Race Reports

2012

Reedham 10
The weekend snow may have hampered those needing to get the long miles in preparing for one of the Spring Marathons. Fortunately though, 9 LRR took advantage of the Reedham 10 mile road race held on the previous weekend. Despite the temperature being close to freezing, our participants were pleased with their times. The course was on undulating country roads making parts of the route exposed to the chilling winds. Carl Prewer was our first home in 5th place overall (1st vet 40-44) with 56.46. Tom Richardson recorded a good time with 1hr 52 seconds in 15th place. Jonathon Meadows led our next group in 31st place with 1hr 3.26, Chris Scott 36th in 1hr 4.24 just ahead of Paul Lyon in 38th place in 1hr 4.43. Karen Archbold in 133rd place saw an improvement from her previous 10 miler in 1hr 12.35, well on the road to recovery from injury. New member Tom Collier was pleased with his performance in 179th with 1hr 16.53, as he gradually increases his fitness. Our other female entrant Shelley Smith was 195th with an excellent time of 1hr 18.06 and Simon Bunting in 299th place beat his estimated time with 1hr 27.41. The race was well supported as 406 finished.

2011

Great East 20k & 10k
The Great East 20km and 10km road races held in Bungay were well attended by Lowestoft Road Runners. Unlike last year, the weather was more favourable, as although there was a fair wind it was mild. In the 20km race Chris Scott produced his best time of 1hr 19.05 in 7th place. Jonathon Meadows was 20th in 1.22.41, Ashley Norton 89th in 1.34.17, 91st Carl Meen in 1.34.27, 99th Matt Ellis 1.36.20 and Phil Laurier 210th position in 1.57.04. In the 10km race
Shaun Lark was 5th in 37.48, Mark Elflett 26th in 45.49, Faye Ellis in 59.19 and Sallyanne Protheroe 150th place in 1hr 5.07.

Adnams Southwold 10k
The Southwold 10km race was not so well attended as last year by our athletes. Chris Haylock was our first home in 66th place in 44.06, Mark Elflett 78th in 44.54, 86th was Matt Ellis in 45.23 and Ashley Norton 97th in 45.49.

Norwich Half Marathon.
The more recent Norwich Half Marathon produced 3personal bests in the blustry conditions, which would not have beenideal on that course. In this very well supported event, Jonathon Meadows was 95th in 1hr 28.06 and Carl Meen 222nd with 1.34.12. MarkElflett produced his pb of 1.39.33 in 412th place as did Chris Haylock in 471st with 1.40.44. Gina Scott ran well to finish in 1597th place and 2.05.51 with the help of husband Chris. Nick Carter was next in
1769th place with 2.10.27 and Simon Bunting 2195th in 2.40.02.

Wymondham 10, Fritton Triathlon, Broadland 5k & The Humpty Dumpty 10k
Five Lowestoft Road Runners took part in the Wymondham 10 mile road race. The conditions were good on what was a tough course, especially with a nasty hill in the last mile. Jonathon Meadows was 31st in 1hr 7.36, closely followed by Karen Archbold in 36th position which gave her 1st in her age category with a new personal best of 1hr 7.54. Matt Ellis also ran well in 77th place in 1hr 15.21. Mark Elflett took 20 seconds off his last 10 miler in 91st place in 1hr 17.25 and Faye Ellis 170th in 1hr 35.57. On the same day Simon Bunting produced a personal best in the Olympic distance Fritton Triathlon of 1500m open water swim, 40km bike and 10km run in 2hrs 41.34.

Seven members travelled to South Walsham to compete in the Broadlands’s 5km series, this was the first of three races. This year’s series was raced over a new course and even the undulating, twisty course didn’t stop several runners gaining pb’s, With weather conditions being fairly windy in sections of the course this was very impressive. Kevin Sharman was the first club runner home with a time of 17:19; this gave him a very respectable position of 8th. Next to finish was Paul Whall with a good time of 17:58 in 18th place. Jonathan Meadows continued his fine form by gaining yet another pb in 31st place with a time of 18:37, this was all the more impressive as he had ran the gruelling Edinburgh Marathon three days before. Karen Archbold is also another club runner in spectacular form, with yet another Pb this year she came 49th overall and finished in a time of 19:35, Karen also achieved the award for her age category. Matt Ellis was another club runner to finish this 5km course with a new Pb, with a position of 85th place, Matt achieved a time of 20:58. Simon Bunting was next home in 130th place with a respectable time of 23.36.

