Europe AG Standard Distance Duathlon Championships - 19th March 2023
After many months of hard training, Bourton Roadrunners’ Darren Long finally arrived in Italy for the Europe AG Standard Distance Duathlon Championships, Venice-Caorle, with veteran Darren representing Great Britain. A duathlon comprises a run, a bike ride followed by a further run.
Darren completed the first 10Km run in 37:24, swiftly followed by the 41.7Km cycle ride in one hour and 10 minutes. The final stage was a 5.4Km run, with Darren making it look easy in 21:54. His overall time, including stage transitions, was two hours, twelve minutes and twenty-eight seconds. This brilliant performance earned Darren 7th Vet-50 and 2nd GB athlete, guaranteeing him automatic qualification for next year’s Euros.
Banbury 15 mile - 19th March 2023
Closer to home, eight club members took part in the highly- competitive Banbury 15 mile road race, which is also part of the club's own race series.
First to complete the challenging course was Eva Shoemark in 1:51:03, in only her second race. This will provide the all-round sportswoman confidence for this year’s London Marathon. She was followed by the experience Steph Holt in 2:10:11 (FV55/3), with Susan Hunt close on her heals in 2:13:59.
Off-road runner Lorna Shawcross demonstrated that she is equally competent racing on the road, finishing in 2:19:41. Other Bourton Roadrunners included Barry O’Leary (2:25:49); Chris Dry (2:26:05); Liz Hulcup (2:31:02 – FV65/3) and Gill Carrick (2:31:17). Congratulations to all of them.
Fission Half Marathon & 20 Miles - 18th March 2023
Club-mates Janice Townsend and Allie Oliver ran together in the Fission Half Marathon, crossing the line together, with both achieving 2:34:33 for the 13.1 mile distance.
Meanwhile, the organisers were also hosting a 20 mile race, which was part of the Gloucestershire Road Race Series. Bourton’s second-claim member Linda Edwards had a fine run, finishing in 3:31:31.
Wiltshire Classic Cycle Sportive - 18th March 2023
In addition to being a competent runner, Bourton’s Janet Balinski is also a keen cyclist and this weekend she took part in the Wiltshire Classic Cycle Sportive.
Starting at Salisbury Racecourse and then crossing into Dorset and Hampshire before returning to Wiltshire. Janet selected the “medium-distance” route of 71 miles, comprising a mix of undulation road, fast flat sections and small country lanes, with her completing the ride in 5 hours 34 minutes.
Kingston Spring Raceday - 19th March 2023
Bourton’s newest member, Danny Hannig, took part in the Kingston Spring Raceday, which offers 8, 16 and 20 mile options. Danny sensibly chose the 8 mile race, in which he excelled finishing fifth overall in a brilliant time of 50:09.
Parkrun - 10th March 2023
As usual, members were out in support of local parkrun events, including:
Cheltenham Pittville Park: Chris Dry – 30:18.
Chipping Norton: Jenny Evanson – 38:36 (LV55/2).
Wolford Woods: Matt Price – 35:38, Kate Price (tail-walker) – 63:41.
Brueton: Susan Hunt – 24:07 (course PB - LV55/1).
Severn Bridge: Jaq Underwood – 24:11 (LV55/2).
Highlights
Darren Long, representing GB at the Europe AG Standard Distance Duathlon Championships, Venice-Caorle
Darren Long, representing GB at the Europe AG Standard Distance Duathlon Championships, Venice-Caorle
Other reports may be found on our recent race reports page.