Steve Way’s inspiring performance led Bournemouth AC
to 4th in the England Athletics Marathon Championships as a
string of personal bests gave the boys in yellow another fine showing on
the national stage.
|
Steve Way at 14
miles |
Finishing 17th overall and 7th
Brit, Way leads the UK rankings in the M35 category and tops the overall
South West rankings ahead of team mate Jon Sharkey in second.
While more established elites overcooked the first
half and fell away in the heat of the second, Steve’s considered
approach to distance running came to the fore as a 2:19:38 clocking will
almost certainly earn him National honours.
|
Jon Sharkey at 21
miles |
Jon Sharkey in 69th set his sixth personal
best in seven London Marathon outings with a 2:31:34 while Ian Habgood
sliced nearly a minute a mile (which amounted to an astonishing 24
minutes!) from his previous best finishing 85th in 2:34:15.
|
Ian Habgood at 14
miles |
Ian White’s final training weeks were hampered by a
knee injury, but he battled through to make it a quartet of PBs
finishing in 2:37:06. This was Ian's fourth marathon, and fourth PB,
demonstrating the quality of BAC training!
|
Ian White at 14
miles |
Nick Kenchington rolled back the clock and ran his
fastest marathon for five years in 2:53:56 while the club’s other M40
runner also had reason to celebrate. In running the second half just 55
seconds slower than the first, Simon Way’s performance was not only the
most even paced of all BAC’s runners, but it bagged him a sub three hour
performance in 2:59:57.
Elsewhere Graeme Miller’s last minute injury played
havoc to his sub three hour attempt although it didn’t stop a brave
effort and a good run in the circumstances to reach 30k inside goal
pace. Mike Cowham’s improvement this year was backed up with a 40k split
of 3:27, but the luckless debutant collapsed through heat stroke in the
final stages and needed extensive treatment before not giving up and
ensuring a finish.
Madrid Marathon
Meanwhile, on the same day, JP Lopez-Cascante was
competing in the Madrid Marathon – for the 33rd time! JP has
run in every Madrid Marathon since the first, and is now one of only 18
to have done so. Therefore, completing the marathon is as important as
the performance, and JP's time of 3.41 is highly creditable, considering
the fact that he had done virtually no marathon-specific training. And,
of the 18 'historicos', JP was second!
North Dorset Villages Marathon
Only one week
after the London Marathon, Ian Habgood went on to win the North Dorset
Villages Marathon on Sunday, 2 May, in a time of 2.41.25, breaking the
course record set last year! Also running in this marathon was Chris
Birch, in a time of 3.00.29. As far as we know, this ranks Chris as the
4th V60 in the country, so this will surely offset any disappointment
there may be at not quite breaking three hours!
