Press Report 17th September 2019
PLESHEY HALF MARATHON (incorporating the Essex Championship)
Pleshey, Essex
Sunday 15th September
The Essex Championship were once again staged in conjunction with the Pleshey Half Marathon.
The race from the picturesque village is over a rolling hilly course and conditions were made more difficult on the day due to unseasonable hot weather
It was though a successful day for Ilford AC with the club winning 4 county medals and runners setting three new personal bests for the distance.
Gary Coombes led the way for the Ilford team with an excellent 15th place in 1hr 16 mins 21 secs, the performance winning him Essex Bronze in the M40 age group and a new personal best at the distance. The ever reliable Sam Rahman put in a great run for 31st in 1 hr 19 mins 56 secs, very closely followed by Malcolm Muir in 32nd just 5 seconds later.
Coming home next for ilford was Paul Holloway with a fantastic time of 1 hr 21 mins 43 secs for 39th place,which saw him win an Essex Gold medal in the V50 age group
Danny Holeyman came in 59th in 1hr 26 mins 13secs, followed by Steve Philcox in 82nd place in 1 hr 29 mins 55 secs
Next home, with the 3rd Essex medal of the day and the second PB, was Alan Pearl in 120th place in 1 hr 38 mins 41 secs which gave him a thoroughly deserved Essex Bronze in the M60 category.
First female home in 128th place and recording the 3rd PB for Ilford on the day was Carlie Qirem who continues her excellent form with a time of 1 hr 40 mins 0 secs, closely followed by Dennis Briggs in 135th in a time of 1 hr 40 mins 51 secs. Next for Ilford and just a place behind was Breege Nordin who gained herself an Essex Gold medal in the F55 category in a time of 1 hr 41 mins 2 secs.
144th in 1 hr 42 mins 46 secs was Terry Knightly, 182nd in 1 hr 46 mins 49 secs was Stephen Parker, 222nd in 1 hr 53 mins 46 secs was Tony Young.
Completing the Ilford Squad were the ever reliable and efficient Frieda Keane in 2 hrs 18 mins 19 secs for 326th place and Mandeep Bassi who came in on 2 hrs 24 mins and 36 secs for 350th place.
At the conclusion of the race the medals were handed out by the current Essex President and Ilford AC legend Andy Catton, which made Ilfords 4 Essex medals all the more special to the recipients.
European Masters athletics champs
Venice
5th – 15th September 2019
The 21st European masters athletics championships are being held in Lido near Jesolo, next to Venice on the Adriatic coast.
As the championships enters their second week the clouds cleared and bright blue skies were the order of the day. It was a sizzling afternoon for the 5000m races which were held in an open stadium. Ilford ac’s Rob Sargent was one of the four British entrants in the m65 age category. He set out to run a steady race but tired a little in the closing laps to finish 15th in 27 mins 00.21 secs.
The last day of the European masters championships dawned bright and sunny.
The half marathon was held on a flat rural course two lap course around the farmland just outside lido Di Jesolo. The 9.30am start led to the temperature rising to the high 20s Celsius as the race progressed and many starters dropped out.
Ilford AC had three entrants in the British squad. Club endurance club Rob Sargent was first back with 2hrs 3mins 33 secs for 20th in the M65 age group, the 5th British runner in this category. and 374th overall.
Julia Galea came home 13th in the W60 grouping with 2hrs 15 mins 45secs for 404th overall. The third ilford runner Doris gaga found the going tough completing the course two in 2 hrs 25 mins 29 secs for 14th in the W55 category and 411th overall. She was the 3rd British finisher in the age category and they combined for second team place and the silver European championship medal.
