With a highly competitive field ready to do battle over a fast and furious road route round the town, the Reading Half Marathon looked a decent prospect of a good time for any in-form athletes.

Two of Bournemouth AC‘s top tier talents were amongst the 6,000 plus runners looking to reach their potential and make their mark in the big showdown.

They were of course, none other than one the fastest half marathon runners in the club, Mr Rob McTaggart, and the effervescent new kid on the block, Szymon Chojnacki.

Both men had been showing signs of good form coming into the race, with Szymon stealing the show in the Run Bournemouth Supersonic 10k, racing to a 34:38 time to seal the victory.

Then the weekend after that he picked up another win in the 303 Squadron Memorial Run 5k in Feltham.

A blistering battle between Dom Willmore of Poole AC and Scott Cousins of Springfield Striders left Rob McTaggart with a lonely lollop round for 3rd place in the Run Bournemouth Half Marathon.

Dom and Scott ended up pushing each other to incredible times of 1:07:30 and 1:07:40 respectively leaving Tag trailing by some distance. Once he knew he’d have to settle for 3rd, he was able to take his foot of the gas and save his legs for the Great South Run the week after though.

Despite that, he still registered a very quick time of 1:11:49, demonstrating that he was very much in line for a fast time in the right set of circumstances. He was hoping the Reading Half Marathon would present him with the scope to do that.

The following weekend he ran a time of 53:44 in the Great South Run to take 32nd place. He didn’t really feel he had a good run on the day though and knew that with his current level of fitness, he should have been able to go faster.

The Reading Half Marathon route featured a grandstand finish at the Madejski Stadium – home to Reading Football Club – with the course taking in the University of the Reading, Prospect Park and Coley Recreation Ground. It also took the runners past Reading Train Station and Reading West.

The first mile was a very quick one, with Tag getting through it in just 5 minutes and 5 seconds. After that it was a slight incline for the second mile before hitting a steeper curve in the third mile.

Sometimes the way a race pans out can hinge on one split-second decision. Tag had been running with a group but when he hit the hill on the third mile, he elected to ease off a touch and let the group go ahead.

Aware that hills aren’t really his strong point, he didn’t want to risk putting himself into the red so early and having to suffer for the remainder of the race.

What happened though was that wasn’t able to catch the group back up afterwards and ended up in no man’s land again. Without anyone to push him on, Tag struggled to find the intensity and slipped off the pace he might otherwise have hoped to maintain.

He ran really well over the last few miles though and managed to reel in and overtake four other runners before getting to the line in a time in a mightily impressive time of 1:10:48.

That put him in 28th place overall and although he would have liked to have gotten closer to his PB time of 1:08:29, it wasn’t really the right course for that.

It was a very good performance though, nonetheless and represented great progress from the form he was in over the summer when he was really struggling to find top gear.

Szymon opened with a ferociously fast first mile at 5:32 pace. He was then looking at a speed of around 5:45 to 5:50 for the next six miles, except for the third mile that had the steeper part of the incline.

The ninth mile also had a bit of an incline so that was slightly slower but the rest of the remaining miles were done at around 6 minute mile pace which was still very strong from Szymon.

That culminated in a magnificent finishing time of 1:17:15 which put him in 89th place. Given the standard of the opposition he was up against, that was a pretty good result for Szymon.

His fastest half marathon though was Ranelagh Richmond which he completed in 1:15:25 so that was the sort of time he was aiming for. On a course that wasn’t completely flat though, it was one of those where Szymon should still feel proud of what he’d achieved whilst knowing that there’s still scope for improvement.

Twemlow Track Club man Richard Swindlehurst was also competing and he had a decent run to finish in a time of 1:17:48, which put him in 103rd place.

It was Omar Ahmed who picked up the win in an astonishing time of 1:02:14. He was the man who just managed to get the better of Grant Sheldon in the Speedway 10k in the summer.

His lead was over a minute ahead of Paulos Surafel who was 2nd in 1:03:18. Then it was Joshua Grace who took 3rd in 1:05:14, with Jonathan Cornish of Hercules Wimbledown in 4th with a 1:05:21.

Alex Tueten of Southampton finished in 7th place, getting over the line in 1:06:25. Phillipa Bowden was top woman, completing the course in 1:13:29.

