The start of the Stubbington 10k

A strong Bournemouth AC line-up for the Stubbington 10k included Abdinasir Mohamoud Elmi who was favourite to win

A less than desirable start to the year had seen Bournemouth AC find themselves at the bottom of both the men’s and women’s First Divisions in the Dorset Road Race League. That was despite a win for Rob McTaggart at the Broadstone Quarter Marathon. Illnesses had hampered their chances of fielding the competitive side that they’d hoped for and there was little they could do avoid a disappointing result.

They soon had an opportunity to put that behind them at Stubbington 10k though and get back to winning ways and that was exactly what they intended to do. The Stubbington 10k was the sixth race of the Hampshire Road League schedule so marked the half way stage in the season.

Bournemouth AC were still fourth in the Men’s A1 table after their convincing win at the Victory 5. That was mostly due to the fact that they didn’t field a team for the Solent Half Marathon and only managed 7th place at the Gosport Half Marathon. There was scope to make those races not count toward their final scorecard though if they could get a good result in five of the remaining fixtures after the Stubbington 10k.

Abdinasir Mohamoud Elmi on the start line of the Stubbington 10k

Abdi looking focused on the start line as he waits for the race to get underway

In their first season after joining the Hampshire Road Race League, Bournemouth AC were caught out by the clamour for places in the Stubbington 10k which saw the race sell out within a few hours. Last year they were on the ball and managed to field a strong men’s team and even got a ladies team out as well.

For this year’s race they were once again ready and waiting to pounce as soon as entries went on sale and managed to secure plenty of places. After finishing 5th in last year’s race, Rob McTaggart was definitely game for another piece of the action. His form was good as well after his win at the Broadstone Quarter and his third place in a BAC monopoly at the Boscombe 10k.

After recording a brilliant 10k PB in last year’s race, Stu Nicholas was back for more and he came into off the back of wins in the Portsmouth Coastal Marathon and the New Forest Xmas Trails 30k.

The Ryde Harriers men in the Stubbington 10k

Ryde Harriers had a strong side out including Matt Sharp (1549), Christopher Newnham (1237) and Dave Hunt (other red vest)

Frustrated to finish two seconds outside of his PB at Stubbington last year, Adam Corbin couldn’t resist another attempt. Perhaps this could be the moment he would finally top his 33:49 Eastleigh 10k time of 2021. His 16:43 parkrun just before the end of 2024 showed he was in good form.

After improving a lot over the course of 2024, James Hulbert had started putting down some really good times. He’d managed a parkrun PB of 16:45 and had posted a 27:57 at the Victory 5. He was expecting to better his 10k PB of 36:32 which he’d set at Round the Lakes in September.

A decent performance at the Victory 5 had seen Mike Akers clock a time of 29:26 and he’d also recorded a sub 18 minute parkrun in the last one of 2024. He was clearly running well in training as well so was set up nicely for a quick time at the Stubbington 10k.

After recording two five mile PBs in December, the first at the Victory 5 and then the second a sub 29 at the Friday Under the Lights Xmas 5, Barry Dolman was in tremendous form. He’d also recently recorded a new parkrun PB of 17:35.

Even Rich Brawn was in it after a massive dip in form over the second half of 2024 had forced him to declare his retirement from racing. He’d managed a brilliant PB of 35:26 last year but wasn’t expecting to get anywhere near that this time round. He knew if there was one race he could still do alright in though, it was probably the Stubbington 10k.

Abdinasir Mohamoud Elmi in the Stubbington 10k

Abdi was way too fast for anyone else in the field

They were without Joe Arundel who was still suffering from the illness that kept him out of the Broadstone Quarter. The race organisers had approached Abdinasir Mohamoud Elmi though and offered him a place as they’d heard about the fast times he’d been posting and all the course records he’d been taking.

For the first time since he arrived on English shores, Abdi had been beaten in a Podium 5k race at Battersea Park. His record in local races remained unblemished though so this was a chance for him to get back to winning ways again. It was also an opportunity to see how quick he could really go on a fast, flat course.

