Nine members of Waveney Valley Athletic Club were part of a 382 – strong field for the East Coast Run 10k last Sunday at Gt Yarmouth.
The race was held in addition to a marathon which was organised to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Great Yarmouth Road Runners.
In very rainy conditions, Lee Cousens was first to finish for Waveney Valley in 58th place, in a time of 42:49. Bill Kingaby finished 74th in 43:30, again achieving his best time of this year for the distance and was awarded second prize in his age group.
Jon Comyn was 93rd in 44:25 whilst David Mower and Joe Mayne had a closely fought battle throughout the race, recording personal best times of 47:14 (144th) and 47:26 (148th) respectively. Cathy Aukland finished 257th in 53:48 and David Pimlott clocked 54:47 in 266th.
New member David Goosey, in his first 10k race, recorded 1-02.50 in 346th and Tracy Mayne was 359th in 1-06.12.
The second staging of the Thurlow 10 mile road race took place on October 21. The race was held just outside Haverill and Waveney Valley A.C. member Stuart Smith took part, finishing 114th in a time of 1-36.22..

At the Gorleston Cliffs 5k parkrun, Paul Harrod added to the growing list of personal best performances by club members this year by posting a highly commendable time of 21:25. Since setting a time of 24:09 at the Wroxham 5k in June, Harrod has improved his times at the distance by almost three minutes and Saturday’s run was 41 seconds quicker than he did at the Gorleston parkrun three weeks ago.

Waveney Valley Athletic Club’s long distance running expert Tim Earl took part in the JW Ultra Run, an annual 30mile event, and produced a gritty performance to finish in an excellent 8th place.
The race, from Stratford-upon-Avon to Birmingham, started on a short section of the River Avon before entering the heart of Stratford then followed the towpath of the Stratford Canal to Birmingham. As Earl, competing at this event for the fifth time, approached the finish he realised only a sprint finish would get him a time of under four hours but, after 30 miles of running, this extra effort proved too much and he crossed the line in a never-the-less praiseworthy time of 4-00:39.
Last Sunday, Bill Kingaby took part in the Coltishall 10k, the final fixture in this years Norfolk Runners Centre Grand Prix Series. After recent successes competing in the Mens 60+ age group, on this occasion he had to settle for second place – 52nd overall from a field of 156 runners – in a time of 43:44, his fastest this year over the distance.
At the Gorleston 5k parkrun on September 22, Paul Harrod finished in 26th place in a fine PB time of 22:06, a just reward for his increased level of training over the last few weeks.

Due to organising and marshalling committments, just a handful of Waveney Valley Athletic Club members competed in the Lowestoft Scores Race. Club road race rep.Tim Earl, however, assisted with the installation of the finishing line safety barriers then helped to take last minute entries at the registration and still found enough energy to take part in the race, finishing 19th in a time of 31:53. Whoever said men were no good at multi-tasking !. W.V.A.C’s other results:- 25 Lee Cousens 33:16, 38 Seamus Wrigley 34:26, 53 Jon Comyn 36:06, 67 Steve Gibbs 36:43, 69 Paul Harrod 36:55, 83 Paula Lambert 38:14, 86 Joe Mayne 38:28, 157 Shelley Haverson 46:23, 161 Amie Jane Williams 46:31, 162 Donna Boggis 46:31.
Last Saturday at the Gorleston 5k parkrun Ailsa MacDonald ran another personal best time of 23:06 and new member Cathy Aukland set a debut time of 28:10. The following day, three members took part in one of Suffolk’s premier races, the Ipswich Half Marathon, which had a bumper entry of just over a thousand runners. Paula Lambert clocked an excellent PB time of 1.48:29 in 386th place, Ailsa MacDonald completed a full weekend of racing in recording 1.54:52 in 525th and David Pimlott, at his highest level of fitness for several years was just outside his PB set in 2007. His time of 1.58:11, in 603rd place, was nearly ten minutes faster than in last year’s event.
At the Gorleston 5k parkrun on September 15, Tracy Mayne added to the successful list of PB performances by W.V.A.C members this year when she recorded a time of 31:34.

Waveney Valley Athletic Club member Ailsa MacDonald improved her best time again this year at the 5k distance when she competed at the latest Gorleston parkrun last Saturday. In addition to achieving her P.B. of 23:11 she capped a good performance by also being placed 2nd lady overall.
Rosie Grieve, taking part in her first Saturday parkrun, has made steady progress this year and finished just outside the half hour mark in a time of 30:06.

