Hogweed Trotters Road Running Club
“wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast.” (William Shakespeare)
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Hogweed Trotters Road Running Club“wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast.” (William Shakespeare) |
Posted on: 31 August 2010
Hogweeds Tri and try!
As the Bristol and Chippenham half marathons approach a quieter week on the running side, but busier with the Hogweed Triathletes.
The local Malmsbury Sprint Tri (400m swim, 22k cycle and 5k run) attracted a good return out from the club. First 3 finishers were super vet Ron White, Ian Rowland finishing in 1:10, and Ian Rowland in 1:11. Anthony Febry continued his summer of multi eventing in 1:13, closely followed by Simon Pinnington in 1:15. First lady finisher was Sarah Tremlin, just ahead of John Perrett both recording 1:28. Jenny McCallum completed the course in 1:35, Nicola Rushton in 1:40, Jill McNally in 1:46 and Ross Mackenzie in 1:54.
Martin Young completed the Bristol Tri in 1:16, followed a week later by the ‘Big Woody’ Ironman in the Forest of Dean in a mere 12:58.
Keeping the running side going a 2 of out triathetes also completed races, with Anthony Febry being joined by wife Rebecca at the Everton 10k, apparently in the New Forest, not at Goodison Park. Anthony finished in 43.11, and Rebecca, training for Abingdon marathon an excellent 49:50.
Nicola Rushton completed the Foxtrot 5 mile with Hayley Brock. Hayley recorded 43:42 and Nicola 50:41.
Regular race runner Alan Wilcox appears to have only found 1 race this week, the Bath Victoria park 5k, which he finished in 22:01.
The best running performance of the week was by club champion Lee Pattison, who finished 5th overall in the Pewsey Vale half marathon. First in his male ‘vet’ category Lee also bagged a PB of 1:19:38, a 2 minute improvement on a challenging undulating course.
Posted on: 22 August 2010
Hogweeds August Adventures
August marks a transition in the running season, with many starting to think about autumn half and full marathons. As a consequence there aren’t as many events around; however Hogweed Trotters have been searching hard for challenging events over the last 2 weeks.
Alan Wilcox raced 4 times in the last 2 weeks, including the 5-4-3-2-1 trial marathon at Salisbury which he completed in 4:26. He quickly followed this with the 4 mile Rose Inn race in Wales, finishing a little off the pace in 28:59. Three other club members ran with Chris Lewis posting 26:30, Michelle Edgell and Serena Griffiths recording 36:17 and 37:20 respectively.
Two days later Alan posted a PB (21:13) at the Bitton 5k, along with Dom Hurford (21:26) who keeps up his record of regular PB’s in 2010. Twelve other club members ran ran the 5k, with Will Gray posting 18:03, Peter Willoughby 18:50, Stuart Wilkie 18:57, Vic Garner 20:55, Dean Masters 20:58, Rachael Bennett 21:05 (PB), Gary Stretton 21:31, Steve Stretton 21:38, Gary Weeks 21:44, Ian Freestone 23:10, Pete Connors 24:23, Nic Paice 24:45, Kim Freestone 25:42, Stephen Chandler 26:24.
Standish Woodland chase is a 10 mile race near Stroud. John Curtis was 21st in an excellent time of 1:09:01, followed by Nigel Burford 1:12:09, Pat Curtis 1:16:13 and Jenny McCallum 1:30:21. Using the age and gender adjusted results Pat just beat husband John!
The Castle Combe 10k is a regular event and Berlin marathon bound Dom Hurford posted yet another PB (43:58). Stefan Brittain 39:41 and Adrian Pook 42:02 also completed the event.
Alan Wilcox completed his 4th race at Barbury castle in a 5 mile race (37:14), just piping Ali Ramsey (37:59) who is clearly back in form after her injury.
Mixed results for our triathlon husband and wife with Mandy completing the Lakeland tri in 2:47; but husband Simon pulling out after completing 2 events.
Jason Bidwell meanwhile made it to Islay to complete the half in 1:41.
Posted on: 9 August 2010
Hogweeds Home And Away!
The first week in August saw members of Hogweed Trotters competing at venues near and far from home. Pride of place goes to three who took on and succeeded at very challenging events. Davos is known as the home of Economic Summits. Neil Hopkins went for a different purpose, to run a 78km (49 mile ultramarathon) including trails at 2600m height. Completing the course in 12: 15: 57 is a remarkable achievement.
At the same time Mikes Bowes became a 2nd time ironman, completing the Ironman UK in Bolton in a PB of 14: 35: 32. After the event he reported ‘sore quads!’ Alpe D’Huez is known as a mecca for cyclists who climb to the ski resort through 21 bends in the Tour de France. Ron White chose to do the ‘short’ triathlon there and was 1st in his supervet 55 category in 2: 39:04 seconds. Chapeau!
Closer to home a number of Hogweeds competed in local races. Adrian Pook finished 21st at the first Cirencester trails half marathon in 1:36:16 on a course that measured around 13.5 miles. Mark Stephenson followed him in to record 1:44:15.
Meanwhile a larger group of Hogweeds ran over the border at the Magor Marsh 10k, lead home by Lee Pattison in 36:44, with Nigel Burford 41:08, Chris Lewis 45:36,Alan Wilcox 46:27, Angie and Chris Martin in 47:41, Neil Paice 48:38, Nic Paice in 54:06 and Ted Atkins in 55:00.
Regular readers will know Alan Wilcox likes to race several time a week, so the following evening he completed the Blaise Blaser 4 mile off road race in 29:04, followed by Chris Lewis in 29:25, Neil Paice 32:31, Nic Paice 35:28 and Michelle Edgell in 39:05. To round the week off Alan then completed the Bung Inn corker, a 9km off road race in 43:29.
Posted on: 5 August 2010
A Great Week For Ali Ramsey!
At the recent Avon Mob Match, held along a 10k course beside the banks of the River Avon in Bristol, the Hogweed Trotters finished 9th. First to finish was Will Gray in 39.37 with Nigel Burford 41.11, Anthony Febry 42.58 also producing good performances. Scott Leonard 43.13, Vic Garner 43.21 and Alan Wilcox 44.06 finished close together just ahead of Martin Young 45.19 and Mike Froggatt 45.27. Ali Ramsey was our first lady in a best of 45.31 with other Hogweed finishers including Chris Lewis 46.43, Martin Cook 49.53, Rob Smith 50.37, Julie Froggatt 53.26, Michelle Edgell 55.55, Ted Atkins 57.04 and Carole Neale 61.41.
At the last of the Bridge Inn Summer series Lee Pattison was 2nd MV40 in 18.02. Nigel Burford finished as 2nd MV45 in 19.42, to take home his first ever race award. Mark Stephenson 21.14, Bill Smith 25.53 and Michelle Edgell 28.38 completed our line up.
Pat and John Curtis found another mountain marathon to take part in, this time on Dartmoor. 11 ½ hours of running spread, camping and navigation may not be everyone’s idea of a romantic weekend.
Another race that requires navigational skills is the Seaview 17 held near Minehead. Stuart Wilkie was 29th in 3h25m43s with Lee Masters 66th in 3h54m37s.
Ali Ramsey raced at the South West Triathlon “Fun Category” and was the first woman finisher in a combined time of 58m48s, a big improvement on her 2009 performance. She also had time to run the Sturminster Newton 5k in Dorset where she finished as 3rd lady in 22.34. Lee Masters took in the half marathon at the same venue coming home in 1.39.14
Posted on: 27 July 2010
More Personal Bests For The Hogweeds!
There were a number of very strong performances from the Hogweed Trotters at the Gloucester ½ Marathon, held on rural roads around Newent. First club member to finish was Peter Willoughby who was 1st MV60 in 1:29:19. Gary Stretton set a personal best by 19 minutes when he finished in 1:36:15 ahead of Ian Harrison 1:40:09 and Dom Hurford 1:40:32, who both also set new bests. Next across the line was Jason Bidwell in 1:41:21 with Alan Wilcox 1:43:21 close behind. Steven Stretton set a time of 1:47:12, which was 35 minutes faster than he had ever run before while Nicola Paice was our first and only lady in 1:59:52.
At the Tuska Triathlon, held at Porthcawl in South Wales Simon Spedding finished in 40th place. His time for this event, which included a 750-metre sea swim as well as the cycle and running elements, was 1:15:46.
Posted on: 19 July 2010
Races Coming Thick and Fast!
It’s that time of the year when the 10k races come thick and fast.
First up was the Thornbury Carnival 10k where Peter Willoughby won the MV60 age group in 40:21. A trio of Hogweeds finished in close order, lead in by Chris Lewis 44:49, followed by Alan Wilcox 45:01 and Dom Hurford 45:06. Ali Ramsey was first lady in 49.24, just holding off Ange Martin in 49:37. Other club members included Paul Chard 52:27, Nicola Paice 55:07, Michelle Edgell 61:35 and, in her first race for the club, Shelley Armorgie 64:17.
The Frampton on Severn 10k takes place a few miles further north and always attracts a good field. This time Nigel Burford was first home in 41.26 ahead of Alan Wilcox 43.53 and Dom Hurford 44.30. Mike Froggatt was next in 45.26 with Julie Boynes 51.24 and Paul Chard 51.47 close together. Nicola Paice 52.21 finished just in front of Julie Froggatt 54.35, Claire Searle 54.45, Serena Griffiths 58.24 and Christine Stephenson 66.52.
The Towpath 10k by the River Avon in Bristol also attracted two Hogweeds; namely Chris Lewis 45.17 and Michelle Edgell 58.45.
Two Wiltshire events attracted a scattering of Hogweeds. At the 5k River Run in Chippenham Alan Wilcox finished in 21.43 ahead of Paul Chard in 24.19 and Tracey Marchant 29.23 while Ali Ramsey and Lee Masters ran the 5mile Barbury Castle Ramparts Run, finishing together in 42.21.
Posted on: 12 July 2010
Hogweeds Triathletes Triumph!
The Triathletes from the Hogweeds have been competing all over the country and bringing home more than their fair share of prizes.
At the European Triathlon Championships held at Athlone, in Ireland, there was fantastic success for the two Hogweeds. Bill Shackcloth won the gold medal in the MV65 age for the Olympic distance, while Ron White won a bronze medal in the MV55 age group for the sprint distance. They now both move on to the World Championships in Hungary.
At the Norwich Sprint Triathlon Mandy Spedding was 2nd LV40 in 1.23.39 whilst husband Simon was 6th MV45 in the Olympic event in 2.30.06.
Jo Wilson took part in her first half iron man at the Big Cow event and despite some problems during the race finished in 6h33m.
The Devil’s Chimney chase is a very hilly race held at Leckhampton near Cheltenham. Chris Martin was first to finish in 44.37, just ahead of Alan Wilcox 49.31. Husband and wife, Neil and Nicola Paice finished in 52.55 and 59.29. Alan Wilcox also finished the Wickwar 5k in 6th place in 23.21 and the Blaise Castle 4mile race, in 29.23.
While the rest of the country enjoyed beautiful summer weather four teams found some positively awful conditions at the Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon in Cumbria. This was held over 2 days and after a successful first day the teams woke to very different weather for the second day. A series of falls coupled with navigational problems meant that only the team of Sonia Cross and Katherine Williams finished the race in 9.09.32. The other teams of Lee Pattison and Nigel Burford, Pat and John Curtis and Kaye Hall with Anne Draper did not complete the course (weather and wrong checkpoint) and unfortunately were disqualified.
Posted on: 4 July 2010
Hot Days For The Hogweeds!