Abdinasir Mohamoud Elmi leading the Stubbington 10k

Abdi’s ferocious pace did not waver throughout the race

Deploying his usual tactic of going out hard and establishing an early lead, Abdi set off at about 4:20 to 4:30 pace. Then he settled into a rhythm at around 6:40 sort of pace, going through his first mile split in 4:38. Not many athletes would dare to start a 10k race off that quick but for Abdi – that was his 10k pace.

Carrying on at the same speed for the next couple of miles, Abdi went through 5k in 14:34. He was about six seconds a kilometre faster than anyone anyone else. Matt Sharp of Ryde Harriers was in second place and he was significantly faster than anyone else in the field. He was still no match for Abdi though.

Abdinasir Mohamoud Elmi nears the finish

Abdi nears the finish of the race

Keeping the tempo high the second half of the race, Abdi registered a 14:27 for the other 5k. That got him to the finish line in exactly 29 minutes. It was another stunning display from Abdi. where he had simply blown away the opposition.

Although it was a convincing win, Abdi was a little disappointed not to have got under 29 minutes. The course for the Stubbington 10k comes out slightly long though so that was the only reason he didn’t. In actual fact he recorded a distance of 6.27 miles and went through 10k in about 28:45.

Abdinasir Mohamoud Elmi wins the Stubbington 10k

Abdi crosses the line with his trademark aeroplane celebration

Although he was a minute behind Abdi, Matt Sharp was still having a brilliant run and there was even more distance between him and the third place runner than there was between himself and Abdi. He went over the line in 30:04.

Christopher Newnham taking third in the Stubbington 10k

Christopher Newnham comes in to take third place

His Ryde Harriers teammate Christopher Newnham was the next man to reach the finish. He clocked a time of 31:20. Cameron Walker-Powell of City of Portsmouth was the next man over the line in 31:25, with James Copeland of Southern Counties Vets taking 5th in 31:29.

City of Portsmouth got their second runner in when Paul Navesy crossed the line to take 6th place in 31:30. Tommy Blake of Loughborough Students Tri Club was 7th in 31:32.

Rob-McTaggart in the Stubbington 10k

Rob McTaggart had an excellent run in to finish in 31:39

Getting out the blocks pretty quickly, Tag registered a 4:57 for his opening mile split. He then followed that up with a 5:02 and a 4:59. That saw him through 5k in 15:39. Registering a 5:09 for his fourth split, he began to suffer a bit after 7.5km and dropped off the scrap for fourth place.

The second half of the Stubbington 10k is definitely harder than the first as its more on a slight incline as opposed to a slight decline. Tag went through the fifth mile in 5:11 and then the sixth in 5:16 before closing it out with a fast final section. That saw him get to the line in 8th place in a superb time of 31:39.

That was almost a minute quicker than he did it in last year and it was his fastest 10k time since Chichester in 2023. It was also his third quickest 10k ever on the road, so definitely a lot faster than he’d envisaged. The early season signs are definitely looking good for Tag.

Jon White was City of Portsmouth’s third finisher in the top nine when he went over the line in 31:40. They’re in the third division so it didn’t really effect Bournemouth AC but it was an impressive show of muscle from them.

Matthew Port of Winchester Running Club completed the top ten, registering a time of 31:43, with Southampton AC pair Andrew Thomas and George Hood finishing 11th and 12th in 31:47 and 31:51 respectively.

Ryde Harriers got their third man in when Dave Hunt arrived to take 15th place in 32:29. They now needed just one more for a First Division win. It was Southampton AC who were the first club to get four finishers in though. Max Costley finished 16th in 33 minutes and Richard Waldron was 14th in 33:14. They’re in the Second Division though, so again, from that perspective it didn’t matter to Bournemouth AC.

What did matter though was when Gary Marshall made it to the finish in 19th place recording a time of 33:21. That was enough to seal the top placing for Ryde Harriers at the Stubbington 10k.

Adam Corbin in the Stubbington 10k

Adam Corbin finally managed to claim the PB that he’d craved for so long

Suffering from some throat issues the day before the race, Adam Corbin wasn’t even sure whether to do it. In the end he decided to though and it turned out to be a very good decision.

