The indomitable V75+ Peel Road Runner Bob Donovan has been out running another marathon to add to his impressive tally of well over 100 marathons run since the age of 75. On Thursday he took on the Big Bear Events ‘Big Foot’ Challenge at Daventry, an event where runners have 6 hours to complete as many (or as few) 5k laps of the trail course as they wish. Not wishing to waste a minute of the opportunity, Donovan used 5 hours, 52 minutes and 28 seconds of his 6 hours to cover a distance of 27.8 miles. He commented that in sections where a loose chipped path had been laid, his feet really suffered but that the cool and sunny weather compensated for the pain!
On Saturday at the Betwys-y-coed trail challenge in North Wales, canicross runners Helen and Neal Dempsey with their dogs, Banana and Sydney, took on the “most technical run we do” as Helen described the course. However, the scenic course and sunny weather conditions compensated for the toughness of the route and made for enjoyable running conditions. On Sunday, Team Dempsey moved to Newborough Forest on Anglesey to run the 5k course paired with their other dogs, Minstrel and Hugo.
On Sunday, three Peelers travelled to Clowne in north east Derbyshire to compete in the Clowne half marathon. This iconic race organised by the Clowne Road Runners is renowned for its undulating course and excellent organisation. This year proved to be no different, although the very cold temperature (around 2° at the start) and exposed parts of the course made for a very chilly run. Chris Bennett was first back for the club in 1:59:59, with Darren Truman crossing the line in 2:02:46 and Val Lawson in 2:19:18.
Also on Sunday at the Sphinx AC Coombe 8 mile trail race at Combe Abbey near Coventry, Kathryn Adams ran a great race under difficult conditions. Having gone off course at one point and having negotiated the infamous water crossing, she rallied round to finish in a very impressive time of 1:04:00.
With many local parkruns cancelled due to Storm Arwen, only one Peeler managed to run on Saturday. Michael Stevenson crossed the line at Warwick Racecourse in 31:56.
Peel Road Runners meet every Tuesday and Thursday at the Skate Park car park at 6.45 pm