On one of the hottest days of the year a group of Hogweeds competed at the Forestman, a full Iron Man event in Hampshire. This race includes 3.8km of swimming, a 180km bike ride and a full marathon. Simon Pinnington was our first finisher in 13h48m35s, ahead of Stuart Wilkie in 14h7m41s and Ben Bonnick 14h32m15s.
The Bridge Inn 5k series was also held in hot conditions but Lee Pattison finished close to a best in 17.34, with Chris Martin also recording a fast time of 18.50. Chris Lewis 21.40 just held off the challenge of Dom Hurford 21.58, with Bill Smith 25.34 and Michelle Edgell 28.11 completing our contingent.
Alan Wilcox, one of our most prolific competitors, ran in the Forde Abbey 10k which had two river crossings to help cool him down after the 6k of climbing. He finished in 48.22.
At the Tintern Trot Lee Masters and Ali Ramsey, in her first race for some while, finished together in 57.07. Lee was also in action at the Portland 10 mile race in Dorset, which he completed in 75.18.
Posted on: 28 June 2010
A Hot Day On The Cotswold Way Relay!
The Hogweed Trotters had five teams representing the club at the Cotswold Way Relay, which covers 10 stages from Chipping Campden to Bath. This year conditions were draining on one of the hottest days of the year.
The Hogweed Hilly Hurtlers made up of Mark Stephenson, Geoff Doyle, John Curtis, Will Gray, Paul Hyams, Ray Maddock, Chris Martin, Justin Littlechild, Lee Pattison and Steve Eastaugh Waring finished in 14h11m19s, as 2nd Veterans team.
The Intrepid Hogweeds including Lee Masters, Dave Dutton, Stuart Ranshaw, Nigel Trickey, Nigel Burford, Dom Hurford, Anthony Febry, Colin Rathbone, Neil Hopkins and Rich King finished in 16h15m32s in 34th place.
Next home were the Hogweed Blend made up of Pat Hall, Ali Poole, Rebecca Febry, Ian Freestone, Ian Souilleux, Gary Weeks, Sue Mundy, Alan Wilcox, Kaye Hall and Vic Garner in 17h43m38s.
The Hogweed ladies were the 10th ladies team in 18h18m49s and they were made up of Zoe Harley, Pat Curtis, Jo Wilson, Rachel Bennett, Helen Howells, Kim Freestone, Ange Martin, Anne Draper, Nicola Paice and Sue Leydon. They just beat the Hogweeds Muddled Mudlarks including Rob Smith, Sonia Cross, Martin Cook, Alison Woods, Neil Paice, Scott Leonard, Sue Hutchinson, John Clapp and Steve Weeks who organises all the Hogweed Teams. They finished in 18h22m50s.
Top 10 finishes on their leg came from Lee Pattison, Justin Littlechild, Chris Martin, Steve Eastaugh Waring and John Curtis.
Justin Littlechild also took part at the Iron Man event at Wimbleball where his 12th place in the MV40 age group in 5h22m54s earned him a place in the World Championships.
At the Nailsea Festival 10k Paul Chard crossed the line in 51.55 ahead of Nicola Paice 54.03 and Tracey Marchant 59.09.
Chris Lewis finished the New Max event in Cornwall in 58.18 with Michelle Edgell next in 81.51.
Posted on: 21 June 2010
Hogweeds Trot Around The Country
At the recent Bradley Stoke 10k there were a good number of Hogweeds linen up at the start. Chris Martin finished 12th in 39.15 with Stefan Brittain seconds behind in 39.34. Ian Harrison 43.42, Martin Young 45.07, Chris Lewis 45.53, Alan Wilcox 46.08, Neil Paice 47.21, Gary Stretton 47.43 pb, Steve Stretton 48.08, Ange Martin 49.16 and Graeme Stephenson 49.58 all finished inside 50 minutes. We then had a large group of ladies with one brave man in the middle. Nicola Paice finished in 53.00 ahead of Lorraine Palmer 53.02, Geraldine Bates 53.47, Steve Curtis 57.07, Suzanne Mundy 59.36, Serena Griffiths 60.47, Margaret Chandler 65.38, Christine Stephenson 69.11 and, with a new pb, Julie Higgs 71.43.
Some of these runners were also in action a couple of nights later for the Clevedon 10k. Chris Lewis was first home this time in 43.32 with Dom Hurford 46.10, Ange Martin 48.45 and Nicola Paice 52.57 close behind.
At the Lethbridge 10k in Swindon Paul Chard came home in 52.54, ahead of Tracey Marchant 62.30.
Dave Gynn ventured further afield to the Mersea Half Marathon near Colchester in Essex. This run takes in the sea wall, sand and long grass on the dunes but he ran well to finish in 1.42.00.
Alan Wilcox ran at the Strawberry Line 4 ½ mile run near Wells and finished 3rd out of 60.
Posted on: 14 June 2010
Hogweeds Hotfooting About!
The St Mary’s CE School Yate, race wends its way out from Yate to Engine Common and back in its 3½ miles. First Hogweed to finish was Bill Shackcloth in 22.13 [5th] with John Perrett 25.20 and Gary Weeks 25.53 just behind. Hazel Friis was 1st lady overall in 27.15 with Martin Cook finishing in 27.22. Paul Chard, Bill Bretherton and David Wells finished in 27.46, 28.27 and 29.38 respectively. Other Hogweeds to take part, mostly running with children, included Alex and Janice McPherson, Julie Doyle, Rachel Hill and Lorraine Palmer.
At the Malvern Half Marathon Dom Hurford finished in 1.42.02 ahead of Dave Kay 1.58.24.
Chris Lewis ran a couple of 10k races finishing the hilly Hay Hotfooters Magic Roundabout in 53.47 and the Towpath event in Bristol in 45.58. Michelle Edgell also ran the Towpath 10k finishing in 62.40 whilst Alan Wilcox led them both home in 44.57. He also finished the challenging Cricket St Thomas 10k in 52.45.
Posted on: 7 June 2010
Triathlon Success and more Pbs!
There has been a rush of action featuring triathletes from the Hogweed trotters starting at Westonbirt where Ron White finished 20th [1st MV55] in 1hr 12m 42s. Ian Rowland and Anthony Febry both finished in 1h13m39s with Ian coming out on top by ½ a second. Mandy Spedding finished in 1h21m11s ahead of Paul Chard who forgot his shoes and ran barefoot to finish in 1h26m02s, the other runners were grateful he remembered his shorts! Jenny McCallum was 1st LV60 in 1h36m17s.
At the Castle Combe Manic Midweek Duathlon Chris Martin set a pb of 49.09 ahead of Richard Powell also a pb of 50.26. Anthony Febry was again in action finishing in 52.49 ahead of Martin Young 52.54 and Jo Wilson in a pb of 58.28.
The Burnham on Sea Triathlon includes a run along the beach but Ron White had no time for sand castles, coming 29th [1st MV55] in 1h08m26s with Anthony Febry next in 1h11m21s.
The runners have also been in action starting at Weymouth where Martin Wood ran a season’s best time of 50.04 in the Egdon Easy 10k.
At Wells, also over 10k, Chris Martin was 20th in 40.04 with wife Ange finishing in 51.36.
The Hogweeds made off with the team prize again at the Dymock Half Marathon with Andy May finishing in 1.27.40 ahead of Nick Woodhill 1.28.00 and Vic Garner 1.35.04.Dom Hurford set a best of 1.40.41 with Alan Wilcox also recording a quick time of 1.44.48.
At the Kennet Kanter, a 10mile race around Devizes, Adrian Pook was first Hogweed in 1.08.15 ahead of Jason Bidwell 1.18.12. Gary Stretton, in his first appearance in club colours, finished in 1.26.44, holding off Martin Wood 1.28.59 and Dave Morgan 1.45.20.
Posted on: 1 June 2010
Hogweed Race Successes!
Conditions were warm for the Westonbirt 10k while Hogweed performances were good. Chris Martin was first finisher in 39:38 ahead of Julian Lewis 40:59 and Richard King 41:15. Others under 50 minutes included Ian Harrison 44:04, Darhyl Davies 44.43, Chris Lewis 45.30, Dom Hurford 47.04, John Perrett 48.23 and Zoe Harley, our first lady, in 49.15. Mike Froggatt 50.03 finished ahead of Nicky Davies 51.04, Martin Cook 51.07, Rob Smith 51.32 and Ian Freestone 51.48. Nicola Paice 54.11 held off Julie Boynes 54.17, Paul Chard 54.24 and Bill Bretherton 54.51 with Coral Nash 55.32, Dave Mullins 56.03, Sue Roberts 56.08, Andrew Payne 56.26, Tony Batty 57.08, Scott Leonard 58.11, Rachel Hill 58.22, Julie Froggatt 58.24 and Ray Mardle 59.55 under the hour.
Other finishers:Claire Searle 61:19, Derek Newcombe 61:49, Tracey Skuse 61.49, Tracey Marchant 62.35, Mark Hill 62.47, Carole Neale 65.02, Margaret Chandler 65.40, Julie Doyle 65.54, Ruth Twiss 65.57, Liz Gardiner 66.06, Lesley Perrett 67.18, Pauline Fletcher 71.17 and Vic and Thelma Garner 80.19.
Chris Martin was also first Hogweed at the Keynsham 10k in 40.41 while Vic Garner was 1st MV60 in 43.59. John Perrett 47.41 and Neil Paice 48.10 finished close together ahead of Ange Martin 51.24, Nicola Paice 52.45 and Niall Stewart 55.02.
The Cheddar Challenge is a 13k race down the gorge, up Jacob’s Ladder and out to Charterhouse. Adrian Pook finished in the top 10 in 70 minutes with Lee Masters next in 91 minutes.
At the Weston Prom races Chris Lewis finished in 34.50 with Michelle Edgell 47.46.
Our only runner at the Edinburgh half marathon was Becky Dainton 1.55.07 while at the Harptree Havoc Neil Paice came home in 54.00.
Mark Stephenson ran his first 5k at Bridge Inn in 20.46 [pb] leading home Chris Lewis 21.03, Dom Hurford 21.31 and Pete Connors 24.08.
First Hogweed home in Weymouth at the EGDON EASY 10K was Martin Wood in a season best time of 50:04
Posted on: 24 May 2010
Kevin McConville Memorial Hogweed Trot A Great Success!
The 7th running of the Hogweed Trot was won by Bart Thomas of Chippenham in 34.58 with Anthony Glover of Hogweed Trotters 2nd in 35.30. First lady to finish was Debbie Marsden of Westbury who was 3rd overall in 36.12.
Lee Pattison was 4th in 36.28 with Rich King 38.55 and Geoff Doyle 39.50 also finishing under 40 minutes. Peter Willoughby [1st MV60] 40.46 just held off James Tyack 40.47 before Paul Kent finished in 41:19.
Hogweeds finishing in under 50 minutes, included Dave Gynn and Nigel Trickey who both finished in 42:19 and Chris Lewis 43:18 who lead in Mark Clements 43.21 and Martin Young 43.31. Alan Wilcox 44.27, Jason Bidwell 44.43, Ian Rowland 45.41 and Gary Weeks 45.44 were next to finish ahead of our first two ladies, Jenny McCallum [1st LV55] in 46:42, Laura Buet in 46:43 and Chris Gardner 47.23. Next to finish were Rebecca Dainton 49:39, Martin Cook 49.47, Sue Leydon 50:45, Lorraine Palmer 50:47, Julie Boynes 51.04, Bill Bretherton 51.15 [pb] and Paul Chard 51.18.
