Often struggling to even get one team out in the past, the turnout from Bournemouth AC at this year’s 6/4/3 stage SEAA Road Relays was much improved. They’d managed to assemble two Senior Men‘s teams, a Masters 40+ Men‘s team and for the first time in many years, a Senior Women‘s team. They also had a talented Under 17 Men‘s team of three out.

The main goal for most of the teams was to finish in the top 25 which would earn them qualification to the National Road Relays at Sutton Park, which is near Birmingham. The Bournemouth AC men had managed to qualify for it a couple of times in the 12 stage competition but with the standard of the opposing teams being so high, it was always going to be an uphill task.

A few of the clubs top men were unavailable for the SEAA Road Relays as well which made an even tougher proposition. Nevertheless, they were going to go over to Rushmoor Arena in Aldershot to give it their best shot and more importantly to enjoy what always turns out to be a fun day out.

After his sensational 5k PB at the Boscombe Seafront 5k, Josh Cole was very much the man in form the Senior Men’s squad. Rob McTaggart was there as well and he was always up for making an appearance or two at the Road Relays. It was a stage where you get to test yourself against the very best in the game, on tarmac, over a relatively short distance, which you don’t often get.

Deep in the throws of his training block for the Yorkshire Marathon, Ben Collins was in the best shape he’d ever been in and Luke De-Benedictis, Matt Brown and Jack Barwick were also featuring in the A team for the Bournemouth AC men.

Holly Collier, Mags Fietko, Kitty Cook and Julia Austin were the four ladies in action for the Bournemouth AC team and it was great to see the club have some representation in the Senior Women‘s race.

The B team for the Senior Men‘s race included Jack Davis, Leon Louis, Nicolay Rusnachenko and Szymon Chojnacki who came back from Poland to represent the club on the weekend before he lined up for Warsaw Marathon.

A vets team of Rich Brawn, Barry Dolman, Simon Hearn and Nick Pepin were going to be battling it out in the Masters Men 40+ race but as there was no vets teams at the Nationals, it was just for fun really and to see how high up the standings they could finish.

Perhaps the most outstanding prospect the club has at the moment is Oliver Canavan and he was lining up for the Under 17 men‘s team along with Will Moss and Isaac May. After a hat-trick of first place finishes at Bournemouth parkrun, Oliver showed what he’s capable of with a magnificent victory in the Boscombe Seafront 5k, registering a time of 15:24.

Building up an impressive Power of 10 resume, Oliver won the Dorset County Championships for 1500m, the South West Schools Championships and the Dorset County Schools Championships. His best time so far is 4 minutes 7 seconds.

A couple of weeks before the road relays, Will Moss recorded his fastest ever 800m time of 2 minutes 4 seconds, showing his speed was very much there. He’d pulled out of the Boscombe Seafront 5k with a knee problem the weekend before the road relays though so he needed to hope that would be okay at Aldershot.

Isaac May was runner up to Oliver in the Dorset County Championships and the Dorset Schools Championships 1500m and came 5th in the South West Schools Championships in a time of 4 minutes 12 seconds. He won the Dorset Schools Cross Country Championships earlier in the year and produced a best 800m time of 2:01.51 two weeks before the road relays.

The races involving the younger athletes went off first, so it was the Under 13 Boys, then the Under 13 Girls, then the Under 15 Boys, then the Under 15 Girls. Then it was the Under 17 Men‘s race which featured the Bournemouth AC trio.

 

Getting the ball rolling for the yellow and blues was Isaac May and he completed the 4.6km course in a time of 15 minutes 10 seconds which put him in 28th place out of 80. That was a strong run from Isaac given that it was a hilly course and the standard of competition was very high, especially in that first leg.

He handed over to Will Moss who assumed responsibility for the second leg. Expecting the course to be flat, he was in for a rude awakening when he realised it was quite hilly.

Starting off brightly, he went through the first mile in 5:29 despite the apparent inclines. He then registered a 5:48 for the second mile before dropping off the pace a bit on the second long incline. Once he got to the top of that he got back on pace for the final run in to the changeover point.

