Of the 39,487 competitors who crossed the finish line of the London Marathon on Sunday, seven were members of Waveney Valley Athletic Club.
Matt Jeffries finished in 489th place in a time of 2-43.58. Tummy trouble around the 18 mile mark (Which turned out to be Matt’s Appendix which he had to have out 2 days later)
It affected his performance but he was still happy to record a sub 2.45 time. It was his second marathon following his victory at last year’s Bungay Marathon.
Sam Lines was taking part in her first marathon and she finished in a time of 3-24.38. Sam ran in aid of Mind, the charity for better mental health.
It was also a debut at the distance for James Drake. He crossed the finish line in 3-29.11.
Rebecca Harris, another marathon first timer, ran in aid of Sense, the charity that supports the
deaf blind and sensory impaired, raising more than £1,500. She finished the race in a time of 4-39.53.
Rob Knights was also tackling the distance for the first time. He recorded a time of 4-42.00.
Yet another marathon debutante was Michaela ‘ Kaly ‘ Gooch. She ran the event to raise money
for Bliss, the charity for premature and sick babies. Her own daughter Charlotte was born at 26 weeks and recently her grand-daughter Luna was born at 30 weeks. She raised over £1,200 and her finishing time was 5-35.19.
Mark Smith has set himself the challenge of ten marathons this year in aid of Prostate Cancer UK. London was his third and despite his decision just a few hours before the start to drop out due to a
stomach bug, he still found himself drawn towards the start line. He then spent about an hour of the race with various St John Ambulance staff around the course. He was determined to finish, however, and reached the end of the race in 6-02.20.

A total of 35 members of Waveney Valley Athletic Club took part in three races on a very busy Sunday
April 9. Nine were part of a 2,000 strong field at the Norwich Half Marathon which included three new members Darrel Roberts, Susannah Close and Malcolm Huggins.
Results: 43 Dylan Neeve 1-28.33, 165 Leon Neeve 1-39.21, 266 Darrel Roberts 1-43.59, 554 Susannah Close 1-54.29, 576 Alan Richardson 1-55.26 2nd prize M65 age category, 653 Malcolm Huggins 1-56.35, 705 Steve Gibbs 1-58.30, 963 Stephanie Pimlott 2-06.32 PB, 1026 Stuart Smith 2-08.19.

Eight members travelled to the south coast on a very warm sunny day to compete in the Brighton
Marathon. Lisa Knights was first to finish for Waveney in a time of 3-45.04. She was followed by David Mower 4-13.33, Patricia Tuttle 4-31.27 PB, David Goosey 4-42.42, Joe Mayne 4-42.59, David Lewis 5-14.27, Lisa Joyce 5-29.11, Claire Green marathon debut in 6-03.24.

Most club members stayed closer to home to run in the Lowestoft 5 mile Prom Dash. For many of the
newer members, the race provided an opportunity to step up from 5k parkruns to compete in a slightly longer event.
Results: 7 Tim Earl 31:45, 19 Mike Quantrill 35:01, 22 Billy Underdown 35:44, 48 Sarah Norman 40:48, 49 Bob Milner 40:53, 56 Daniel Critoph 41:48, 64 Lisa Wilson 42:59 PB, 73 Louise Harrod 44:13, 82 Lee Roth 45:05, 93 Pamela Warne 48:24, 97 Demelza Hammond 49:31, 100 Beth Bell 49:35, 105 Gavin
Hamilton 50:52, 106 Tina Winney 51:11, 108 Nicky Illingsworth 51:21, 109 Sarah Wood 51:58, 110 Emma Branch,,, 52:03, 111 Donna Milner 54:46.