Other Hogweeds under the hour included Katie Pinnington 52.31, Tom Worlock 52.37, Ben Bonnick 53.08, Niall Stewart 53:37, Dave Mullins 53.50, Michelle Edgell 56.41, Ian Soilleux 58.09, Tracey Skuse 58.23, Derek Newcombe 59.03, Julie Doyle 59.11 [pb] Cindy Peters 59.33 and Tracey Marchant 59.51 [pb].
Andy Williams 61.13, Margaret Chandler 62.18 and Jo 67.27 [pb] and Martin Wood 67.28 were our other finishers.
At the Bitton 5k Jo Wilson was 1st LV45 in 22:06 and Rachel Bennett was 1st lady at the Rhossili Monster off road 10k in 61.32. Meanwhile at the Bradford on Avon Triathlon, which included a swim in the river, Ron White was 1st MV55 in 1h17m0s with Ian Rowland close behind in 1h18m27s and Anthony Febry finished in 1h21m08s.
Posted on: 16 May 2010
A Great Week For The Hogweeds!
Running one marathon is a serious undertaking but Hogweed Trotter, Dave Wintle has just completed the Brathay Challenge, which consists of 10 marathons run over ten consecutive days. In addition these marathons were all held over hilly terrain in the Lake District. He finished a very impressive 2nd overall, recording ten amazingly consistent times of between 3h22m and 3h28m each.
There were two club representatives at the Hereford Half Marathon, both recording fast times. Dave Dutton finished in 1.39.30 with Dom Hurford close behind in 1.42.44.
Chris Martin was first Hogweed at the recent Bristol 10k in 39.04 ahead of Paul Kent 41.26, Ian Harrison 43.06, Mark Stephenson 43.27 and Mark Risdale 43.54. Others finishers under 50minutes included Alan Wilcox 44.06, Ian Rowland 44.40, Bob Emery 44.41, Neil Paice 46.10 and our first two ladies Ange Martin 48.12 and Becky Dainton 49.28. There were good performances from Paul Clark 50.47, Andrew Payne 51.07, Lorraine Palmer 51.59, Nicola Paice 52.08, Tony Batty 52.35, Gerry Bates 53.31, Catherine Harries 55.55 and Michelle Edgell 59.22 who all finished under the hour. Other Hogweeds included Andy Williams 59.27, Christine Stephenson 1.07, Sarah Kerley 1.07, Rebecca Bell 1.19 and Maureen Mackenzie1.24.
At the Berkeley 10k, the following night John Curtis lead the way, finishing as 1st MV50 in 37.46. Alan Wilcox 43.37, Dom Hurford 44.02 and Jason Bidwell 44.54 came home ahead of Jenny McCallum 46.50 whose time won her the LV60 category as well as the LV50 and LV55. Nigel Burford also finished in 46.50 with Martin Wood 50.14, Sandra Killen 50.35, Paul Chard 51.28 and Becky Dainton 51.56 close behind. Other finishers were, Sonia Cross 54.07, Stephen Chandler 55.31, Jo Parry 55.34 and John Wheeler 57.31.
At the first event of the GWR towpath series Chris Lewis finished in 44.53 ahead of Michelle Edgell 57.01.
Posted on: 2nd May 2010
The Hogweed Trotters were well represented at the Horton Bull Run.
Club member Anthony Glover won the race in 24.42, followed by Richard King 26.35, with Nigel Burford and Ian Harrison both dipping under 30minutes to finish in 28.45 and 29.48 respectively. There were a string of good times from Dave Gynn 30.42, Rachel Bennett 30.54 [3rd SL] and John Perrett 31.19. Anthony Febry was next, in his second race of the day, in 31.29 with Lee Masters 31.48 and Mandy Spedding 32.10 [2nd LV] close behind.
Hogweeds finishing inside 40 minutes included Laura Buet 33.07, Rob Smith 33.42, Graeme Stephenson 35.36, Bill Bretherton 37.35, David Wells 37.51, Sue Hutchinson 38.10, Rachel Hill 39.10, Dave Mullins, who was pushing his granddaughter in a buggy, 39.26, Jane East 39.28 and Sue Mundy 39.34.
Other finishers included Mark Hill 40.05, Helen Young 40.27, Dave Morgan 40.46, Jan Hall 40.48 [3rd LV55], Ruth Twiss 42.11 and Mike Brokenshaw, another with a buggy, 58.04.
At the latest round of the Bridge Inn series Nigel Burford came 53rd in 20.25 ahead of Amanda Richardson, who was 2nd LV35, in 21.07 and Chris Lewis 21.37. Dom Hurford set a new best of 21.45 and our contingent was completed by Pete Connors 23.50 and Michelle Edgell 26.42[pb].
Ron White has been racking up the Triathlon events as he finished the Winchester Triathlon in 1h50m16s coming 4thMV50 then turned his attention to the Exmoor ½ Ironman and on the next day the Burnham on Sea Triathlon. At the Burnham event he finished 9th and was 2nd MV50 just over a minute ahead of Anthony Febry who was 13th and 5th MV40.
The next Hogweed race is the Kevin McConville Memorial Hogweed Trot on Monday 17th May at 7pm from Yate Town Football Club, entries taken on the night.
Posted on: 25th April 2010
The many months of training, through the snow and the cold winter came to fruition for eleven Hogweeds as they lined up, with thousands of others, for the London Marathon.
First to finish was Geoff Doyle, who broke the 3hour mark for his first time, finishing in an impressive 2.58.12. John Curtis also produced a fine performance to finish in 3.10.23 ahead of Chris Martin in 3.16.19. Pat Curtis finished as 8th LV50 in 3.22.19 holding off the challenge of Vic Garner, who was 30th MV60 in 3.24.13.
Darhyl Davies and Dave Dutton both finished inside 4hours in 3.43.56 and 3.52.32 respectively. Next Hogweeds were Zoe Harley with a good time of 4.13.31, Sharon Wilkie, in her first marathon, 4.19.10 and Ed Stevens 4.22.44.
Paul Chard managed to get back from Malta in the knick of time to finish in 4.29.09. Dave Wintle was also in marathon action at the Great Welsh Marathon where he continued his improved form, coming 15th in 3.05.46.
He followed this up with a 3.05.40 at the Shakespeare Marathon in Stratford, which earned him 26th place. Mark Clements, in his first marathon, finished in 3.50.59 ahead of Katie Pinnington 4.06.50 with Martin Cook 4.51.02 and Ian Cross 5.21.18 completing the Hogweed contingent.
Conditions were a lot more pleasant, than usual, for the latest round of the Weston Prom Run, with a sunny evening and the tide in! Michelle Edgell kept up her record of setting a new best in each round, this time finishing in 45.43. Alan Wilcox also produced a good performance to finish in 35.51 and showed his versatility by completing his first marathon at Taunton in 3.59.35.
Christine Stephenson was another successful Hogweed marathon runner as she finished the recent Paris Marathon in 6.28.11.
Lee Masters managed to find another race where he was the only club representative when he ran the Honiton Hippo in Devon. There were a large number of hills packed into the 7 miles of this race as well as a couple of refreshing river crossings. He finished the course in 1.13.35
Members of the Hogweed Trotters have been spotted all over the West Country in events of all shapes and sizes.
Dom Hurford was probably the tallest bunny at the Yeovil Easter Bunny 10k race. He didn’t let the windy conditions slow him down and set a new pb of 44.34.
Stefan Brittain competed at the Axe to Exe 20 mile, which follows the SW Coastal Path from Exmouth to Axmouth, including 4000 feet of ascent as well as some beautiful views. He finished 51st in a time of 3h48m56s.
The Taunton Marathon and Half Marathon attracted some Hogweeds. Dave Wintle was 16th in the full marathon [3rdMV40] in a time of 3h6m25s. Bob Emery chose the shorter option, finishing in 1h42m52 ahead of Catherine Harries 2h3m23s.
Mark Stephenson travelled much further to the Paris marathon, where he didn’t let the wine or historic sights distract him and finished in 3h44m32s.
Richard King produced a fine performance to finish 37th in the hilly 20k Offa’s Orror trail race in the Wye Valley. He came home in 1h42m10s ahead of Pat Hall 1h59m18s and the only lady Hogweed, Anne Draper 2h24m29s.
Instead of tucking into their Easter Eggs a number of Hogweeds ran at the Hanham Horror. This 6mile race wends its way up and down the sides of the Avon Valley and includes a section where a rope is thoughtfully provided to enable the runners to negotiate an especially steep slope.
First club member was Alan Wilcox, who finished in 44.15 with Neil Paice next in 46.41. Jason Walsh 48.05 held off the challenge of Christopher Gardner 48.35 before husband and wife pair Chris and Ange Martin crossed the line in 50.03 and 50.07.
Hayley Brock finished in 53,15 ahead of Nicola Paice 54.29, Niall Stewart 55.10 and Nicola Rushton 58.01.
Sandra Killen was one of the 2000 entries at the Eastleigh 10k, near Southampton, which she completed in 50.35.
At the time of writing this report Chris Lewis is running the Marathon des Sables across the Sahara Desert in Morocco. This is a race held over 7days, including one rest day, over distances between 14 and 50 miles. He completed the first day, a 20mile route, in 4h55m40s, which put him in 530th place, with over 130miles still ahead!
If you went down to the woods recently you were sure of a big surprise, at the number of Hogweeds running in the Forest of Dean Half Marathon.
Leading them all home was Justin Littlechild who produced a very impressive time of 1.23.48 [30th] over this undulating but scenic course.
There were also speedy runs from Dave Wintle 1.28.55, Richard King 1.30.27, James Tyack 1.32.36, Richard Powell and Chris Martin 1.36.58 and 1.36.59, Vic Garner [3rd MV60] 1.37.43, Chris Lewis 1.38.14 and Mark Clements 1.40.58.
First lady Hogweed was Sharon Wilkie in 1.40.59, followed by a group finishing inside 1h50 including Ian Harrison 1.41.16, Gary Weeks 1.46.40, Alan Wilcox 1.48.24, Jo Wilson 1.48.32, Neil Paice 1.49.04 and Laura Buet 1.49.34.
Runners to finish under 2hours included Nigel Burford 1.52.18, Ed Stevens 1.52.21, Zoe Harley 1.52.25, Martin Cook 1.53.11, Pete Connors 1.54.06, Rob Smith 1.56.34, Gary Clarke 1.56.54, Ange Martin 1.57.56, Ian Freestone 1.58.16, Gary Oram 1.58.33, Paul Chard 1.58.34, Emma French 1.58.51, Paul Clark 1.59.29 and Nicola Paice 1.59.59.
Among the other finishers were Dave Masters, Lorraine Palmer, Geraldine Bates, Rebecca Dainton, Hayley Brock, Kim Freestone, Steve Weeks, Tony Batty, John Wheeler, Sarah Tremlin, Catherine Harries, Michelle Edgell, Stephen Chandler, Derek Newcombe, Ian Cross, Tracey Skuse, Helen Crook and Mark Hill.
Much later the Hogweed charabanc wended its way back to Chipping Sodbury full of tired runners but without a bear in sight.
Three of our ladies travelled across the channel for the Paris Half Marathon. Paris is beautiful on a fine spring day and is an ideal destination for arts, sightseeing and romance. The race passed many famous landmarks and all went well until the finish. With 50 metres to go they joined the back of a queue of other runners who took over 10 minutes to cross the finish line. This meant that their finishing times were far from realistic, but the official verdict was: Hayley Brock 2.13.16, Nicola Rushton 2.14.26 and Coral Nash 2.14.26.