On a very warm late summer morning last Sunday, 350 runners converged on the historic town of Framlingham to compete in the Framlingham 10k.
This was the 28th annual staging of this road race which included three laps of the town centre. The race started just outside the town and finished at the Sports Club on Badingham Road.
With spectators applauding the runners through the town centre streets, it is very easy to see why events like this are very popular, and the entry limit was reached nearly a fortnight before the race. The rural setting was very pleasant and enhanced by the man on the p.a. system making his announcements, all very clearly, from the back of an old builders truck.
Competing for Waveney Valley Athletic Club was Bill Kingaby who completed the race in a time of 44:40, in 75th place overall, and was the trophy winner for first in his age group. With the race being part of the 2012 Suffolk Grand Prix series, from which the county road race champions for this year will be decided in November, his maximum points awarded for this race keeps him near the top of the leader board.
This regions Saturday morning 5k park runs continue to attract Waveney Valley members. At Gorleston on Aug 11 Chris Pimlott was placed 6th in a time of 19:09 and his dad David finished 57th in 26:04. Last Saturday, Steve Gibbs recorded a time of 21:19, yet another personal best this year at Gorleston. He finished 17th out of 120 runners.
At the Fritton Lake 5k on Aug 11, Warren Hytch lowered his best time to 25:28, finishing 13th. The following week he was placed 23rd in a time of 26:18.

The Saturday morning 5k park runs, a free to enter event held weekly at several locations throughout the UK, are a popular attraction for both club and non-club runners.
The Gorleston Cliffs park run, first held in April 2009, had four members of Waveney Valley Athletic Club taking part in the most recent race. From an entry of 105 runners, new club member Richard Aukland finished 29th in a time of 23:22. Donna Boggis, in her first race at the 5k distance, was placed 69th in 27:56 with David Pimlott just one second behind in 27:57 for 70th. Tracy Mayne ran a p.b. time of 31:47 finishing in 92nd.
Two club members chose the more recently established Fritton Lake 5k park run. Alan Fairs was 7th in 21:28 and Warren Hytch clocked a time of 26:02, nearly three minutes faster than he ran over the same course the previous week.

The luminous, ludicrous Speed of Light
Ailsa MacDonald and Rosie Grieve travelled to Edinburgh to participate in the NVA’s spectacular ‘Speed of Light’ over the stunning nocturnal landscape of Arthur’s Seat.
At once a running and creative performance event, as part of the Edinburgh International Festival, it was an art project three years in the making. But to us it was one night of glorious sweaty exertion, a mass participation event as beautiful as it was challenging, exhilarating and, quite frankly, dangerous!
We were briefed to come equipped for fell running, with trail shoes and technical kit. However after a short reconnaissance session on the hill before the sun set, and the donning of radio controlled LED light suits, we soon realised that we were no longer to be recognised as runners but, according to an incredible feat of mass choreography, as ‘fireflies’, ‘sparklers’, flowing ‘lava’, and pulsating ‘heartbeats’. Some of us were lucky enough to be part of a group that overlooked the others’ paths and luminous forms, and so were able to spectate while providing the spectacle. Some of us were foolish enough to continue to spectate while running back and forth along a narrow cliff path, towards fellow runners from whom we were to ‘rebound’ – in near pitch darkness – almost becoming a lone tumbling light…
The run was an easy paced 4 miles, but still a shock to my Scottish legs now accustomed to the gentle Suffolk landscape, and a timely reminder to squeeze in a few more hill reps while in the homeland; – bring on the Lowestoft Scores Race!
In the opening welcome and initial briefing by Director, Angus Farquarson, we were warned that the endurance of the event was the less expected intense concentration needed by each of us during the throng of the event…and this was no exaggeration!: when stopping momentarily between the short intense bursts of Blair Witch style running, it was clear that the fell terrain at night demands so much more than a breezy Dunwich heath 10km.

Members of Waveney Valley Athletic Club have been choosing from a variety of events to compete in over the last couple of weeks.

At the third and final race in this years Broome 10k series held last week, 179 runners took part with seven competing for Waveney Valley. Bill Kingaby led his clubmates home, finishing in 46th place overall in a time of 44:04 and for the second time this summer was presented with the trophy for first in the Mens 60+ age category. Steve Gibbs was 64th in 46:18 and Joe Mayne’s time of 49:00, in 87th place, was just outside his personal best. David Pimlott was 135th in 54:45 and Stuart Smith 138th in 55:41.

