Whilst we’ve had mass runners in blue at our local events, we’ve also had superstars stretching far and wide for their race day fix.

Paul Averillo was in Cardiff for a trail half mara, inclusive of an actual Marilyn scale mountain, his 2:09:23 time really rather impressive. Not one to shy away from elevation, he followed up a few weeks later with Bestwood parkrun, if you know you know!

Kenny Ashton travelled to Stowmarket for their Scenic (though they may be biased) 7 miler. It’s the first time an Ivanhoe has repped this event, so Kenny goes top of the pops, a 1:35:42 after Shepshed only the week prior!

Two of our finest sought out warmer climes at the Palermo marathon. Chris Osborne was awarded a shiny PB by almost 7 minutes, 3:49:16 made an impressive dent in his Yorkshire performance only a few months ago. He was joined by Laura Graves, searching for a gold standard, blowing it out of the water in 3:54:04, placing 18th female and second in age category.

John Finn was in action at the Wilmslow 10K, also bagging a gold standard time in 43:37. Post race he received a wonderful message from a fellow participant, thanking him for his encouragement on course which helped this grateful compatriot achieve a 2 minute PB!

Valencia was the destination for Andy Cole who gave 26.2 a third & final whirl for ‘22. He stopped the clock in a speedy 3:41:49, despite the crazy tracker giving him a 45 min first 5K (that would be an impressive negative split!) It’s been a great year for Andy and we’re excited to see what ‘23 brings for his running journey.

Richard Martin stepped up to Telford 10K which attracts the most swift of fields. Sub 30 was required to make the top 32 runners; and I hear it snowed too! Richard’s superb 39:29, which often sees him much higher up the rankings earned him 547th position and 41st in age category. Mind-blowing.

Two runners headed to Holme Pierrepont; Sarah Malone chose the 10K, gaining, despite the cold conditions, a sweet 19 second PB, her 52:33 time earning 15th female. Mark Parker opted for the 5K, his 16:21 clocking good enough for fourth place, and a sparkling 24 seconds better than his last PB at Wolverhampton parkrun in May.

Written by Emily Partridge - last updated on 14/12/2022