LANGPORT RUNNERS

Newsletter June 2009

We are halfway through the year and many of you have been entering races. Thanks to Mike Parr, Diane Stewart, Claire Chedzoy, David German and Neal Stayner who have contributed to the newsletter by submitting reports. The Club Championship is well under way and you can see how you are getting on either by reading this newsletter or going onto the Langport runners website. Pete and I are doing our best to record your results accurately but mistakes can happen so please check and let us know if we have made any errors. We will wait until the end of the year before working out 5k, half marathon and marathon results. Everyone’s times in each of these race distances will be looked at and your best time will count towards your championship points. We hope we have chosen a good variety of races for you but please let us know if you would like any others in and we will consider it for next year.

Wessex League X-Country Hudsons Fields Salisbury February 1^st 2009

Position	Name	Club	Age	Time
1	Nathan Young	MR	U20	27.07
14	Neal Stayner	Langport Runners	V40	33.37
15	Tony Forster	Langport Runners	V50	33.41
17	John Cox	Langport Runners	V50	34.38

Senior Men – A Team Results	Points
1. Taunton AC	16
2. Langport Runners	46
3. Stubbington Green	48
4. Wimborne AC	52

Inca Trail 8m MT Sunday February 15^th 2009

Position	Time	Name	Club	Category	Number
1	0:51:52	DENNE, James	Honiton Running Club	Senior Male	54
15	1:02:53	BRITTEN, Kate	Clevedon AC	Female Vet 35	58
32	1:11:34	FOY, Jody	Langport Runners	Senior Male	17
64	1:32:27	NAPIER, Julie	Langport Runners	Female Vet 35	20
68	1:41:26	BACKHOUSE, Jon	Unattached	Senior Male	68
70	1:44:34	CRUMP, Julie	Teignbridge Trotters	Female Vet 45	7

There were 70 finishers

Quantock Fell Race 7.4m 1700 feet climb Saturday 21^st February 2009

(Club Championship Race)

Well done to Neil Williams who was the only Langport runner at this race- and it was a championship race! Liz Coates (visiting Liz) was running for Nailsea.

Position	Name	Category	Club	Time	CC points
1	Dan Nettlefield	SM	Nailsea	00:52:00
11	Holly Williamson	Lady	Ilkley harriers	01:04:18
27	Neil Williams	MV40	Langport Runners	01:12:38	11
29	Liz Coates	Lady	Nailsea	01:19:55
30	Michael Gossage	SM	Westbury Harriers	01:20:40

There were 30 finishers.

Time Band Bonus Points

Band 1	52 – 59 Min	5 Pts
Band 2	59 - 66 Min	3 Pts
Band 3	66 – 73 Min	1 Pt

Babcary 7.5m Road Race February 22^nd 2009

(Club Championship Race)

Some years ago when I ran the Babcary 7 ½ many of us lost our paper numbers in the race-long deluge. This year plasticized numbers were unnecessary as the day was fine and dry, ideal for fast times, but the race record remained intact. The Langport turnout was quite good with six ladies and eight men spanning all the age categories from 30+ to 70+. The overall men’s winner was Mitch Piddock (Univ. of Bath Tri) in 42:59, narrowly beating Paul Rose (Yeovil Town) in 43:04. Not far behind John Shapland (North Devon R.R.) clocked 43:40, which translates into a phenomenal 86.8% Age Grading for a 55 year old. The first lady was Jenny Moore (Wells City H.) in 48:21, who also achieved the top female A.G. of 80.8% at 44 years.

Now what about Langport? Rob Ellis was our fastest man coming in 20^th at 48:35. Sam Mepham was fastest Langport lady coming in 8^th place at 58:14. Jim Hill was our first age graded man home in 56:52 (A.G. 71.8%), and Liz Martin was first Langport age graded lady in 59:17 (A.G. 70.8%). Remember that the World Association of Veteran Athletes rates A.Gs. in the 70-79% range as being of ‘Regional Class’ and we should be justly proud of Langport Runners who consistently achieve that, as Liz and Jim do. But let’s be honest and admit that the real reason 200+ runners turned out to run 7 ½ miles was the lure of the fabulous cake stall at the finish! The organisers of the race and refreshments are to be congratulated on a fine event, which was the second in the Somerset Race Series.