That put Will’s time for the leg at 16:33 which was 52nd best on Leg 2. That had seen the team drop to 40th place in the standings. It was then over to Oliver Canavan to see if he could get them back up there.

Oliver quickly set about reeling in the athletes in front of them. One by one, he blasted past them at an incredible speed. Completing the leg in an astonishing time of 14:18, Oliver was fourth fastest on that final leg, managing to get the team up to 24th position.

It was an amazing individual display from Oliver but collectively, as a team, the Bournemouth AC trio had done brilliantly to achieve 24th place out of the 80 teams competing. With the standard being as high as it was, that was a tremendous result.

Their total combined time was 46:02. St Mary’s Richmond AC topped the standings in a time of 43:04, with Tonbridge AC taking second in 43:14 and Cambridge & Coleridge third in 43:42.

Starting off on the first leg for the Senior Women’s team, it was Holly Collier. Having Holly back in the fold was a massive boost for the club since she exudes positive energy. Even though she hasn’t quite got back to levels she was at back in 2019 yet, she recognises that it will take time and a lot of hard work. In spite of that though, she just brings this infectious enthusiasm that is wonderful to have around the camp.

Completing the 6k leg in 24:44, Holly then handed over to Mags Fietko who took up the reigns for the second leg. Holly had put the team in 50th position out of 61. It’s probably worth noting that most teams put their best runner on the first leg in the senior races, so that wasn’t a bad result for Holly.

Getting through the second leg in 25:09, Mags was 46th best on her leg and had managed to claw back a couple of places, putting the team in 48th place. It was then over to Kitty Cook who was on duty for the third leg.

Both Mags and Kitty had run well at the Boscombe Seafront 5k the week before the relays, crossing the line in 20:06. They were frustrated though to be just over 20 minutes when they would have liked to be just under.

Feeling a bit nervous about running at the relays, Kitty had been wanting to do the first leg to get it over with quicker but since the running order had already been handed in, it was better to stick to that.

Handling the undulations quite well, Kitty clocked a 6:21 for her first mile, followed by a 6:46 for her second and then a 7:04 for her third. That left just the final kilometre to go, which Kitty got through at 7:02 pace.

That put her time at 25:37 which was 41st best on the leg and she’d gained a couple more places, moving the team into 46th place in the overall standings.

Taking up her position on the fourth leg, Julia Austin knew she’d be slower than the others so it made sense to go on the last leg so they could be as competitive as possible before she set off.

Happy to step aside if anyone faster decided to step up, Julia said that she would do the relays just to ensure that they had enough ladies to make a team. That showed what a true team player she is.

Regardless of her current state of fitness, Julia was always going to give it her best shot anyway when she got out there and for her age, she’s always going to be a fast runner.

Completing the leg in 31:02, Julia had more than held her own and was 50th fastest on her leg. That was enough to see the team finish in 49th place out of the 61 teams. That wasn’t a bad result at all for the BAC ladies and it was definitely a step forward for them just to be there in the first place. Their total combined time was 1:46:33.

Aldershot Farnham & District were the winners in a time of 1:23:29, with Belgrave Harriers taking second place in 1:24:57. The Aldershot Farnham & District B team finished third in 1:25:22, underlining the tremendous strength in depth they have at the top level.

Being in the best shape he’s been in for many years, perhaps even ever, Josh Cole was keen to test himself against the very best in the first leg of the Senior Men’s race. Teams often tend to put their best runners on the first leg, so the standard in this one was bound to be through the roof.

Getting round in an impressive time of 19:43, Josh was 52nd best out of 113 on the first leg. That was a good performance from him but it was a real eye opener in terms of how many top level runners there were there. A good proportion of the field would have been close to 14 minutes than 15 minutes for a 5k.

Starting off for the Men’s B team, it was Jack Davis. He went out hard, posting a 5:29 for his first mile. On the second lap, he began to fade though, suffering as a result of what he’d already put in. It can be quite a punishing course if you overcook it on the first lap.

Going through the second mile in 6:07 and the third in 6:16, Jack had very little left for the final run in to the changeover point. Completing the leg in 22:51, he was 108th best on the leg.

Intending to keep it smooth and disciplined throughout as he continued his training for the New York City Marathon, Barry Dolman was running the opening leg for the vets team.

