A dozen Waveney Valley Athletic Club members enjoyed a successful second race in the Great Yarmouth 5 mile promenade series last week with just under half running personal best times.

With just a slight southerly breeze, the weather was markedly better than the gales and driving rain of race one a fortnight earlier and Jonathan Comyn, Kevin Booth, Ailsa MacDonald, Joe Mayne and Paul Harrod all recorded new best times for the distance.

As in race one, Tim Earl was first to finish for Waveney Valley, Bill Kingaby matched his previous performance by receiving the trophy for second place in his age group and a new member, Lee Cousens, made his debut appearance for the club.

The race was a fixture in the Runners Centre Grand Prix series and had a very strong entry of 198 runners. W.V.A.C. results : – 29 Tim Earl 31:59, 40 Lee Cousens 33:09, 50 Alan Fairs 34:04, 55 Bill Kingaby 34:18, 61 Jonathan Comyn 34:36 p.b., 67 Kevin Booth 35:05 p.b., 100 Ailsa MacDonald 38:26 p.b., 101 David Mower 38:27, 109 Joe Mayne 39:10 p.b., 134 Paula Lambert 42:14, 163 Paul Harrod 45:08 p.b., 194 Angela Mower 53:22.

From The Eyes Of A Child

This is a story about a young, ten-year-old boy from the East End of London, who like thousands of other children, when war broke out in September 1939, was sent to the countryside to live with strangers to avoid the impending threat from Hitler’s Luftwaffe. Tommy Wittingham, our principle character, finds himself and his best friend, Billy Thorpe, billeted with a well-to-do family, the Burwoods. In Tommy’s own words he tells of the way their lives were to change, not always made welcome by the locals, they find it hard to settle down at first. However, as times go on, life does get better for the evacuees, as the story unfolds.

Signed copies by the author can be purchased by post or in person from Brian Boardley, 191 St Peter’s Street, Lowestoft NR32 2LT priced £7, plus £1.50 p+p.

Last week, nine members of Waveney Valley Athletic Club entered race one of this year’s Great Yarmouth series of Promenade 5 mile road races and faced not just opposing club’s but also very heavy showers and gale force winds.

The race times in such conditions were understandably modest due to the affects of the weather which was especially ferocious on the seafront heading south where runners had a real battle against the strength of the wind and rain.

Tim Earl, back in his racing shoes just three days after his run in the London Marathon, led the Waveney runners home in finishing 23rd in a time of 32:41 from the field of 174 competitors. Bill Kingaby was placed 60th (36:30, 2nd prize Mens 60+ category) with Jonathon Comyn just a few strides behind in 61st (36:32). Stephen Gibbs 82nd (38:38) and Joe Mayne 102nd (40:30), competing in this event for the first time, put in very good performances and Ailsa MacDonald, making her debut appearance for the club, had an excellent run to finish 107th (41:12). David Mower 112th (42:06), David Pimlott 136th (45:44) and Stuart Smith 142nd (46:23) completed the encouragingly high turn out from Waveney Valley A.C.

Race two in the series takes place next wednesday evening, May 9, and runners will be hoping for a more pleasant spring-like feel to the weather. Race HQ is the Marina Centre. Race starts 7.15pm.

Further to Ailsa MacDonalds promising club debut in the Gt.Yarmouth 5 mile race, she ran again on Sunday in the Cambridge Town & Gown 10k and achieved an impressive time of 48:40mins.