TWO major events took place last weekend with Dursley Running Club athletes represented well at both.
Sunday saw the Stroud Half Marathon and the inaugural running of Bristol to Bath Marathon with 18 Dursley athletes on the start line at Stroud and a further six in Bristol. 
After the inclement weather of Saturday conditions were almost perfect with clear skies meant a chilly but sunny morning for the runners and number of whom were novices  at the distances to be raced.     
At Stroud, Rob Keal, of Nottingham Athletic Club, was the clear race leader by half way, turning the corner at Whitminster to head for home at 34 minutes and finishing some way ahead of this nearest competitor in the time of one hour 09.19mins. 
Annabel Grainger, from Bristol and West AC, was the first woman home in one hour 19.43mins and was also first FV40-49. 
For Dursley, Kevin Jackson, in his 750th race and 34th consecutive Stroud Half, ran in to an immediate lead with Neil Parry behind and initially pacing Gareth Bradbury. Parry pulled away from Bradbury to  track Jackson, and, turning for home Parry, was just five metres ahead of Jackson.
He managed to eke out a further 25 seconds on the way to the finish, Bradbury maintained a reasonably leisurely pace given his lack of training miles to finish in just over 95 minutes. 
Just under five minutes behind him the evergreen David Saunders placed fourth MV60-69. 
Meanwhile, the Dursley women started off quickly with Fran Amigoni leading Margaret Johnson through the first three miles, until Johnson decided discretion was the better part of valour and stepped off the gas. 
Alice Lewis watched the race between Amigoni and Johnson unfold whilst she maintained her own pace. Amigoni turned for home first but Johnson had her in her sights and, after her fast start, Amigoni could not maintain her pace and Johnson passed, a blanket could almost have been thrown over the three as they came into the finish.
The competition drove Johnson and Amigoni to course best times and Lewis to a personal best. 
Lucy Fairall and Rachel Goatman also ran personal bests, Walk2Run graduates Graham Tudor and Damian Lai both running well in their first Half marathons. Lai pulled away from his partner Goatman as they entered the last quarter of a mile but Goatman continued to work hard to the line in a vain attempt to catch him. Dursley yet again placed well in the age categories with five runners in their category’s top 10.
Results; Neil Parry 82nd 01:30:28 (8th MV50-59) ; Kevin Jackson 90th 01:30:56 (10th MV50-59); 
Gareth Bradbury 127th 01:35:21; David Saunders (4th MV60-69) 01:40:15; James Davies 234th 01:42:37; Margaret Johnson 256th 01:43:56 (CB); Francesca Amigoni 258th 01:44:02 (CB); Alice Lewis 260th (6th FV50-59) 01:44:06 (PB); Sarah Bradbury 404th 01:52:53 (PB); 449th Jan Short 01:55:40; Graham Tudor 457th 01:56:05; Erica Fuller 486th 01:57:57; Mark Western 556th 02:02:54; Lucy Fairall 563rd 02:03:16 (PB); Paul Dunn 564th 02:03:16; Annette Heylings 748th (4th FV60-69)02:24:32; Damian Lai 765th 02:28:04; Rachael Goatman 767th 02:28:13 (PB);
Peter Brown 831st 03:06:57
Meanwhile in Bristol, Mike Compton, Tony Freer, Nigel Sankey, Jon Fahy, Mark Brasier and Dave Halford faced the daunting task of the one way 26.1 mile race to Bath. The majority of these athletes had formed a regular training partnership in the run up to the event and were as confident as any runner could be over a testing course.
Compton after an excellent run at the Cheltenham Half several weeks ago ran a very impressive three hours 02.12mins  placing him 51st overall. 
He was some way ahead of Brasier who had initially paced Sankey and Freer. 
Brasier, a veteran marathoner, declared the route to be one of the most testing he has ever run. Freer may have regretted choosing such a challenging route for his first marathon as he ran out of gas at around the 20 mile mark on the final long drag towards Bath. 
He put this down to mixing too many energy gels and drinks, in spite of this he placed 21st MV50. 
Sankey was able to grind out the last few miles and distanced himself from Freer to run a PB. All the Dursley runners ran a steady first half with Compton sub 90 minutes, Freer Sankey, Brasier and Fahy running reasonably conservative 98 to 99 minutes. 
Dave Halford was the club's Lanterne Rouge and was happy to complete the gruelling course in sub four hours, pacing himself sensibly to do so.
Mike Compton 51st 03:02:12; Mark Brasier 270th 03:23:22; Nigel Sankey 376th 03:27:42; Tony Freer 465th 03:31:04; Jon Fahy 556th 03:35:41; Dave Halford 1409th 03:57:40. 
The previous day had seen a brisk south westerly wind pushing light rain up to Gloucester to greeting the runners at Gloucester Kingsway Park run. 
Dursley were led home by Dave Durden who was first in  MV55 category with Hannah Darton first Dursley woman home and again first in her category. 
Nicki Cowle, Louise Beck and Emma Richards all ran PBs. 
Results. David Durden, 7th, 20:07, (1st VM50-54); Hannah Darton, 26th, 24:00 (1st  SW30-34)
Claire Searle, 49th, 26:38 (2nd VW50-54, ); Richard Hensman, 53rd, 27:09; Moira Woodward, 58th, 27:51 (1st VW55-59); Nicki Cowle, 66th, 28:37 (2nd VW40-44)PB
Gillian Durden, 71st, 29:17:00, (2nd VW45-49); Amanda Hensman, 76th, 29:43:00, (3rd VW40-44), Sally Williams, 82nd, 30:18; Louise Beck, 90th, 30:49:00, PB; 
Emma Richards, 105th , 32:19 PB
The club runs from Dursley Rugby Club on Tuesday nights, with a wide range of groups to cater for all paces with other runs organised in the week. 
Meet at 6.15 for a 6.30 start. The club is moving to road running over the winter, hi-viz vest and head torches essential. Please see the website: www.dursleyac.org.uk/cms for contact details and information, join the facebook page or just come along.