It’s been a rollercoaster of a season in the Hampshire Road Race League for the Bournemouth AC men since they went up to Division Two. They started off by winning the Overton 5 and the Solent Half Marathon. Then the New Forest 10 got cancelled and they failed to get a team out for the Hayling 10. Then, they had four men at the Gosport Half Marathon but only three of them finished.

They got back to wining ways at the Victory 5 and the Stubbington 10k before a no-show at the Ryde 10. That meant they needed to get the team out for all their remaining fixtures to stand a chance of promotion. It wasn’t going to be easy.

At the Salisbury 10 they could only manage 3rd place which put them level with Hedge End on league points, after they’d overtaken Bournemouth AC following the Ryde 10.

The gap between Bournemouth AC and top of the table Farnham Runners was big and looked almost unassailable. But Totton RC who currently occupy 2nd place were in reach, so that was a potential promotion placing if they could catch them. A win at the Alton 10 would certainly help their cause.

They were dealt a blow when Stu Nicholas injured his achilles in a New Forest half marathon and had to pull out. Luckily Adam Corbin stepped up so they still had a man who was capable of being close to the front. Showing some decent form of late, Adam finished 6th at the Round the Lakes 10k and was 4th in the Marnhull 12k.

Coming into it off the back of a first ever sub 2:45 time at the London Marathon, Rich Brawn was in buoyant mood and looking forward to enjoying some shorter local races. He remembered from last year though that the Alton 10 was quite a tough one to come back into three weeks after the marathon. It’s a very undulating course and the relentless hills can be quite demanding.

James Hulbert had had even less recovery time after securing his first ever sub three hour time at the Madrid Marathon which took place a week after London. He was also on a high after those exploits and keen to get back to race action.

Both looking in good form on the Tuesday night training sessions, Ricky Brennan and Patrick Kingston completed the five man line up for Bournemouth AC, with four required to score.

The day before the race it was a hot sunny day, the likes of which hadn’t really been so far this year. That weather carried over to the morning of the race and that added an additional layer of difficulty to an already physically challenging enterprise.

When the race started the runners who were up near the front were surprised to see a guy in a white t-shirt and what looked like Bermuda shorts right up at the sharp end. He may have looked like he’d just come in off the beach but he certainly had some speed.

Christopher Newnham of Ryde Harriers attacked the race though and it soon became evident that he was too quick for anyone else in the field. Rich and Adam were in a group just behind with a few others. The first section was downhill but it wasn’t long before the climbing began.

With a 5:40 for his first mile, Adam was quite high up the field and was going well. Rich wasn’t too far behind, getting through it in 5:48. The second mile was all uphill though and he soon began to suffer.

Adam stayed strong through, registering a 6:06 for his second mile and it was looking like he might be able to cope with the hills and the heat quite well. Rich was fading fast already and beginning to realise it was going to be tough one for him. The third mile brought some respite as it contained some downhill and Adam went through that in 5:49 before posting a 5:39 for his fourth mile which was mostly all downhill.

The fifth mile featured the longest, toughest hill in the race. Rich had looked at his activity from the previous year and had seen that that was a difficult one. Adam managed to power up it well though, recording a 6:36 for that split. Rich was reduced to really slow pace and was over seven minutes for that split. That was slower than he did last year and confirmed he was having a really poor run.

Recovering well after the big incline, Adam went through the sixth mile in six minutes and then went on to get back to a good pace of 5:44 for the seventh mile and 5:49 for the eighth mile which was mostly downhill.

In last year’s race which had recovered well after the hill but this time he didn’t. The heat took its toll on him and he was unable to get back to a decent pace, even on the descents. All he could hope for now was just to make it to the finish.

Managing to keep to just under six minute mile pace for the last couple of splits, Adam reached the line in 59:45 which was an absolutely outstanding run on that course in those conditions. That was enough to seal 4th place for him as well which was huge for Bournemouth AC’s prospects of getting the win they needed.

Although he did manage to overtake one runner in the last few miles, Rich lost a few places on the final mile or so but he just had no fight in him. All the could do was roll into the finish in a time of 1:03:33 which was his slowest 10 mile time for many many years. It was a huge disappointment for him. The only saving grace was that it was a much thinner field this time round so he’d actually finished higher up, placing 13th overall.

Ricky and James are quite a similar sort of standard so it was good for them to be able to push each other in races and jostle for position. Ricky was actually handling the hills very well and was stronger than some of the other runners around him on the inclines.

Crossing the line in 1:05:13, it was a really strong run from him put him in 21st place overall. He’d also finished 2nd to Rich in the 40 to 44 category which was a great result.

James reached the finish shortly after, clocking a time of 1:05:58 which put him 27th overall and completed the scoring team of four for the Bournemouth AC men. James’s average pace for the run was 6:32 which was very good given the fact there was close to 600ft of elevation.

A regular visitor to the Purbeck and the Jurassic Coastline, Patrick Kingston is pretty adept at handling tough climbs. He even did a mountain marathon distance race at the CxM Sierra Blanca in Marbella in February and the 55km Nivolet-Revard in the French Alps last summer. Both of those race featured over 2,800 metres of ascent.

