Man v Horse
David and Susi Sadler travelled to mid-Wales for the infamous Man v Horse race in Llanwrtyd Wells. It was blisteringly hot for the 21-mile race which challenges runners to outrun the horses across mountainous terrain with an incredibly steep 3800 feet ascent.
For only the fourth time since the race began in 1980 a runner did actually beat the horse with Daniel Connolly finishing in 2:24.38. First horse home was DNS Ronaldo ridden by Kate Atkinson in 2:34.25. The race was started by BBC newsreader Sophie Raworth along with Susie Chan, endurance runner and peloton instructor, with the two of them then running the race.
David and Susi are dedicated Man v Horse participants with David having taken part eight times and Susi nine, including once riding a horse! They described this year’s event as the hardest yet due largely to the heat but loved it more than ever!
Sizzling Southend
On Sunday Ron Seward ran the Southend half-marathon in sizzlingly hot Southend where the mercury hit 26 degrees! A brilliantly marshalled course comprising of two loops along the seafront was interspersed with water sprays and numerous drinks stops. Ron finished an excellent 291st from more than 1500 finishers in 1:47:06. Given the conditions he was pleased with the time.
Tutu Tribe celebrate milestones
Another sunny Saturday in Seaton saw 244 finishers at parkrun and milestones for AVR’s Louise Rawlins celebrating completing 25 events and Haydn Boehm reaching 50 volunteer stints. They were joined by a big group of friends from AVR’s Runshiners to celebrate, all brightly adorned in tutus for the occasion. At parkrun volunteering and completing the 5k is celebrated with milestone T-shirts, wristbands, buffs and vests available when you reach 25, 50, 100, 250 and, even, 500.
First finisher on Saturday was AVR’s Ritchie Durrant in 17.44 with AVR’s Debbie Whiston first female in 19.55, also second on age-grade with 79%. Andy West, back from injury, was third on age-grade with 77% for his 22.43. Ann-Louise Gridley got a PB, 32.44 and Simon Dimmock celebrated an impressive 200th parkrun.