Sunday’s Bungay Festival of Running saw a good attendance from Waveney Valley A.C. with just over two dozen members competing. Four took on the challenge of the two hilly laps of the marathon course that started in Bungay, then headed towards Beccles before returning to the start at The Maltings in Bungay then round again. Mark Thompson led his clubmates home with a very strong run, finishing in 8th place out of 177 competitors, in a time of 3-06.09. New club member Darrel Roberts, in his first ever marathon, was 87th in 4-02.04. Mark Smith, running in his second marathon out of five this year for Prostate Cancer Research was accompanied by Bob Milner for most of the race. Milner finished 106th in 4-15.23 and Smith 107th in 4-15.36. Dylan Neeve was first home for Waveney in the half marathon in 8th in a personal best time of 1-25.16 followed by club captain Chris Pimlott in excellent form in 12th in 1-26.18, also a PB. Lloyd Scriven was 31st in 1-34.21 with 44th Matt Baldry 1-37.21, 66th Andy Ayers 1-41.23, 121st Stuart Brown 1-50.35, 126th Alan Richardson 1-51.44, 212th Suz Knights 2-01.56, 216th Daryl McKeown 2-02.20 ( PB ), 231st Lisa Wilson 2-05.00 ( PB ) and 325th Zoe Caston 2-24.56. 16 year-old Harriet Lyman was first home for the club in the 10k race, her debut at the distance. Her ability at middle-distance running has been apparent since her late junior days and she produced a well judged run to win the ladies open trophy in a time of 44:40, in 20th place overall. Paul Peek was 62nd in 51:11 then 132nd Sarah Phillips 58:02, 136th Jayne Richardson 58:28 ( PB ), 154th Amanda Scarff 1-00.53, 155th Demelza Hammond 1-00.57, 183rd Laura Head 1-04.32 ( PB ), 186th Beth Bell 1-04.46, 198th Lisa Cone 1-07.30, 201st Sarah James 1-07.51 ( PB ) and 222nd Donna Milner 1-12.50 ( PB ).

Cross Country report – Haverhill

Waveney Valley Athletic Club increased their lead in the Suffolk Winter Cross Country League, with another winning performance in the final fixture at Haverhill.
Waveney finished well ahead of the rest of the teams to clinch the Suffolk Winter League Senior Combined ladies and men’s Team title, the first league title in the club’s history. The team finished top in five out of the six fixtures, a great all round team performance.
Despite the fact that the final race was held the other side of the county and the races starting an hour earlier than normal, Waveney still managed to field a strong team of twenty-seven runners. The demanding undulating course at Haverhill was a mix of field edges, woodland paths and tracks that covered a distance of 5.4 miles.
Matt Jeffries was once again the class act in leading from the gun to tape finishing well ahead of the rest of field with his impressive time of 29:56. Lee Cook continues his fine run of form in securing 4thplace with 31:08. Dominic Oliver recorded 31:30 in 5th place. Dylan Neeve put in his finest performance of the season and was really chuffed with his 10th place finish. Chris Pimlott who has been one of the club’s driving forces behind Waveney’s strong presence in all of the leagues fixtures, crossed the the line in 20th place overall with his time 34:27. Richard Moore took top spot in his age group V50 in finishing in 22nd place overall. Leon Bernasconi was not far behind in clocking 34:55 in 24th place. Then men’s A team finished in first place overall. The B and C teams also topped their leagues.
In the ladies race, Sam Lines who in training for the London Marathon, put in another strong performance in crossing the line in 27th place overall, but was second in the ladies section with her time of 35:03. Rose Nicholson who posted a time of 39:20 was 9th lady and 78th overall. Ann Millett’s twenty-fourth placing (127th overall) secured her 2nd place in her age group V60+. Sarah Norman finished fourth in the V35+ age group, which resulted her in taking third place overall in the series awards.
Newmarket Joggers will host the league presentation evening on Friday 21st April, where along with Waveney picking up the their first place trophy, ten members will also be awarded their individual prizes in the different age categories.
Results:
First Matt Jeffries 29:56. 4th Lee Cook 31:08. 5th Dominic Oliver 31:30. 10th Dylan Neeve 32:54. 20th Chris Pimlott (V40) 34:27. 22nd Richard Moore (1st V50) 34:42. 24th Leon Bernasconi 34:55. 27th Sam Lines (2nd Lady) 35:03. 34th Chris Bradford 35:48. 37th Daniel Harris 36:08.45th Liam Nudd. 36:51. 48th Tim Earl 37:20. 51st Jon Comyn 37:32. 59th Tim Moore 37:55.73rd Billy Underdown 39:01. 78th Rose Nicholson 39:20. 91st Leon Neeve 40:40.94th Colin Galer 40:43. 100th Robert Milner 41:16. 106th Mike Illingworth (V45) 42:07.111th Mark Smith (40) 42:52. 117th Alan Fairs (V45) 43:20.126th Steve Gibbs (V50) 44:35.127th Ann Millett (V60) 44:37. 148th Sarah Norman (V35) 46:41. 167th Tony Millett 48:12. (V60)182nd Alan Varle (V70) 50:27.