Naomi Mitchell was 2nd female in 1:14:25, with Michelle Pearson following in soon after to take 3rd lady spot in 1:14:42.

The fact that both Tag and Szymon, despite running such quick times, can still be disappointed with their end results illustrates the high standards that they set for themselves. And that’s probably partly why they are where they are in running terms. They are always striving for better and never settling for anything less than the best that they can possibly be.

Next up for Tag, he would be back on more familiar ground, looking to bring home the bacon in the Wimborne 10.

As for Szymon, he would be in action in the first Hampshire Cross Country League fixture of the season at Kings Park before heading back to Poland for the Łódzkie Mountain Run 10.5km.

 

After having his two previous attempts at winning The Stickler cruelly foiled, when he lined up for the 2021 edition, Jacek Cieluszecki was hoping it might be third time lucky on this occasion.

The disappointing aspect of not winning his two previous attempts was that it wasn’t his fault. On both occasions, it was due to marshalling or course mix ups that prevented him from realising his objective.

The closest he came to winning was in the 2018 race, where he was way out front and was on course for an emphatic victory. The problem was though that he was going so fast he actually beat one of the marshals to their post and as a consequence, missed the turning and carried straight on.

By the time he realised he must have gone the wrong way, it was too late and he would’ve had a long way to go in order to get back on track.

The following year he was out front again, but this time he was with Lee Dempster and Stuart Holloway of City of Salisbury. Soon after the first big climb up the Stickle Path, they got sent the wrong way by a rogue marshal, masquerading as one of the official race crew.

One of the real marshals then noticed they had gone the wrong way and rushed over the tell them. They turned to find their way back to the designated route but it caused complete chaos and some of the runners ended up cutting off a section of the course and thus not completing the full distance.

Jacek did do the full distance but he had to claw his way back towards the front of the race from quite far back and it scuppered his hopes of winning. This year he was determined to get it right though.

Jacek had already won one very hilly 10 mile race this year when he claimed victory in the CapTEN, a race that incorporated two of the highest points in the South West, Thorncombe Beacon and Golden Cap.

Setting a new course record that day, he finished over six minutes ahead of his nearest rival.

There had been a lot of rain the night before The Stickler, as well as on the morning of the race itself and that had left the course waterlogged and muddy in places.

It was actually the same day that the Bournemouth 10 was cancelled on, partly due to the conditions. Luckily The Stickler started a bit later though and the storm had cleared by the time it was due to get underway.

The course is just over 10 miles in length and includes 1,700ft of climbing, beginning with the infamous ‘Stickle Path’. There are three massive peaks to negotiate during the race. They are Okeford Beacon, Hod Hill and Hambledon.

What’s impressive about JC’s running is that he’s still able to go at a very quick pace, even on an incline. For instance, the first mile is almost all uphill, with some of it being very steep, yet he still managed to get through it at under 7 minute mile pace.

Then when he gets to the top of the hill and he gets back on the flat or on a descent, the hill doesn’t seem to have taken that much out of him and he’s still able to run really fast.

His third and fourth miles were done at 5:36 and 5:20 pace before he headed back up the smaller climb on the 5th mile and 6:09 pace. He was then back at 5:37 pace for the sixth mile as he headed back down.

Although Jacek was in the lead, Chris Peck of Egdon Heath Harriers was hot on his heals throughout the first half of the race so he knew he couldn’t afford to let up.

On the last two crucial climbs though, which were Hod and Hambledon, JC managed to exert his authority and extend away from Chris.

Managing to get through the next two miles that included those two climbs in 7:30 and 8 minute mile pace, Jacek managed to open a gap of almost two minutes between himself and Chris.

From that point on it was all academic. He headed back down Hambledon at 5:31 pace for the 9th mile. The last mile took him through a grass field that was extremely waterlogged.

In fact a small river had risen up and flooded the field which left a very large and very deep puddle that the runners had to wade through, or swim through if they so desired, as Sarah Swift of Poole Runners did. Luckily she’d brought her goggles and swimming hat just in case.

Despite all that, Jacek got through the last mile in 6:11. That saw him hit the finish in a time of 1:04:46 to take a resounding victory, with Chris arriving at the line almost two minutes later in 1:06:42.