Adrian Pook ran in the Grizzly, a race based around Seaton in Devon, which includes cliff paths, bogs and a shingle beach in its 20 miles. He finished 192nd out of 1492 finishers, including runners from Holland and Germany, in a time of 3h18m.
Lee Masters raced at the British Military Fitness 10k at Usk in Wales, an event that is a cross between a running race and an assault course. He finished in just inside 54minutes, a wiser but wetter and muddier man.
Fortunately his running shoes had dried out sufficiently for him to run in the 5 Tors Moorland Run. This 10mile race covers the most scenic and undulating parts of Bodmin Moor and he finished well up in the field, in a time of 1.41.53.
The 6th Hogweed Hilly Half was held on a beautiful, spring day although the hills were as steep as usual.
Tom Fisher successfully defended his title in 1.17.33, ninety seconds faster than 2009 and he was followed by Matt Cook 1.19.38 and Jon Phelps 1.22.26.
The winning lady was, former Hogweed, Emma D’Alton in 1.24.22 ahead of Kate Wright [Stratford] 1.29.30 and Kate George [Clevedon] 1.31.16.
Other age group winners were MV40 Michael Tune [Swindon] 1.23.05, MV50 Mario McNamara [Stroud] 1.28.50, MV60 Paul Snelling [Weston] 1.30.41, MV70 Michael Coupe [Nailsea] 1.53.10, LV35 Helen Duffield [Chepstow] 1.38.46, LV45 Pat Curtis [Hogweeds] 1.38.52, LV55 Judith Wilson [TRA] 2.06.54, LV60 Jenny McCallum [Hogweeds] 1.58.37.
There were impressive performances from other Hogweeds especially Anthony Glover who was 12th in 1.25.59 ahead of Stuart Wilkie 1.29.35 and the fast finishing Andy May 1.29.37. Geoff Doyle was 2nd MV50 in 1.30.27 with John Curtis [3rd MV50] in 1.31.04 and Chris Martin 1.31.45 close behind.
Many finished under 1h40m including Stefan Brittain 1.32.17, Richard King 1.34.09, James Tyack 1.34.09, Vic Garner [2nd MV60] 1.36.38, Adrian Pook 1.38.26, David Parkin 1.38.29, Nigel Burford 1.39.20 and Jeremy Cross 1.39.34.
Hogweeds coming home in under 1h50m included Simon Hemmings 1.42.02, Dave Dutton 1.43.57, Scott Leonard 1.44.40, Sharon Wilkie 1.48.10 and Alan Wilcox 1.49.24.
Neil Paice, Rachel Bennett, Zoe Harley, Sue Leydon, Mark Offer, Martin Cook, Sandra Killen and Ian Freestone all dipped under 2 hours.
Other finishers, including some debutants, were Rob Smith, Rebecca Dainton, Nicola Paice, Dave Kay, Ben Bonnick, Julie Boynes, Kim Freestone, Sue Mundy, Rachel Hill, Lynda Gregg, Sue Hutchinson, Catherine Harries, Jill McNally, Jan Hall, Jane East, Sarah Phillips, Ruth Twiss, Alison King, Emma Erentz, Sue Roberts, Selena Ford, Dave Mullins and Tracey Skuse.
The club would like to thank the St John’s Ambulance and all marshals and helpers for making this such a successful day.
There were a number of Hogweeds lined up for the start of the Bath Half Marathon, including some debutants, and many left with a new pb.
First member to finish was Will Gray who was 167th in 1.22.19 with Dave Wintle next in 1.25.09 and, in his first half marathon, Richard King 1.25.59.
There was a sizable group who finished under 1h40m including Davey Gynn with a pb of 1.37.32, Bob Emery 1.38.45, Sharon Wilkie 1.39.01, Martin Young 1.39.03 with a pb by 8minutes, Mark Stephenson 1.39.24 and Rachel Bennett 1.39.57.
Rebecca Dainton was next in 1.53.24 ahead of Ian Freestone 1.54.20 [pb] Alan Wilcox 1.58.11 and Kim Freestone 2.01.02.
Serena Griffiths came home in 2.09.05 while Julie Higgs, in her first half marathon, 2.51.43 and Christine Stephenson 2.51.44 ran the course together.
Next week the action switches to Horton for The Hogweed Hilly Half. There will be entries accepted on the day, for further details see www.hogweedtrotters.co.uk.
The Castle Combe Motor Racing circuit is the venue for both the Chilly 10k race and also for the Big Adventure Store Chilly Duathlon.
Most Hogweeds chose to compete in one event but Rachel Bennett decided that while she was there she might as well race in both. She was the first Hogweed finisher at the 10k in 47.24 and then completed the Duathlon in 65.41. Richard Powell put in an impressive performance in the Duathlon, finishing as 2nd MV50 in 56.11.
Others to race in the 10k, which includes three laps of the race track, included Andrew Payne and Tony Batty, who finished close together in 52.25 and 52.37. Julie Doyle confirmed her recent improved form by setting a new personal best by over 1 ½ minutes of 60.56, ahead of Pauline Fletcher 67.14, Ruth Conlon 70.01 and in her first race, Thelma Garner 74.58.
At the recent round of the Bridge Inn series of 5k races Sharon Wilkie, in her first ever race at this distance, finished in 21.58 whilst Dom Hurford crossed the line one second later in 21.59 setting a new best by a sizeable margin.
The Bourton on the Water 10k features several laps of the picturesque Cotswold village. Richard King didn’t have much time to admire the architecture as he powered home in 39.51 with James Tyack next in 40.59. Dom Hurford, in his second event of the week, finished in 44.46 ahead of Lee Masters 48.01 and Rob Smith 49.07.
There was a good turnout of eager Hogweeds running at the Tough Ten at Weston Super Mare. First club member was Stefan Brittain who finished 89th in 1.08.02 just ahead of Chris Martin 1.08.22. Next across the line was Jeremy Cross in 1.13.04 who was followed in by our first lady, Sharon Wilkie 1.16.00, Ian Harrison 1.16.15 and Andy Cleave 1.17.05.
Other Hogweed finishers produced good performances including Alan Wilcox 1.18.45, Neil Paice 1.20.47, Jason Walsh 1.21.10, Gary Weeks 1.21.18, Paul Chard 1.24.21, Paul Clarke 1.27.45, Nicola Paice 1.28.49, Hayley Brock 1.32.55, Mike Evans 1.34.11 and Serena Griffiths 1.40.49.
Stefan Brittain was also in action at the Hestercombe Humdinger 9.5 mile race near Taunton, which he finished in 1.05.35 ahead of Lee Masters in 1.18.14. Lee was another with two races in close succession as he also completed the Yeovil, rather than Machu Pichu, version of the Inca Trail in 1.06.30.
The Triathlon season has started again and Ron White was quick out of the blocks at the Cirencester Duathlon, which he finished in 1.29.45.
At the latest round of the Weston Prom Races Chris Lewis finished 53rd in 34.14 with Michelle Edgell 170th in 47.33.
Pride of place this week goes to brother and sister Hogweeds, Ronan and Donna Conlon who both successfully completed the winter Tough Guy event. This is definitely not for the faint hearted or sane as it includes crawling through water filled tunnels, jumping across fire pits and wading through chest high sections of ice-covered water, among countless other hazards.
Ronan completed the course in 479th place in 1.57.44 with Donna, one of a select band of lady competitors, finishing in 3.32.49.
Alan Wilcox took part in the rather less extreme Burnham on Sea 5k, finishing 35th in 22.35 minutes.
Three members ran at the scenic Longleat 10k, which avoids any of the animal enclosures but includes plenty of hills to keep things interesting. Andrew Payne finished the course in 53.13, ahead of Catherine Harries 57.16 and Tony Batty 58.06.
A larger group competed at the Dursley Dozen, a tough, scenic race taking in woodlands, mud and hills in its 12 miles. David Parkin finished in an impressive 80th place in 1.37.47 ahead of Pat Hall in 1.51.04, with Martin Young in close contact in 1.51.39.
Rachel Bennett, our only lady competitor, crossed the line in 1.55.46 with Gary Clarke 2.02.15, in one of his first races as a Hogweed, and Martin Cook 2.12.57 a little further back.
Members of the Hogweed Trotters gathered, in their smartest race T-shirts, to celebrate the club’s achievements for 2009. There have been many memorable performances over this year with numerous personal goals achieved.
The main award this year was richly deserved, as Lee Pattison was crowned Club Champion. He has produced a string of fine runs culminating in winning the Falklands Marathon.
Bill Shackcloth won “Triathlete of the year” for his silver medal in the MV65 category at the European Championships. The cross-country awards went to Ange Martin for a battling run on her leg of the Cotswold Way Relay and to Will Grey for his 1st MV40 at the Sodbury Slog.
Both half marathon winners set bests at the Cardiff Half with John Curtis finishing inside 90 minutes for the first time and Rachel Bennett, whose times have improved dramatically. Ruth Conlon and James Tyack won the marathon awards for impressive debuts at London and Loch Ness respectively.
Michelle Edgell and Nigel Burford won the short race awards, Michelle for many bests at the Bridge Inn 5k series and Nigel for a storming run at the interclub mob match.
The Peter Pan award, for our more seasoned members, was won by Jenny McCallum who won a hatful of LV60 awards, while Julie Higgs won the novice award for her sensational performance at the Cirencester 10k.
Dave Morgan won the dastardly Black Dog award, by abandoning his wife at the Benidorm half marathon, when she dropped out. Lee Masters won the Laurence award for exaggerating injuries. At the London Marathon, he told everyone about his numerous injury problems and then set a pb!
Vic Garner and David Wells won the Super Hero and Founders awards respectively, for services to the club, who would like to thank the many sponsors of these awards.
Sponsors included
It’s always interesting to take part in the first running of a new race and a number of Hogweed Trotters were lined up for the start of the Moorland 10k, based at the Avon Disabled Riding Centre. The going was heavy on the off road sections, but Peter Willoughby managed the conditions well to finish 8th in 43.22 [1st MV60] He was followed home by Alan Wilcox 53.42, Anne Draper 65.12 and Rob Smith, who managed to get left off the results.
A few days later Peter Willoughby was again in action at the latest round of the Bridge Inn 5k series, which he finished in 19.25 [2nd MV60]. Nigel Burford 19.50 was just ahead of Chris Lewis 19.59 with our only lady finisher Michelle Edgell crossing the line in 27.51.
The Lliswerry 8mile, near Newport, is a flat and fast road race, which always attracts a high quality field. Lee Masters was our only runner this year and he finished in 61.47.
The Slaughterford 9 is a race that always fills up well in advance with runners who enjoy steep hills, mud and running through rivers in winter. Chris Martin finished 45th in 68.18, nearly 10 minutes ahead of the next club member. Andy Cleave was next in 77.08 followed by Darryl Davies in 83.21. Neil and Nicola Paice were our next two finishers in 83.34 and 91.56 with Paul Clark completing our contingent in 95.42.
As more events take place and running conditions improve a number of Hogweed Trotters have been out and about competing recently.
Stuart Wilkie started 2010 well at the first round of the Wellingborough multi terrain 10k series where he finished 5th in 39.15.
Dave Wintle was also pleased with his performance at the Gloucester Marathon which he finished in 3h9m, his fastest time for several years.
Conditions for the Weston Prom 5mile were fairly typical for this time of year with rain and strong winds. Chris Lewis came home in 35.10 ahead of Michelle Edgell in 48.30.
A large group of Hogweeds took on the Riverbank Rollick; around 9miles of mud, hills and yet more mud, leading from Thornbury, along by the River Severn and back. This race can really find you out if you’ve let your training slip over Christmas.