Five members of Waveney Valley Athletic Club were part of a 300 strong field at the Wymondham 20 mile road race on
Sunday. The event is one of the final opportunities in the region for runners to gauge their levels of fitness before embarking on spring marathons.
First home for the club was Karim Ouaddane in 21st place in 2-17.43. He was the prize winner for first to finish in the 50-54 age category which was some consolation for his discomfort at the end of the race caused by blisters. Next was Becky Langford, who having achieved four personal bests in a row, narrowly failed to make it five. She was just over a minute outside her best 20-mile, crossing the line in 95thin 2-44.12
Karle Howard and Rebecca Harris ran together for most of the race, with Karle finishing in 214th in 3-18.51 and Rebecca in 216th in 3-19.18. It was the first 20-mile race for them both and Rebecca’s next race will be the London Marathon where she is running for the Sense charity.
Suzy Knights, recovering from an injury, planned to do just part of the race, pulling out just over half way, very
pleased her calf muscles had survived the test.
5k parkrun personal best times for March:- Daren Coulter 23:45, Agatha Gouldby 28:05, Matt Baldry 20:26, Billy
Underdown 21:28, Chris Pitman 21:43, Simon Stevens 23:31, Sue Woolnough 25:34, Louise Harrod 25:45, Paul MacCormick 25:51, Amanda Scarff 25:58, Ella Newman 26:24, Nicky Illingsworth 29:31, Sarah James 30:22, Mandy Roberts 31:56, Sam Stevens 17:55, Mike Quantrill 20:36, Oakley Arnould 24:00, Jennifer Hoye 24:14, Daniel Critoph 24:21, Jacqui Perring 26:13, Jayne Richardson 27:09, Demelza Hammond 29:20, Pamela Warne 29:31, Laura Head 30:30, William Browne 22:11, Liam Nudd 18:55, Lisa Cone 28:51 and Emma Branch 29:33.

The fifth race in the Suffolk Cross Country League was hosted by Bungay Black Dog Running Club at Fritton Lake. Despite the really horrendous weather, Waveney Valley Athletic Club made the most of a local fixture, by fielding a record number of fifty seven members, not only a record for the club, but also a record entry from a single club at a race in the league.
Fielding another strong squad of runners ensured that Waveney remain in top spot in the combined ladies and men’s league table.
The two-lap course at Fritton proved to be very challenging as it was extremely slippery underfoot and runners had also to contend with the strong gusting wind as well as the torrential rain.
Matt Jeffries who really relishes a challenge, made light work of the tough conditions, winning the race in style in clocking 25:37. Dominic Oliver was also in top form in taking second place with his time of 25:55. Dylan Neeve, Martin Horlock, and Richard Moore all packed in well in finishing in 12th, 13th and 14th places respectively. Richard was also first in the V50 age group. Chris Pimlott put in a good club captain’s performance in finishing in his highest position this season, in crossing the line in 17th place with his time of 29:12. Karim Ouddane was not far behind in recording 29:41 in 23rd place. The men’s A team once again finished top in the men’s team event.
Waveney recorded a double victory, with Sam Lines coming out top in the ladies section, with her swift time of 29:28, a brilliant achievement considering the difficult conditions. Rose Nicholson also ran well, taking fourth spot in the ladies section, with her time of 31:56. Kylie Rafferty in just her second outing in the league also did well in recording 39:16 finished in 169th place overall, was 24th in the ladies section. The Ladies A team have now moved up to second place in the ladies section.
Senior Results:
First Matt Jeffries 25:37. Second, Dominic Oliver 25.55. 12th Dylan Neeve 28:36. 13th Martin Horlock (V40) 28:43. 14th Richard Moore (1st V50) 28:56. 17th Chris Pimlott (V40) 29:12. 19th Sam Lines (1st Lady) 29:28. 23rd Karim Ouaddane (V50) 29:41. 26th Martin Collins (V50) 29:51. 27th Daniel Harris 29:52. 31st Lloyd Scriven (V40) 30:02. 33rd Sebastian Lakes 30:15. 42nd Liam Nudd 31:05. 44th Peter Rogers (V40) 31:11. 45th Paul Sullivan (V50) 31:12.
51st Richard Aukland (V45) 31:41. 54th Tim Earl 31:49. 56th Rose Nicholson 31:56. 59th Jon Comyn 32:02. 65th Leon Neeve 32:29. 67th Peter Andrews (V45) 32:35. 68th Chris Bradford 32:36. 69th Logan Moore 32:37. 77th Wayne Freeman (V55) 33:06. 86th Tim Moore 33:30. 88th Andy Ayers (V40) 33:44. 92nd Mark Smith (V40) 34:10. 93rd Mike Quantill (V45) 34:18. 109th Matt Baldry (V40) 35:04. 116th Mike Illingsworth (V45) 35:39. 119th Robert Milner 35:43. 129th David Mower (V60) 36:31. 138th Alan Fairs (V45) 37:04. 141st Steve Gibbs (V50) 37:14. 154th David Joyce (V45) 38:15. 163rd Simon Stevens (V45) 38:44. 166th Chris Comyn 39:10. 169th Kylie Comyn (V35) 39:16. 173rd Sarah Norman (V35) 39:26. 177th Jon Andrews 39:33. 201st Karle Howard (V45) 41:18. 202nd Rob Knights 41:19. 205th Jenni Hoye (V35) 41:25. 206th Alan Varle (1st V70) 41:28. 215th Layla Bedford (V40) 41:50. 216th Vladimir Laptikhovsky (V50) 41:56. 227th Stuart Smith (V55) 42:42. 228th James Gooch (V40) 43:03. 241st Paul Harrod (V55) 44:56. 242nd Amanda Scarff 45:03. 244th Lisa Wilson (V45) 45:12. 255th Samantha Claxton (V35) 47:12. 259th Natalie Brown (V40) 49:17. 261st Caroline Clamp (V45) 49:32. 262nd Pam Warne (V50) 49:49. 266th Angelene Ayers (V40) 51:42. 271st Kate Howlett (V35) 56:18.

