THE MAIN event for Durley Running Club last weekend was Thornbury Running Club’s Riverbank Rollick on the Sunday.

Conditions were excellent and Dursley RC had 21 Runners on the line.

As ever the course was extremely muddy. Tony Wooldridge led from the start, Simon Jones and Jonathan Tudor chasing behind. Margaret Johnson tried to keep Tudor in sight whilst trying desperately to stay upright, Gary Strickland paced his race well, overtaking Johnson on the last mile to finish almost a minute ahead.

But Johnson managed to catch Tudor.

Behind these three, Jadie Cotterell and Caroline Jones were running together, as Jones faltered around five miles Cotterell surged ahead.

Tara Truman and Damian Lai battled it out with Lai finishing just in front.

In her first race since recovering from injury, Jackie Creed ran a strong race.

Shona Darley and Julie Fenn ran together, keeping a steady even pace and finished strongly.

Another triple header was happening further down the field between Charlotte Palmer, John Hookway and Karen Eadon, despite the competition they all finished smiling as they entered the stream.

Dursley were well represented in the age category positions with six runners in the top ten of their categories Tony Wooldridge was first home for Dursley (third MV60) in just under seventy three minutes, Simon Jones was less than two minutes behind.

Johnson was awarded the FV50 category win, running a two minute PB in the process with Eadon an amazing 11:54 best.

Results: Tony Wooldridge 45th (3rd MV60) 01:12:51; Simon Jones 57th 01:14:38; Garry Strickland 80th, 01:18:36; Margaret Johnson 89th(1st FV50) 01:19:27 (PB); Jonathan Tudor 91st 01:19:33; Jadie Cotterell 147th 01:27:54; Damian Lai 169th 01:30:17: Tara Truman 170th (6th FV40) 01:30:34; Caroline Jones, 174th 01:32:48; Paul Lewington 183rd (8th MV60) 01:33:31; Jackie Creed 186th (8th FV45) 01:33:58; Annette Keevil 192nd (9th FV40) 01:34:54; Steve Barnes 259th 01:42:42; Steve Rugman 264th 01:43:28; Shona Darley 275th 01:44:38; Julie Fenn 276th 01:44:38; Julie Froggatt 293rd 01:48:48; Claire Searle 294th 01:48:48; Charley Palmer 333rd 02:01:55; John Hookway 334th 02:01:59; Karen Eadon 336th 02:02:01 (PB) David Saunders was club’s sole representative in the extremely popular Linda Franks five miler, he was pleased to start this year’s road race series with ten points in the bag as first MV65 in a time of 36:36 (87th overall).

Earlier in the month, Saunders, Alice Lewis and Annette Heylings attended the Gloucestershire AAA Road Race 2016 Series award ceremony picking up the awards for first MV65, second FV55 and second FV60.

In Lanzarote, Tony Ball and Mel Williams took part in the International Duathlon, it was Ball’s first ever run, bike, run event and he placed 6th in the MV45-49 age category, although he described it as “tough” he enjoyed the event.

Dursley Running Club parkrunners were out in force at the weekend.

Neil Hodgson recorded the fastest DRC time at Salisbury of 18:48.

Alice Lewis ran Chipping Sodbury for the first time in 23:11 to record 80.11 per cent age grading.

Dave Halford ran a PB at Wotton, in 23:55. Graham Tudor, Richard Hensman Karen Eadon and John Hensman also PB’d at Kingsway.