This was clearly not the case for Peter Willoughby who added another MV60 award to his growing collection by finishing 30th in 65.13. Chris Martin and Jeremy Cross were next to finish, both in 68.54 with Richard Powell and Paul Chappell also close together in 70.02 and 70.06. If they’d looked back they might have glimpsed Nigel Burford in 70.44 with Ian Rowland next in 76.15.
Sharon Wilkie was first lady Hogweed as she recorded the same time as Lee Masters in 79.40. After this the Hogweed finishers came thick and fast; Gary Clarke 84.12, Martin Young 84.18, Ange Martin 85.10 and Jo Wilson 85.41. Helen Crook 92.58 just held off Paul Chard 95.03 with another group of ladies close behind, namely Jenny McCallum 95.18 [2nd LV60], Lorraine Palmer 95.19, Geraldine Bates 95.21 and Nicola Paice 99.46.
Following an evening of over indulgence what could be better to clear the cobwebs and start 2010 than a bracing country walk or maybe a brisk run at the seaside.
A number of Hogweed Trotters opted for the latter, at the Weston Hangover 10k, which follows country lanes around Kewstoke.
Stuart Wilkie was the first club member to finish, coming 37th in 40.44 and he was followed home in close order by Tim Lund; 42:52, Chris Lewis; 44:46, Dom Hurford; 45:33 and Geoff Partridge, who finished his first race as a Hogweed in 46:22.
Rachel Bennett was our first lady finisher and she recorded a time of 48:12 in her first 10k race. Michelle Edgell, who seems to take part in more races than any of our other ladies, crossed the line in 1:01:23.
Lee Masters found another hilly, winter, off road race to run, this time on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall. Conditions out on the moor were difficult across frozen ground but to compensate there were views across to Lundy Island from the top. The lure of a log fire and cheerful bar at the finish meant that Lee recorded a time of 1:09:10 for the 7.1 miles.
On Boxing Day nearly a thousand runners put the mince pies to one side and converged on Clevedon for the annual 4mile race. Chris Lewis was first Hogweed to finish, crossing the line in 28.02 ahead of Michelle Edgell, who finished in 38.51.
At the 3rd race of the St Mary’s Aquathlon series, held at Calne in Wiltshire, Ali Ramsey was the only club member in action. She finished the 400metre swim and 5k run in a combined time of 30.13, which placed her as 2nd woman. Having set a new best for the swimming section the change from a warm pool to –1degrees for the run came as a nasty shock!
Lee Masters took part in the first Warminster Plain Crazy, which included; in it’s 12+ miles, stretches of Salisbury Plain, the abandoned village of Imber and some very steep inclines. The strong headwind slowed times considerably but Lee finished in a creditable 1.44.54.
There was an impressive late season crop of Hogweeds along the prom at Weston super Mare for the “Christmas Cracker” 10k race. The club members included 7 married couples, all trying desperately hard to beat their other half.
Peter Willoughby won the MV60 award finishing in 38.53 while Chris Martin crossed the line in 40.09, just one position and 6 seconds ahead of John Curtis. Pat Curtis won the LV50 category in 43.51 holding off Lee Masters in 43.58.
After this Hogweeds finished thick and fast including Jonathan Phillips 44.04, Anthony Febry 44.46, Chris Lewis 45.03, Mike Froggatt 45.19, Dom Hurford 46.02, Neil Paice 46.43, Ange Martin 47.18 and Jason Bidwell 47.44.
Zoe Harley 51.01 was next finisher ahead of Becky Dainton 52.52, Paul Clark 53.27 and Helen Crook 53.32. Hayley Brock finished in 53.44 one second ahead of Sonia Cross and Nicola Paice while Martin Wood and Donna Conlon both recorded a time of 54.22.
Other Hogweed finishers included Rebecca Febry 56.01, Julie Froggatt 58.31, Claire Searle 58.37, Serena Griffiths 61.22, Mark Hill 61.48, Ruth Twiss 62.54, Gill Johnson 62.57, Michelle Edgell 63.07, Rachel Hill 63.24, Helen Young 63.25, Ruth Conlon 68.23, Julie Doyle 69.03, Christine Stephenson 69.26, Margaret Chandler 70.30, Pauline Fletcher 73.20, Jan Mcall 73.29 and Jo Wood 79.12.
Two Hogweeds ran rather farther away from the sea in the recent Luton marathon with Stuart Wilkie finishing in 3h28m and Duncan Macarthur setting a new best of 3h57m.
The Hogweeds Christmas meal was held recently at the Beaufort Hunt in Hawkesbury Upton. Everyone enjoyed the evening and the raffle in aid of the Air Ambulance, organised by Dave Mullins and Mark Wolf, raised over £150.
A group of seasoned performers from the Hogweed Trotters set off for some Spanish sun and an early winter break when they competed at the Benidorm Half Marathon.
Peter Willoughby was the first to finish in 1.26.20, which placed him as 3rd MV60. Dom Hurford set a new best of 1.41.37 ahead of Jenny McCallum who was 2nd LV55 in 1.50.35. Next finisher was Paul Denton in 1.50.47, Alison Woods set a new best of 1.52.03 and Jeff Flynn also finished under 2 hours in 1.54.04.
Other club members included Barbara Denton 2.12.37, Stephen Chandler 2.20.16, David Morgan 2.26.02, Ann Hudson 2.31.51 and, club chairman, Bob Bell 2.31.59.
Lee Pattison also headed for some sunshine and spectacular scenery at the Cyprus Four Day Challenge. This consisted of a 6km time trial, an 11km up hill trail run with 800m of ascents, a 1/2 Marathon hilly trail run and a 10km road race. Lee finished 16th out of 187 entrants in a total time of 3:29:16.
The Downton Half Marathon in Wiltshire, on the other hand, was held in very wet conditions and the hilly route meant personal bests were few and far between. Nick Woodhill produced a good performance to come 22nd in 1.29.41. Alan Wilcox was next Hogweed in 1.52.11 while the two ladies, Hayley Brock and Sonia Cross recorded times of 2.07.35 and 2.10.18.
At the third round of the Burnham on Sea 5k series Alan Wilcox finished 30th in 22.23 and in Benidorm, Martin Wood finished the Running Crazy 10k in 5th position with a time of 54 minutes.
At the Forest of Dean Trail series runners have the choice of three distances ranging from 5.4k to 15.4k. John Curtis finished 6th in the 10.4k event which meant that he won the MV50 category. Jenny McCallum was also a winner, this time in the LV60 age group, finishing in 52.45 ahead of Hayley Brock 57.18 and Nicola Rushton 1.02.00. Nigel Burford opted for the 15.4k distance, coming 18th in 1.07.47.
The Castle Coombe Duathlon was held around the motor race circuit. First Hogweed to finish was Paul Chappell who was 5th MV50 in 55.02 with Richard Powell 6th MV50 not far back in 56.37. Ali Ramsey was next home in 1.03.56 ahead of Philippa Crocker in 1.15.40. Philippa clearly had some energy left as she also competed in the 10k race and time trial.
There was only one club member at the latest round of the Bridge Inn 5k series but Ian Harrison ran well to record a time of 21.31.
The “Beastly Feast” in Worcester is an 11k multi terrain race with obstacles, mud, ditches and water. The mud and water were in ample supply but despite the conditions Lee Masters made it to the finish in 58.00 minutes.
The Ridgeway has been used as roadway since 3000BC but very few people have travelled the complete 82 miles in just three days. The Druid Ultra Challenge is a three day event from Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire to Barbury Castle in Wiltshire which travels along the full distance of The Ridgeway. Chris Lewis finished the course in 16h34mins coming an impressive 43rd.
At the Cirencester off road Duathlon, which includes two runs and a cycle section, Lee Masters finished as 7th male in 46.29 with Ali Ramsey coming 5th female in 54.57.
Off road action was also “enjoyed” by a group of Hogweeds at the Saab Salomon 10mile race at Bordon in Hampshire. This race consisted of some of the muddiest, boggiest terrain imaginable but out of the 856 finishers Chris Martin came 101st in 1.27.00 ahead of brother in law Neil Paice who finished in 1.41.12. Ange Martin was next in 1.50.20 with Nicola Paice 2.00.35 and Paul Clarke 2.05.11 performing well in challenging conditions.
The going was definitely firmer around the Castle Combe race circuit for the H30 Pro 10k race. First club member was Peter Willoughby in 39.38 followed by Lee Masters 42.59 and Dom Hurford 45.25.
Conditions were definitely warmer at the Ironman World Championships in Tampa Bay Florida. Ron White qualified earlier this year and took up his place at the start. The swimming was held in the harbour due to a recent hurricane followed by the cycle section and the final run. He finished in a combined time of 5h14m45s, despite a leg injury during the run, and hopes to be back in 2010.
Some people spend a fortune on expensive mud treatments while others apply mud by running the Sodbury Slog. If this years race is anything to go by members of the Hogweed Trotters will have beautiful skin, as over 60 club members took part.
First home was Will Gray who finished 11th in 59.23 as 1st MV40. Peter Willoughby was 1st MV60 coming 45th in 1.03.48 while Justin Littlechild, just returning to running after a serious accident, finished in 1.04.22.
Members to finish in the first 100 out of 1000+ runners were Chris Martin 1.06.05, Adrian Pook 1.06.07 and Stuart Wilkie 1.06.52.
James Tyack 1.07.34 and John Curtis 1.07.35 finished together with Richard Powell 1.07.58 and Nigel Burford 1.09.07 close behind. After this Hogweeds came in thick and fast including Richard King 1.09.59, Jeremy Cross 1.10.19, Stephen Pinker 1.10.33, Pat Curtis 1.10.38, Ian Harrison 1.12.26, Anthony Febry 1.14.00, Ronan Conlon 1.14.26 and Chris Gardner 1.14.50.
Runners to finish under 1½ hours included Ian Rowland 1.16.01, Mark Stephenson 1.17.27, Lee Masters 1.18.30, James Darling 1.19.45, Neil Paice 1.20.27, Pat Hall 1.21.39, Sharon Wilkie 1.23.16, Martin Young 1.23.39, Ange Martin 1.23.57, Andy Cooknell 1.24.52 and Paul Chard 1.25.46.
Other Hogweeds to cross the finishing line and take a well earned shower were John Perrrett, Mark Hutchinson, Dom Hurford, Ed Stevens, Paul Becker, Rachel Bennett, Martin Cook, Pete Connors, Ben Bonnick, Sandra Killen Rob Smith, Nicola Paice, Niall Stewart, Lorraine Palmer, Alan Wilcox, Liz Ford, Sarah Tremlin, Anthony Batty and Andrew Payne.
The further down the field the muddier the runners appeared and the following were no exceptions; Anne Draper, Hayley Brock, Nicola Rushton, Bill Bretherton in his 10th slog, Dave Dutton, John Wheeler, Donna Conlon, Michelle Edgell, Lynette Bonnick, Mark Hill, Kate Hoskins, Sue Hutchinson, Serena Griffiths, Suzanne Mundy and Tracy Marchant.
The Dublin Marathon, this year, attracted over 12,500 runners including the Hogweed Trotters’ Peter Willoughby. He finished the race in a time of 3h10m36s, which was a best by a massive 35minutes and placed him as 2nd MV60.
A marathon is a tough enough experience and is doubly so when the course is set around Mount Snowdon. This year gale force winds and rain greeted the runners including Pat Hall and Duncan Macarthur who finished in 4.15.27 and 4.35.27 respectively. The organisers held a minutes silence before the race in memory of Kevin McConville, who was training for this race at the time of his death.
