Friday 23 June 2017

Summer Solstice 10k


MKL was first home for GRC pictured here at the start
Shane Robinson and Rebecca Gallop were the winners of the 2017 Summer Solstice 10K Road Race, held at Long Bennington on Friday 23rd June. The Grantham Running Club hosted event, first run in 2010, again attracted over 900 entrants and had 835 finishers, making it currently the largest club organised road race in Lincolnshire. 
Race Winner Shane Robinson
From the moment the starting horn was blasted at 7:30pm, the men's race established itself as a two-way battle between 2014 Solstice winner Ben Livesey (Notts AC/Royal Air Force) and 2015 winner and course record holder Shane Robinson (Lincoln Wellington AC), who was hoping to return to the top spot after finishing second in 2016. In a closely fought battle it was Shane who finished victorious in 31:46, eleven seconds clear of Ben and just 16 seconds outside the course record on an evening when a blustery wind made the going tough for much of the opening half of the race. 
First lady: Rebecca Gallop
The race for third was an even closer affair with veteran runner Stephen Dickens (Rushcliffe AC) clocking 34:02, smashing his old 10K PB by nearly a minute to finish four seconds ahead of fourth placed Chris Nicoll, who was two seconds ahead of fifth placed Philip Nind (Lincoln & District Runners). 
Holly was first lady for GRC
The women's race saw Rebecca Gallop (Newark AC) hoping to finally claim victory having finished third, fourth, fourth, and second on her previous four Solstice appearances. She faced tough competition in the form of twice World Duathlon Age Group Champion Claire Steels (Unattached), who herself was hoping to win her first Solstice having finished second in 2015.Ultimately it was Rebecca who won; her winning time of 37:53 over a minute better than she had run before and thirteen seconds quicker than second placed Claire. Third was 2014 and 2015 Solstice winner Emily Foran (Sleaford Striders), who was the only other woman to break forty minutes, with 39:19.
Chloe looking relaxed as she finishes
Race hosts Grantham Running Club were able to field a large contingency of forty runners, nine of whom hataken part in the club's 2017 10 Weeks to 10K (10W210K) campaign as a build up to taking part in the race. First home for GRC was Matthew Kingston-Lee, finishing seventh in 35:00. He was followed by Gav Meadows, who smashed his old PB with his first sub-40 minute performance, clocking a superb 38:59. Tony Johnson (39:09), Richard Payne (39:27, PB), Matthew Williamson (39:43, PB), and Andy Atter (39:50) all broke 40 minutes, making it the strongest ever showing in a 10K race by the club.
Belinda holding off a L & D runner
First GRC woman home was Holly Durham, who was an excellent fifth, clocking 42:13. She was followed by Suzanne Britz, who was delighted with a new PB of 51:04, and 10W210K runner Rachael Smith, who clocked 54:41. There were six further personal bests set on the night by GRC members: Gavin Skinner (55:40); Hayley Staff (56:48); Nicola Fahy (56:56); Andy Barradell (58:33); Victoria Dexter (58:19); and Carole Walker (67:28). Stuart Batty was the first 10W210K finisher in 48:15. 
Kathleen with a few yards to go
The Summer Solstice 10K has gained a reputation for offering a race experience over and above what you'd normally expect at a club-hosted race. Runners in the race village could enjoy, amongst other things: a pre-race group warm up from Biltong Farm co-owner and Fitness Instructor Rebecca Smith; post race massage from Sophie Hunt and David McKee; food from North Field Farm; and post-race bubbles to celebrate with from the Vino Prosecco Bar.
Julia sprints to the line
The race also featured pacers for the first time. From Ian Boneham, the sub-40 minute pacer, to Nick Jones, the sub-70 minute pacer, pacers at five minute increments helped numerous runners achieve their time targets. Moreover, to the delight of Club Chairman Matthew Kingston-Lee, a bottle of commemorative cider was also on offer for the first time to finishers in addition to the traditional ale and half pint glass.  
"Once again I was blown away by the quality of the event staged by our club," commented Matthew after the race. "Our new Race Director Ben Mason and his crew of volunteers, comprised entirely of club members, their friends and family, should be congratulated for organising a race that has now become, for many, one of the highlight races of the year. I'm looking forward already to the 2018 race!"
Gun Position Name Chip Time Age Grade
7 Matthew Kingston-Lee 35:00 81.78%
37 Gav Meadows 38:59 70.79%
40 Tony Johnson 39:09 79.05%
47 Richard Payne 39:27 69.17%
52 Matt Williamson 39:43 67.60%
55 Andy Atter 39:50 68.87%
82 Peter Bonner 41:49 68.45%
89 Holly Durham 42:13 72.80%
152 Stuart Reader 45:30 65.36%
211 Kevin Kettle 47:38 66.04%
227 Stuart Baty 48:15 61.16%
268 Tommy Napier 49:25 65.27%
298 Paul Durham 50:14 68.25%
326 Suzanne Britz 51:04 64.34%
418 Chris Gearren  53:16 54.14%
424 David Lewis 53:36 56.36%
457 Rachael Smith 54:41 56.43%
473 Caroline Davis 55:39 59.64%
490 Gavin Skinner 55:40 53.84%
512 Hayley Staff 56:48 54.58%
523 Nicola Fahy 56:56 57.71%
543 Anne Barnabas 57:41 55.06%
579 Victoria Dexter 58:19 53.44%
568 Tracey Smith 58:29 52.43%
576 Andy Barradell 58:33 50.40%
607 Warren Stark 59:03 48.84%
594 Rachel Hamilton 59:14 51.23%
606 Joanne Moore 59:22 56.52%
649 Kathleen Gray 01:00:57 51.13%
661 Simon Hartley 01:01:41 49.37%
682 Belinda Baker 01:03:01 57.36%
687 Julia Hallam 01:03:30 48.60%
738 Emma Weighill 01:06:08 47.69%
748 Amanda Mumby 01:06:45 46.96%
753 Claire Fritz 01:07:27 45.96%
754 CJ Walker 01:07:28 46.46%
770 Nicholas Jones 01:08:04 44.04%
774 Melanie Taylor 01:08:44 45.10%
796 Angela Wilson 01:11:42 45.40%
829 Helen Barradell 01:23:21 38.39%

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