20.03.2022: The day the Ashby 20 returned to the roads for an incredible day of amazing organisation, enthusiastic support, admirable teamwork, and epic performances. A big hip hip hooray goes out firstly to our phenomenal Ashby 20 committee, and every single person that got involved on the day to make the event as special as it is. And for the 30th anniversary, the sun shone brightly making the comeback even sweeter.

Six fantastic runners had been training their socks off throughout the winter in preparation for the big day. What a delight it was from both sides of the pitch, the volunteers getting the opportunity to cheer on their club mates, and our Ivanhoes getting that much needed boost from the sidelines.

The Ashby 20 gorilla provided smiles all around the course, many thanks to our very own Ian Kirk. 20 miles is a feat in itself, but inside full costume, that’s ridiculously impressive. Ian jumps on the treadmill in the suit to get acclimatised, and his efforts were rewarded with a time of 3:09:28; the proud owner of the first gorilla position. He’ll be running Manchester marathon this weekend, perhaps feeling a tad lighter without that extra layer!

John Finn had a super strong run, not only achieving a personal best, but a diamond standard too. His consistent pacing over the race earned him 12th position in his age category and a time of 2:23:15.

Doing it for girls, we had four Ivanhoe ladies smashing up the course and didn’t half show us how it’s done. Abby Halcarz finished as third female in an exceptional time of 2:12:30, collecting multiple distance personal bests along the way.

Alex Gillon is one of our newer members, and it was a pleasure to give her support as she ran her longest run in the build up to Brighton marathon later this month. She returned to the finish line in a cracking time of 3:19:18.

Laura Graves and Mindy Ashton have been found banking the miles together for weeks, and race day was no exception. It was wonderful to see the support they’ve provided for each other during their training, and keeping each other’s spirits up round the challenging 20 miles. They crossed the finish line in a fantastic 2 hours and 56 mins.

Written by Emily Partridge - last updated on 24/09/2022