The hills of Alton pale into insignificance compared to those sumptuous slopes but on a hot day, you still feel them. It was Patrick‘s first race since the Blackmore Vale Half Marathon back in February as well but he coped well, completing the course in 1:09:39 which put him in 51st place overall and 10th in the 45 to 39 category. His average pace for the run was 6:57. A total of 372 runners took part in the race.

In terms of the scoring for the league, the Bournemouth AC men had done better than any other club in the league, including the first division teams. It was a fantastic result and moved them back into 3rd position in the Division Two table. Totton are their main rivals for second place and they could only manage 7th place, meaning BAC are now only three league placings behind them.

Liss finished 2nd in Division Two at the Alton 10, with Joe Sykes finished 10th for them in 1:02:54. Overton Harriers finished 3rd, with Sean Holmes coming in just ahead of Rich to take 12th place. Rich had thought about trying to overtake him right near the end as they were close but because it was so hot, he didn’t want to risk pushing himself over the edge so settled for what he had.

They also had Michael Jones who finished four seconds ahead of James in 25th place. Table toppers Farnham Runners had to settle for fourth on this occasion. The had Joe Collins who finished 15th in 1:03:41.

It was Christopher Newnham of Ryde Harriers who claimed victory in the end by a considerable margin. His time was 55:14, with Joshua Price of Isle of Wight Road Runners taking 2nd place in 58:15 and James Perrett of Alton Runners taking 3rd in 59:08.

Winchester Running Club had Richard Bidgood who finished 5th in 1:00:27 and John Reed who came 8th in 1:02:14. Brandon Cuell of Fareham was 6th in 1:00:40 and Julian Manning of Denmead Striders came 7th in 1:01:50. Keaan Amin of Ryde Harriers came 9th in 1:02:20.

Denmead Striders were the top scoring team in the Men’s First Division, with Fareham taking 2nd and Alton Runners 3rd. Lordshill finished 4th with Ryde Harriers taking 5th. That kept Alton on top of the table, three places ahead of Lordshill in 2nd and Denmead in 3rd. It was still very tight at the top though with three races left to go and City of Salisbury in 4th were still very much in the running as well.

Winchester Running Club got the best score in the Men’s Third Division by a long way and after winning four out of their last five races and coming 2nd in the other, they are working their way up the table. New Forest Runners are still well in command though and look certainties for promotion to the second tier. The second place is very much up for grabs though, with Isle of Wight, Victory AC and Hart Road Runners all in the mix.

Denmead Striders were the top scorers in the Men’s B Team First Division with Fareham 2nd and Alton 3rd. Lordshill still lead the way in that division though by six league placings from Fareham who are 2nd. Denmead are currently in 3rd with Alton in 4th.

In the Men’s B Team Second Division, Winchester Running Club picked up the win with Farnham Runners in 2nd and Portsmouth Joggers 3rd. Farnham Runners are way out in front though and look certain to top that division and Portsmouth Joggers also look nailed on for promotion to the top flight.

Tamsin Anderson of Winchester Running Club was 1st female in 1:04:13, which put her 17th overall. Anna Morris of University of Bath was 2nd female in 1:08:25 which put her 42nd overall and Sarah Page of Liss Runners was 3rd female and 45th overall in 1:08:47. Sarah Guerney of Winchester RC was 4th female in 1:08:58 and she was 1st in the 50 to 54 category and 49th overall.

Sarah Sheddon of Winchester RC was 5th female in 1:09:49 and Vanessa Monteleone was 8th woman in 1:11:39. That gave Winchester Running Club easily the lowest score in the league and with four wins in their last four races, they are working their way up the Third Division table. New Forest Runners currently lead the way in that, with Victory AC 2nd and Hamwic Harriers 3rd.

Liss were top scorers in the Women’s First Division, with Hedge End 2nd and Lordshill 3rd. Denmead Strider still lead the way though, with Hedge End 2nd, Lordshill 3rd and Liss 4th for the season so far.

In the Women’s Second Division it was a win for Alton Runners, with Portsmouth Joggers 2nd and Overton in 3rd. Alton top the standings in that division for the season so far, with Ryde Harriers in 2nd and Portsmouth Joggers in 3rd.

Farnham Runners were top scorers in the Women’s B Team First Division at the Alton 10 but Totton are way out in front in that for the season so far and look nailed on to claim the title. Winchester RC were winners in the Women’s B Team Second Division but Fareham are way out in front in that division and should easily win it.

Adam and Rich both received trophies in the post from the Alton 10, with Adam taking the 1st Senior Male prize and Rich getting 1st V40, although he was beaten by two runners in the 45 to 49 category and one in the 50 to 54 category. It was nice to get a trophy though still.

The next race of the Hampshire Road Race League season was the Netley 10k which took place on the same day as the May 5 race in the Dorset Road League. That meant a lot of Bournemouth AC members were pulling their yellow and blue vests on once again to go and represent the club as they strive for promotion in both the Hampshire and Dorset leagues.

It’s going to be a busy end to the season and certainly an exciting one on the road race front and at this stage the club will be optimistic about their chances of success.