The recent Humpty Dumpty 10km road race in Reedham was staged in hot conditions. Chris Scott 17th 39.23, Jonathon Meadows 25th 40.40, Carl Meen 52nd in 43.07, Matt Ellis 84th with 45.46, Barry Norman 89th in 46.37, Mark Elflett 119th 48.49, Elayne Hilton 223rd in 53.23 and Sallyann Protheroe 345th in 1hr7.07.

Dereham 10, Gt Yarmouth 5 Mile Series Race 3 & Marathons
The light winds and mild weather at the Dereham 10 mile event produced some good times from our 10 participants. Karen Archbold's 56th placing overall gave her 3rd lady position,winning her age category and another pb for her of 68.24. Matt Ellis was next in 91st with 72.58, Ashley Norton 115th in 76.09, Mark Elflett 130th in 77.45. Simon Bunting in 149th position produced a personal best with 80.45, as did Elayne Hilton in 184th place in 84.07, Faye Ellis 212th with 89.01 and Gina Scott 225th in 90.51. Phil Laurier was 237th in 92.25and Sallyanne Protheroe in 272nd place with 107.05.

The last race in the Gt Yarmouth 5 mile promenade series, also produced some good times,despite a strong wind. This was the most competitive race, which helped Kevin Sharman to improve on his previous results in 10th place with 28.17. Next was Tom Richardson in 13th place with 29.01. Paul Whall achieved a pb in 24th place with 30.09, Matt Ellis in 92nd place ran his quickest race in 35.27. Elayne Hilton was close to her pb with help from Jonathon Meadows in 139th and 140th places in 39.41. Faye Ellis in 170th place ran a pb of 42.19 and Phil Laurier in 180th place ran his quickest time for this series in 44.21.
Last Sunday two of our members were again running a marathon, in two separate areas in the north of the British Isles. Jonathon Meadows travelled Edinburgh for his marathon. Although the course is known for being a fast one, the windy conditions made it a struggle, especially close to the 20 mile mark. His time of 3 hrs 16.53 was 8 minutes quicker than he ran the Brighton Marathon earlier on in the year. He was therefore pleased with his performance. Carl Meen took on the mountainous Windemere Marathon in the Lake District, which he understandably found tough. He was satisfied with his position of 118th out of over 1,000 entrants in 3 hrs 35.02.

Gt Yarmouth 5 Mile Series Races 1 & 2 and The Halstead Marathon
Six Lowestoft Road Runners took part in the first of the Gt Yarmouth 5 mile promenade series.They enjoyed the warm April evening, on this flat, well supported two lap course. First home was Kevin Sharman in 8th place in 29.20, 19th Chris Scott 30.33 withJonathon Meadows 35th in 31.21. New member Paul Whall was hot in his heels in 38th place in 31.41, Elayne Hilton 140th 39.46 and Phil Laurier 181st 44.54. In race 2 the conditions were less than ideal, as there was a stiff sea breeze. Despite this,we produced some good performances with 6 personal bests. Kevin Sharman was again in 8th place with a quicker time of 28.44, 3rd in his age group. Tom Richardson was chasing him down in 9th place with his new pb of 28.47. Paul Whall in 24th place with 30.21 also improved on his first performance as did Jonathon Meadows 33rd with his pb of 31.10. Karen Archbold was the 3rd lady home, in 49th position in 32.38 pb, Matt Ellis 87th 35.43. Simon Bunting waspleased with his pb of 38.11 in 121st place, Elayne Hilton 145th 39.38 pb, Faye Ellis 182nd 42.22 pb and Phil Laurier 198th with 45.03.
Three LRR members travelled to Essex for the Halstead Marathon, this being one of the lastfull Marathon distance races of the spring. It was hoped that Chris Scott could achieve a London Marathon qualifying time of under 3 hours 10 minutes, by using fellow member Carl Prewer as his pace maker. Unfortunately due to the undulating course and the hot and increasing wind conditions, the hard effort by Chris was not rewarded with his target time.Despite this, Chris still managed a creditable time of 3 hours 15.10 in 22nd place, with Carl one place behind. Carl Mean was also down on his target time in 83rd place in 3 hours 32.57. He also found the course and conditions one of the hardest Marathons he has undertaken.

