Thornbury Running Club news

LONG light evenings allow for weekday races and Thornbury Running Club members took full advantage, starting with the popular Frampton 10k on Monday July 4.

The course is on flat ground from the village of Frampton on Severn to the banks of the River Severn and back making the race a good option for those wanting a fast time, and, as a result, the field draws the best of local club 10k runners.

Rob Watkins led the Thornbury contingent, finishing 27th in 39.05minutes, ninth in the MV40 age category.

Moray Sloan followed in 61st in 41.59 minutes and Paul Thomas 71st in 42.30minutes.

Ros Rowland was first Thornbury lady, 137th in 46.16minutes and eighth in the FV45 category.

Janet Gaze also ran well to achieve a top-ten category place; third FV60 in 56.54minutes.

Other finishers were Steve Dimond 48.21minutes, John Welsh 49.30minutes, Jo Williams 50.08minutes, Angela Bushell 51.10minutes, Hugh McPherson 51.16minutes,, Richard Phillips 53.41minutes, and Sandra Webber 53.44minutes (although they finished together), Kevin Davis one hour and 59 seconds, Cathy Watkins one hour 4.47minutes, and Rebecca Dunsford one hour 11.03minutes.

As with all races, while most credit is given to the faster runners, often those whose times are not as quick have the greater achievement.

All of the competitors have their own tales to tell and can feel proud of their performances and their participation.

The same was true for the duathlon at Castle Combe on Wednesday July 6.

This comprises a couple of two-mile laps of the path around the race circuit, separated by a 10-mile/five lap bike element, around the circuit itself.

Both Thornbury athletes were in the supervet60 category where Arthur Renshaw, showing much improved transition times, was third in one hour 1.43 minutes and Graham Bishop seventh in one hour 18.29minutes.

The racing week continued on Thursday July 7 with the tough, hilly, but again, popular,Tintern Trot.

Race director Dave Matthews is a former Thornbury member and, for many years, director of Thornbury's own Riverbank Rollick.

Rob Cowlard seems to have now mastered the art of off-road running at speed as he sprinted up and down the often stony or tree-root covered hills to a very good fourth place overall which also saw him take the MV40 category prize in 40.35minutes.

Behind him, other Thornbury runners all suffered delays of varying times in the bottle-necks near the start, but once the hills started, the path widened.

Moray Sloan, in his second race of the week, was 70th in 49.37minutes and Angela Bushell's new-found speed saw her get a good advantage on the flat section holding on to her position to stay ahead of her other team-mates in 59.47minutes.

She too had raced at Frampton earlier in the week.

Close behind came Chris Foley 59.54minutes and Pete Mainstone in one hour and 16 seconds. Also finishing were Hugh Mcpherson (also a Frampton finisher: one hour 1.46minutes); Judy Mills (one hour 3.05minutes; 4th FV55); Maddie Parrott (one hour 5.49minutes; 3rd FV50) and Nigel Hale (one hour 6.54minutes).

The parkruns attracted their usual following on Saturday with runners at Lee-on-the-Solent (Karen Carr 27.55minutes), Pomphrey Hill (Chris Dawes 20.51minutes) and Chipping Sodbury (Paul Thomas 20.34minutes; David Palmer 27.57minutes; Anne Palmer 32.12minutes and Tom Usherwood in his first ever parkrun 33.34minutes).

This Thursday, 14 July will see the 2016 running of the Thornbury 10k, starting at 7.30pm from the Rugby Club. All places have been sold so there will be no entries on the night, but for details of the Club's next open race, the Oldbury Power 10-miler, and all other Club activities.