You start with the impressive backdrop of the Civic Centre, pass many historical local sights, visit the Docklands before arriving at the famed Barrage and the really delightful Cardiff Bay. Then turn, follow the Taff Embankment and through the expansive Victoria Park, run through the suburbs, and finally, with one lap of the Millennium Stadium you have completed last Sundays excellent 2006 Cardiff Half Marathon.
An enthusiastic Principality crowd greeted the 5800 runners which included eighteen Hogweed Trotters on this fast, flat course, the only 'hill' being the slope from under the Millennium Stadium and onto the track and playing arena. Scott Leonard 1.35.34 and Sarah Richards 1.39.18 were first members home and the full results that include PB's by Sarah Townsend 2.03.42, Zoe Harley 2.05.50 and Rob Smiths first race as MV60 1.52.06 are on www.raceahead.net
The 1240 full marathoners had the pain and pleasure of visiting Cardiff Bay twice during their two lap 26.2 mile race, and a superb thirteen Trotters were out in force, including six debutantes over this classic distance.
Kaye Hall 3.58.46 PB (personal best), Liz Roberts 3.55.48 PB, Lynette Bonnick 4.47.03 PB, Sue Mundy 4.48.32 PB and Serena Griffiths 4.47.06 PB represented the ladies while Adrian Pook 3.08.28 PB, 'Lord' Wilkie 3.11.57 PB, Pat Hall 3.51.56 PB, Darhyl Davies 3.54.11 PB, John Perrett 3.55.54 PB, Mike Mitchell 4.00.07, Mike Bowes 4.10.33 PB and Dave Wintle 3.17.50, were each delighted with their result.
Want to know what you will look like in 10 years time? Run a marathon then take a peek in the mirror!
At the Swindon Half Marathon, a welcome, recent addition to the road running calendar, Anne Draper 2.04 PB, Trinity Booth 1,47 (Miami Marathon bound) and Rich Kennington 1.56 represented the club, each being full of praise for the organisation of this event which was run on a rural, undulating course that attracted 1500 runners in this, it's third year.
Meanwhile, a very busy Stuart Wilkie ran the recent London 10k achieving another PB performance of 39.02 and in the process finishing well ahead of World Marathon champion Paula Radcliffe 43.10. Paula did have a good excuse though, she is five months into her pregnancy!
Finally Claire Seward finished her multi- disciplined racing year in fine style by winning the 1st LV 40 award at the competitive Forest of Dean Duathlon consisting a 5 mile run / 25k cycle and 5k run.
Entries for this Sundays, inaugural 5 mile Horton Winter Bull Run at 11 am from the village hall will be accepted on the day.
The North / South Divide
The North South divide was in stark a contrast as ever with members of
the Hogweed Trotters Road Running Club involved in the weekends
important national half marathon action.
Joanne Butters 2.26.52, 25,886th position, Lee Pattison 1.24.11 - 284th
and Mark Wolf 1.58.16 - 9,654th travelled to South Shields and
Newcastle, County Durham to compete in the Worlds biggest road race, The
Bupa Great North Run.
With an entry of 50,000 runners of every ability and standard
registering to race the 13.1 mile point to point route they flew the
Hogweed sky blue colours in fine style and this spectacular events full
report, photo's and other Hogweeds race result details can be viewed on
www.greatrun.org/index.asp
Way down South, a Charabanc carrying 30 Hogweed Trotters travelled
to the seaside, in Somerset, for the Burnham on Sea half marathon which
attracted a respectable entry of 380 runners. Crossing the 'start' line
was around 30 minutes quicker than for those runners at the back of the
37,000 field up North where incidentally, several years ago one chap
dropped out after 3/4 mile, and before he'd even crossed the start line
Once the early morning West Country storms had subsided, the Burnham
race conditions were good for the 11am start and on a fast, flat course
Nick Woodhill in
1.22.24
was the 1st Hogweed to finish and 1st senior 20 to 29 age
group trophy winner.
Debutantes Jack Cozens 1.52 13, Dean Masters 1.51.52, Rich Hemmings
1.58.01, Ben Doyle 1.58.00 and James Tyack (1st 17/19 age group) in
2.20.12 enjoyed their baptism, whilst PB's by Stuart Wilkie 1.26.59,
Kaye Hall 1.49.17, Todd Cozens 1.41.20, Dave Mullins 1.56.43, Rob Smith
1.48.28 and Sue Mundy 2.06.46 plus a welcome return to racing by Cheryl
Cant were other highlights together with the post race lamb stew,
lustily devoured by Dave Morgan 2.12.40.
