Press Report 10th September  2007

 

Pam Jones and John Batchelor are flying the flag for Ilford AC in the 17th World Masters Track and Field championships comprising 12 days of top class veteran competition currently taking place at Riccione in Northern Italy. Pam finished 4th in a fiercely fought 5000 metres and ran her best time since 2005 clocking 24.29 following a very close contest between a Finnish and a Latvian athlete for the title. Batchelor likewise had a hard time of it in the over 65s 5000 metres which was split into 3 separate races as a result of the large numbers. Batchelor finished 6th in his race but 8th overall in 18.53. Earlier in the week Pam was more successful in the 8k cross country event where she finished a comfortable 3rd in 38.25  - again with the top honours going to the same Finnish athlete . A violent storm blew up just as competitors were finishing causing the organisers to postpone all other races for the day as the starting balloon and all tents blew off the golf course. Both Ilford athletes now look forward to the 10000metres and better weather later this week.   

 

Meanwhile Peter Spelman competed "sur le continent" in the 33rd running of the Auray to Vannes half marathon being just one of 6000 entrants who had to contend with temperatures approaching the 30 degree mark on a very hilly course. Nevertheless the itinerant Ilford athlete returned a very respectable 1hr 41 minutes which gave him a finishing position of just over 1000th.

 

Closer to home ex International Andy Catton added yet another trophy to his sizeable loft collection when he took the super veteran trophy in the Great Bardfield 10k on Sunday morning. Despite a fairly hard 70mins training session at Chigwell the previous day and getting lost in the wilds of Essex arriving at the start with 7 mins to spare and no warm up, Catton managed to pick off most of his opposition to finish 6th overall in 39.31.

 

The very warm and humid Sunday morning conditions also saw a squad of 4 Ilford runners in a top quality field of over 300 runners at the Victoria Park 10k, doubling as the Middlesex Championships in Hackney, East London. Robin McNelis ran fairly even splits to come home in a pleasing 38.23 some 31 seconds ahead of veteran Neil Crisp in 38.54 who confessed to feeling slightly heavy legged due being involved in the same training session as Catton on the Saturday. Sally Gillam was another disappointed with her time of 49.53 leading home Dianne Crisp in 50.40. A measure of the quality of the race was that  the first 5 runners broke 32 minutes with 99 runners dipping under the 40 minute barrier. Billericay's Crispian Bloomfield ran an excellent time of 31.43 but could only take 3rd place in a very competitive battle with the mens honours finally going to James Connor of Kent AC, 31.37, who broke away towards the end of the 3rd lap. The womens race also produced a very fast winning time of 34.57 by Leonora Joy, an unattached runner from the USA.   

 

Abdi Berleen ran 43.28 at the Canvey Island Rotary 10k.