With the Purbeck 10k taking place on Friday evening and the Alresford 10k scheduled for Sunday morning, there was scope for the Bournemouth AC runners to do the double – tackling both races on the same weekend. It was a big ask but with those all important points to play for in both the Dorset Road Race League and Hampshire Road Race League, they really needed all hands on deck, so for those who dared to, it was a worthwhile commitment.

Those who opted to take on that challenge were Stu Nicholas, Rich Brawn, Adrian James and Katie Gunn. They weren’t just any 10k races either. They were both on tough, hilly courses, making it an even more demanding quest.

Thankfully having gotten over his achilles injury woes, Stu Nicholas was out of practice in racing terms when he lined up for the Purbeck 10k. He was going quite well over first half of the race but then got a stitch and started to struggle after that. He pushed on through though to complete the course in 36:32.

Putting in a very good performance by his standards, Rich Brawn was catching Stu up towards the end of the Purbeck 10k and was in fact the next man over the line in a time of 36:43. They were 18th and 19th. It was the first race Rich felt he had done well in since the London Marathon back in April so he was well pleased to be running well again.

Not really being used to running anything over 5k, Adrian James ran well for the first half of the Purbeck 10k but started to struggle after that and went backwards over the second half. He still finished in 38:13 which was a decent time on such an undulating course but he felt disappointed. Now he needed to pick himself up and go and again less than a couple of days later.

Finishing just after Adrian, Katie Gunn ran well at the Purbeck 10k, finishing as 3rd female which earned her a nice little trophy. She also won a bottle of wine for being part of the winning team with Emma Caplan and Kate Bowers.

Joining the four double doers for the Alresford 10k was Ben Collins, who had been struggling a bit in the aftermath of the London Marathon where he recorded a brilliant marathon debut time of 2:42:32. He had competed in the Netley 10k the previous month and in that race his legs suddenly seized up with 500m to go. He was still the first BAC runner over the line though in 37:15.

Doing his bit for the club over past month or so, James Hulbert had competed at the Alton 10, where he was fourth scorer, and the May 5, where he was third scorer for the team. He was back to help out again at the Alresford 10k, as was Ryan Pegoraro. Ryan’s last road race appearance was at the Round the Lakes 10k in April when he recorded a time of 36:52. He had the capacity to go much quicker than that though when at his best.

Remembering a tough day out at last year’s Alresford 10k race, Rich Nelson was back for more. The hills and the intense heat made it a bit of a suffer-fest in last year’s race but luckily it wasn’t quite as sunny and humid this time round.

The Alresford 10k was the penultimate race of the Hampshire Road League season and it had looked at one stage like promotion was going to be a tall order for the yellow and blues. After being the best scoring side in the division in the last two races, they had manoeuvred into 2nd place in the table and looked favourites for promotion. There was still work to do though and a good result at the Alresford 10k was vital.

Pacing his run much better than he did at the Purbeck 10k, Stu Nicholas managed to stay strong all the way through, clocking most of his mile splits at just over six minutes despite the constant undulations.

The slopes were steeper than they were at the Purbeck 10k as well, with the elevation gain approaching 500ft. Completing the course in 36:36, Stu finished 10th, in an average pace of 5:55. He was quite a way ahead of any of the other Bournemouth AC runners.

Going off really quickly, with a 5:35 for the first mile, Ben Collins did end up paying for that later in the race. His pace was okay over the next couple of miles, posting a 6:08 and a 6:12 before struggling a bit over the second half of the race. He was still going at just over 6:20 pace but was really just coasting in at that point.

With his legs still quite sore from his Purbeck 10k exertions, Rich Brawn decided he’d have to take it easier than usual at Alresford, at first at least. He’d seen Ricky Brennan and James Hulbert go ahead of him and head up the road at a faster pace but he knew he couldn’t afford to go with them. He had to just kick back and try not to overdo it.