His first mile was still pretty quick, at 5:33 but he didn’t drop off too much after that, posting a 6 minute mile for his second split and then a 5:50 for his third. Continuing that pace for the remainder of the run, it was a strong effort from Barry and he’d completed the leg in 21:58 which put the vets team in 18th place out 28 in the Master Men 40+ category.

Taking over on the second leg for A team, it was Rob McTaggart. He doesn’t get overawed when competing against the very best and tends to find that he is able to raise his game for the occasion.

Getting through the first mile in 4:59, Tag went on to produce a 5:16 for his second mile and a 5:10 for his third before closing it out with a 5:07 for his last three quarters of a mile. That put his time at a very impressive 19:22 which was 39th best for the leg. He’d managed to get the team up to 44th place with that.

Taking over from Jack Davis on the second leg for the B team, it was Leon Louis. He put in a 5:39 for his first lap, starting off strongly. He then dropped off a bit for the second mile, clocking a 6:21 before registering a 6:05 for his third mile and closing it out at a similar pace for the final kilometre.

That put Leon’s time at 22:35 which was 98th best on the second leg and had moved the team up 7 places to 101st. That was an excellent effort from Leon.

Taking over on the second leg for the vets team was Simon Hearn. Simon hates hills so he was dismayed when he got to the Rushmoor Arena to find out what he was facing. Needless to say, he wasn’t too enthusiastic about running his leg. But he got on and did it as best he could.

Completing the 6k route in 24:29, Simon was 25th best out of the Masters Men 40+ team runners on his leg and had lost three places, moving the team down to 21st. He was disappointed with that but the course certainly didn’t play to his strengths and he is a little off his best form at the moment.

Taking over on the third leg for the A team, it was Big Ben Collins. He was still haunted by his last appearance in the road relays where he got overtaken right near the finish by the team that were contesting that 25th and final qualifying place for the Nationals.

This time he was determined to put in a performance that would do himself justice. Registering a 5:16 for his opening mile, Ben then followed it up with a 5:38 and then a 5:35 before finishing strongly with a 5:21 paced last three quarters of a mile.

That put his time at 20:26 which was 51st best out of the third leg Senior Men runners. It was a really strong run from Ben, although he had lost four places, putting the team down to 48th place.

Taking over from Leon in the B team, it was Nicolay Rusnachenko. He completed his leg in 22:42 which was 89th best out of the Senior Men on that leg. He’d moved the team up a further five places to 96th, so a decent run from Nicolay.

Nick Pepin took over on the third leg for the vets team and he ran pretty well to clock a time of 26:35 which was 23rd best of the Master Men 40+ runners. That was enough to keep the team in 21st place going on to the final leg, since the Masters teams only have four legs.

Luke De-Benedictis was on duty for the A team in the fourth leg and he began with a 5:14 for his first mile. Registering a 5:49 for his second mile, he then went on to clock a 5:48 for his third mile before finishing with a 5:29 paced last three quarters of a mile.

That put his time at 20:54 which was 60th best out of the Senior Men for the fourth leg. It was a solid run from Luke and he’d only lost two places which put the team in 50th place.

The club didn’t have enough runners for a full six for the B team so it was time for the annual appearance of Paddy McTaggart to go for an undercover fourth leg. Unfortunately, Tag hadn’t ran all that long ago for the A team and wasn’t quite ready when Nicolay finished his leg so there was no one to hand over to.

Rich Brawn was in the queue waiting for his fourth leg for the vets team. He watched the whole event unfold but couldn’t really do anything to help because he needed to wait for Nick to come back from his third leg for the vets team. He was worried that if he ran back to camp to tell them, he would then miss his turn when Nick came back.

Paddy McTaggart arrived in the end anyway and set off for what he was considering to be a tempo paced effort. It actually went pretty well though in the end and he went through the first mile in 5:18, the second in 5:24 and the third in 5:16 before closing it out with a 5:06 pace for his final three quarters of a mile.

His time was 19:49 but with the added time from the point when Nicolay finished to when he set off, that made the time for the leg 20:34. Even with that extra time, it was still much quicker than anyone of the other B team runners had managed thus far and moved them up to 87th place.