Tristan Cooper took 3rd place in 1:07:27, which Charles Ford laying claim to 4th place with his time of 1:09:37.

Jacek’s average pace for the run was 6:26 minutes per mile which, considering he’d tackled almost 1,700ft of climbing and had to face some very tough conditions, was an amazing result.

Mark Packer of Littledown Harriers was also in the mix, finishing in 9th place with a time of 1:15:11. Matthew Bosanquet of Lytchett Manor Striders was 11th in a time of 1:16:39 with Steve Claxton of Poole Runners taking 12th in 1:17:11.

Paolo De Luca, also of Littledown Harriers crossed the line in 19th place in a time of 1:19:43.

Molly Rasch took first female spot, getting round in 1:19:48 which put her 22nd overall. The next women to reach the finish was Jenny Lee Marshall of Purbeck Runners who was 36th in a time of 1:22:47.

Tracy Cook of Dorset Doddlers was 3rd female, registering a time of 1:25:23.

A total of 383 runners took part in the race. It would have been more but the floods and road closures prevented some of the runners from getting to the start line.

It was both a relief and a moment of great joy for JC to finally get the victory he’d been craving for three years. He can now put the mishaps of 2018 and 2019 behind him, knowing that he can finally call himself the official champion of The Stickler and, after what has gone before, never has there been such a worthy winner.

 

After venturing over to Exmoor for the North Coast 110km Ultra and the Scottish Highlands for the Saloman Mamores Vertical Kilometre and Three Mealls Trail Race, Jacek Cieluszecki and his wife Ela were back on familiar ground for the Sika Trail Run 10k.

The race was organised by Ultimate Fitness, a gym in Dorchester, and was located at Wareham Forest. Jacek goes to Wareham Forest quite regularly for runs with Ela and he really likes it there so it was the ideal race for him.

Setting his stall out early on, Jacek blasted through the first mile at 5:16 pace. It was a speed that very few runners would be able to live with in an off-road race.

He then completed all the remaining miles at around 5:30 pace or slightly under which gave him an astonishingly quick finishing time of 33:49.

For an off-road 10k that was mightily impressive. It was pretty much like a time trial for JC as no one else could get anywhere near him on that sort of form.

In fact, he was 3-and-a-half minutes ahead of his nearest rival Paul Hilton who runs for Lytchett Manor Striders. Paul took 2nd place in a time of 37:27. Then it was Daniel Thomas taking 3rd in 38:57.

It was about as resounding a victory you’re ever likely to see in a 10k race for JC. He was expecting to perhaps come in under 35 minutes but to produce the time he did on that sort of terrain actually surprised him somewhat.

Jacek’s wife Ela had been first female in the North Coat 110k so she’d already had a taste of winning a tough trail race. She very nearly repeated those heroics in the Sika Trail Run but was denied by Annie Wooldridge who got round in 46:34.

That put her in 9th place overall. Ela arrived just over a minute later to take 12th overall, clocking a time of 47:46. Carly Forward of Dorchester Riot proved she was fast enough to claim 3rd female spot in 49:05. A total of 117 runners successfully completed the course.

It was another very successful day for Jacek and Ela and they had every reason to celebrate the fantastic results they had each achieved.

Next up for JC, it was the slightly tougher prospect of The Stickler. That was on the followed weekend, and quite fittingly taking place of Halloween.

The Stickler is a very hilly 10 mile route that is a notoriously difficult race to get to grips with. Having gone the wrong way the last couple of times he was hoping it would be third time lucky and he would find the correct path this time round.

Famed for their spectacular medal designs, Phoenix Running pull all the stops out each year to conjure up something truly special and enticing. The aim is to produce a medal that will stand out amongst all the others on the rack.

In 2018 they had the Explorer, which featured the world’s largest finisher’s medal. In 2019 they had the Golden Phoenix and the Silver Phoenix which were 3D and arguably their best medals ever. Then in 2020 they had medals for the Almighty with the God of Thunder and the Wrath of Poseidon.

In 2021 they continued the tradition of pushing the boundaries of medal production with the Medusa!! And the Medusa might just have been their finest medal yet, which is quite a statement.

