Press Report. 3rd September 2018  

The Essex Way – 10 Stage Relay Event
Epping Station to Harwich Lighthouse
Sunday 2nd September 2018

Ilford AC had 13 hardy runners including a full A team and a small B and C team, flying the flag for the Club in the iconic 30th running of The Essex Way.
This is one of the County’s truly inspirational and premier events, with 74 teams from clubs from all over the county and beyond racing on the ancient trails and footpaths which make up the 82 miles of the historic Essex Way that runs from Epping Station to Harwich Old Lighthouse.

Martin Clarke and Peter Spelman duly set off from Epping Station at 8am on Sunday morning to represent Ilford on Leg 1 finishing 7.5 miles later at Chipping Ongar finishing 55th and 67th. The first leg is also jointly organised by Ilford with East London Runners.
Leg 2 saw Rachel Halpin, Alison Sale and Freida Keane run the 9.5 miles to Good Easter finishing 55th 63rd and 64th.
Leg 3 had Anthony Young running another 9.5 miles to Little Leighs finishing 31st.
Leg 4 was Gaye Young running the 10.1 miles to Cressing Church finishing 41st .
Leg 5 saw Nicola Hopkinson running the 9.4 miles to Great Tay in 34th position..
Highlight of the day came at Leg 6. Malcolm Muir who lives local to the end of leg 4 came along to cheer on the team. When told that our runner for Leg 6 had pulled out last minute he agreed, with 30 minutes notice, to run the 5.7 miles to West Bergholt for Leg 6 and despite getting lost on one occasion finished 5th in his leg.
Leg 7 had Carlie Qirem run the longest leg of the day running the 11.2 miles to Dedham for 30th place (although she claims to have got lost in a vineyard, adding another mile to her route!.)
Leg 8 saw Billy Green run the 8 miles to Bradfield in 37th place before Gary Coombes took on the 6 miles to Ramsey in leg 9 finishing in a very strong 6th place.
Fittingly it was left to the clubs senior stateswoman Pam Jones to take on the 5.5 miles to Harwich lighthouse, along with Nicola Hopkinson and Billy Green who were both running their second leg of the day finishing in 67th, 68th and 69th to culminate an enjoyable days running on what was an unseasonably hot day.

The final results saw Ilfords ‘A’ squad finishing a very credible 24th on the day with the B and C squads finishing in 50th and 51st places.

The day finished with a few of the runners who did the later legs, along with Robin Davies, Catherine Green and Dennis Briggs who assisted and supported throughout the day, have a traditional fish and chip supper near the seafront after a team photo on the lighthouse at Harwich.

 

Takeley 10k
Sunday 2nd September

Also running in the glorious sunshine on Sunday was Ray ‘Sparra’ Everingham, in his debut season for the club, take on the Takely 10k.
The 10k route, almost all off road, starts alongside an old unused railway track and takes runners through the Essex Countryside before heading back to the village Hall for a nice flat finish.
Ray was determined to get under the hour for the 10k, and was delighted to do so for the first time securing a new PB time of 58:54 to finish in 216th place in a field of 428.
Ray came to the club last winter having never done any proper running in his life with an aim to do a park run without walking. What he has achieved in the subsequent months is a credit to his determination and hard work.

 

RACE WALKING

ON THE ISLAND

Ilford’s evergreen veteran race walker Ed Shillabeer travelled to Guernsey to line up in Sunday’s long established “Church-to-Church” race, held over the odd distance of 19.4 miles.   So called as it passes every parish church on this holiday island, Shillabeer is a 4-times’ former winner (1988/89 & 2004/5).
Over a long circuit, starting and finishing in the Island’s capital St.Peter Port, Shillabeer settled into a steady pace, arriving at the finish line in 4 hours 6 minutes and 6 seconds to claim a commendable 8th place.