Mike Parr.

Position	Name	Club	Category	Time	Total CC points
1	Mitch Piddock	University Bath Tri	SM	0:42:59
19	Jenny Moore	Wells City Harriers	LV35	0:48:21
20	Rob Ellis	Langport Runners	SM	0:48:35	13
26	Russell Mc Arthur	Langport Runners	SM	0:49:37	12
42	Wayne Withey	Langport Runners	MV40	0:52:37	11
63	Jim Hill	Langport Runners	MV60	0:56:52	13
75	Samantha Mepham	Langport Runners	SL	0:58:14	13
83	Liz Martin	Langport Runners	LV45	0:59:17	15
98	Grahame Turner	Langport Runners	MV40	1:01:22	7
107	Paul McSparron	Langport Runners	MV40	1:02:44	6
139	Kathryn Rowswell	Langport Runners	LV45	1:07:47	10
151	Jane Brookhouse	Langport Runners	LV45	1:09:55	7
152	Michael Parr	Langport Runners	MV60	1:10:10	9
157	Mark Hurst	Langport Runners	MV40	1:10:45	3
158	Jenny Byrom	Langport Runners	LV55	1:11:18	8
170	Julie Napier	Langport Runners	LV35	1:15:19	5
205	Jacqui Mitchell	Unattached	LV35	1:28:37
206	Colin Turner	Wells City Harriers	MV60	1:29:14

There were 206 finishers

Male			Female
Band 1 <	0:55	5pts	Band 1<	1.00	5pts
Band 2 <	1:02	3pts	Band 2 <	1.07	3pts
Band 3 <	1:10	1pt	Band 3 <	1.15	1pt

Please note that Championship points have been added. I have only put in total points calculated from age graded position and time. For full details look on the website under Championship.

Tough Ten Challenges February 22^nd 2009

Place	Time	Name	Club	Category	Number
1	0:55:26	Julian Hatcher	Westbury Harriers	SM	1910
30	1:02:55	Claire Hallissey	Bristol and West AC	SF	2243
708	1:29:43	Paul Gold	Langport Runners	Male Masters 40-44	2219
1005	1:45:55	Sally German	Langport Runners	Female Masters 40-44	1868
1059	1:58:37	Nigel Slade	Unattached	Male Master 60-64	2327
1069	2:04:31	Joanne Judd	Unattached	Female Masters 40-44	1748

There were 1069 finishers

The Terminator 11mile MT race February 22^nd 2009

This was an 11½mile(ish) cross country race with a mixture of footpaths, tracks, x-country and a little bit of road, (along the lines of the Full Monty), set in the village of Pewsey, Wiltshire.

I started this race a little apprehensively as the name alone scared me slightly. However the first 3 miles were OK, fairly flat, a bit boggy and wet in places- but this is what the organisers called the warm up! At this point, in the distance you could see the hills looming in the distance. There were some significant inclines, four in all, with the first involving a rope! The worst thing was that from the second hill you could see Pewsey in the distance- the direct route back at this point seemed quite tempting. However the climbs that followed were definitely worthwhile as the views were great and you even got a glimpse of the white horse carved into the chalk hillside.

On the return to the village there was one more surprise – the foot wash or in other words a trip through the river. It was great actually as it numbed my blisters and aching legs. Pewsey Vale Running Club are not joking when they say that their t-shirts are earned not just given!

All in all a great run, very friendly atmosphere, lots of helpful marshalls, plenty of water stations and showers. (Although they were freezing…tip for the future—run a bit quicker and get back before the hot water runs out!) Printed on the finishers t shirt it says Will you be back?-that is the question! Only joking as this is definitely an enjoyable challenge to get your teeth into and a race to be recommended. Claire Chedzoy

Pos	Time	Name	Club	Category	Min/mile	Number
1	1:21:58	RAY, Matthew	Team Bath AC	Senior Male	07:07.5	975
45	1:30:53	RUSHTON, Karen	Southampton Running Club	Female Vet 35	07:54.0	367
242	1:50:41	CHEDZOY, Claire	Langport Runners	Senior Female	09:37.3	793
492	2:09:44	FOY, Jody	Langport Runners	Senior Male	11:16.7	613
690	3:10:54	SHEPHERD, Albert	Portsmouth Joggers	Male Vet 50	16:35.8	676
691	3:14:31	PENTLAND, Debbie	Portsmouth Joggers	Female Vet 45	16:54.6	599

