DURSLEY Running Club members made the trip south for the Bath Half on St David’s Day and, while the weather was not half as atrocious as the forecast earlier in the week, a strong southwesterly breeze cooled the runners but also made running the two lap course around the Roman city quite challenging.

The Dursley team were led home by Mark Brasier with a chip time of just over 87 minutes, showing a good turn of pace as well as the benefits of the miles that he is accumulating.

Brasier knocked almost three minutes off his previous personal best in difficult conditions and is a potential sub-85 minute half marathon man who joins an increasing number of runners within the Dursley club for whom this is a realistic target.

And not far behind was Neil Parry who was less than three minutes in arrears. The same time gap separated Parry from Richard Hensman who knocked two minutes of his previous person best to finish in just under 94 minutes.

Both Parry and Hensman will be pleased with these runs as part of their marathon preparations.

There was then a slight hiatus before the next Dursley finisher, Fran Amigioni, whose two-layer approach, along with the benefits of club running, reaped dividends with a massive personal best in finishing just under one hour 46mins and was first Dursley woman home.

There was then a flurry of activity with Neil Truelove and Dave Saunders finishing at two minute intervals, Truelove was running in the colours of the Avon Riding Centre for whom he was raising money.

Audrey Harris and Annette Hayling completed the arrivals for Dursley, Harris just under two hours and Hayling in just over two hours 11mins.

Saunders was tenth MV65plus, a highly-competitive category with the winner coming in at sub-85mins. Heylings was rewarded for her efforts with 14th FV60plus, Parry was 43rd MV45 in another highly competitive category.

Results: Mark Brasier 455th 01:27:14(PB); Neil Parry 607th 01:30:05; Richard Hensman 875th 01:33:37(PB);

Francesca Amigoni 3285th 01:45:57 (PB); Neil Truelove 2744th 01:46:58; Dave Saunders 2942nd 01:48:41;

Audrey Harris 5339th 01:59:30; Annette Heylings 7776th 02:11:38.

While the Dursley Road Runners familiarised themselves with Bath, Nigel Sankey travelled to Dorset for the infamous Grizzly. Starting in Seaton, the Grizzly has over 3,500 feet of ascent in its twenty miles.

It also includes two sections of beach, totalling well over a mile, and a steep path up the side of a cliff where runners have been up to their waists in water and mud in the past.

Each year, the race is given a different name. This years was ‘Dash to Delirium’, and when organisers advise entrants to be prepared for the race to take roughly their ‘road marathon time, perhaps longer if conditions are grim’, it is very apt.

Sankey completed the twenty miles in four hours 22.01mins for 1,010th place. This was 22 minutes slower than last year but he felt his ‘body slowly disintegrated on the way round’.

Dursley Running Club runs from Dursley Rugby Club on Tuesday nights, with five groups to cater for all paces with other runs organised in the week.

Meet at 6.15pm for a 6.30pm start. Club runs are on the road. Head torches and high viz vest are recommended. Thursday structured training sessions start at 7pm.