He’d had a brilliant run the previous year to finish in 37:06, despite the unrelenting heat and had won himself a fabulous hamper for finishing 1st in his age group. He knew he wasn’t going as quick this time round but he had to be sensible.

At the turning point which was the half way stage of the race it was time to head back the way he’d come. That was when Rich decided to drop the hammer down. He felt good at that point and immediately set about reeling in some of the runners in front of him.

One of those was James Hulbert who had started to pay the price for his fast start. It is a tough and unforgiving second half of the race at Alresford if you don’t get the pacing right. Rich was in a different boat though, being forced to run more slowly than usual over the first half.

He then set about trying to chase Ricky Brennan down who was just up the road. He was expecting Ricky to be suffering as well after such a quick start but he wasn’t really. He was still going strong and Rich was having difficulty closing the gap. He decided to just keep pushing but to play the waiting game and perhaps wait until the final straight road to the school where the finish was located.

It was only just on the approach to the school gate that Rich managed to finally catch Ricky and get past him. He’d also noted that Ben wasn’t far up the road either. He thought about trying to catch him but then decided to wait until they got on the field.

The race ends with a lap around the school field and it was then that Rich caught Ben up. Ben wasn’t about to let Rich beat him though and found the strength to rebuff Rich’s advances. Rich then caught Ben for a second time but again, he put in a final burst of speed to get away. That was enough to seal 20th place for Ben in a time of 37:54.

Rich reached the line three seconds later to take 21st place in 37:54. Then shortly after, Ricky followed in in 22nd place recording a time of 38:01. It was a situation where a race had surfaced between the Bournemouth AC runners, within the overall race.

It was all healthy competition though and what it actually meant was that Bournemouth AC’s scoring team for four had been completed. It was another brilliant result for them and only one other runner from any Second Division team had finished by that point. That was Richard Eatwell of Eastleigh who finished 16th in 37:35. It was another resounding win for the yellow and blues and they had once again demonstrated their supremacy over other clubs in the division.

After feeling like he was never going to recover in time at the end of Friday evening, Adrian James had amazingly got up and done parkrun the following morning. That meant he was effectively in for the hat trick when he lined up for the Alresford 10k. One thing it did mean for Adrian though was that a change of strategy was required.

He couldn’t go off so quickly like had at the Purbeck 10k and then risk blowing up again. He needed to start gently and ease his way into it. That approach seemed to work well and instead of getting overtaken by loads of other runners in the second half of the race, he was doing the overtaking.

That then in turn led to a much better performance and he reached the line in 38:30 which put him 27th overall. That was only 17 seconds down on his Purbeck time and it was a much a tougher course. And he was doing it off the back of two race-type exertions. It was an excellent run from Adrian and he was really pleased with that outcome.

Arriving at the finish 19 seconds later, James Hulbert clocked a time of 38:49 which put him in 29th place. Although he’d faded a bit over the second half of the race, he’d held it together well to get round in a creditable time, given the profile of the course.

There was a great battle going on for the 1st female spot and Bournemouth AC’s Katie Gunn was contesting that with Sarah Page from Liss Runners. In the end it was Katie who came out on top, recording a time of 39:38. That put her in 39th place overall with Sarah coming in two places later to take 2nd female spot in 39:44. She was 1st in the 40 to 44 category though, so every cloud.

That was a brilliant performance from Katie, given that she’d done the Purbeck 10k on the Friday and she received a lovely hamper and a wooden trophy for her victory, making it a very lucrative weekend for her.

Opting to just coast round in the end, Ryan Pegoraro completed the course in 44:58 which put him in 118th place overall. He hadn’t been training much recently so may not have wanted to risk going hammer and tong at it without much of a build up.

Because the race is a sort of out-and-back, Rich Nelson knew he’d see all the other Bournemouth AC runners on their way back. That meant that as well as racing, he could also be on camera duty and could take photos of his teammates as they went past.

That may have cost him some time but he didn’t really mind. His goal was really just to make it to the finish, since he doesn’t do as much running these days as he used to. As he arrived on the school field for his lap of honour, Rich had Rich Brawn and James Hulbert cheering him on and even filming him as he raced for the line.