There were 691 finishers

Combe St Nicholas 10K Sunday 1^st March 2009

(Club Championship Race)

Position	Name	Age	Team	Age group	Male /Female	Time	Entry number	Total CC points
1	James Denne	23		16-25	M	35.50	296
7	Sara Winter	31		26-39	F	39.04	312
26	Neal Stayner	41	Langport Runners	40+	M	45.19	259	14
34	Jim Hill	63	Langport Runners	40+	M	47.45	273	13
36	Grahame Turner	42	Langport Runners	40+	M	47.54	286	11
109	Louise Bulmer	26		26-39	F	74.48	216
110	Harry Moore	76		40+	M	81.48	281

Band 1	36-46 mins	5 pts
Band 2	46-56 mins	3pts
Band 3	56-66 mins	1pt

There were 110 finishers

Combe St Nicholas 2K Fun Run

Position	NAME	Age	Club	Age group	Male /Female	Time	Entry number
1	Dan Hanford	14		16 and under	M	7.18	161
6	Aaron Stayner	13	Langport Runners	16 and under	M	8.22	110
12	Ryan Stayner	16	Langport Runners	16 and under	M	9.03	111
72	Chris Keating			12 and under	M	18.12	174

There were 72 finishers

Aaron was third in the U16 category

Longleat 10K Sunday March 1^st

Pos	Bib	Competitor	Category	Team	Chip time
1	1139	Philip Parry	V45	Bristol & West	33:41
10	1232	Georgia Wood	Senior Female	Team Bath AC	38:55
77	509	Claire Chedzoy	Senior Female	Langport Runners	46:09
106	460	Jody Foy	Senior Male	Langport Runners	47:51
349	611	Julie Napier	V35	Langport Runners	57:22

There were 575 finishers

Well done to Julie on her PB!

Bideford Half Marathon Sunday 1^st March 2009

Num	Name	Category	Cat pos	Gun time	Gun pos	Chip time	Chip pos	Club
1165	Kairn Stone	M20-39	1	01:10:49	1	01:10:48	1	Newham & Essex Beagles
297	Helen Dyke	F35-39	1	01:21:17	25	01:21:16	25	Torbay AAC
1042	Paul Mc Sparron	M45-49	71	01:53:32	521	01:52:14	516	Langport Runners
65	Alan Pearce	M55-59	33	02:02:33	688	02:01:14	682	Langport Runners
949	Alice Allen	F40-44	29	02:02:33	689	02:01:28	687	Langport Runners
72	Jane Brookhouse	F50-54	19	02:08:42	808	02:07:37	805	Langport Runners
1180	Jenny Byrom	F55-59	11	02:11:28	844	02:10:23	848	Langport Runners
1031	Charlie Nicholls	M55-59	43	02:46:21	1003	02:44:49	1003	Bideford AAC
43	Helen Finch	F35-39	83	02:54:58	1008	02:54:58	1008

There were 1008 finishers

Wessex League Cross Country Ham Hill 1^st March 2009

Position	Name	Club	Age	Time
1	Nathan Young (U17)	Mendip	U20	34:44
13	Tony Forster	Langport	50	43:02
14	Neal Stayner	Langport	40	43:34
22	John Cox	Langport	50	52:06

Langport were 4^th with 49 points

Duchy Marathon 8^th March 2009

Place	Time	Name	Team	Category	Pace
1	2:55:31	Ledgard, Chris	Great Western Runners	Male under 40	06:41.8
3	3:05:15	Foundling-Hawker Heather	Honiton Running Club	Female Vet 40-44	07:04.1
19	3:14:39	Ellis Robert	Langport Runners	Male under 40	07:25.6
110	4:10:30	Jones Peter	Langport Runners	Male Vet 55-59	09:33.5
205	5:23:38	Brennan Valerie	Hayle Runners	Female Vet 55-59	12:20.9
208	5:41:04	Scott, Gregory		Male Vet 45-49	13:00.9

There were 208 finishers

The Grizzly Sunday March 8^th 2009

A Novice’s perspective

When Laura and Guy announced that they were pulling out of the Grizzly, in a moment of complete insanity, I jumped at the opportunity of taking their places. I’m sure it was marathon envy that drove me to this decision as everyone seemed to be doing one except me. In the cold light of day the realisation started to dawn on me. 20 miles of cross country, did I really think that I could run the Full Monty ‘cute’ course twice? The answer was no, but it was too late, I’d paid.