One man on the lookout for something bang tidy to add to his bling collection was Bournemouth AC‘s very own marathon maestro Stu Nicholas. Stu has already reached 50 marathon mark after completing 14 of them in 2018 to achieve his target.

He’s also done a couple of 100 kilometre ultra marathons as well, the last of which he did a few months back in the Roseland August Trail Plague. He didn’t have his best of runs that day and the weather was atrocious but he showed great character to get through it regardless.

On the weekend of Phoenix Running’s Medusa, Stu wasn’t look for an easy passage to get hold of the medals. He was going to really earn them by running back to back marathons on the Saturday and the Sunday.

This wasn’t something that was completely alien to him. He had done back to back marathons before, and in fact, had even won them both before. He did that at the Winter Enigma at Caldecotte Lake in Milton Keynes. Running back to back marathons was still a task that was never going to be easy, no matter what the experience or skill level.

The races were conducted on a 3.28 mile out and back route along the River Thames. The first one was the Silver Gorgon, where the medal was presented in an antique silver finish. Stu was going along pretty well at just under 7 minutes per mile for the majority of the race.

However, a dodgy lasagne the previous evening left him with some stomach difficulties on the way round. That meant taking an emergency pitstop during the run but he kept going well and did his best to push on through.

The culminated in him completing the marathon in a time of 3 hours 7 minutes and 47 seconds with an average pace of 7:10 minutes per mile, despite the stoppage. That was enough to give him an emphatic win, with his nearest rivals taking almost an hour longer to complete the marathon distance.

It was an excellent win for Stu but at that point the job was only half done. He had to turn up the following day and do it all over again. This time it was the Golden Gorgon – which would earn him a medal in an antique gold/brass finish.

The question was, could his legs hack it after the previous day’s exploits?… There was only one way to find out!!

Taking it a bit easier for the first four miles, he seemed to get into his stride after that and from that point on his pacing was strong and consistent. Getting through most of the miles at between 7 and 7:15 pace, he was going very well.

At least this time he didn’t require any Imodium either and his stomach remained in tact for the duration. Other than his legs being sore he wasn’t feeling any ill effects from the previous day’s marathon.

Finishing in a time of 3 hours 12 minutes and 5 seconds, it was another fantastic performance from Stu. Again, there was no one else in the field who was able to challenge his supremacy. The second placed runner, Robert Mole, dug in well to complete the distance in 3:38:48 but he was over 26 minutes behind Stu.

That meant Stu had done the double and won both marathons back to back, which was quite some achievement. Even though it wasn’t a high standard of competition, by doing the two races back to back Stu had certainly found a way to challenge himself and well and truly earn the massive medals he received as a result.

He probably won’t mind if he doesn’t run along that stretch of the River Thames again for quite some time though!

Ever fancied a 47 mile run along the banks of England’s largest river?… Anyone?… Well Harry Smith has – and he did just that when he lined up for the Thames Trot Ultra.

The route is a point to point trek from Iffley in Oxfordshire to Henley on Thames using both the Thames Path and the Ridgeway National Trails.

It was predominantly flat the whole way but very muddy in places which presented a real challenge when covering that sort of distance. Harry tackled the daunting distance with his friend Jack Searl and they went in with the aim to ‘complete rather than complete’.

It wasn’t Harry’s first attempt at an ultra marathon. He’d done a few 50 kilometre races before. In fact, soon after he first joined Bournemouth AC he won the Race for the Tide 50k which takes place in Bournemouth, heading out from Ringwood and finishing at Hegistbury Head.

Putting in a very impressive performance that day, announcing himself on the south coast racing scene in style. Ever since then he’s gone from strength to strength, winning triathlons and duathlons and taking first place in the MK Rocket 5K at Milton Keynes and the Shere Half Marathon in Surrey. He’d also recorded a superb sub-32-minute 10k at Eastleigh and and 10 mile best of 54:04 at the Great South Run.

The kind of speeds he was touching on in those races though were not going to be possible in the Thames Trot Ultra. In this one he had to take it slow and steady to give himself a chance of going the full distance.

That meant he was very rarely going under 8 minutes per mile which must have seemed quite slow for him. It was about being disciplined though and he showed he was able to do that when required.

