HY Runners and Hastings Runners shine in Eastbourne, Lydd... and Hastings

HY RUNNERS

HY Runners were busy once again last weekend with three different events being taken on by athletes.

Star of the show was Sam Brown, who took on the brand new Eastbourne Run Festival.

This event hosts a choice of four different races, held along Eastbourne seafront.

With categories for adults and children, it is described by event organisers as the perfect opportunity to enjoy a fun, healthy family event in a stunning seafront setting.

Brown opted for the 5k which starts and finishes at Western Lawns.

Brown did tremendously well to finish in overall second place with a time of 18:54.

Sam started at lightning pace running his first mile in 5:51 before slowing to 6:40 for the final mile which was marginally uphill and into the wind.

Brown said: “I’m very happy. It was my fourth quickest time over that distance so I’m buzzing, thanks to my coach Terry Skelton for all the hard work.”

On the same day Darren Rogers took on the Lydd half marathon.

Rogers has previously posted some great times over shorter distances and finished in a creditable time of 1:32:16.

He told the club: “It was a PB for me, but not time I was hoping for. For some reason my fuelling didn’t seem to work”.

The club are delighted with his progress after an injury lay-off.

Head coach Terry Skelton said: “Darren will have better days, of course he will.

“He has great potential and I think he’ll do well over that distance. He has been injured and he’ll run quicker next time.

“Sam also did fantastically well to run the time he has.

“He is a committed athlete and a popular member of our group, and he puts the miles in.”

HY athletes took on the Hastings parkrun with Ben McCallion being the lead act for HY by finishing in second place with a PB of 16:34.

Jonathan Hatch came home in eighth place overall and first male veteren runner aged 40 plus with a superb time of 18:41

Paul Matthews was second 40+ male in 20:24.

John Badrock ran the course in 20:58 to come secnd in the Mv45 class and his wife Leanne ran the distance in 26:13.

A member of HY’s elite group, Ross Skelton, has been selected for October’s London Marathon in the elite category.

Skelton, who has a previous best marathon time of 2:19:21, is ranked currently as the 10th quickest British runner based on actual times.

Skelton also spent last weekend on a GB squad London Marathon training weekend, where plenty of running, sitting in on scheduled training advice talks and testing of blood took place.

Skelton, who earlier in the year was a pacemaker for the marathon runners at Tokyo Olympic trials, has recently overcome injury and is now getting back to the speedy levels that have made him a serious contender for the Paris Olympics 2024.

HASTINGS RUNNERS

The first club-only championship race for 21 months was a fantastic advertisement for Hastings Runners, with 56 runners taking part and 35 marshals - expertly co-ordinated by Alan Croucher - giving up their time to ensure everything went smoothly.

The well-above-average recent rainfall meant some sections of the 10.3k course were extremely muddy, and the 2.66 laps in the stunning setting of Hastings Country Park at Fairlight proved a real stamina-sapping test with over 220 m of elevation.

Will Withecombe and Nicki Steed won the men’s and women’s trophy in 45.26 and 53.35 respectively; both were participating in an HR club race for the first time, as were Charles Bowley, Chris Weeks, Debbie Clark, Jess Hayward, Patience Cooper, Robin Beck, Samantha Welfare and Tracy Brown.

Withecombe, runner-up Ashley Vora and third-placed Darren Barzee were very closely matched for much of the race, with Withecombe gradually pulling clear on the final lap to finish 19 seconds ahead of Ashley with Darren just 25 secs further adrift.

The women’s race was also a tight affair with Steedand Sue Rae locked together after the first lap; however Steed steadily forged ahead to claim a comfortable victory by nearly three minutes.

Rae at least had the consolation of winning the FV 50-plus trophy from runner-up Manami Cheves, who ran a fine race to come in just two minutes behind.

Barzee won the MV 50-plus trophy, with runner up Martin Noakes just over two minutes behind.

Times: Will Withecombe 45.26; Ashley Vora 45.45; Darren Barzee 46.10; Martin Noakes 48.29; Paul Burchett 49.26; Patrick Bermingham 49.48; Simon Linklater 49.58; Charles Bowley 53.03; Simon Trevena 53.07; Neil Jeffries 53.11; Graeme Grass 53.24; Nicki Steed 53.35; Susan Rae 56.29; Rob Thomas 57.07; Manami Cheves 58.22; Luke Evans 59.11; Chris Weeks 59.50; Robin Beck 60.56; James Graham 62.04; Jacqui Mannering 62.44; Simon Weatherley 62.45; Jessica Cull 63.06; Jo Lambourne 63.07; Piers Brunning 63.23; Leanne Spring 63.35; Janice Young 64.18; Nigel Thornely 65.42; Sarah Bendle 65.42; Paul Baxter 66.09; Joanne Smith 66.41; Mike Addison 67.03; Keith Goodsell 67.31; Bill Edmondson 67.56; Marie Crawford 67.57; Sarah Marzaioli 70.01; Elly Swaine 70.24; Krista Barzee 70.55; Emma Stubbs 70.55; Victoria Sims 71.17; Sylvia Huggett 71.57; Mike Ellis 72.21; Shana Burchett 72.28; Kim Callow 73.56; Patience Cooper 75.24; Irene Kitson 78.15; Sue Palmer 79.11; Jessica Hayward 79.29; Samantha Welfare 80.20; Michelle Krombholz 80.21; Tracy Ratnarajah 80.32; Danny Ratnarajah 80.32;Tracy Brown 83.00; Louise Cavill 83.00; Debbie Clark 83.01; Chris White 91.19; Alan Croucher (sweep) 91.35.

* There were some excellent performances from Hastings Runners members currently training for various marathons coming up.

And there were some quick times from those who prefer the 5k parkrun distance.

Seven took part in the Lydd 20-miler on Sunday which attracted a field of 354 runners, and the club contingent were led home by Charles Bowley in a time of 3.11.57.

He was followed by Luke Evans 3.16.16; Jo Lambourne 3.23.58; Richard Roethe 3.27.16; Sarah Marzaioli 3.47.37 (1st FV70); Jessica Cull 3.58.59; Allison Tanner 5.30.54.

The Lydd half marathon saw excellent runs from Kieran Price with a PB of 1.29.41, Ben Park 1.38.26 and Richard Cross 1.58.02.

Meanwhile on Saturday 59 club members went parkrunning; 31 of them at Hastings, where star junior Finlay Goodman had a superb run to finish fourth in an impressive time of 17.30.

Martin Snape (19.19), Simon Linklater (20.04) and Jon Smalldon (22.23) all recorded PBs.

Helen Brown was the first lady finisher at Watermeadows parkrun in Towcester, clocking 26.26 on the off-road course, while club chairman Nick Brown’s time of 21.18 gave him the highest age graded score (78.01%) in the field.

Sue Rae also produced the highest age graded score at Bedgebury parkrun (80.95%) with a time of 23.58 on the undulating course in Bedgebury Pinetum.