Donna Boggis and Rosie Grieve are coached by David Pimlott at the club’s Beccles base and as new members, ran creditable times of 1.00:21 (154th) and 1.00:41 (156th) respectively.

At the Worstead Festival 5 mile event, Chris Pimlott, in his first race this year, ran a time of 31:32 to finish 33rd from a field of 313 entrants. Bill Kingaby was 83rd in 34:59 and Stuart Smith 228th in 44:02.

Steve Gibbs recorded an excellent p.b of 21:28 at the Gorleston 5k park run on July 21 and four members competed in the Fritton Lake park run on July 28. Ailsa McDonald finished 15th, and first lady, in a time of 23:38 and Warren Hytch, making his debut appearance for Waveney Valley, was 27th in 28:48. Rosie Grieve was 30th in 30:37 and David Pimlott, running at a leisurely pace, eased round in 35th in 32:19.

Last Wednesday, Waveney Valley Athletic Club member Joe Mayne set another personal best time to add more lustre to an already rewarding first year of competitive running.
In yet another praiseworthy performance, Mayne, competing at the third and final race in this years Wroxham 5k series, ran a new best time of 22:41, finishing in 100th place, knocking 18 seconds off his previous best, set last month.
His wife, club treasurer Tracy, was one of two members who just missed out on recording a new p.b. She ran a time of 32:02, in 179th place, while Tim Earl’s time of 19:08, 34th place, was very close to his best time set earlier in the season.
For Bill Kingaby, whose best times were mostly set back in the 1970’s, it is more of a case of trying to beat his contempories in his own age group. On this occasion he had to settle for third, 72nd overall, in a time of 21:10.
While on holiday in Kent, Bill Kingaby tackled the Mount Ephraim 10k, described by organisers Canterbury Harriers as ‘ a challenging race on quiet Kentish roads ‘. The race, which started and finished in the 10 acre Mount Ephraim Gardens near Faversham, had a number of very steep inclines but Kingaby ran well to finish 34th overall from a total of 196 runners. He was 4th in his age group in a time 45:55.

 

Ten members of Waveney Valley AC ran the Second 10K race in a series of three held by Bungay Black Dog at Broome.  In very warm, muggy conditions there were mixed results with three members setting new personal bests.  Paul Harrod knocked 33 seconds off his previous best crossing the line in 50minutes 47seconds; Kevin Booth knocked 26 seconds off his best in 44 minutes 57 seconds and Joe Mayne flew around the course to lower his best to 48minutes 56 seconds.  Jane Allard and Michaela Gooch, in their debut race for the club, finished in 55 minutes 35 seconds and 56 minutes 18 seconds respectively and should be very gratified having only recently starting running.

Bill Kingaby who has raced on a weekly basis this year (in a vain attempt to gain the Olympic B standard!) finally won his 60+ age category after 7 runners up spots.

Results:-   21^st Tim Earl 40:33, 43^rd Alan Fairs 43:57, 49^th Bill Kingaby 44:22, 56^th Kevin Booth 44:57, 80^th Joe Mayne 48:56, 87^th Ailsa MacDonald 49:12, 98^th Paul Harrod 50:47, 121^st Jane Allard 55:35, 125^th Michaela Gooch 56:18, 126^th David Pimlott 56:22 there was 173 entries.

On Saturday Tim Earl was racing again, this time at Norwich in the Lord Mayors 5k, in which the halfway point of the race has a cut off time of 10 minutes. This means the race attracts the fastest runners so Tim was happy with his time of 19.10 coming 63^rd out of the 84 runners.

Ailsa MacDonald ran the Heveningham Hall 10K and was surprised to be third lady over the line, finishing 34^th overall and winning her first trophy.

On Sunday Alan, Kevin, David and Joe decided to go on a training run, only to be attacked by the same seagull which had inflicted an injury to Joe a couple of weeks ago.  Whilst pleased to avoid injury this time, it has been decided that as Joe is obviously a marked man it would safer not to run with him, at least until after the breeding season has finished!

It was a much quieter week for the members of Waveney Valley AC with only two members running in races over the weekend. On Saturday Steve Gibbs ran in the Gorleston Parkrun and finished 23^rd in 21 minutes and 50 seconds knocking 27 seconds off his previous best time for this race, which was set, only 7 weeks before. This was also Steve first Gold standard time for the club. On Sunday Bill Kingaby ran the Humpty Dumpty 10K, Bill having raced almost on a weekly basis, didn’t find the course to his liking and finished in 84^th place in 45 minutes 25 seconds.