So as the race day arrived, after a hearty breakfast of porridge, my mad brother-in-law and I joined Neil and Val and headed off to Seaton, in blissful ignorance, to our first encounter with the Grizzly.

After the first, near ¾ mile long, stretch of beach running I thought ‘Oh dear, what have I let myself in for’. I was beginning to think that Laura and Guy had the right idea. Thankfully, other than a few steep hills and a bit of mud, the next 10 miles passed without further trauma and then came the bog. As we came down the hill from the donkey sanctuary I could tell we were approaching the bog by the significant increase in noise. There were squeals and shouts of the runners already in and it reminded me of children at school playtime. Although the bog was good fun, it was certainly hard on the legs. Having a friend to go through it with was a great help, as we could pull each other through rather than being reliant on the trees, which made it quicker. After the steady climb from the bog, in shoes that weighed half a stone heavier, we reached the top of the cliff. I felt fairly good at this point and dared to think that I’d easily achieve my 4 hour goal. As we dropped back into Branscombe my heart sank and I became convinced that the race organisers were sadists. To send us on a seemingly endless run along the beach towards Seaton, only to bring us virtually all the way back to Branscombe on the coastal path before sending us up an impossibly steep hill, romantically called the to the stairway to heaven (if that was the way to heaven I think I’m going to head downwards when my time comes!), was just cruel. It was a huge relief to get to the top of that hill (I have photographic evidence to prove it) and even my tired legs found a bit more energy. After the very picturesque run along the cliffs I was overjoyed when we joined the road again in Seaton, I could almost smell the flapjack on the finish line. I was nearly there. Then the final torment, the final beach section, I could have cried, my legs were like jelly but I just kept thinking I’m nearly there and then I was on the promenade and heading for the finish line.

It was a tough but unusual run and it was an added bonus to find I could still walk the next day. This is definitely a run to try at least once and I’ll definitely be entering next year.

My top tip: Make sure your Garmin is fully charged before you start. Mine ran out of battery power at 17.53 miles (and do plenty of hill training).

Diane Stewart

Position	Time	Number	Name	Club	Cat	Age Category position	Total CC points
1	2:19:21	1812	John Macfarlane	Thames Hare & Hounds	M	1
42	2:49:15	284	Nicola Juniper	Thrift Green Trotters	F	1
84	2:58:19	1746	Matt Hill	Langport Runners	M	41	15
178	3:11:36	1035	Neal Stayner	Langport Runners	M40	44	14
707	3:54:46	1599	Diane Stewart	Langport Runners	F40	26	13
863	4:06:13	1142	James Barnes	Langport Runners	M40		10
963	4:14:41	1176	Liz Martin	Langport Runners	F50	15	12
1007	4:17:52	1745	Jim Hill	Langport Runners	M60	24	11
1061	4:22:48	1064	Alice Allen	Langport Runners	F40	54	8
1062	4:22:54	1036	Susan White	Langport Runners	F45	38	9
1067	4:23:34	1062	Paul Gold	Langport Runners	M40	199	7
1109	4:29:38	302	Jane Brookhouse	Langport Runners	F50	19	10
1220	4:42:08	1178	Jenny Byrom	Langport Runners	F55	5	9
1445	6:16:23	166	Mike Jordan	Benfleet RC	M45	203
1446	6:22:52	2051	Katharine Smith		F45	77

There were 1446 finishers

Male			Female
Band 1	<3.19	5pts	Band 1	<3.41	5pts
Band 2	<4.19	3 pts	Band 2	<4.33	3 pts
Band 3	<5.19	1pt	Band 3	<5.28	1pt

STREET 5K – Last and 6^th night race for 2008/2009

The last race (6^th) of the Street 5k night winter series took place on 11 March and it was a really special occasion. Wells City Harriers have been organising this series of races for 20 years and to celebrate the anniversary we were all treated to slices of a magnificent chocolate cake (see the Langport Runners website) before the awards ceremony.

