Merry Christmas!
More than 60 Hercules Wimbledon runners took part in the club’s annual Christmas Cracker relay at Wimbledon Park on Tuesday December 10th. 22 teams took part in the festive event with three runners in each team running alternate 200 metre legs so that each team completed 12 laps, before tucking into seasonal refreshments in the clubhouse.
Two days beforehand HW throws coach and M80 athlete, John Webster, was also in action in the Christmas Throws Pentathlon at Walton. Webster, who has been competing since he was at school, was second of three competitors in his age category.
The previous weekend, HW athletes turned in some class performances running for Surrey in the South of England inter-counties meeting at Oxford.
Ellen Weir helped the county to a team victory in the U17 Women's Championship with a superb second place out of 64 runners. She finished just 10 seconds behind the winner. Niamh Thompson led the B team to eighth place, finishing 26th. Sadly Georgie Clarke was forced to pull out because of a heavy cold.
Lulu Weisz led the Surrey B team to sixth place in the U15 Girls Championship, finishing 20th of the 86 runners, with Millie Thorpe 46th. Alice McCormack was 34th in the U20 Championship in which Surrey took the silver medals, while Benjy Steet was 32nd out of 91 runners in the U13 Boys Championship in which Surrey also bagged the silver medals.
Results
parkrun
December 14
A total of 44 Hercules Wimbledon runners were in action in 13 different parkruns last Saturday. On Wimbledon Common the first HW finisher was teenager Hector Revill, who was sixth of the 390 runners in 19:13. Another teenager, Niamh Thompson, clocked a PB, winning the women's category in 20:47 ahead of Millie Thorpe by 22 seconds. Lisa Thomas was fourth in the women’s race in 21:42.
The vets were also out in force in the men's race with Peter Lee finishing 10th in 19:51. Richard Evans was 13th in 20:02 with Simon Woodley 16th, 40 seconds later. Tom Cheetham finished 29th in 21:23 with Charles Hampden-Smith 36th in 21:45.
Justin Reid headed home a 196-strong field in Crane Park, Twickenham in 17:43, competing in the event for the first time. James Greene was fourth out of 351 runners in Lee-on-Solent in 19:12 and Jessame Coulson was second woman finisher in the St Mary’s parkrun in Bridport, Devon, in 23:13.
David Grima was third out of 411 runners in the Richmond parkrun in 17:55, and taking part in her first race since mid-August, Alex Binley was seventh in the women’s race in Cassiobury Park, Watford, in 23:01. Francesca Clarke was sixth woman to finish in the Kingston event in 21:26.
December 7
Adam Harwood was the best of 10 Hercules Wimbledon runners in the Wimbledon Common event as he headed home a 405-strong field to win in 18:5. It was only his eighth win in 220 appearances in the Wimbledon Common event, which he first contested back in June 2009. Lisa Thomas was second in the women’s race.
Kieran White led in a 114-strong field at Rushmere, Aldershot, in 18:10, just one second slower than in his only other appearance there in August. Jesse Coulson was first woman in the St Mary’s parkrun in Bridport, Dorset in 22:47.
Elsewhere, Rob Tuer and David Grima were fourth and seventh out of 1153 runners in Bushy Park in 17:18 and 17:34, respectively. Robbie Hynes was second out of 528 runners in Burgess Park in 16:56.