A group of club members competed rather closer to home and over a shorter distance at Round 2 of the Bridge Inn winter series. Chris Martin was first Hogweed in 19.20 with Chris Lewis 19.54 and Nigel Burford 20.16 in close contact. Ali Ramsey 21.06 lead in the ladies who included, Ange Martin 24.39, Nicola Paice 26.32, Hayley Brock 26.59 and Michelle Edgell 29.11.
“Over the Hills” is a 12k multi terrain race around Bradford on Avon including stretches along the towpath, across fields, through a river and as the name suggests, over a number of hills. First Hogweed finisher, again, was Chris Martin who was 36th out of 240, in 55m45s, with Neil Paice 66m43s and Jason Bidwell 68m a little further back. Our only lady was Nicola Paice in 73m39s, who managed to hold off the challenge of Niall Stewart 76m48s.
Hogweed Trotters at the Cardiff Half Marathon produced many good performances. First to finish were John [8th MV50] and Pat Curtis [3rd LV50], in PBS of 1.27.39 and 1.31.39. Emma French was next in 1.44.11 ahead of Alan Wilcox 1.47.34 who, just held off Rebecca Dainton 1.47.49.
Rachel Bennett set a best of 1.48.28 with Mike Evans next in 1.56.44. Michelle Edgell was another Pb, in 2.12.52 while Jo Healey came home in 2.24.30.
Some members clearly preferred something further and Julian Lewis finished the Abingdon Marathon in 3.03.33, [96th out of over 700]. Ray Maddock’s time of 3.25.17 meant he finished as 3rd MV60.
Chris Lewis ran the challenging Dartmoor Vale Marathon finishing 33rd in a Pb of 3.38.30. He also fitted in a round of the Weston Prom 5mile series where he set a Pb of 33.36.
A bouquet of Hogweeds could be seen at the Stroud Half Marathon where Will Gray turned in a fast time of 1.22.38 finishing 58th out of 1700. Chris Martin continued his good form, finishing in 1.29.40 with Nigel Burford close behind in 1.32.38.
Amanda Richardson was first club lady in 1.36.25 and Vic Garner finished as 2nd MV60 in 1.36.27. Runners to break 1h50m included Liz Ford 1.41.09, Neil Paice 1.44.21, Ange Martin 1.45.18, Zoe Harley 1.47.18 and Jason Bidwell 1.49.26.
Jenny McCallum lifted the LV60 award in 1.50.40 with Sharon Wilkie 1.50.55 and Sue Leydon 1.51.21 not far behind.
Hogweed finishers inside 2 hours included Becky Dainton 1.53.33, Alison Woods 1.53.47, Paul Chard 1.54.56, Nicola Paice 1.54.57, Katie Pinnington 1.57.51, Sandra Killen 1.58.05, Martin Cook 1.58.22 and Julie Froggatt 1.58.30.
Other to complete the course included Claire Searle, Ben and Lynette Bonnick, Sonia Cross, Jo Parry, Sarah Tremlin, Sue Mundy, Dirk van Eeden, Nicola Rushton, Hayley Brock, John Wheeler and Colin Axford.
The “Hogweed Muggles” range from 5 to 15 miles, including some of the most attractive scenery and challenging hills in the area.
The 15mile “Major” was won by Richard Hathaway in 2.00.47, 2 seconds ahead of Martin Townsend. Winning lady was Carole Phillips in 2.21.25. First Hogweed was Mark Pyke 7th in 2.12.58, followed by James Tyack 2.25.44 and Lee Masters 2.26.54. For Lee Pattison it was a case of what might have been, for, when leading the race he took a wrong turn and didn’t finish.
The 10mile race winner was Matt Marshall in 1.12.21, with Adrian Pook of Hogweed Trotters 2nd in 1.18.59. The first lady was Karen Skye, 1.27.55. Hogweed finishing well up included Chris Martin 1.23.03 [6th], Andy May 1.23.33 [7th], Jeremy Cross 1.24.07 [8th] and Nick Woodhill1.27.16 [10th].
Other club members were Vic Garner 1.27.57 [2nd MV60], Neil Paice 1.31.14, Gary Weeks 1.33.01, Jo Wilson 1.37.29, Dave Masters 1.43.36 and Pete Connors 1.48.35.
Anthony Glover of Hogweed Trotters won the “Mini” in 33.20 while Heather Graz was first lady in 43.08. Simon Spedding was 9th in 40.30 ahead of Mark Stephenson 42.48, Paul Chard 47.14 and Laura Buet 49.06.
Lorraine Palmer and Geraldine Bates finished in 51.17 and 51.19, ahead of Ruth and Niall Stewart in 52.14 and 53.52. Christine Stephenson, Harry Minas and Tania Kirstis completed the Hogweed contingent.
There was also Hogweed success at the Horton Winter Bull Run, which Anthony Glover won in 37.32 with Lee Pattison 3rd in 38.00.
Chris Martin 42.43, John Curtis 43.34, Chris Lewis 44.05, Pat Curtis 44.34, Anthony Febry 45.38 and Nigel Burford 46.13 all finished in the first 20.
Others finishers included Rob Smith, Ruth and Niall Stewart, Jenny McCallum, Anne Draper, David Wells, Ray Mardle, Angie Martin, Rebecca Febry, Ian Rowland, Bill Bretherton, Jane East and Dave Morgan.
Three Hogweed Trotters grabbed some late season Triathlon action, with Martin Young finishing the Warwickshire Triathlon in 1:17:50 and the shorter Cheltenham Lido Triathlon, in 58:48.
Richard Powell won the MV50 category at the Marlow “Rowers Revenge” event, which included static rowing, cycling and running, in 1.30.47. He was also the MV50 champion at the Castle Combe Summer Series and took home an attractive glass trophy.
Ali Ramsey competed at the Forest of Dean Duathlon, which included 2.5k runs and a 15k bike ride, finishing in 1:17:27.
The Burnham on Sea Half Marathon has always been well supported by Hogweeds and this year Nick Woodhill was the first club member in a fast 1.24.37.
Rob Smith was next in 1.51.29, ahead of Andrew Payne 2.01.43 and Tony Batty 2.03.42.
Neil and Nicola Paice ran at the hilly, off road Marshfield Mudlark. This event was rather less muddy this year and they recorded fast times of 58:34 and 1:07:58.
The Oldbury 10 mile road race attracts a competitive field, including Lee Pattison who was 3rd MV40 in 61.32. Sue Leydon lead in the ladies in 1.22.23, just ahead of Jenny McCallum 1.22.43 [1st LV60]. Sandra Killen was next home in 1.26.07, followed by Martin Cook 1.30.34, John Wheeler in 1.32.11 and Michelle Edgell in 1.51.48.
James Tyack completed his first marathon at Loch Ness, in 3:34:10. Dave Wintle is rather more seasoned at this distance and his latest event was at Leicester where he finished in 3h 31m. At the same venue Alan Wilcox completed the half marathon in 1h47m.
The challenging Eden marathon and half marathons, in Cornwall, also attracted Hogweeds, with Adrian Pook finishing the marathon in 3.40.57, ahead of Lee Masters, 3.54.47. Ali Ramsey was 3rd senior lady at the half in 1.47.10 with Rebecca Dainton finishing in 2.01.17.
Over the years many famous feet have tramped through Cirencester, ranging from the Roman Legions to, more recently, the well heeled, attending the polo. There were ten equally distinguished Hogweeds lined up in the park for the start of the Cirencester 10k. Chris Lewis was the first to complete the course in 43.42 ahead of Mark Stephenson 45.13, with Jeff Farrish dipping under 50 minutes in 49.40. Zoe Harley set a new best of 50.21 with Sue Leydon close behind in 51.34.
Cindy Peters, in her first 10k, finished in 67.12 with Margaret Chandler 70.31 and Ruth Conlon 70.39 a little further back. Julie Higgs finished in a new best, by a massive 10 minutes, of 72.20 just ahead of Christine Stephenson 72.48.
There were good performances and also some personal bests at the first round of the Bridge Inn 5k Winter series. Lee Pattison lead the way in 17.33 with Chris Martin 19.07, Chris Lewis 19.51 and Nigel Burford 19.56 all finishing under 20 minutes. Ian Harrison crossed the line in 20.15 ahead of our three ladies, Angie Martin 23.20, Nicola Rushton 25.05 and Nicola Paice 25.28.
At the Blackland Downs Challenge 7.25 mile race Ali Ramsey finished 9th in an impressive 56:06, which meant she was 2nd lady overall.
Much further north, by the shores of Loch Ness, six Hogweed Trotters braved the 26 miles and the possibility of strange, unearthly sights to run the Loch Ness Marathon. First across the finish line was Andy May, in a fast time of 3.14.39, followed by Dave Wintle 3.20.02, who clearly found the Scottish air to his liking. Dom Hurford broke the 4hour mark to finish in 3.54.09 with Simon Hemmings 4.04.22, Jeff Farrish, 4.07.21 and Steve Weeks 4.25.27 all producing fine performances.
“Four go down to Dorset,” may sound like the title of a long lost Enid Blyton book, but it also describes the Hogweed representation at the 12k Studland Stampede.
This race features more than its fair share of hills along undulating coastal paths, it crosses a beach and passes some rather surprised naturists at the 11k mark!
Chris Lewis completed the course in 57.53 with Jenny McCallum and Sandra Killen finishing close together in 70.57 and 71 minutes, while Michelle Edgell came home in 88.51.
The Sherston 10k is rather closer to Chipping Sodbury but is also held over a hilly course. All our runners finished close together with Hayley Brock 55.13 just holding off Sonia Cross 55.18. Jo Parry crossed the line in 56.21 ahead of Nicola Rushton 57.40.
The Portishead 10k follows the coast along paths and roads and this year Ali Ramsey was our only entrant. She was pleased with her time of 47.37 which made her the 4th lady overall. Richard Powell was also our only entrant at the King Alfred’s Torment, 7mile race at Stourhead in Wiltshire. He was 20th in a time of 53.33 and went home with a certificate and a “burnt cake” for his pains. Mells in Somerset is close to Stourhead and is also home to a 7mile trail race, which includes some steep sections. Martin Wood ran a best for the course of 62.19 with Ted Atkins finishing in 68minutes.
Dave Wintle ran considerably further in the New Forest Marathon, which he completed in 3hrs 26mins but he hopes for a better time at the Loch Ness Marathon next week.
Posted on: 20 September 2009
Members of the Hogweed Trotters Running Club have been shocked and saddened, this week, by the sudden death of club member Kevin McConville at his home in Chipping Sodbury. He had been a Hogweed for 8 years, including 3 years when he worked in the USA, and had represented the club at many events. He will be sorely missed by his many running friends, for his enthusiasm, dedication and sense of humour.
Hogweeds who have competed recently have all done so far from home. At the Great North Run in Newcastle Pat and John Curtis finished together in a time of 1.36.29, which placed Pat as 7th LV50. Pat Hall came home in 1.50.42 ahead of our next two ladies; Carole Neale 2.25.15 and Tracy Marchant 2.28.03. Mark Wolf and Harry Minas were our remaining finishers in 3.26.20 and 3.45.00 respectively.
Stuart Wilkie ran at the Bedford Harriers 10k coming 32nd in 40.18.
Simon Spedding raced at the Tatton Park Triathlon in Manchester, where the run section was off road. He finished in a combined time of 2.11.57, which placed him as 25th finisher [2nd MV45] out of 700.
Half Marathon action, this week, turned to the sunny, quiet and scenic lanes east of Chippenham.