Waveney Valley Athletic Club had another large turnout of senior members in the recent Suffolk Winter Cross Country League staged at Nowton Park, Bury St. Edmunds. The club have consistently fielded strong squads of runners in the series so far. Another great all round team effort at Nowton Park, resulted in them not only maintaining but also stretching their lead at the top of the table.
As well as the club’s regular cross-country runners, five members were making their debut in the league; Leon Bernasconi, Andy Ayers, Matt Plummer, David Joyce and Layla Bedford all put in very creditable performances over the two-lap scenic parkland course that covered a distance of just over 5 miles.
Waveney members were once again to the fore with Matt Jefferies putting in another superb performance in leading the club home, finishing in second place overall with his swift time of 31:37. Dominic Oliver was also in fine form, in recording his highest position this season in claiming third place with his time of 31:48. Lee Cook who was in contention with a top five finish unfortunately twisted his ankle on the latter stage of race, but still carried on to finish in a very creditable seventh place in 32:41. The rest of the men’s A squad all finished in the top 30, Mark Thompson 25t, Martin Horlock 26th, Dylan Neeve 27th and Jay Lingwood 29th. The men’s A team finished in first place overall on the day.
In the ladies race, it was good to see Sam Lines getting back to race fitness, after being off with a injury, she put in a very solid performance, in crossing the line 52nd place overall, with her time of 36:59, but more importantly was second in the ladies section. . Rose Nicholson who was third in the senior ladies age group, finished in 71st place overall recorded 38:33. Sarah Norman was third lady home for the ladies A team also ran well in finish in the top 50 of the ladies race.
Other notable performances: Karim Ouaddane time of 36:00 in 32nd place overall also secured him second place in his age group V50. Team Captain Chris Pimlott was over two minutes faster than his time over the same course last season. Peter Andrews who at the start of the winter season set himself a target of finishing in the top 100, was delighted that he finished in 92nd place overall with his time of 39:55. The combined ladies and men’s B and C teams also top their leagues.
Senior Results
Second Matt Jeffries 31:37. 3rd Dominic Oliver 31:48. 7th Lee Cook 32:41. 25th Mark Thompson (V40) 34:51. 26th Martin Horlock (V40) 35:06. 27th Dylan Neeve 35:18. 29th Jay Lingwood 35:45. 32nd Karim Ouaddane (V50) 36:00. 40th Chris Pimlott (V40) 36:29. 52nd Sam Lines (2nd Lady) 36:59. 54th Leon Bernasconi (V40) 37:09. 66th James Drake 38:07. 71st Rose Nicholson 38:33. 74th Liam Nudd 38:39. 80th Paul Sullivan (V50) 39:02. 92nd Peter Andrews (V45) 39:55. 93rd Tim Earl 39:56. 104th Jon Comyn 40:43. 106th Leon Neeve 40:49. 121st Tim Moore 41:26. 124th Steve Carruthers (V45) 41:49. 125th Jason Browne (V40) 41:59. 134th Andy Ayers (V40) 42:25. 137th Colin Galer 42:29.
142nd Robert Milner 42:58. 158th David Mower (V60) 43:58.164th Bill Kingaby (V60) 44:18. 183rd Mike Illingsworth (V45) 46:03. 186th Alan Fairs (V45) 46:19. 192nd Steve Gibbs (V50) 46:47. 222nd David Joyce (V45) 48:30. 226th Sarah Norman (V35) 48:54. 229th Matt Plummer 49:04. 242nd Stephanie Pimlott (V35) 50:11. 250th Layla Bedford (V40) 50:56. 275th Stuart Smith (V55) 53:12. 280th Louise Harrod (V45) 53:55. 284th James Gooch (V40) 54:19. 297th Kaly Gooch (V50) 58:18.

