Last Wednesday, Waveney Valley Athletic Club members competed in race two of this year’s Wroxham 5k series.

Alan Fairs and Kevin Booth, clubmates and also work colleagues, have both made great strides since starting competitive running just a few year’s ago, making year on year improvement. Excellent personal best times were recorded again by both with Fairs clocking 20:24 to finish in 59th place and Booth 20:36 in 63rd from a field of just under 200 competitors.

Bill Kingaby was 69th in 20:52 and collected the trophy for second in the Mens 60+ age category. A first place in his category continues to elude him as he has now finished second on seven occasions this year.

David Mower, in his first race over the 5k distance, finished 96th in a time of 22:39 while Joe Mayne, who was the victim a few day’s earlier of a completely unprovoked attack by a seagull, and suffering also from an inflamed insect bite, was relieved to finish the race in 23:38 in 111th.

Paul Harrod was 124th in another very good p.b. time of 24:09 and prospective club member Rosie Grieve, who has been training at W.V.A.C’s Beccles base finished 171st in 28:59. In 180th position was Tracy Mayne who matched her time of 31:48 from race one of the series a month ago. Angela Mower, in her debut at the distance, was 182nd in 32:09.

Waveney Valley Athletic Club members Paula Lambert and Mark Nussey travelled to Lincolnshire recently to compete in one of the biggest and most popular road races in that county’s fixtures.

Described by race organisers as one of the premier races in the region, the Woodhall Spa 10k annually attracts an entry of more than 1,000 runners and Mark and Paula certainly found the atmosphere and fast, flat course to their liking. Mark completed the race in 223rd place in a time of 46:01 and Paula was 373rd in 50:02.

Husband and wife members of Waveney Valley Athletic Club, Joe and Tracy Mayne, took part in the Wroxham 5k last week, and with no other W.V.A.C. members able to attend this race, Joe and Tracy definately became the club’s ‘ Mayne Event ‘.Organised by Norwich Road Runners, the race was the first in a series of three this summer and Joe, who only started road racing this year, achieved the silver standard for his age with a time of 22:59. It was his first race at the 5k distance and he finished 87th from an entry of around 170 runners.Tracy, after a break from competition in recent weeks, struggled at times with her breathing from the affects of hayfever but was delighted that her time of 31:48 was over a minute quicker than her previous best time for the 5k.

On May 13, Stephen Gibbs took part in the Gorleston Parkrun 5k and finished 15th in a time of 22:17.

Waveney Valley Athletic Club’s ‘ p.b.’ squad converged on Gt Yarmouth seafront last week to compete in the third and final race in this year’s Promenade 5 mile series. Several personal best’s had been recorded by club members at the previous two races and another six new best times were achieved at the final race. Pride of place went to Paul Harrod who ran almost four minutes faster than his previous best five miler while Stuart Smith and Stephen Gibbs knocked over two minutes and one minute off respectively. Joe Mayne (54 seconds), Jonathan Comyn (21 seconds) and club chairman Alan Fairs (4 seconds) also now have new p.b.’s to their credit. Tim Earl again led the team home and was only just outside his own p.b. For Bill Kingaby, whose personal best times were all achieved around the time the wheel was invented, there was the prize again awarded for second place in the Mens 60+ category. Ailsa MacDonald, Paula Lambert and David Pimlott completed the team on what has proved a successful series of races for W.V.A.C.
Results 30th Tim Earl 31:30, 58th Alan Fairs 33:39 p.b., 66th Jonathan Comyn 34:15 p.b., 69th Bill Kingaby 34:26, 96th Stephen Gibbs 37:00 p.b., 116th Joe Mayne 38:16 p.b., 118th Ailsa MacDonald 38:42, 143rd Paul Harrod 41:14 p.b., 147th Paula Lambert 41:30, 164th Stuart Smith 43:43 p.b., David Pimlott 43:50. There were 212 runners.

Husband and wife members of Waveney Valley Athletic Club, Joe and Tracy Mayne, took part in the Wroxham 5k last week, and with no other W.V.A.C. members able to attend this race, Joe and Tracy definately became the club’s ‘Mayne Event’. Organised by Norwich Road Runners, the race was the first in a series of three this summer and Joe, who only started road racing this year, achieved the silver standard for his age with a time of 22:59. It was his first race at the 5k distance and he finished 87th from an entry of around 170 runners. Tracy, after a break from competition in recent weeks, struggled at times with her breathing from the affects of hayfever but was delighted that her time of 31:48 was over a minute quicker than her previous best time for the 5k. Ailsa MacDonald, another new member this year, has kept herself busy in competition recently. At the Cambridge Town and Gown 10k on April 29, she was placed 91st from 363 runners in an impressive time of 48:40 and a week later at the Breckland 10k she finished 150th in a time of 49:02. On May 13, Stephen Gibbs took part in the Gorleston Parkrun 5k and finished 15th in a time of 22:17

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.

Waveney Valley Athletic Club’s three members in the London Marathon all put in very respectable performances.

Tim Earl recorded a personal best 3:07.30 (1790th). Alan Fairs was pleased with his even-paced running and clocked 3:45.36 (7347th) and Kevin Booth went through a bad patch around 19 miles but was able to push on for the last miles to finish in a time of 4:13.00 (14133th).

Two club members took part in an energy sapping Bungay Half Marathon last Sunday, an event which reached it’s maximum entry limit of 600 a few days before the race. On the hilly first few miles, heading towards Beccles, runners had to contend with a cold north wind in their faces, then were greeted by hail showers on the return section to Bungay. Bill Kingaby finished 72nd in a time of 1:37.25 and once again just one place outside the prizes with second in his age group. David Pimlott was placed 445th in a time of 2:23.50 and is looking forward to a new season of training now his committee workload has been relaxed.
Also on Sunday Tim Earl competed in the 8.9 mile Aylsham to Wroxham ‘ Chase The Train ‘ event and finished 6th in 56.21.

The Roger Wing Memorial 10k road race provided some members of Waveney Valley Athletic Club with one of their final tests of fitness before they take to the streets of the capital in just over a week for the London marathon.

The race,organised by Bungay Black Dog Running Club and held annually on Good Friday, is always a popular event and seven Waveney Valley runners joined well over 200 entrants this year on the start line just outside Bungay.

Tim Earl goes from strength to strength, acheiving another personal best,running the distance under 40 minutes for the first time with a finishing time of 39:26 in 25th place.

Alan Fairs was 70th in 43:52 with Joe Mayne,running in his first race for the club,next in 123rd. He was very pleased to acheive his aim of securing the silver standard for his age with his time of 49:46.

David Mower knocked 26 seconds off his p.b. finishing in 125th place in a time of 49:56. Nigel Herrod was next in 129th in 50:46 while Angela Mower and David Pimlott ran the race together, both recording a time of 1:05.14 finishing in 215th and 216th respectively.