A club record of three 'pit stops' on the hour long journey home to
Chipping Sodbury together with John Conway 1.42.53, running a full 1
hour faster than his Bristol half marathon effort and Ian Cross 2.17.30
bereft of club colours have prompted a stewards enquiry, the first thing
expected to be brought up being lamb stew.
The Burnham organisers and Race Director Brian Beale in particular put
on an excellent, well organised event, although the run along the sea
front -a nice feature of this race in previous years was sadly
missing on this new course- and hopefully it might get reinstated in
future years.
Full Hogweed Trotters results can be found on the Burnham on Sea
Harriers web site.
Meanwhile David Wintle continues the clubs proud tradition of multi
marathoners following in the footsteps of the prolific Trinity Booth,
Shirley Brokenshaw, Rich Kennington and Bob Bell.
Dave's performances since joining the Hogweed Trotters in March
include, May's Shakespeare Marathon in a time of 3.14.00, June's tough
Dartmoor Discovery Ultra Marathon (32.5 mile) in 5 hours, September 3rd
at Wolverhampton and 3.25.00, followed just one week later with the
Nottingham Marathon and a time of 3.09.00.
Membership of the UK's exclusive 100 Marathon Club awaits Dave who will
be joining Darhyl Davies, John Perrett, Mike Bowes- who makes his full
marathon debut - and Patrick Hall in Cardiff next Sunday for the
Principality's 26.2 mile event and Millennium Stadium finish.
The Hogweed Trotters Awards for September kindly sponsored by Sodbury
Tyre & Exhaust Centre in Hatters Lane have been announced.
For her performance in the Bristol Half Marathon where, despite
not producing another PB which she achieved at Benidorm last
November, our ladies winner ran a tremendous race completing the 13 mile
193 yard course in 2.17.14. The membership of the Hogweed Trotters Road
Running Club salute her dedication in training for the race culminating
in a determined and brave performance. Congratulations and best wishes,
Sue Hutchinson.
Our men's September winner was competing in only his 7th half marathon,
also at Bristol.
He joined our running club following retirement from his beloved soccer
playing days and has made vast improvements in every aspect of his road
running and racing. He completed the Bristol Half Marathon as a MV50
in 1.29.07 and a life time best performance by a remarkable 4
minutes. Congratulations Geoff Doyle
A Huge Thank You to Mike
Hogweed trotter
head coach Mike Brokenshaw is
stepping down from this role for
which he has been responsible over the past three years. The
club would like to pay pay a huge tribute to Mike's enthusiasm,
innovative ideas and always a sense of enjoyment on training sessions -
even a sense of humour at the "Hill' efforts -and he will continue be on
hand to help Mandy Spedding who has been appointed as club coach of the
Hogweed Trotters Road Running Club.
Mandy who has vast experience in athletics, road running and triathlons
brings a wealth of knowledge to the club and will be responsible for all
coaches and coaching activities and we wish her every success.
Mandy was in
action at the weekend taking part in the Eastnor Castle triathlon over the
distances of 1900m swim, 54 mile bike ride and 11 mile run. Sounds nasty
enough just thinking about it but the huge hill in the middle of the 4 lap
bike course wiped a few smiles off of competitors faces. Mandy was chuffed
with her finish time of 5hrs 33 for which she was awarded 3rd vet 40 lady.
Making it family double act Simon Spedding completed the course in 4 hrs 32
and also took 3rd over for the men. This is the way the Spedding's
celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary! Picture attached of Mandy
completing the run at Eastnor Castle Near Malvern.
While Mandy and
Simon were going over the Malvern Hills Anthony Febry was on the Somerset
levels taking part in the Langport triathlon over 400m swim, 20km bike and
5km run. Anthony was 77th overall and should be pleased with the race after
a series of set-backs of bugs, flu's, holidays and work commitments had
interrupted his 2006 triathlon campaign.
Meanwhile it
has been a busy time for the Hogweed athletes. The Bristol Half
Marathon with it's 9,800 finishers is over for another year. The Hogweed
Trotters had a club record 71 members who completed the course, although due
to an administrative error only 52 were listed on the results web site.
A fantastic achievement for a club who had 4 members 6 years ago
It was a typical race with some excellent
performances side by side disappointing runs, and luckily the club members
were not one of the eighty runners who needed help from the medical teams on
the route - spare a thought for one man who collapsed just 150 metres from
the finishing line, was treated on the spot and sadly never finished the
race, he did make a complete recovery.
In very warm conditions, Emma Dalton was 1st
Hogweed Trotter home in 85 mins 22 secs and 169th over all with Paul Lockyer
87.14 first clubman followed by lots of happy debutantes at this distance
and a sprinkling of pb's.
Also racing on
the Bristol half marathon weekend were Paul Chappell and Ron White at the
Wimborne triathlon in Dorset. Both finished well up the field over the
sprint distance.
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