Clocking a time of 51:20, Rich came 217th overall and was 22nd in the 50 to 54 category. That was in fact over a minute quicker than the time he’d managed in last year’s race, despite taking the photos on route, so it was a pretty decent display from Rich, all things considered.

Frederick Slemeck of Hercules Wimbledon picked up the win in 32:19, which was actually quicker than Harry Smith did it in last year. Andrew Greenleaf of Winchester & District was 2nd in 32:37 and that was enough to net him the hamper for 1st Male 40 to 44.

Joshua Price of Isle of Wight Road Runners took 3rd in 33:38, with Richard Lovejoy of Aldershot Farnham & District taking 4th in 33:55. Nine men managed to get in in under 36 minutes and 12 finished in under 37 minutes.

Hedge End were the 2nd lowest scoring team in the Second Division, with Overton Harriers 3rd and Liss in 4th. Table toppers Farnham Runners could only manage 7th place and, although they were still top of the table by one league placing, Bournemouth AC will almost certainly leapfrog them after the Lordshill 10k. That will be the final race of the season.

In the Men’s First Division Alton Runners had the best score, with Lordshill taking 2nd by two placings over Denmead. It’s still really tight at the top with Denmead just one placing behind Alton and Lordshill just one placing behind Denmead. That should make it a really exciting finale, especially with Lordshill having home advantage.

Third Division Winchester Running Club got a better score than anyone else in the league and it was the fourth consecutive race they’d topped the standings in that division and the sixth time they’d done it this season. New Forest Runners are still top of the table but it looks like Winchester could overhaul Isle of Wight Road Runners and Victory AC to snatch a promotion spot in the end.

In the Men’s B Team Second Division, Bournemouth AC actually had a scoring team, with Adrian, James, Ryan and Rich Nelson making up the side. They finished 2nd behind Winchester RC.

In the Women’s First Division, Lordshill were the top scoring team, with Hedge End in 2nd and Liss in 3rd. Denmead Striders finished 4th but still top the table for the season so far and look on course to win it.

Alton Runners were the best scoring team in the Women’s Second Division and they top the standings by five placings over Ryde Harriers so look on course to win the division and gain promotion. It’s between Ryde and Portsmouth Joggers for the second promotion place.

Winchester RC were easily the best scoring team in the Women’s Third Division at the Alresford 10k, as they have been in the last six races. They could still actually clinch a dramatic promotion and even top the division if they get the best score at Lordshill. Victory AC currently occupy top spot with New Forest Runners in 2nd.

As is tradition at the Alresford 10k, the runners were each give a bag of water cress as one of their post race goodies. Luckily this time the bags didn’t appear to have loads of bugs in them so it could actually be used. There was also a massive surplus of cookies and bananas there as well which needed to be taken, so the Bournemouth AC members did their best to help out with that.

The Bournemouth AC squad travel to Lordshill for the final race of the Hampshire Road League season knowing that a win see them seal top spot and they will then be officially promoted to the top division, although that is already effectively confirmed.

The squad for Lordshill is looking very strong, with Rob McTaggart, Hugo Richardson, Jack Davis, Dan Trickett and Barry Dolman all signed up. If everyone turns up they’ll have at least 18 runners there which will be a very good turn out.

It does however mean that numbers will be very low for the Round the Rock 10k which takes place on the same day and it could, potentially, be only Stu Nicholas who is competing for BAC in that one. That would be a shame as its a Dorset Road League fixture but the logistics of getting to Portland and back can be quite tricky when travelling from Bournemouth. They should still have enough numbers to field a team in at least seven of the twelve fixtures which is what is required.

All eyes will be on Lordshill though and if they get the result they are looking for, the Bournemouth AC men could well be popping the champagne afterwards and celebrating back-to-back promotions in the Hampshire League and a fast-track route through to Division One and in all likelihood, as Second Division champions.