Bungay Black Dog Marathon & Half Marathon & Brighton Marathon

The Bungay Black Dog Marathon proved a successful event at the weekend for members of Lowestoft Road Runners. The course takes in the undulations from Bungay to Beccles before taking in the flat country roads of Gillingham and Geldeston before returning to Bungay, only to do it all again. Fortunately the weather conditions were favourable for the 800 runners. Carl Prewer took an early lead, and as the gap widened between himself and the rest of the field as the race progressed, he was a clear winner, by over 12 minutes. His time of 2hrs 42 mins 56 seconds broke the previous course record by 1 minute 47 seconds. He was naturally pleased with his performance. Chris Scott was just outside his target in 24th place with 3hrs 15.07. This was Carl Means 2nd Marathon of the year in 43rd place in 3hrs 24.19. Carl, Chris and Carl were rewarded with the team prize. Mark Elflett in 182nd place in 4hrs 25.16 shall take time in recovering, as his next race is the Edinburgh Marathon in only 6 weeks time. Miles away on the south coast, Jonathon Meadows took part in the Brighton Marathon, which holds a larger field of around 8,000 athletes. He was pleased with his time of 3hrs 24.55, although he felt he was not suited to the rather warm conditions. He is also taking part in the Edinburgh Marathon. Two LRR took part in the Bungay Half Marathon, being one lap. Matt Ellis in 69th position gained another personal best with 1hr 39.33 and Ashley Norton found the course tough, achieved 1hr 52.22 in 167th place.

Joe Cox Half Marathon & Awards Night
The recent mild weather favoured both our competitors in Joe Cox Half Marathon held in Stowmarket. The course although undulating, was mostly traffic free, on pleasant winding country roads. Carl Prewer was amongst the leaders from the start, and towards the end he found himself in 3rd place. As the race progressed he managed to gain another position, until the last half a mile where he was beside the leader. Increasing his speed, Carl fought off the rival, winning the race with a new course record of 1hr 14.55. Matt Ellis also had an impressive race as finishing in 76th place, knocking over 5 minutes off his previous personal best time, with 1hr 40.21. At our annual presentation evening, Chairman Shaun Lark commented on a successful year both in competition throughout the year, as well as the social side of the club. He hopes this will continue through the coming year. The first awards were for club standards, best times are age related covering all distances from the past years competitions. The Bronze standard was awarded to Phil Laurier, Chris Scott and Gina Scott. Silver standard went to Jonathon Meadows and the top award which is Platinum standard was achieved by Karen Archbold. The Championship awards are gained by taking part in nominated races of various distances, and depending on how many other LRR members finish, will depend on how many points you gain from your position. Chris Scott was our Male Champion with Karen Archbold the Female Champion. Athlete of the Year was awarded to Carl Prewer and Karen Archbold for their many achievements throughout the past year. Most Improved Runner was taken by Jonathon Meadows, who has not only gained in his strength and confidence, is taking on not one but three Marathons this year. Club Person of the Year was voted as Mark Elflett, for his contribution to the much needed organisation of the club. Good Luck to our runners in this weekends Bungay and Brighton Marathons,and next weekends London Marathon.

Wymondham 20 & Norwich Half Marathon

Our only entrant in the Wymondham 20 Mile race was Carl Prewer. This two lap course was on winding country roads, most of which were traffic free. Carl finished in 5th place in a time of 2hr 4mins 54secs rewarded him with 1st place in the over 40 category. The more recent Norwich Half Marathon proved more popular. This event was changed from December to spring, due to the adverse weather conditions at that time. The mild conditions, with only a slight breeze, produced some good times from our entrants. Jonathon Meadows in 137th place improved his previous time by 8 minutes, with 1hr 30.32, not quite managing his target time of 1hr 30 mins. Karen Archbold 145th overall, was the 10th lady in with her new personal best of 1hr 31.04. Tom Richardson encouraged his fiancee round the course in 499th place in 1hr 44.40. Simon Bunting in 751st position improved his previous best by a couple of minutes, to 1hr 49.36, with Phil Laurier 1310th in 2hr 5.3. Gina Scott competing in her first half marathon, as part of her Marathon preparation, was accompanied by husband Chris. They were 1387th and 1389th in times of 2hr 6.15 and 2hr 6.16 respectively.