As Rich Brawn was waiting to start his leg for the vets team, it started to rain quite heavily that cast a dark shadow over the proceedings. Rich was hoping he might be able to at least do better than the 22:17 time he managed at last year’s event.

Starting off with a 5:50 for his first leg, he soon realised he was a bit off the pace. He’d somehow got embroiled in the race for the lead positions as well, with some of the elite runners from the top teams coming round to lap him. When they did, it made it almost seem as if he was standing still.

Dropping to a 6:18 for his second leg, he was really struggling but managed to lift it to a 6:05 for third mile. By the time he got round to the final downhill section, he knew the time was aiming for was already out the window.

It was a painful run in for Rich and he was hugely disappointed to come in in a time of 22:40 which was 16th best out of the Masters Men in the 40+ category for the final leg. Although he’d overtaken some older runners and been overtaken by several runners who were lapping him, Rich had kept the team in 21st position.

Their final combined time was 1:35:44. Kent AC won the Masters Men 40+ race in a time of 1:21:25, with Southampton AC taking second in 1:22:49 and Kent AC B team taking third in 1:22:53.

Jack Barwick was on duty for the A team and he set off quickly with a 5:25 for his first mile. He then followed it up with a 5:46 for his second mile and a 5:42 for his third. Then it was just a case of cruising in for the downhill run in to the finish, which he did at 5:53 pace.

It was a really strong performance from Jack which put his time at 21:21 and that was 59th best of the Senior Men for that leg. He’d still dropped three places though, putting the team into 53rd place going into the final leg.

Szymon Chojnacki took over for the B team on the fifth leg and he started with a 5:23 for his first mile, before going on to clock a 5:37 for his second split and a 5:34 for his third. He then closed it out at 5:22 pace for his final three quarters of a mile, putting his time at 21:26.

Sadly, they didn’t have any other runners and no one else wanted to run twice, so that was the end of it for the B team. Szymon had gained them 10 places though and moved them up to 77th place.

It didn’t really matter though as from Szymon’s perspective, it had served its purpose and he’d got a good, short sharpener in before his marathon the following weekend. He went on to complete the Warsaw Marathon in 2:50:48, which was an average pace of 6:27. It was a really strong run from Szymon, especially given that his preparations were less than ideal after spending a lot of time travelling back and forth between Poland and England for work.

Matt Brown took over for the anchor leg for the Bournemouth AC A team and he started with a 5:29 first mile. He was probably one of the few runners strong enough to hold that same pace throughout the whole run, going through the second mile in 5:30 and the third mile in the same before racing through the last kilometre in 5:27 pace.

That put his time at 20:23 which was 41st fastest for the leg out of the Senior Men and he’d gained one place in the standings, meaning the team finished in 52nd place. That wasn’t a bad result really out of 113 teams, especially given that a number of their top runners weren’t available.

The Bournemouth AC A team finished with a total combined time of 2 hours 2 minutes and 12 seconds. Aldershot Farnham & District got the win on their own turf, finishing with a total combined time of 1:49:53.

Cambridge & Coleridge got second in 1:50:08, with Highgate Harriers taking third in 1:50:16. James Kingston of Tonbridge AC produced the fastest time of anyone, getting round in 17:22.

Oscar Bell of Herts Phoenix was next fastest in 17:30, with Charles Brisley of Newham & Essex Beagles being third fastest in 17:36. Zak Seddon of Bracknell AC was fourth fastest in 17:40, with Roger Poolman of Highate Harriers and Callum Elson of Cambridge & Coleridge getting round in 17:44. Joshua Hobbs of Brighton & Hove AC was the fastest man on the first leg in a time of 17:49.

It was pleasing to see Bournemouth AC fielding so many teams in an event that attracts the highest standard of competition they could possibly face. That’s exactly where they should be as well, battling it out on the big stage and whether they qualify for the nationals or not, the fact is that they were there and they gave it a go. That was what mattered most.

Thanks to Sarah Swift for taking some fantastic photos and sharing them with us, along with some taken by Rich Brawn and Rich Nelson.