Athletes from Ilford AC enjoyed the hospitality of Orion Harriers at a Multi Mob match held at Chingford on Saturday when the  host club took on a composite team drawn from local clubs. Iain Macdonald was first Ilford man home clocking 42.32 for 7th place on a course set over 6.25 miles of demanding terrain with the ascent of the notorious Yardley Hill thrown in at the end for good measure. Neil Crisp was part of a small group just over 30 seconds behind finisjhing 15th in 43.09, with Matt Maple 22nd, 44.51, and Andy Catton 25th, 45.18,  in close attendance. Chris Evans recorded 56.01 for 73rd and Pam Jones 63.21 for 86th. There were 97th finishers.





Elsewhere 3 Ilford runners have taken advantage of the cooler autumnal weather competing in marathons both home and abroad recently. Last weekend Ben Jones made the trip to Cornwall to tackle the first ever Eden Marathon near St Austell. The "Clay County" hosted a unique event where just over 300 took part in challenging wet and hilly conditions through the extraordinary scenery surrounding the Eden Project. Jones did exceptionally well to finish 81st in a time of 3hrs 57.06 on a course which saw only the first three home break the 3 hour barrier. The winner was Pete Roper from Poole AC who's time was 2 hours 46 minutes 11 seconds.

This Sunday saw Sally Gillam and Peter Spelman similarly in action over the classic distance of 26.2 miles both having near perfect running conditions. Gillam made her way to  Oxfordshire where a cold crisp Morning greeted some 735 runners who set off on a largely flat route around the surrounding villages of Abingdon for the 26th running of the town's annual marathon. The Ilford runner, whose prepartions were hindered in the final stages due to a recurring IT band injury, suffered during the last 3 mile drag back towards the Tilsey Park track but hung on to finish in 3hrs 53 minutes and 29 seconds. Further afield Peter Spelman competed in the Amsterdam Marathon where he crossed the line in 3hrs 52minutes 19 seconds for an overall place of 3170 out of a field of nearly 7000 runners.