Ringland Half Marathon 2020 & County Championships

15 brave souls battled the strong winds of Storm Jorge, on this half marathon course starting and finishing in the grounds of the dinosaur park. Not only did they have to battle the winds but also a 20 metre long stagnant cold puddle at mile 9. The sun shone not only on the field but also on our team with these terrific results

Michael Eccles. 1st overall in a course record of 1.12.24.
Michael goes from strength to strength which his recent crown at the Norfolk County Championships, there is no let up from him. He looked at his imperious best today, winning by more than a two minute margin. We all wish him the best of luck for the national cross country championships next weekend.

Jack Noble. 5 minute pb and a gold standard 1.21.03. 3rd senior male
Jack is making a name for himself as a longer distance runner, having stepped up from the mark from a teenage sensation on the track. He is knocking on the door of a sub 80 minute mark and his challenge is to get there soon.

Arron Coe. Just missed out on a pb by 6 seconds 1.28.41.
Arron tucked in with Nigel and Paul for the majority of the week and showed that his marathon preparations are well on track by pulling clear of them in the final few miles. He has bigger fish to fry over the next few weeks at the Wymondham 20 miler before the London Marathon, but on this form he has nothing to worry about.

Paul Ward. First Half Marathon. Gold standard 1.29.39.
What can hold this man back? Food poisoning certainly can’t! Despite being far from his peaky best the day before, Paul pushed and pushed today and was rewarded with a sub 90 minute half marathon, he is well chuffed!

Nigel Arnold. First half marathon for BVH. 2nd M60+ in 1.30.34.
Nigel was struck with a loose shoelace in the final couple of miles and seemingly constantly used as a wind blocker by various runners from all clubs, not just BVH. As always, a stylish run took him close to the magical 90 minute half marathon. Have a good trip to Vegas to Nig!

Mark Harmer. 1.39.38.
Good to see this guy back in a BVH vest and running speedily. He dug in deep and finished comfortably sub 100 minutes.

Alice Grant. First half marathon for BVH. Bronze standard 1.48.02.
A gritty run from the newest member of the club. She absolutely trounced her target time of 2 hours and looked utterly gobsmacked as she crossed the finish line. She has a lot of stamina, good signs for the year ahead.

Karyn Bray 1.48.02.
Good to see Karyn racing and she did well keeping Alice and Craig in her sites, even pipping Graig at the finish line. The first of many runs for Karyn over the year ahead.

Craig Dungar. First half marathon for BVH 1.48.04.
Craig’s getting back to some consistent running and on this form, he has a lot of potential. He looked the part in helping the team round and he looks strong for future events.

Leanne Botwright. A bronze standard pb of 1.50.42.
Leanne keeps on going from strength to strength. She battled hard today and looks in scintillating form to tackle the London Marathon course in just over a month’s time.

Gail Hardingham. First half marathon. A diamond standard 1.56.02 and 1st W60+.
Gail has a handy knack of picking up silverware and today was no different. On her debut at this distance, she comfortable beat the 120 minute goal. Congratulations Gail.

Graham Cox. First half marathon. A gold standard 1.56.58.
Is there anything this man can’t do? It was a pleasure to see Graham bound round the 13.1 mile course with a beaming grin on his face, not many people can say they did that in those conditions!

Karen Wraighte. 2.02.29.
Karen given this her all and came close to the mighty 2 hour mark. Very good effort

Katherine Mortlock . A pb time of 2.14.15.
Katherine capped off a very good day for the club with a stellar performance trouncing her PB time. Well done Katherine.

Best wishes to Amy Balaam who had to pull out due to injury. Speedy recovery Amy and look forward to seeing you training hard on our training camp in Spain.

Individual County Championship Results

Michael Eccles County Champion
Nigel Arnold 1st M60+
Gail Hardingham 1st W60+
Graham Cox 1st M70+

2nd Senior men’s team
Michael Eccles
Jack Noble
Arron Coe
Craig Dungar