Setting off with a 5:15, Adam then went through the second mile in 5:18 and the third in 5:20. That brought him to 5k in 16:41. After that he registered a 5:24, followed by a 5:25 and a 5:27. Had he done enough to finally crack that PB he’d been chasing for so long though? Yes, he had done it this time!

Crossing the line in 33:34, he’d beaten his previous best by 15 seconds. It was a fantastic result for Adam and he was very relieved to see that all the hard work he’d been putting in had finally paid off. His average pace for the run was 5:22 and he finished 25th in the overall standings.

Stu Nicholas in the Stubbington 10k

Stu Nicholas hadn’t been well in the build up to the race

Having been unwell in the week leading up to the Stubbington 10k, Stu Nicholas had only managed one run, the day before. Hence, he felt that he may have lost a fair bit of fitness.

Starting off with a 5:16 for his first split, he then followed it up with a 5:21 and then a 5:26. That took him to 5k in 16:50. He dropped off the pace a bit in the second half of the race, posting a 5:40, followed by a 5:44 and a 5:41. That got him to the line in 34:35 which was exactly a minute down on his time from last year. It was still his second fastest 10k time ever though so that was an impressive result under the circumstances.

Stu Nicholas racing past in the Stubbington 10k

Stu still managed his second fastest 10k ever after his PB last year

That put Stu in 41st position overall and rounded off the scoring team for the Bournemouth AC A team. They’d done enough to secure second place in the First Division behind Ryde. It wasn’t quite the result they were hoping for but it was good enough for the yellow and blues.

Haydon Clarke of Poole Runners was competing as well and he recorded a new PB of 34:34 which saw him finish just behind Stu, although he was a second quicker on chip time.

Emlyn Hughes and Haydan Clarke in the Stubbington 10k

Emlyn Hughes of Fareham (839) and Haydan Clarke of Poole Runners (301)

Fareham Running Club got a pretty good score as well and they were third in the Men’s A1 division with Stubbington Green taking 4th and Denmead Striders in 5th. Lordshill finished 6th and they had now been knocked off the top spot and were down to 4th. Fareham had taken top spot with Bournemouth AC hot on the heels in second place.

There were still points to play for in the Men’s B team league as well so that was the task for the next four Bournemouth AC members in. To secure the best score out of the B2 teams. They didn’t have to wait long before they got their first B team scorer though and that was James Hulbert.

James Hulbert in the Stubbington 10k

James Hulbert raced to a fantastic new PB

He started with a 5:23 split for his first mile, followed by a 5:36 and a 5:38. That took him to 5k in 17:19. He then managed a 4:49 for his fourth mile and then the same again for his fifth mile before recording a 5:43 for his sixth mile. It was a fantastic run from James and got him to the line in 35:09 which was a huge PB for him.

He’d taken 1 minute 23 off his previous best and finished in 47th place. Former Bournemouth AC man Trev Elkins nailed a new PB as well, getting round in 35:23 which put him in 53rd place and 4th in the Vet 45 category.

Kate Natkiel in the Stubbington 10k

Kate Natkiel of Brighton Phoenix was the fastest female in the race

Kate Natkiel of Brighton Phoenix was first female in 35:35 and she was 60th overall. Rebecca Lord of Stubbington Green was 2nd female in 36:05 which put her 72nd overall.

Delivering his strongest performance for quite some time, Mike Akers paced his run really well. He was around 5:45 pace for his first three miles which got him through 5k in 18:05. He was then around 5:50 pace for his next three miles so there wasn’t really much of a drop off, even though the second half is a bit tougher.

Mike Akers in the Stubbington 10k

Mike Akers had a really strong run

That saw him reach the 36:08 which was an improvement of nine seconds over his Stubbington 10k time of 2017. In some ways it was a bittersweet result for Mike as he’d come so close to a sub 36 but there’ll be another opportunity to do that at the Eastleigh 10k in March. It points toward good progress for Mike and that’s the most important thing. He’d finished 75th.

