Thornbury Running Club

THE SECOND Rogue Runs ‘20/20 Fission’ started from Berkeley Power Station last Saturday, and was a sell-out.

The options were 20 miles or 20 kilometres, and, this year, all four Thornbury competitors had their reasons for the shorter distance. Rob Watkins, in training for the London marathon, has been plagued with minor injuries and was adopting a cautious approach, while Angela Bushell and Liam Jones hadn’t trained for the longer distance and Judy Mills with an injury from the previous week as well as a heavy cold was pleased she had only entered the 20k.

A total of 225 runners started on the long course, with just 36 on the short. Rockhampton’s Watkins, very much on home ground, set off fast but not prepared to overdo it by chasing the front man.

Jones hadn’t run the distance for a long time but soon found Bushell too slow for him and gradually pulled away and while serious runners would have been focused on the race, Mills could only wonder at the large numbers of earthworms trying to make it across the road between Ham and Hill.

Watkins took second place and the veteran’s prize in a time of one hour 21.15minutes, with Jones next in one hour 44.57minutes.

Bushell was third lady but also took the vets prize in one hour 47.24minutes while Mills was pleased to have avoided standing on all the worms and to have completed the course with no more ill effects in two hours and 50 seconds.

l At Little Stoke park run, Chris Dawes completed the 5k in 20.10minutes, David Palmer 27.34minutes and Anne Palmer 31.02minutes. Selina Slater completed her first ever parkrun at Lancaster in 24.56minutes and Beccy Griffin ran at Longrun Meadow, Taunton but, at both venues, the barcode readers seemed to have an off day and neither initially had their times recorded.

l Last Sunday saw plenty of races. Furthest afield was the Coniston 14, a popular, scenic, well-organised but undulating run of 14 miles around Coniston Water. This was the focus for Pete Mainstone and a group of friends with whom he has run thousands of miles over the past 30 or so years, and although times are getting longer, they run to enjoy the experience, so a time of two hours 3.08minutes is another achievement.

The Hogweed Hilly Half is, as it suggests, a half marathon (13.1 mile) race, organised by Hogweed Trotters. And it is hilly. Climbing to the top of the Cotswold escarpment a few times it might be hard work, but the runner is rewarded with great views; good, friendly organisation, and much cake at the end!

Jon Greenwood (one hour 49.08minutes) and Jane Leslie (two hours 09.19) make this a regular on their race calendars, Greenwood coming-in second MV60 and Leslie second LV65.

Chris Foley also using the race as preparation for the London Marathon, just missed the two-hour mark in two hours and 15 seconds.