Bank Holiday Monday saw 25 Hillingdon AC participants take on the Beaconsfield 5, the 2nd fixture of this year’s Summer Series. The race saw multiple helpings of silverware for Hillingdon AC, proving to be a very successful outing and many changes in the Summer Series tables!
Set against the scenic backdrop of Beaconsfield’s trails and country lanes, the course is a 5 mile loop around the Hall Barn Estate, starting and finishing at the same point.
From the start line, Hillingdon AC set out eager, with athletes jostling for position. The mixed terrain over the 5 miles from road to woodland paths testing runners versatility.
Top performances across the board led to a vast array of Summer Series points and multiple helpings of silverware!
A huge congratulations to Nikki, who not only bettered last year’s time by over 2 minutes, but claimed the prize of 1st female in a time of 34:07! Dave Smith claimed 1st prize in the V60 male category, in a time of 35:11. Hollie Ford took the honours of 1st place in the U20 female category in a time of 38:50, leading the way by 7 minutes!
Charlie Edwards achieved a fantastic 4th place finish in a time of 30:22, narrowly missing a podium finish! Alex Giffin came home in a brilliant 3rd place in the V50 male category, finishing in 33:47. Jeff Shotton placed 9th in the V40 male category in 34:22.
Zoe Dobbs scored a top 5 finish in the V50 female category, returning home in 40:53. Liz Hutchinson also enjoyed a top 5 placing, in the V60 female category in a total time of 46:07 and Caroline Ford placed 8th in the V50 female category, running 42:03.
The results of the Beaconsfield 5 see many changes in the Summer Series standings. 13 new participants have entered the chase for the coveted Summer Series Shield, Charlie, Alex, Scott, Simon and Andy collected their first points in the male competition. Hollie, Ruth, Freya, Lesley, Deborah, Jackie and Vicky took home their first points haul in the female competition.
Jeff Shotton has taken the lead in the male leaderboard with a total of 41 points after collecting 23 points from Beaconsfield. Jeff is followed by Beaconsfield silverware winner Dave Smith with 37 points. Jason Steel took a strong 20 point haul from Beaconsfield, jumping to 3rd place with a total of 30 points. Charlie Edwards claimed the full 25 points from Beaconsfield and gets underway this series, placing 5th overall.
In the female leaderboard, Nikki Penty-Alvarez builds on a strong finish in the April Training Race, claiming the maximum points at Beaconsfield and currently holding 1st place overall with 48 points, closely followed by Caroline Ford with 43 points. A closely fought 3rd place sees Zoe Dobbs and Michaela Mayor separated by 1 point, with 38 and 37 points respectively!
The next Summer Series fixture is the Pednor 5 on Monday 5th May. Entries for this race close at 11pm on Saturday 3rd May, or earlier if the race limit of 350 is reached – so enter now!
Beaconsfield 5 HAC Race Results
Summer Series Standings
Southern Athletics League
A note from Dave Smith
The first Southern Athletics League fixture of the season is at Perivale on May 17th. The SAL is the area track and field league for clubs like ours, who belong to the South of England Athletics Association. There are four fixtures over the summer.
May 17th – Perivale
June 22nd – Parliament Hill
July 12th – Uxbridge
August 31st – Lee Valley
We are looking to fill the following events at the first fixture:
Men: 400m, 800m, 1500m, 2000m steeplechase, 3000m
Women: 400m, 800m, 1500m, 2000m steeplechase, 3000m
Please support your club in getting the middle distance slots filled. All abilities are welcome. If the club doesn’t have anyone taking part in these events, we won’t score points.