Dan Pope who some of the Bournemouth AC runners will know from parkrun finished just behind Mike, taking 77th place in 36:11. Dave Tindall of Poole Runners was there was well and he clocked a time of 36:20 which put him in 81st place.

Rich Brawn in the Stubbington 10k

Rich Brawn was a lot slower than when he did the race last year

Coming in as third scorer for the Bournemouth AC B team was Rich Brawn, who was 91st in 36:42. He’d registered a 5:42 for his first mile and then a 5:50 for his second. A 5:56 for his third mile led him to the 5k checkpoint in 18:16. Over the second half of the race he struggled to stay under six minute mile pace but just about managed it.

It was 1 minute 15 seconds slower than he’d managed the previous year but he was expecting that so in a way it hadn’t turned out too badly. It was almost a minute quicker than his disastrous Round the Lakes run back in September.

Jack Davis in the Stubbington 10k

Jack Davis helped secure a win for the Bournemouth AC B team

Jack Davis going at about the same speed as Rich Brawn for the first couple of miles. Then he was just a couple of seconds shy of what Rich did for all of his remaining splits. He did produce a faster finish which saw him get to the line in 36:50 so he wasn’t far behind in the end.

That was enough to see Jack take 98th place overall and round off the scoring quartet for the B team. That meant they’d had all their A and B team runners in the top 100 out of a field of 1,812. That was the best score out of any B team in the whole league so that was another reason to celebrate for the yellow and blues.

Bournemouth AC were up to third in the B2 division despite not having a team for three of the six races so far. Only Hardley Runners and Portsmouth Joggers were above them in the table.

Erin Willmers of Winchester Running Club was third female in 37:11 and that put her in 110th place overall. That was the first race she’s done this season that she hasn’t finished highest scorer in the league. Rebecca Lord did that on this occasion.

Barry Dolman in the Stubbington 10k

Barry Dolman cranked up the pace for the second half of the race

Katie Slater of Fareham was 4th female in 37:34 which put her 123rd overall. Barry Dolman ran the first 5k with his mate Stacey Dickinson of Wimborne AC. They went through that in 19:46. Then he picked the pace up over the second 5k to 5:52 pace and picked up a few of the other BAC runners on the way. That got him to the finish in 37:44 which put him in 137th place. He was also third in the Male Vet 55 category.

Paddy McCalister in the Stubbington 10k

Paddy McCalister worked hard to hang onto Barry

Paddy McCalister had a similar sort of run to Barry, going at a steadier pace for the first 5k and then ramping it up significantly for the second half. That culminated in his second half being almost a minute quicker than his first and brought him to the finish in 37:52. That put him in 139th place. After suffering from an injury which kept him out for quite some time, it was a strong comeback run from Paddy.

Five seconds after Paddy reached the line, David Pinney and Leon Louis arrived to take 143rd and 144th positions. They both had really strong runs that were very evenly paced at between 6:10 and 6 minute mile pace. David ran 19:10 for the first 5k and then 18:51 for the second half and his finishing time was 37:54 on chip.

David Pinney in the Stubbington 10k

David Pinney ran well to finish in under 38 minutes

Leon had been trying to get under 40 minutes in a 10k for ages. He well and truly smashed it this time though, completing the course in 37:56 on chip time. It was a big performance from Leon and certainly one he’ll look back on with pride.

Leon Louis in the Stubbington 10k

Leon Louis finally nailed the sub 40 he’d been chasing for some time

Not quite managing to hit the heights he was hoping to, Jason Christian went through 5k in 19:22. He was trying to push the pace though but got a stitch at 8k which held him back. Then once it had gone he managed to crank it up a bit for the final kilometre.

That saw him complete the course in 38:45 which put him in 172nd place and he was 10th in the Male Vet 50 category. Stacey Dickinson finished just behind him but had a slightly faster chip time of 38:43.

Setting his 10k PB of 39:29 back in 2013, Tom Ralph hadn’t got anywhere near that for a number of years. He started off well though at the Stubbington 10k, going at around 6:15 pace which got him to 5k in 19:38. It was just a question of whether he could keep it going for the second half of the race.