Leading Hogweed, in 37th place, was Julian Lewis, who finished in 1:23:36, just managing to hold off the challenge of Paul Becker 45th in 1:24:45 and Andy May 73rd in 1.27.11.
Geoff Doyle 1:31:42, finished ahead of Ray Maddock, whose time of 1:33:01 made him 2nd MV60. Mark Stephenson 1:38:22 and Vic Garner 1.39.00 4th MV60 both recorded fast times. A group of club members including Jo Phillips 1.43.11, Scott Leonard 1.45.07, Stephen Pinker 1.45.29 lead home first lady, Jo Wilson 1.47.33 with Mark Clements 1.47.47, Emma French 1.48.36 and Liz Ford 1.48.52 all finishing under 1h50m.
Jenny McCallum 1.51.31 was 3rd LV55 ahead of Kay Jones 1:52:10, Martin Cook 1:55:13, Rachel Bennett 1:55:30, Sandra Killen 1:56:49, Paul Chard 1:57:27, Katie Pinnington 1:57:18, Geraldine Bates 1:58:13 and Lorraine Palmer 1:59:00.
A group of Hogweeds including Becky Dainton, Dave Mullins, Sonia Cross, Ray Mardle, Ian Freestone, Martin Wood, Nicola Rushton, and John Wheeler finished just over 2 hours. Other finishers included Sue Mundy, Rachel Hill [pb] Bill Wildish, Mike Brokenshaw, Jo Healey, Pauline Fletcher and Veronica Stanley.
Dave Wintle had his best marathon result for some while when he completed the Nottingham event in 3:14:10 while closer to home Lee Masters set a new best of 1:11:31at the Cotswold Classic 10 mile race.
Some further results from last weeks Bristol Half Marathon were Nick Woodhill 1.25.33, Peter Willoughby 1.27.54 which made him 1st MV60, Andrew Cooknell 1.50.18, Dave Masters 1.58.37 and Becky Dainton 2.03.28.
A team of Helen Crook, Rebecca Febry and Anne Draper took part in the first running of the Uphill to Wells relay. There were six stages and our ladies ran two each, finishing as 2nd lady team in 5hours 32mins.
Autumn; the season of mists, mellow fruitfulness and half marathons. Among many thousands pounding the streets of Bristol were a good smattering of Hogweed Trotters, anxious to see if their summer training had paid off.
First Hogweed was Mark Pyke in 1.27.26, ahead of the consistent pairing of John Curtis pb of 1.28.26 and Chris Martin 1.29.52.
Stefan Brittain, in one of his first races in Hogweed colours, finished in 1.30.26 with Dave Wintle 1.32.22 and James Tyack 1.34.14 in close contact. Pat Curtis was our first lady in a personal best of 1.35.22, ahead of Ronan Conlon 1.38.03, another with a new best time.
Ian Harrison 1.42.07, Dom Hurford 1.43.35 [pb] and Angie Martin 1.46.02 [pb] all finished inside 1hr50 and a large group including Sue Leydon 1.51.44, Rachel Bennett 1.52.54 [pb], Neil Paice 1.53.32, Paul Clark 1.56.46, Andy Lathall 1.57.15, Zoe Harley 1.57.16 and Dirk van Eeden 1.59.34 all dipped under 2hours.
Other finishers included Alan Wilcox 2:00:50, Serena Griffiths 2:06:00, Sue Roberts 2:10:57, Kate Hoskins 2:17:18, Tracey Skuse 2:20:26, Ruth Conlon 2:34:58 and Andy Williams 2:36:34.
At the slightly less busy Pewsey Vale Half Marathon Lee Masters finished 112th in 1.40.57 with Dirk van Eeden a little further back in 2.02.30.
At the AXA 5 mile road race, held in heavy rain, Lee Pattison won the MV40 category in 33.33. John Curtis was 43rd in 35.40 ahead of Paul Kent 37.44, Lee Masters 38.04 and Chris Lewis 39.00.
Other Hogweeds included John Conway 40.22, Gary Bircher 43.03, Ali Ramsey, our first lady finisher, in 43.19, Martin Cook 45.15, Tracey Skuse 49.24 and Michelle Edgell 50.58.
Ali Ramsey ran a 10k pb in 45:34 at the Westonbirt Tree Trot finishing as 3rd lady while Lee Masters came 12th at the hilly11.3 mile Hay Hill Raiser in 1.24.23.
Eilmur of Malmesbury is remembered for making a flight from the tower of Malmesbury Abbey in 1010. He covered 200 metres, using his homemade wings, before he crashed to earth, breaking both legs.
Fortunately for the Hogweed Trotters, competing at the Malmesbury triathlon, the usual disciplines of swimming, cycling and running were all that was required and no similar injuries were recorded.
Simon Spedding led the way, finishing 19th in a combined time of 68.05. Ian Rowland was next across the line in 71.45, holding off Ron White whose time of 72.01 earned him the award of 1st M55.
First Hogweed lady was Ali Ramsey in 82.26 with Alistair Poole in close company in 84.31. John Perrett was the next club member home in 94.51 with Nicola Rushton, in her first triathlon, finishing in 99.58. Jenny McCallum was the final Hogweed, but her time of 104.57 meant that she won the F60 age group, in only her second competition.
Hyde Park in London will be the venue for the 2012 Olympic Triathlon and it was also where Ron White competed at the ITU World Championship Series. He completed the three disciplines in 1h 14m 40s which placed him as clear winner of the MV55-59 age group. His recent performances have meant that he has been selected for the British Triathlon team for the sprint distance at the European Championships, which will be held in Ireland in 2010.
At the recent Castle Combe race circuit 10k race Dom Hurford finished 56th in 45minutes exactly, which meant he missed setting a new personal best by 1 second. Katerina Sveder Cain was our only lady runner and she came home in 61.35.
Most Hogweed action this week has involved our intrepid triathletes. Five members took part in the August round of the Castle Combe Duathlon series, around the motor race circuit, with Simon Spedding coming 29th in 49.47 minutes. Ed Stevens and Richard Powell were the next two finishers in 54.41 and 56.03 ahead of Mandy Spedding who was 3rd LV in 57.45. Ali Ramsey finished in 57.53 and a few days later she was competing again at the Pewsey Triathlon event, where she was 3rd lady in 1h33m59s.
Some members sharpened up their swimming skills, competing in the 3.8km sea swim at Bournemouth. Simon Spedding finished in 75 minutes with Steve Eastaugh Waring in close contact in 79 minutes and Ed Stevens next in 116 minutes.
Simon Spedding also competed near Tewkesbury at the Hardwick sprint triathlon, which included a 750m swim in an extremely weedy lake. Fortunately there were no large reptiles lurking and he survived to also complete the cycling and running sections, finishing in 25th place [5th MV50]
At the hilly, 10mile Standish Woodland Chase, event, held near Stroud, Nigel Burford was the first Hogweed, finishing 43rd in 72.24 ahead of Lee Masters in 75.23. Our two lady runners finished close together, Jenny McCallum in 98.36 and Sonia Cross in 99.02.
At the recent Bridge Inn 5K series Angie Martin was the overall LV35 winner, a fantastic result that reflects her much improved form this year.
The Hogweed Trotters 5k championship took place recently at the Bitton Series with Lee Pattison [2nd MV40] being crowned as this year’s champion in a time of 18.00. Will Gray was next to finish in 18.26 ahead of John Curtis [2nd MV50] in 19.12 and Nigel Burford 20.02. Chris Lewis 20.26 held off the challenge of Vic Garner [2nd MV60] 20.34 and Lee Masters 20.36 before Amanda Richardson [2nd LV40] finished as first lady in 20.39.
Ali Poole made a welcome return to racing in 20.43, just beating Pat Curtis [1st LV50] in 20.45. Other finishers included John Conway 21.39, Dean Masters 21.56, Dom Hurford 22.10, Jenny McCallum [1st LV60] 23.26, Ian Freestone 23.59, Sandra Killen [2nd LV50] 24.32, Nicola Rushton 25.57, Sonia Cross 25.55, Kim Freestone 26.10 and Michelle Edgell in 27.41.
Two Hogweed lady runners took part in the, very hilly, Bugatti beer race at Winchcombe in Gloucestershire 10k with Angie Martin finishing in 50.34 ahead of Nicola Paice in 53.54. All runners finish with a beer and a burger at the Bugatti Inn, which makes it surprising that more club members didn’t take part!
Andy May completed the Isle of Man marathon in 3.16.44 ahead of Dave Wintle, in 3.41.44.
More Ironman action for the Hogweeds this weekend with two brave souls traveling to Bolton to compete in Ironman UK over the 2.4 mile swim 112 mile bike and 26 mile run. Stuart Wilkie swam 1 43 followed by a 6:53 bike and a 4:45 marathon and with transitions took 13:42 to complete the full distance. Mike Bowes took 1:58 for the swim, 7:37 for the bike and 4:55 for the marathon with a total time of 14:53. Both for both John and Stuart this was their first ever Ironman distance whether they’ll be back for another remains to be seen…….
Earlier in the week over the somewhat shorter race distance of 5k – in fact two thirds of a day shorter! Lee Patison posted 18:02 at the bridge inn race. Not far behind were Nigel Burford (20’29”) and Amanda Richardson (20’37”) hotly pursued by John Conway (21’25”) and Ali Ramsey (22’12”). Other attendees f from the Hogweed ranks were Jenny McCallum (23’19”), Nicola Page (23’52”. Nicola Rushton (25’13”), and Sonia Cross (25’34”).
On the same night as the 5k the forever injured Simon Spedding and sometimes injured Ed Stevens decided to slip into wetsuits to avoid injuries and took on the Ironman challenge (well the swim bit) at Somerford Keynes. Both faired very well completing the 2.4 mile wet-suit swim in 1hr 6 and 1hr 25 respectively.
As the summer holidays approach the usual rush of races arrived before the summer lull in activities. There were216 runners taking part in the Avon Mob match, 32 of which wore the Hogweed vests. First Hogweeds home were Lee Pattison (37’30”) for the men and Amanda Richardson (42’44”) for the ladies. PB’s were recorded for Nigel Burford, Sonia Cross, Ed Stevens and Paul Chard
On Saturday 25th Adrian Pook, Nick Woodhill, and Serena Griffiths flew the hogweed flag at the Gloucester Half marathon and finished in37th, 150th and 330th places respectively with times of 1 hour 30, 1 hour 46 and 2 hours 15.
On Sunday there were an array of Hogweeds at the races. Helen Crook took part in the Summer tough guy and with nasty weather conditions and a time of just under four hours Helen swore it was winter in Wolverhampton! Also taking part was Hogweed strongman Justin Littlechild whose team were carrying a cannon around just for good measure (what some people will do in the name of fun!). Both returned home safe and sore with slight loss of skin and decked out in bruises and mud.
While the Tough guy was on Lee Masters decided to have a go at the Seaview 21 near Minehead completing the course in around 3hrs 45.
Closer to Home was Ali Ramsey, Mandy Spedding and Simon Spedding taking part in the Trowbridge Triathlon. Their respective times for the 400m swim 25km bike and 5km run were 1 hr 38, 1hr 30 and 1hr 16. Closer to home but still in Triathlon world were Peter Willoughby and Martin Young completing the Bristol Triathlon in times of 1hr 26 and 1hr 28 over distances similar to the Trowbridge Triathlon
The Frampton 10k has become increasingly popular recently, although the glass of cider at the finish may have something to do with this!
A group of Hogweeds took part including Julian Lewis, our first finisher in 37.17 [4th MV40]. Chris Lewis was next in 41.22 while Mike Froggatt 44.06 just held off Mark Stephenson 44.12 with Nigel Burford close behind in 44.32.
