It was exciting to watch.

Somebody whispered in the ear of Reus Brown after a few attempts at the high jump to stop doing scissor kicks and try arching – and with that advice he hit a massive PB.

Rae Le Fay stormed ahead and took first place with a seven-second gap in the 1,500m. She also had a go at the 200m for the first time and managed second.

Lily Clements had a PB in 75m with an 11 second finish.

There was a second place for Toby Booth in the 300m.

As ever everyone showed great team spirit and gave it their all, resulting in some amazing results individually and as teams.

There were great results for HAC members as the Hastings parkrun finally returned.

The Baker sisters stormed through, with Grace Baker first in the women’s event in 17.23, third overall, and Lucy Baker, in her last race before she gets married, had a fantastic PB with 19.50.

Erika Body hasn’t run for a year but pulled a sub-20 out of the bag.

Jenna Levett in her first event for the club had a huge three-minute PB with 20.03.

Rosy Clements was first lady in the vets 45 class.

* It was a busy weekend for Hastings Runners, not least thanks to the long-awaited return of parkrun.

No fewer than 28 club members took part in the Hastings parkrun, with Matt Edmonds notching his 26th course success in a time of 17.07.

There were PBs for Charles Bowley (22.31), Ben Kirimli (23.23) and Emma Stubbs (25.32); while veterans Martin Noakes and Nick Brown recorded the second and third highest age graded scores with 79.76 per cent and 77.89 per cent respectively in times of 19.46 and 21.20.

Event director Arrianne Callow did a huge amount of work behind the scenes in the weeks leading up to the restart, and run directors Sue Rae and Jane Hughes and all the other parkrun volunteers - many of them club members - deserve praise.

At Eastbourne parkrun, Nicki Steed was fourth lady finisher in a PB of 21.53.

Club chairman Nick Brown had posted a time of 21.17 and was first MV60 in the Great City Race 5k, which attracted a field of nearly 3,000 runners for the London Marathon-organised event on closed roads in the City of London.

The club were very well represented in Sunday’s Romney Marsh 10k, with 20 tackling this latest club championship race in very humid conditions along the quiet country lanes starting from New Romney out of a field of 184. Congratulations to Kieran, Vinnie, Simon, Kevin and Manami who all posted PBs.

Times: Kieran Price 39.07; Paul Burchett 41.41; Vincent Reed 42.39; Simon Linklater 43.04; Kevin Blowers 43.11; Nick Brown 43.52; Neil Jeffries 44.17; Claire Thomas 46.34; Ben Sallows 46.54; Manami Cheves 49.26; Richard Cross 50.46; Simon Weatherley 51.56; Elly Swaine 58.59; Alison Anderson 59.24; Marie Crawford 59.51; Michelle Krombholz 60.38; Krista Barzee 60.57; Terry Kitson 63.41; Irene Kitson 67.15; Louise Cavill 67.30 (tbc).