Jason Christian in the Stubbington 10k

Jason Christian didn’t quite hit his target on this occasion

He did slow down a touch as the race went on but not a lot considering the last couple of miles are a bit tougher anyway. Making it to the line in 39:35, Tom finished 222nd and had surprised himself by managing to get within six seconds of his long standing PB. It’s always nice to discover that you’re in better form than you thought and that was definitely the case for Tom.

Tom Ralph in the Stubbington 10k

Tom Ralph got close the PB he set over 11 years ago

Going well for the first 5k, Chris O’Brien went through the checkpoint in 19:56. He had to slow it down a bit after that though to preserve his chest as he still had a cold. It was still a decent enough run from him though got him to the finish in 40:05 which put him in 253rd place. That gave him 18th in the Male Vet 50 category.

Starting off at just under 6:30 pace, Sophie Read managed to maintain that speed for the whole of the first 5k, going through in 20:28. She then kept to that same pace for the next couple of miles as well, literally to the second. The splits were incredibly metronomic. She then managed to up it to 6:23 in the sixth mile and then finish strongly as well to make it round in 40:15.

Chris O'Brien in the Stubbington 10k

Chris O’Brien ran well for the first half of race

It was a really strong run from Sophie. The only frustration from her perspective was that she was so close to a sub 40 and she didn’t realise it at the time. Had she known that, she could have perhaps found it within herself to chip off the quarter of a minute that she needed.

Chris O'Brien giving his all in the Stubbington 10k

Chris had to temper his pace over the second half to preserve his chest

Nevertheless, it highlighted the progression Sophie’s been making of late as it was a 2 minutes 30 second improvement on her Round the Lakes 10k time in September. She was 17th placed female out of 790 and 261st overall.

Going through the first 5k in 21:49, David Crowther slowed down a touch over the second half of the race, clocking a 22:33 for his second 5k. That put his finishing time at 44:09 which was just two seconds down on the time he produced at the Lordshill 10k last summer. That put his average pace at 7:09 and saw him finish 453rd overall.

Sophie Read in the Stubbington 10k

Sophie Read kept her pace remarkably consistent

Bournemouth AC road runners captain and head honcho Rich Nelson was also in action and it was the first time he’d ran since the Victory 5 on 1st of December. That was a long time out so he knew he had to approach it with caution. The race went okay for Rich though and his legs didn’t seem too rusty. Making it over the line in 49:26, he came 757th overall.

Sophie Read in action in the Stubbington 10k

Sophie ended up getting very close to 40 minutes

Winchester Running Club were the lowest scoring team in the Women’s league and they’d finished first in the Women’s A2 division in every race of the season so far. Denmead Striders topped the standings in the Women’s A1 division in a close contest between them and Fareham. Denmead also topped the table for the season so far, with Lordshill second and Fareham third.

Winchester Running Club were the lowest scoring team in the Men’s A2 division with Southampton AC only getting given second place in the end. They may have had some runners who finished quite high up being discounted from the league scores for not wearing club vests. Winchester RC are top of the table for the season so far but are level with Liss on team positions.

David Crowther in the Stubbington 10k

David Crowther ran it in just over 44 minutes

City of Portsmouth got the best score in the Men’s A3 division with Vectis Academy second. Hardley Runners lead the way in that division though for the season so far though by a long way.

Rich Nelson in the Stubbington 10k

It had been over a month since Rich Nelson last ran

The next race of the Hampshire Road League season was the Ryde 10 and that is a tricky one for the Bournemouth AC squad to get to. They didn’t end up taking a squad over there which will mean that will have to be one of the races not counted in their top nine.

They can only afford one more of them for the remainder of the season but ideally they will probably need to get a team out and finish high up in all their remaining races to be crowned champions. It won’t be easy but it’s still very much within their power to get the job done.

The next league race for the club will see the squad travel to Lytchett Minster for the famously fun yet harrowingly hilly Lytchett 10. They have both men’s and ladies teams out for that one and will be looking to get their Dorset Road Race League campaign off the ground after that disappointing result at the Broadstone Quarter, aside from Rob McTaggart’s win.