Up till the point he reached marathon distance, the vast majority of his miles had been between 8 and 8:30 sort of pace. It fluctuated a bit more after that as he trooped on for the remaining 20 miles or so but it was all about just making it to the line. That would be a huge achievement in itself.

Fueled by donuts and crisps, the diet of a true champion, Harry managed to see it through till the end and he and Jack completed the full 47 mile course. And what’s more, they’d done it in a good time as well, going all the way in 7 hours 21 minutes and 47 seconds. That put them in 9th place overall out of 136 participants.

With an average pace of 9:24, it very good, solid attempt from Harry considering it was his first time at that sort of distance. Only 109 of the 136 runners successful completed the full course which illustrates how tough it was.

At the front of the field it was a very close race in the end between Rob Payne and Alexander Whearity, with Rob just edging it in the end. His time of 5:47:14 gave him a 29 second margin of victory over Alexander in the end.

Maxime Lelong proved to have enough endurance to seal 3rd spot in a time of 5:55:33. Then it was Philip Avery arriving at the line in 4th place in a time of 6:17:25.

Ruth Hawkins swooped in to take the 1st female spot and 5th position overall in a time of 7:02:35. that put her 22 minutes ahead of Rachel Piper who came in Just behind Harry and Jack to claim 2nd female spot.

After that it was all about recovering well and recuperating quickly for Harry is he looked to get himself into mint condition for the beginning of the Hampshire Cross Country League season, with the first fixture being Bournemouth AC’s home race at Kings Park.

Sometimes it the winning of trophies or the earning of medals that is the important thing. Sometimes it can be overcoming of a mental obstacle that means the most. That was certainly the case for Linn Erixon Sahlström when she took to the start line for the Centurion Running Autumn 100.

Ever since she suffered a really nasty fall and injured herself badly on the slopes on Snowdon, Linn had lost her confidence and her mojo as a runner.

The following year was full of cancelled races which meant she didn’t really have the opportunity to get out there and arrest those demons. The year after that she was busy with other aspects of life, including getting married, becoming an animal chiropractor and acquiring a puppy, which meant she had no time to devote to racing.

Therefore, when she returned to Goring for the third time for the Centurion Running Autumn 100, it was to be her comeback race. Usually Linn looks to finish in a high position and challenge for the first female spot in ultras but since she hadn’t done any for such a long time, this one was really just about finishing.

In many ways, it was do or die for Linn. She was either going to accept that running longer distances were now a thing of the past, or she was going to rediscover the magic again and enjoy the freedom of movement.

Whilst she may have had zero expectations going into the race, Linn did have plenty of nerves but she felt like she had to give herself the chance to enjoy the simplicity of running again. After all, the competition was fierce and Linn had never really seen herself as a fast runner. She felt she was more of a slogger with a Viking mentality and a fair amount of luck.

The course for the Autumn 100 reflected the shape of a cross, featuring for 25 mile out and back spurs upon sections of both the Ridgeway and Thames Path National Trails.

The route started at Goring, first heading to Little Wittenham and back along the Thames Path. It was then out to Swyncombe Farm on the Ridgeway before heading back to Goring again. Then it was back on the Ridgeway to Chain Hill, again returning to Goring for the final out and back on the Thames Path to Reading.

Theoretically the course is quite flat and fast if the conditions are good but the runners did have to face 13 hours of darkness which would test them to their limits.

Fortunately for Linn, it was just one of those days where everything flows and things just fall into place. Her attitude was to embrace everything. Even the bee sting on a neck she suffered on the first leg.

She embraced the fact that she remembered how to run, despite being a 45 year old woman who was a bit slower but had a body that will do incredible things when I asked to. She embraced the fact that her mind kept her going when it got tough.

The staggered start meant that Linn had no idea who out of the runners that were physically behind her were actually in front of her in racing terms.

She was chasing ultra running extraordinaire Debbie Martin-Consani but all she got was high fives when she sailed past her in the opposite direction.

With 20km to go, Linn was told she had a chance of third place female but she’d have leg it, literally. As much as she loves racing, trying to finish fast after already having run 140km was a new game for her. But magic does happen.

