Sunday 10th May saw a great turnout of 16 HAC members take to the streets of Marlow to contest in the Marlow 5. Always a well attended event by the club and with a history of silverware hauls, who knew what to expect?
We’ll start at the top of the field, because that’s exactly where you’d see the first HAC runner in a field of 922 finishers! A superb race from new HAC recruit Charlie Wood, storming home in 26:33. It was a tightly contested finish, with 2nd place finishing in 26:35. Following Charlie’s heroics, he was interviewed by Bucks Free Press:
It was a big surprise. Two years ago, I was in really good shape. I have a few long‑term injuries, so I am coming back from that.My girlfriend signed up and she convinced me to sign up as well, so I did. Training has been going very well, so I can’t complain. I wasn’t really focusing on a time, as I was aiming to stay with the group.My coach told me that as it is a 5m, just keep it steady and give what you have at the end and luckily, I had more left.I used to work for a charity, so I know how important they are to people and how they can make a difference in people’s lives.The more we can do to support charities, especially when the country is in the state that it is in, the better, as there are many people struggling.There is so much you can get out of it. You meet new people and it helps with your mental wellbeing.
The successes didn’t end there, 2nd place HAC finisher, Ryan Hamdy (27:53) secured 7th position overall and 1st place in the 40-49 category. Karen O’Rourke (36:18) and Kathryn Carruthers (36:39) claimed 2nd and 3rd place in the 60-69 category!
Our men’s team achieved 3rd place on the day. A fantastic team performance saw our female team achieve top spot on the podium, hugely outscoring any challengers. A huge credit to the strong performances on the course and fantastic to see such a great turnout. These results define the true spirit of the Summer Series, fantastic club representation, contesting in a variety of different events and celebrating together. We’re only 3 events in and with many more contests and socials to come!
To the Summer Series scoring, age grading results were shattered at the Marlow 5. 4 members achieved age grading over 80%:
Karen O’Rourke – 86.04%
Kathryn Carruthers – 85.22%
Ryan Hamdy – 80.90%
Charlie Wood – 80.35%
With such results, a few positions have changed! As the series advances, attendance points become a bigger factor and the competition is heating up! The age grading feature appears to be a success so far, with each race being tightly contested on relative performance.
The Summer Series table and event results can be found below.
Summer Series Standings
I picked up 2 results not entered under Hillingdon AC (those shall not be named!) If there is anyone missing from the above results, please let me know and I will amend!
Next up, Coombe Hill Fell Race!
