• Press Report 19th February 2007
     

    Ilford Athletics Club celebrated some considerable success in the Essex County 20 mile road running championships with a good haul of medals in both the individual and team competitions on Sunday. Held on a rural course comprising the quiet country roads surrounding the village of Great Bromley near Colchester the superb running conditions presented an ideal opportunity for some very fast times.

     Ilford’s Bree Nordin duly obliged with her best run ever for club clocking a massive personal best with 2hrs 21mins 31 seconds which gave her a marvellous silver medal behind Chelmsford’s Wendy King. Nordin got off to a flyer and had already opened up a 2 minute gap on Havering’s Sue Spong back in third as she cruised through the10 mile mark. Her training has recently threatened that a major breakthrough was always imminent yet such was the measure of her superiority in her age group that she also scooped the over 45s gold by a massive margin.

    In the men’s race Ilford’s 4 man squad performed exceptionally well and matched last year’s feat by once again taking the bronze medal. Malcolm Muir led from the front and despite carrying a hamstring niggle managed 7th spot in 2. 00.11 seconds. Terry Knightley now getting back to something near his best rolled back the years to produce yet another classic duel with Colchester’s Pete West for veteran superiority. Knightley eventually had to settle for silver but his 2.01.45 time for 10th place overall signifies he is once again a force on the road.
    Matt Maple’s late decision to run over a distance he admits as being completely foreign to him, proved to be completely justifiable as he was rewarded with a glorious personal best of 2.08.34.seconds. Yet another invaluable contribution and personal best came from ironman Matt Herbert who closed the team in 2.12.45. Sally Gillam returned from the ardours of a punishing cross country skiing holiday to complete the course in 2hrs 58.04seconds.
     
    Meanwhile Ilford AC had two young athletes Taking part in the Eastern Indoor Championships at Chelmsford on Sunday
     
    Both athletes were competing in the U/15 Boys shot putt. Andrew Townsend, in his first ever indoor competition and after after several weeks of non training due to problems with the track,  surpassed the 6 metre mark for the first time in producing an impressive opening putt of  6m 09. He continued to improve with each putt finishing up with 6m 36cm and 5th place. Youcef Zatat, only recently returned from a skiing holiday with his school on friday night, still felt the effects of  his trip from America but was able to putt a distance of  8m 51cm for 4th below his distance of 3 weeks ago at the Essex indoor championships.