Road race fixtures for March provide a plentiful supply of events and Waveney Valley Athletic Club have had several to choose from to enter.
At the Stowmarket Half Marathon on Sunday, one of the club’s long distance specialists, Lee Cook, became Suffolk County half marathon champion. Lee finished second in the race, from a field of more than 400 runners, in a personal best time of 1-15.10 but the first Suffolk entrant to finish.
Also on Sunday, a dozen members competed in the Mad March Hare 10k, which was held on the former RAF Coltishall air base. A total of 444 runners raced round two laps of the base in very windy conditions with Chris Pimlott first to finish for Waveney in 14th in a time of 39.30. Despite the strong wind, five members managed to record personal best times and the first was Matt Baldry in 52nd in 43:50. Wayne Freeman was 72nd in 44:17 with Billy Underdown 73rd in 44:19 in his first 10k race. Chris Pitman was 104th in a PB 46:37 and Bill Kingaby 120th in 47:17.
Becky Langford added another personal best to her recent performances, finishing 164th in 49:36 with Sarah Norman 210th in 52.57. Camilla Darling was 301st in 57:51, Amanda Scarff 309th in 58:43 (PB), Demelza Hammond 325th in 59:34 (PB) and Graham Jackson 389th in 1-06.10.
At the Broadland Half Marathon on March 12, Bill Kingaby finished 121st from 360 competitiors in 1-45.58 and was awarded first prize at his first race in the M65+ age category. Mark Smith will be running in five marathons this year in aid of Prostate Cancer research and he successfully completed the first at Cambridge, achieving a personal best 4-02.25.
At the Vitality North London Half Marathon, Lisa Wilson, tackling the distance for the first time, recorded a time of 2-12.06 while Alan Richardson ran a PB 1-49.45 at the Colchester Half Marathon finishing 776th out of almost 3,000 entrants.
On Sunday, the final fixture in the Suffolk Winter Cross Country League takes place at Haverill with WVAC topping the league and hoping to secure their first team victory in this league.