The evening was fine and dry, good for the race, but despite the special anniversary occasion the field was small – only 56 on the finishing sheet. And our Langport Runners participation was distinctly ‘thin’, partly due to injuries and clashes of meetings. However, Tony Forster and I had reasonable runs with times of 20:06 (19^th) and 27:05 (50^th) respectively, although we were both disappointed not to have dipped below the 20 and 27 minute ‘barriers’. We both managed over 70% Age Grading. The men’s’ race was won by Mark Fisher (Running Forever) in the not particularly fast time of 16:56 and the first lady was Linda Lascelles (Yeovil Town) in 20:47.

Also on our website you should be able to see Tony sporting his T-shirt for completing the series. Mike Parr

Butleigh 7 mile Multi -Terrain March 15^th 2009

Before this year I had run Butleigh 3 times, the last in 2006, and in that time I had forgotten how much road there is in this M/T race. Ageing, memory failing…! But talking to another much younger chap he said he’d forgotten how much off-road there is.

So there you go, some courses seem more difficult to remember than others. Butleigh is a splendid course with good fast road, easy grass, a long tough hill, muddy woodland and attractive countryside. I thought it was well organised – many marshals are needed – and as ever, the refreshments themselves make it a worthwhile event.

Langport had a reasonable turnout (6 men, 2 ladies) and it was pleasing to have 3 in the top 10 finishers. Matt Hill ran very well to finish third in 46:48, with Colin Evans and Rob Ellis being 9^th and 10^th. Predictably, Jim Hill was second over 60 with 55:54, a model of consistency. Sam Mepham ran well to post 60:03 and Liz Martin was not so far behind with 63:10. It’s good to see Paul McSparron turning out more regularly now, finishing hot on the heels of Liz in 63:18.

The weather was absolutely perfect being clear and sunny, but not too warm and I’m sure most of the 67 finishers enjoyed the day.

Mike Parr.

Position	Surname	Forename	Club	Category	Time	Total CC points
1	Hogg	Gerry	Non-UKA	40+ MALE VET	44:43:00
3	Hill	Matthew	Langport Runners	SENIOR MALE	46:48:00	14
9	Evans	Colin	Langport Runners	SENIOR MALE	49:52:00	12
10	Ellis	Rob	Langport Runners	SENIOR MALE	50:12:00	13
15	Bentham	Karen	Yeovil Town RRC	35+ LADY VET	52:02:00
26	Hill	Jim	Langport Runners	60+ MALE VET	55:54:00	13
40	Mepham	Samantha	Langport Runners	SENIOR LADY	60:03:00	12
46	Martin	Liz	Langport Runners	45+ LADY VET	63:10:00	13
47	McSparron	Paul	Langport Runners	40+ MALE VET	63:18:00	8
59	Parr	Michael	Langport Runners	70+ MALE VET	72:57:00	7
65	Hales	Valerie	Yeovil Town RRC	45+ LADY VET	81:19:00
67	Turner	Colin	Wells City Harriers	70+ MALE VET	102:56:00

There were 67 finishers

Male -- Butleigh - Time Band1 <55 – Time Band2 <64 – Time Band3 <73

Female -- Butleigh – Time Band1 <59 - Time Band2 <67 – Time Band3 <74

Sherborne Castles 10K March 15^th 2009

This aptly named race was set in the beautiful grounds of the historic Sherborne Castle. The run started in front of the castle with a loop of the car park, it then went down the drive and passed back in front of the castle. The route then followed a farm track, which lead to Dancing Hill (I think that was the name of it). After the short but sharp climb up Dancing Hill, the course went through a wooded section before dropping down into the deer park. From here we went around the back of the lake, up through the castle gardens and onto the drive for the final push to the finish which was also situated in front of the castle.

It was a beautiful traffic free course, although the hill lovers would have been disappointed, there was only the one hill of any consequence. This race was billed as a multi terrain course, however, with the exception of Dancing Hill the rest of the course was on gravel or cement farm tracks, some of which would have undoubtedly been considerably muddier if the weather hadn’t been so kind.

This race was organised by Yeovil running club and marshalled by the Rotary Club, with all the proceeds going to local charities.