The woman challenging Linn for third place was Alysia Sawicka. She wasn’t sure where exactly they stood in the race but one thing was for certain and that was that she needed to keep Alysia behind her. She couldn’t afford to get caught.

Knowing she had to go for broke in that last section from Pangbourne, it was set up for an enthralling end to the proceedings for Linn.

As she passed the final checkpoint and went over the bridge she could see two head torches behind her, closing in at a scary speed. Although there were a few undulations over the latter stages, Linn knew it was either run or die.

Somehow a primal instinct kicked in and the adrenaline took over. Despite having a dodgy headtorch that needed charging, Linn found an extra gear. She ran for her life, praying not to stumble on any roots again or fall into the Thames. She didn’t really fancy a swim at that point.

The reality was that with four miles to go Linn was actually eight minutes behind Alysia so she had a huge deficit to turn around in the latter stages of the race but she was very determined.

She passed a few guys who, either out of courtesy or fear, stepped aside when they saw the determination in her stride and heard her heavy breathing.

As she crossed the finish line in a sprint like fashion, Linn felt relieved and a tad emotional. After all, crossing that finish line was all the mattered really. It meant she had won her own mental challenge and that was huge.

Finishing in a time of 19 hours 5 minutes and 51 seconds was also a fabulous result for Linn. She could scarcely believe it had gone so well after not managing anything like the sort of training she’d usually put in for a race like that.

Around 13 minutes later, Alysa arrived at the finish. She’d started quite a bit after Linn though so at that point they had no way of knowing her had actually taken third place and faced an anxious wait to find out.

Sure enough, it turned out that it was Linn who had won the battle for that all important podium spot with a time just six seconds quicker than Alysia.

You wouldn’t usually expect 100 mile races to be quite so dramatic at the end. Incredibly though, it was similar for the men in a battle for the overall race win.

In the end it was Jacob Snochowski who picked up the victory, registering a time of 13 hours 59 minutes and 21 seconds. That gave him a winning margin of just 10 seconds over Peter Windross.

Holly Rush was in a real hurry to get round and completed the course in 16:51 to finish as first female and 8th overall. Debbie Martin-Consani was 2nd woman and 12th overall in 18:21:46.

Out of the 165 who successfully completed the race, Linn was 17th overall which was a magnificent achievement and certainly well beyond what she was expecting.

It was a dream ending for Linn and made the mammoth effort she’d put in towards the end of the race very worthwhile. She felt very lucky and was so grateful to her body and mind for allowing her to accomplish what she did. And the best thing about it of all… She’d fall back in love with running again.

Turns out it isn’t just puddings, tea and serial killers that Yorkshire is good at. The county is also pretty useful at staging marathons too it would seem, as Heather Khoshnevis and Helen Ambrosen can now vouch for.

Whilst it may have been dragged through the mud recently over the racist abuse scandal in cricket, the Yorkshire Marathon Festival portrayed the county in a very good light and showed that it can be a place where everyone comes together to create something special.

Bournemouth AC coach Tom Craggs was up there performing his role as head honcho at England Athletics and he was in charge of an EA Masters team that consisted of some of the country’s top vets in their respective categories.

That included Bournemouth AC’s very own Heather Khoshnevis who took the well earned opportunity to pull on an England Athletics vest.

It wasn’t really surprising Heather was selected to represent England Athletics since she virtually always wins her category prize in whatever races she does.

Heather had certainly done her fair share of recent marathons including London, and the week before that, the New Forest Marathon.

She’d also done a few over the summer as well including the Two Tunnels Marathon in Bath, the Hampshire Hoppit and Kempton Park Marathon. The Yorkshire Marathon would be the 142nd of her ever growing tally.

It was also a designated British Masters Athletics Federation race which meant there were age group medals up for grabs in that competition, as well as for the race itself.

That was enough to lure Helen Ambrosen to the table and she also made the journey up from the south coast to get a taste of the action up north.

Helen has really thrown herself into the BMAF races this season and she’s been getting the results to show for it. She finds that the extra bit of added motivation to do well can make a huge difference.

She has an illustrious history with the BMAF marathons as well, winning the W50 medal when she ran a lifetime best of 3:18 at the age of 54!! She also has the W55 medal but missed out on the W60 one.