Dom Hurford was pleased with his pb of 45.36, with Liz Ford 46.38 and Jenny McCallum 48.27 [3rdLV50] finishing as our first ladies.
Jeff Farish 50.56, Sandra Kellen 51.40, Sarah Tremlin 52.35, Julie Froggatt 52.50, Mark Wolf 54.05, Sonia Cross 54.34 and Ray Mardle 54.47 all came in under 60minutes.
Catherine Bowering and Sheila Neal finished together in 70.16 just ahead of Christine Stephenson 70.30. Julie Higgs, in her first race as a Hogweed, finished in 82.35 alongside Linda Williams.
The clubs first venture into organising a Trailquest event was a great success. Organisers Kaye Hall and Anne Draper were pleased with the entries from as far apart as Loughborough and Southampton. Club members Anthony Febry and Ian Rowland, despite numerous nettle stings, finished a very respectable 19th place with John Curtis and Nigel Burford 25th.
Ron White and Bill Shackcloth competed in Holland in the European Triathlon Championships. Bill finished 2nd MV 65/69 while Ron, whose training was hampered by an accident, which ended with a hospital visit, was 9th MV 55/59.
Chris Lewis was our only entrant at the Rose Inn 4mile race held at Redwick near Newport where he was 5th MV35 in 26.23. Dom Hurford also competed in South Wales at the Magor Marsh 10k where he finished in 45.37.
Lee Masters travelled down to Swanage for the half marathon to record a new best of 1.35.52, despite some large inclines during the race.
Castle Combe race circuit was the venue for the recent Monster Duathlon, which consists of three running sections interspersed by two cycling sections. Simon Spedding was the first Hogweed finisher, coming 15th [3rd MV] in 1.29.54, ahead of Paul Chappell who was 23rd in 1.34.12. Other finishers were Richard Powell who was 31st in 1.37.24, Peter Willoughby 81st in 1.48.09 and Paul Chard 97th in 1.59.09.
Paul Chard was also in action at the Chippenham 5k River Run where he finished in 23.26. Our two lady runners finished close together, Charlie Brock crossing the line in 28.28 with Tracey Marchant close behind in 29.11.
The most recent race in the Bitton 5k series attracted a select group of club members with Chris Martin finishing 23rd in 18.53 ahead of Chris Lewis in 20.24 and Angie Martin 22.50.
Angie and Chris Martin also competed at the Wickwar fun run where they won the LV35 and MV35 age groups. Other Hogweeds to see action at this event included Jo Parry, Nicola Rushton, Bill Bretherton and Martin Cook.
The Hogweed Triathletes were among the awards at the first running of the Bradford on Avon Triathlon. First to finish was Simon Spedding who was 3rd MV45 in 67.38 despite an injury while competing. Ron White was 1st MV55 in 69.58 whilst Peter Willoughby won the MV60 category in 79.53. New member Sarah Tremlin was our only lady and she was 88th in 83.55.
This week there have been some fine performances from the Hogweed Trotters despite the hot and humid conditions.
At the Sundays Hill 10k, held along the lanes around Thornbury, Chris Martin [1st MV40] was, once again, first club member in 41.00, holding off the challenge of Peter Willoughby 41.23 [1st MV60]. Chris Lewis 44.17, Scott Leonard 44.21 and Nigel Burford 45.01 came home in close order. Stephen Pinker 48.34 just beat Dom Hurford 48.47 with Alan Wilcox next in 49.21. Angie Martin was our first lady in 49.28 while Jenny McCallum was 1st LV60 in 49.58.
Susan Leydon 51.36 [3rd LV40], Sandra Killen 52.34 [2nd LV50], Lorraine Motuel 53,47, Nicola Paice 54.46, Anthony Griffiths 57.43, Janice McPherson 58.42 and Michelle Edgell 59.30 all finished inside the hour with Serena Griffiths 61.20, John Wheeler 61.42, Dirk van Eeden 62.44 and Mark Wolf 69.28 not far behind.
Some of the same runners also ran at the Nailsea Festival 10k with Chris Lewis our first finisher in 41.48 [39th] followed home by Nicola Paice 54.23 and Michelle Edgell 57.01 [pb].
Lee Pattison performed well at the Bridge Inn 5k, finishing as 3rd MV40 in 18.27, with Chris Lewis 20.05, Andy Cooknell 20.33 and Nigel Burford 21.09 all recording fast times. Angie Martin was 1st LV35 in 23.36 with the prolific Nicola Paice 2nd LV35 in 25.09. Michelle Edgell set another Pb of 27.04.
Adrian Pook was our only entry at the Humph’s Hilly Half at Bourton-on-the-Water where he finished 80th in 1.41.52.
Last weekend 60 Hogweed Trotters made up 6 teams, managed by Steve Weeks, for the Cotswold Way Relay. This consists of 10 stages along the 103 miles from Chipping Campden to Bath and was held in very hot and demanding conditions.
There were many fine individual performances; notably from Justin Littlechild who won the Cleeve Common to Seven Springs leg. Other top 10 finishers were Julian Lewis, Will Gray, Duncan Pearson, Anthony Glover, Steve Eastaugh-Waring and John Parry-Billings.
First Hogweed team, were the Hogweed Hilly Hurtlers [John Billings, Andy May, Justin Littlechild, Steve Eastaugh Waring, Duncan Pearson, Paul Hyams, Mark Stephenson, Chris Martin Will Gray and Julian Lewis.] who were 9th [2nd MV] in a combined time of 13.46.43.
The Intrepid Hogweeds [James Tyack, Stuart Ranshaw, Dave Dutton, Anthony Glover, Jonathan Crook, Paul Chappell, Mark Risdale, Andy Cooknell, Scott Leonard and Rich King] came 23rd in 15.14.51.
The Hogweed Blend [Ali Poole, Lee Masters, Jo Parry, Anthony Febry, Jenny McCallum, Nigel Burford, Gary Weeks, Nigel Trickey, Dave Wintle and Anne Draper] finished 40th in 16.17.02.
The Hogweed Classics 50+ [Rob Smith, Vic Garner, Rothery Harris, John Curtis, Kevin McConville, Ray Maddock, David Wells, Pat Hall, Peter Willoughby and John Clapp] came 47th in 16.44.46.
Our other teams; The Hogweed Belles [Amanda Richardson, Mandy Spedding, Pat Curtis, Jo Wilson, Helen Crook, Kaye Hall, Rebecca Febry, Liz Ford, Zoe Harley and Moya Blue] and The Hogweed Muddled Mudlarks [Steve Weeks, John Conway, Alison Woods, Ronan Conlon, Alan Wilcox, Martin Cook, Sonia Cross, Angie Martin, Neil Hopkins and Paul Chard] finished in 17.04.42 and 17.44.16.
Elsewhere, Simon and Mandy Spedding visited the Far East, namely Essex, for triathlon events. Mandy finished as 1st lady at the Harwich Sprint event in 77.08, whilst Simon was 1st MV45 at the Harwich Olympic Distance event in 2.28.29.
Pride of place this week, goes to six Hogweed Triathletes who competed on Exmoor in the Wimbleball Half Ironman competition. This is reputed to be the Worlds Toughest Half Ironman and is a qualifier for the world championship in Florida. After a delayed start, due to fog, the race developed with Justin Littlechild crossing the line in 5h36m39s ahead of Ron White in 6h3m45s. Ron was 1st MV55 and is, at present, the only British MV55 triathlete qualified for the world championships. Stuart Wilkie finished in 6h20m39s ahead of a battle between Ben Bonnick and Mike Bowes who finished in 7h11m15s and 7h15m14s. Mike Mitchell, unfortunately, was forced to retire.
10k races have proved popular recently with Chris Lewis our first finisher at the Clevedon event in 41.33. Alan Wilcox 45.44[pb] and Dom Hurford 46.53, following his high altitude training, were the next two club runners with Paul Chard 48.14 and Nicola Paice 53.06 completing the line up.
Chris Martin lead the way at Bradley Stoke in 39.51 [12th] ahead of Andrew Cooknell, Richard Powell and Ian Harrison who finished close together in 43.10, 43.26 and 43.35. Angie Martin was our first lady in 45.43,ahead of Paul Chard 47.54, who just held off Ruth Stewart 47.57. Our remaining finishers were Nicola Paice 53.17, Serena Griffiths, on home territory, 58.45 and Paul Clark 68.27.
Alan Wilcox was also in action at the Nine Springs Tough 9k where he finished in 47.20 while Lee Masters travelled to the Lake District for the Grasmere Gallop. Conditions were hot and difficult but he finished the 7mile course in 59.30.
The next club event is the Hogweed Trailquest, a mountain bike orienteering race, taking place on 12th July from Pucklechurch Village Hall. For further details and to enter, please visit www.midlandtrailquests.co.uk
News from January to June 2009,
Pleasant Runs in the Sun
Posted on: 18 April 2010
Hogweeds Spotted all around West Country
Posted on: 12 April 2010
Easter Weekend
Posted on: 4 April 2010
Forest of Dean Half Marathon
Posted on: 28 March 2010
Paris Half Marathon
Posted on: 21 March 2010
Hogweed Hilly Half Marathon
Posted on: 14 March 2010
Bath Half Marathon
Posted on: 08 March 2010
February 2010
Posted on: 28 February 2010
Posted on: 21 February 2010
Posted on: 14 February 2010
Posted on: 07 February 2010
The Car Clinic Kingswood Wotton under Edge
Shipp Engineering Old Sodbury
Toll House Clinic Chipping Sodbury
Partymania Chipping Sodbury
The Moda Hotel Chipping Sodbury
Sweatshop
Sodbury Pavilions Chipping Sodbury
Bubble Driving School
The Beaufort Arms Hawkesbury Upton
Milbury Estate Agents
Hayley Jackson
Tsunami Aquatics Chepstow
Dominos Pizza
Clutton Cox Chipping Sodbury
Posted on: 01 February 2010
Gloucester Marathon
Posted on: 24 January 2010
Riverbank Rollick
Posted on: 18 January 2010
Happy New Year!
Posted on: 03 January 2010
Boxing Day in Clevedon
Posted on: 27 December 2009
Christmas Cracker
Posted on: 13 December 2009
Touring Hogweeds
Posted on: 6 December 2009
Forest of Dean Trail
Posted on: 29 November 2009
Ironman World Championships
Posted on: 22 November 2009
Sodbury Slog
Posted on: 8 November 2009
Dublin and Snowdon Marathons
Posted on: 1 November 2009
Cardiff, Abingdon, Stroud
Posted on: 25 October 2009
Muggles Abound!
Posted on: 18 October 2009
All Aboard the Mudlark
Posted on: 11 October 2009
Loch Ness Marathon
Posted on: 04 October 2009
Four go down to Dorset
Posted on: 27 September 2009
Great North Run
Posted on: 20 September 2009
Chippenham Half Marathon
Posted on: 13 September 2009
Bristol Half Marathon
Posted on: 06 September 2009
August 2009 Roundup
Posted on: 30 August 2009
Posted on: 23 August 2009
Posted on: 16 August 2009
Posted on: 10 August 2009
Posted on: 02 August 2009
July 2009 Roundup
Posted on: 27 July 2009
Posted on: 19 July 2009
Posted on: 12 July 2009
Posted on: 05 July 2009
June 2009 Roundup
Posted on: 28 June 2009
Posted on: 21 June 2009
January to June 2008,
July to December 2008,
January to June 2007,
July to December 2007,
January to December 2006