A dozen members of Waveney Valley Athletic Club took to the hills of West Suffolk on Sunday to compete in either the Tarpley 20 or 10-mile road races organised by Bury Pacers.
Most members tackled the longer distance, providing the opportunity to build race stamina and fitness for forthcoming spring marathons.
In very blustery, energy-sapping conditions, 316 runners completed the 20-mile race with Becky Langford first to finish for the club in another excellent personal best performance. She recorded a time of 2-43.01 in 103rd place overall and second lady to finish in her age group. Lisa Knights finished 127th in 2-46.33 with Bob Milner doing very well to complete the course with an injury, in 195th in 3-02.43. Joe Mayne was 249th in 3-20.24, Patricia Tuttle 262nd in 3-24.44 and Lisa Wilson, in her longest race to date, 273rd in 3-26.49. David Goosey had to drop out of the race at the 8-mile point.
Five members were amongst a field of almost 400 for the 10-mile event. First for Waveney was Matt Baldry in 67th in a personal best time of 1-15.33. Just four places behind was Bill Kingaby in a time of 1-16.22 and, after it seems a lifetime of competition, well down on his best ever 10-mile time but good enough to be awarded the trophy for first in the Mens 60-64 age group, just two days before turning 65 Paul Peek finished 168th in a new best time of 1-27.14 and Jo Fisk was 224th in 1-32.11, only a minute outside her best time. Amanda Scarff, in her first 10-mile event, was 306th in 1-41.56 .She started running just last year and her focus this year will be on doing well in The Great North Run in September.
At the Roding Valley Half Marathon in Woodford Green, Essex on Sunday, Tim Earl finished 57th from over 500 athletes in a time of 1-30.35. On February 19, five club members took part in the Valentine 10k in Norwich. Wayne Freeman was 112th in 43:13, Mike Quantrill 119th in 43:28, Camilla Darling 376th in 56:29, Demelza Hammond 433rd in 59:47 and Graham Jackson 474th in 1-05.09. On the same day, Chris Mills competed in the Marriotts Way Half Marathon and finished 88th in a time of 2-14.43.
Club members 5k parkrun personal bests for February: Christopher Hulme 40:03, Tracy Mayne 39:58, Lee Roth 26:17, Sarah Wood 31:19, Daniel Critoph 24:45, Paul MacCormick 26:48, Emma Branch 30:38, Kirsty Howe 32:23, Chris Pitman 22:08, Jennifer Hoye 26:58, Mandy Roberts 32:52, Amie Williams 27:05, Tracey Peak 29:51 and William Browne 22:32.

In 2015, Waveney Valley Athletic Club introduced beginner’s sessions in order to encourage anyone with a desire to improve their fitness, to do so with the help of qualified athletics coaches.
The club had held sessions previously but it was in 2015 that they really took off and during 2016, over 400 different people had tried them, either in Lowestoft or Beccles. Quite a few of those have since become members and three of them, Sarah James, Jane Spendlove and Laura Head competed in the London Winter 10k on February 5.
Sarah joined WVAC in May of last year after seeing a Facebook post advertising the sessions at Normanston Park and thought it a fun way to get fit. Initially, she found the 30 seconds walking and 30 seconds jogging very tough but at the race in London, she recorded a very good time of 1-08.27. This achievement she credits, in less than 12 months of running, to the encouragement and support of the coaches.
Jane also joined the club last year after starting in the beginner’s sessions in the summer of 2015 and enjoys the support and friendliness of the group. The London 10k was her second race at the distance and she ran a personal best 1-13.48.
Laura started the sessions in June 2015, never having previously done any sport. She was nervous about joining but the friendly support from the coaching team made her feel it was something she really wanted to do. She went on to run in her first 5K parkrun in October that year. At the London 10K, also her second 10K, she recorded a time of 1-05.54, almost 15 minutes quicker than her debut time last August.
WVAC started another beginners group last month and there will be more starting in April in both Lowestoft and Beccles.
Experienced runners are welcome to join the sessions as well. Please contact Alan Fairs on 01502 513176
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The Freethorpe 10 mile road race organised by Great Yarmouth & District A.C., took place on January 29 with seventeen members of Waveney Valley Athletic Club taking part.
The event, which was race one of ten in this year’s Leathes Prior Norfolk Grand Prix series, proved a great success for Waveney Valley with at least 7 members running personal best times.
Almost 700 competitors completed the course with Tim Earl first to finish for the club in 49th place in a new best time of 1-04.39. Next was James Drake in 71st in 1-06.36 then Wayne Freeman 153rd in 1-12.45. Mark Smith finished 174th in 1-14.24 then Matt Baldry 201st in 1-15.44, knocking more than two minutes off his previous best time. Bill Kingaby, who received the second place award in last year’s Grand Prix series in his age category, finished in 206th place in 1-15.44 and David Mower was 239th in 1-17.49. Becky Langford was the first lady for the club to finish, in 322nd in 1-21.21, another fine personal best performance.
There was a pb also for David Lewis, in 395th position in a time of 1-24.57 with Jo Fisk next in 515th in 1-32.39. Jane Hunt was 560th in a personal best 1-37.54 with Karle Howard one place behind in 561st in 1-38.17. Beth Bell was delighted to knock more than five minutes off her previous best time, recording a new best of 1-38.23, in 562nd. There was a pb also for Demelza Hammond, who finished in 1-42.54 in 606th, with Nicky Illingsworth, competing in her first 10 mile race for Waveney, clocking 1-43.30 in 610th. Lisa Joyce was 614th in 1-45.01 and Claire Green, another 10 mile debutante for the club, finishing 636th in a time of 1-51.20.