Now she was after the W65 one and she was determined to get it. With the level of training she’d put in she felt she had it within her capability to run steadily at 9 minutes per mile which would get her round in under four hours.

Helen had certainly been putting the mileage in in training and had completed the New Forest Marathon three weeks before as her last long run so she certainly wasn’t going into the Yorkshire Marathon unprepared.

The race started at the University Campus and there was a shuttle bus put on take the runners over there. It was a smoothly done and very well organised event.

It was an undulating course, heading out to a few villages before going back into the city centre. The route even goes past York Minster, although Heather somehow managed to miss that. She must have been so focused on her running.

Going through the first 10k in 47 minutes, she then hit the half way point in 1 hour 43 minutes. She toughed it out well over the second half the race despite a niggly foot issue that effected her over the last 10 miles.

Finishing in a time of 3 hours 42 minutes and 26 seconds, Heather finished 671st overall and was 86th placed female. It was a terrific run and was enough to seal the gold medal for her age group in the British Masters as well as gold for the England Athletics Masters team. And for the race itself she was 2nd in her age category.

It was a fantastic result for Heather and one that was very well deserved after all the hard work she puts in. And with all the bling she’d received, it certainly wasn’t going to be one that she’ll forget any time soon.

Helen went through the 10k point in 54:29 and went on to reach the half way point in 1:57:29. At that stage she was looking good for a sub-four provided she could maintain the pace over the second half.

Her splits were very consistent and it was only really over the last 5k that she dropped off a bit with a few tough little inclines towards the end.

Getting to the line in 3:58:47, it was a magnificent run from Helen and in the end she was quite comfortably under the four hour target she’d set herself.

That put her in 1,074th place overall and she was 176th fastest female. It was enough to secure the age category win for the race itself and also take home the gold medal she wanted for the BMAF.

The two Bournemouth AC ladies had really excelled in the race and showed that it doesn’t matter age you are. If you put the work in and have the right attitude and dedication, success will come your way. And Heather and Helen had certainly done both themselves and their club proud in that respect.

York is a marvellous city with so much history and since it was quite a long journey, Heather and Helen went a few days earlier to explore.

One of the greatest advantages of running marathons is you get to visit places that you otherwise may not go to. After all, what better way of sightseeing is there than running a marathon?

 

 

 

The Yorkshire Marathon Festival had an unfamiliar Dorset twang to it this year, with a notable Bournemouth AC presence in the thick of the action.

BAC coach Tom Craggs had made the journey up to lead an England Athletics Masters team for the event and that team included Bournemouth AC’s very own Heather Khoshnevis  who was running the marathon.

Helen Ambrosen had also made the trip and was also competing in the marathon, knowing that it was a British Masters Athletics Federation race.

Meanwhile, in the 10 Mile race, Georgia Wood was in action, bringing a bit of southern flavour to the proceedings.

Georgia had finished 2nd placed woman and 10th overall in the Half Marathon race at the New Forest Marathon event in September and had also secured a solid sub-1:30 time in the Natasha Lewis Foundation Half Marathon in Bath earlier in the month.

But she was yet to reach her full potential in a race thus far in 2021. The Yorkshire 10 Mile represented a golden opportunity for her to do that.

When it came round to the day of the race though, Georgia almost opted not to run. She’d had such a lot going on that she wasn’t sure she was in the right head-space to fully commit to it.

In the end she decided to go for it though and that would turn out to be a decision she wasn’t going to regret.

Starting off at a very quick pace, once she got into her stride, it was clear there was going to be no stopping her. Getting to the half way point in a time of 30:23, it was obvious that a cracking time was on the cards if she could maintain it over the second half of the race.

She did just that, demonstrating superb strength and stamina to get to the finish line in a time of 1:01:43.

It was an excellent performance from Georgia and was enough to see her claim the 1st female prize and take 26th place in the overall standings.

That gave her a huge winning margin of 4 minutes, with the next female arriving in a time of 1:05:43.

It was an impressive and emphatic win for Georgia and she was very pleased when she came into the finish to have produced such a fine display.

It was a great event and the local community had turned out in droves to offer support to the runners and generate a fantastic ambience.