In summary: The setting was beautiful, the weather was superb, there was plenty of parking and toilets, the organisation and marshalling was excellent and all the proceeds go to charity. It was a good and enjoyable race, although I was over dressed and got too hot.

Diane Stewart

Well done to Diane who was 87th and 3rd Lady Vet 35 in a time of 47:33.

There were 268 finishers.

Bath Half-Marathon March 15^th 2009

Peter Jones 1:44:39

Emma Gordon 2:09:07

Sally German 2:20:38

Exe to Axe Sunday 5th April 2009

Place	Time	Name	Team	Age category	Grading
1	2:56:06	MILLER, David	Teignbridge Trotters	M33	54.45%
11	3:16:40	HILL, Matthew	Langport Runners	NDB
99	4:15:34	WILLIAMS, Neil	Langport Runners	M44	39.40%
100	4:15:34	BARNES, James	Langport Runners	M47	40.30%
134	5:12:50	AFSHAR Iain

There were 134 finishers

Paris Marathon Sunday April 5^th 2009

Overall place	Female place	Age cat place	Number	Name	Age cat	Half marathon time	Gun time	Chip time
15811	1543	189	32208	Elizabeth Martin	VF2	01:58:30	04:19:41	4:05:18
18783	2104	826	32041	Susan White	VF1	02:08:49	04:32:01	4:16:52
18782	2105	827	33157	Alice Allen	VF1	02:08:48	04:32:01	4:16:52
22356	2901	407	36870	Jane Brookhouse	VF2	02:14:06	04:46:25	4:30:59
25645	3718	529	34933	Jenny Byrom	VF2	02:15:07	05:04:17	4:48:52
27402	4209	1649	48754	Sally German	VF1	02:27:27	05:17:20	5:01:27
27805	4261	80	47120	Jean Hughes	VF3	02:23:53	05:19:17	5:06:09

There were 30334 finishers

I was disappointed not to achieve my sub 4 but considering the various obstacles and warm conditions I have to be happy with what I did.

First of all a big thank you to my brother in law for recommending the hotel - it was very comfortable and couldn’t have been closer! Alice, Jane and Jenny were further away and they were so grateful to be able to come and use the toilet facilities- why don't they provide enough toilets at the start? However we did leave it a bit late to get in our pen which was a big mistake as it was really crowded and claustrophobic. And all the slower pens were moving forward so I ended up behind the 4.30 pace makers. But as the gun went off they played Chariots of Fire which was really inspiring! I took 15 mins to get over the start and then struggled to get going at the right pace due to the numbers.  Then just past the Bastille we all ground to a halt at a water station which was a disaster as I lost 2 mins there just walking. Tried not to let it get to me but was conscious that I was already playing catch up. Then I caught up with the 4.30 pace makers and a whole group of runners strung across the road trying to stay behind them. So I hopped onto the pavement and got passed them.

  I was aware that water stations were only every 5k so carried a bottle of water from one station to another- not ideal as my arms and neck ached at the end but there was no alternative in the warm conditions. Reached 13.1 on my Garmin in 1.58 but realised that I had run further because I was constantly dodging other runners and even spectators.  So I knew by then that I was pushing it to get sub 4.  Sure enough every time I reached another mile on my Garmin it was another 100m or so before I reached the mile marker. At around 16 miles I made the decision not to look at my watch anymore - I just felt mentally that if I was so far off pace I would just feel like giving up!  However I'm not sure that was a wise decision as when I looked back at my times I discovered that I reached 20 miles in 3 hours.  So why did I take another 65 mins to do 6.2?! I really slowed down and even did one 11 min mile.

So I reached the finish line in 4.05.18 and I didn't even see the Eiffel Tower! - How did I miss that?!  Found the finish area equally as claustrophobic as the start. I couldn't see any water so had to ask a woman runner for hers as I was desperately thirsty and felt quite light headed. Must have taken at least half an hour to walk up to the Arc de Triomphe, where I found Alice's husband, Jonny and promptly burst into tears with the sight of someone familiar!  Told him to remind me of that moment if I ever announce I'm doing another marathon!