Club members 5k parkrun personal bests for January: Simon Stevens 23:41, Jenna Killett 29:28, Nicky Illingsworth 29:27, Layla Bedford 24:55, Charles Hardy 25:14, Demelza Hammond 29:24, Pamela Warne 30:01, Sarah Harris 34:21, Andy Ayers 21:10, Thomas Spurgeon 22:14, Angelene Ayers 32:52,
Sarah Wood 33:13, Daniel Critoph 26:16, Seth Frankland 27:10, Paul MacCormick 28:02 and Emma Branch 31:38 and Stuart Brighty 26:08.

Conditions at the third fixture of the Suffolk Winter Cross Country League were not particularly promising for the runners at Haughley Park, Stowmarket. It was cold and wet, whilst conditions underfoot were extremely muddy in places. The undulating course also proved to be very arduous, with runners having to run over a very mixed terrain of twisting woodland paths, and open parkland spaces, as well as having to contend with the usual hazards of tree roots.
Waveney Valley Athletic Club numbers were slightly down from the previous two meetings, owing to unavailability of several members, but the seniors still fielded a very strong squad of thirty-eight runners, An all round solid team performance despite the challenging conditions, saw not only the A team maintaining their top spot in the league, but also the B and C teams.
Lee Cook put in his best performance of the season, crossing the line in 4th place with his time of 33:01. Dominic Oliver, who has consistently finished in the top ten, registered 33:26 in 7th place overall. It was great to see Chris Jones back in a Waveney vest, now based in London, where he competes for Harrow A.C., but he started his interest in athletics with Waveney and was keen to compete for his old club in some cross country fixtures, he put in a strong finish to clock 34:17 in 11th place. Jay Lingwood, Dylan Neeve, Richard Moore and Mark Thompson all packed in well to finish in the top 26 placing’s. Richard Moore’s fine run secured him top spot in the V50 age group.
Other notable performances, Chris Pimlott, Martin Horlock and Lloyd Scriven all finished in the top 50 placing’s. Karim Ouaddane despite falling, which resulted in him cutting his leg, still managed to record a creditable time of 38:15 in crossing the line in 57th place.
In the ladies section Rose Nicholson was first home for the club, she finished in 78th place overall and third in the senior ladies age group with her time of 39:06. Ann Millett took second place in the V60’s in finishing in 235th place overall with 47:58.

Senior results:Fourth Lee Cook, 33:01. Seventh Dominic Oliver, 33:26. 11th Chris Jones 34:17. 22nd Jay Lingwood, 35:33. 24th Dylan Neeve, 35:47. 25th Richard Moore, 35:50 (1st V50). 26th Mark Thompson (V40), 35:56. 35th Chris Pimlott (V40) 36:37. 42nd Martin Horlock (V40) 37:35. 49th Lloyd Scriven (V40) 37:51.56th Daniel Harris, 38:11. 57th Karim Ouaddane (V50). 38:15. 58th Graham Watering (V40) 38:16. 69th Tim Earl, 38:49. 78th Rose Nicholson, 39:06. 84th Paul Sullivan, (V50) 39:25.88th Liam Nudd, 39:46. 103rd Peter Andrews, (V45) 40:56. 108th Jon Comyn, 41:17.111th Wayne Freeman (2nd V55) 41:20. 117th Paul Wright (V40) 41:39. 121st Robert Milner 41:44. 124th Leon Neeve 41:52,127th Tim Moore, 42:02. 143rd Colin Galer, 42:58.148th Nigel Herrod (3rd V55), 43:04. 161st Mike Illingworth (V45) 44:01.167th Jason Browne (V40) 44:16. 187th David Mower, (V60) 45:16. 204th Bill Kingaby, (V60) 46:08. 228th David Lewis 47:45. 235th Ann Millett (2nd V60) 47:58. 247th Steve Gibbs (V50) 48:57.
249th Elies Mann (V40) 49:05. 265th Simon Stevens (V45) 49:59.282nd Karle Howard (V45), 51:07. 304th Sarah Norman (V35) 53:01. 330th Stuart Smith (V55) 55:46.
St. Edmund Pacers will host the next race in the series, which will be held at Nowton Park, on Sunday 19th February.