Just out of the medals on Parliament Hill

More than 50 HW runners were in action at Parliament Hill Fields on Saturday competing in the London Youth Games and London Championships. The senior men, who have won medals in the team event in two of the last three years, narrowly missed out this time in 4th place, while the senior women posted their best-ever team performance.

Several of the Club’s top runners were having a break after taking the team honours in the second Start Fitness Surrey League match in atrocious conditions on Wimbledon Common the previous weekend, although Finn Johnson, who led the team to victory there, continued his impressive season by again being first HW man home.

Competing in sunshine this time, albeit with a biting easterly wind, Johnson finished in11th place of the 460 runners covering the 10km course in 36:23.

Jonny Cornish, the only member of the 2017 silver medal-winning team running in this year’s race, was 22nd in 37:21 with Joe Clark 28th in 37:48 and David Lewin 48th in 38:58 completing the scoring team. Although the team finished in bronze medal position they were the first South London and Surrey team home. Other HW runners finishing in the top 100 were Neil Fraser (57th in 39:27), teenager Henry Silverstein (70th in 40:10) and Dave Grima (88th in 41:02).

Earlier Claire Grima finished a fine seventh of the 310 athletes in the women's 6km Championship with Gina Galbraith 22nd in 24:16, Eileen Brandley 29th in 24:44 and Lisa Thomas 81st in 26:26 bringing the team home in seventh, improving on their previous best of eighth in 2016.

Almost 30 HW youngsters were in action in the London Youth Games staged before the senior races. Best performance was from Ellen Weir who finished sixth (representing Merton) in the U15 Girls race in 7:46. Lulu Weisz, also representing Merton, was 21st in 7:58 with Georgie Clarke, running for Wandsworth, one second slower in 22nd place. The previous weekend, Ellen Weir had led the Wimbledon High School team home in the English Schools Cross Country Cup Regional Final at Tonbridge finishing fourth of the 59 runners.

Lauren Armitage led the Merton team home in the U13 Girls race finishing 12th of the 247 runners with HW Club mate Anya Montgomerie, the first finisher from Sutton, taking 19th place.

Justin Reid was in action for Northern Ireland in the British and Irish Masters cross country Championships in Swansea on Saturday. He was 18th M45, covering the 8km course in 28:34.

Results

Saturday, 17th November, London Youth Games, Parliament Hill Full results

Saturday, 17th November, London Championships, Parliament Hill Full results


Parkrun

Jonny Earl headed home a 294-strong field in the Kingston 5km parkrun in a personal best of 15:53 to slice nine seconds off his previous best set in winning the event last month. It was his fifth victory in six appearances since July 2017. Susie Alway was 11th woman finisher in a personal best of 24:18. Teenager Johanna Tofte made an impressive debut in the Bushy Park 5km parkrun finishing 38th of the 1325 runners and second in the women’s race in 18:46. Another teenager, Daniel Clarke, son of HW Chairman Dave Clarke, posted a personal best of 20:20,  finishing 15th out of 376 runners in the Richmond event.