Reading this back I realise that I sound very negative- but it wasn't all low points. The scenic, flat course was fantastic and the start and finish awe inspiring. There was one long underpass that really lifted me as everyone started cheering and shouting and it echoed all the way through.  And I was first Langport Runner home and I did my first foreign PB and I am not injured! Oh and I love Paris- will definitely go back with my husband and see the Eiffel Tower! Liz

Taunton Half-Marathon April 5^th 2009

Race No	First name	Last name	Cat	Overall position	Cat Pos	Gun Time	Chip Time	Chip Pos	Team
2437	John	McFarlane	SM	1	1	1:08:23	1:08:22	1	Thames Hare and Hounds
1002	Helen	Dyke	L35	1	1	1:18:18	1:18:15	1	Torbay AC
2447	Neal	Stayner	M40	149	28	01:33:16	01:32:42	147	Langport Runners
2300	Stuart	Cairns	M45	163	25	01:34:59	01:34:24	165	Langport Runners
1818	John	Cox	M55	174	8	01:36:00	01:35:29	178	Langport Runners
1280	Wayne	Withey	M40	272	51	01:40:32	01:40:12	281	Langport Runners
1635	Diane	Stewart	L40	340	11	01:43:38	01:43:05	349	Langport Runners
1198	Emma	Crowe	SL	409	28	01:46:13	01:45:32	421	Langport Runners
1187	Martyn	Lewis	M40	485	86	01:49:11	01:47:20	468	Langport Runners
1188	Paul	Gold	M40	576	100	01:52:27	01:50:37	562	Langport Runners
2000	Alan	Pearce	M55	805	37	02:02:11	02:00:50	809	Langport Runners
1388	Emma	Gordon	L40	834	56	02:04:13	02:02:17	827	Langport Runners
2286	Peter	Dyer	M65	1132	10	02:30:53	02:28:30	1132	Langport Runners

There were 1195 finishers. Last finisher 3:35:15

Taunton Marathon

Race No	First name	Last name	Cat	Overall position	Cat Pos	Gun Time	Chip Time	Chip Pos	Team
126	Chris	Ray	M40	1	1	02:37:21	02:37:19	1	U/A
19	Robert	Ellis	SM	21	10	03:05:10	03:04:59	21	Langport Runners
197	Vicky	Skelton	L30	1	1	03:14:13	03:14:03	34	North Devon RR
124	Russ	McArthur	SM	58	24	03:26:15	03:26:05	59	Langport Runners
42	Peter	Jones	M55	106	4	03:49:07	03:48:02	107	Langport Runners

There were 186 finishers. Last finisher 5:31:08

It was foggy in Shepton as I waited for Diane to pick me up and I was thinking that it was going to be a dreary day for a race. By the time we got to Ashill the sun was coming through and as we got to the college it looking like a nice day lay ahead. I had missed a few long runs so I was only doing the half and paid £2.50 for the privilege of moving to the shorter run. I met Stuart at the start and we ran together, neither of us wanting to slow the pace as we ran the first few miles. After 6 or 7 miles it seemed silly to slow down so we kept the pace up which helped me to do a PB and I was glad that we had pushed on from the start. All the half marathon runners did better than they expected so we were all really pleased with our efforts. Neal Stayner

Yeovilton 5k Summer Series Race 1 Wednesday April 8th 2009

Splendidly organised by Yeovil Town Road Runners, this Series of monthly summer races commenced in ideal conditions on a very sunny (several of us wore shades!) but cool evening.

Langport’s eight runners performed excellently in a large field of 167 finishers. Our ‘star’ was Ed Knudsen (home for the Easter break from his studies at Durham University) who not only won the race in 15:37, but achieved an 82.9% Age Grading. Apparently (I was not able to witness it!) he had quite a battle with the second placed runner, Peter Grist (Cardiff), but eventually won by 4 seconds. The Yeovilton course is flat and fast, but nevertheless it was very satisfying that 6 of our 8 managed Age Gradings of over 70%. Jim Hill excelled in recording 20:14 and an A.G. of 81.4%, and Tony Forster was also in good form with 19:40 and 77.5% A.G. It was pleasing to see Nigel Grenfell back racing in a very respectable 55^th position. Mike Parr

Results

Place	Time	Name	Club	Age category	Age grading %	Number
1	0:15:37	Edward Knudsen	Langport Runners	Senior Male	82.9%	509
20	0:17:53	Laura Parker	Wells City Harriers	Senior Female		524
30	0:18:33