Press Report 10th January 2023  

Jan 102023
 
Essex Cross Country Championships
Gloucester Park
January 7th 2023

Ilford AC sent a strong team of runners across all of the age groups to contest this yearly Cross Country event

Performance of the day, undoubtedly, came in the men’s senior 12 kilometres race where Ahmed Abdulle won his first Essex senior cross-country title.
He has had a strong season so far with a previous win at the London Cross Country Championships. He ran alongside second place Gus Withers from Leigh on Sea running club, breaking away on the last lap for a comfortable win and Essex qualification for the inter counties championships later in the year.
The team race was six to score and Ahmed was backed up by strong performances from Alex Richards (15th), Malcolm Muir (39th ), Paul Grange (45th ), Fabrizio Stefanoni (57th), Neil Crisp (121st ) and Steve Crane (126th ).

In the Women’s event Jordan Hinds had a superb race finishing in 14th Place. This was a real improvement on last year’s performance and is reward for her hard work over the winter.
The Women’s team race was four to score and Jordan was followed in by Alison Sale (64th), Mandy Reid (77th), Dianne Crisp (82nd), Julia Galea (90th ) and Frieda Keane (91st )

Ilford earned its second inter-counties qualification in the U17 Boys event where Joseph Grange had a good race to finish fourth. He was followed in by Ronan Edwards in 11th place.

Finally in the boys u15 race, Ilford put together a team a five who all started strongly together and should be happy with their performances in a strong field.
The placings were, Samuel Crane (18th), Aaron Hick (19th ), Ryder Islam (32nd ), Aron Berhe (36th ) and James Thake (38th )

 

  Press Report 3rd January 2023  

Jan 022023
 
Ilford AC Boxing Day Handicap
Hainault Forest
26th December 2022

A field of 16 runners brushed off the Turkey and Christmas hangover to toe the line for the 13th annual Ilford AC Boxing day handicap.
The route is 3.3 miles through the hills and mud of Hainault Forest and forms one lap of the clubs own 10 mile championships
Each runner is given a handicap based on their previous form over the year, as chosen by club President Gary Floate

This years winner was Danny Holeyman who ran the course in 24:45 off of a 10 minute handicap giving him a Nett time of 34:45, just a second ahead of Neil Crisp and 56 seconds ahead of third place Dennis Briggs, both who also ran off of a 10 minute handicap.
For the second year running Julia Galea was the first lady home, running off scratch and finishing in 36 minutes exactly.
Handicap aside the actual finishing times were as follows (unfortunately Jordan Hinds and Samuel Crane went off course and are excluded from the results!)


1 Ronan Edwards 20 58

2 Steve Philcox 21 24

3 Aaron Hick 22 5

4 Danny Holeyman 24 45

5 Neil Crisp 24 45

6 Alfie Hick 25 7

7 Steve Crane 25 41

8 Dennis Brggs 25 41

9 Wayne Hick 26 36

10 George Hick 27 54

11 Charlie Hick 29 51

12 Di Crisp 34 40

13 Julia Galea 36 0

14 Doris Gaga 37 42

ILFORD CLEAN UP IN THE MUD

Ilford AC 10 Mile Cross Country Championship
Hainault Forest
December 27th 2022

On Tuesday Ilford AC hosted their winter showcase 10-mile cross country event on a pleasantly mild December morning.
Runners were treated to the thick mud and hills that characterizes most of the 3.3-mile course which is negotiated 3 times.

Ilford’s men totally dominated the race providing 7 of the first 10 finishers.

Coming home in first place was Joseph Grange in 59:16 followed by Alex Richards in 2nd place in 59:48 and Tom Gardner in 3rd in 60:45.
In 5th was Paul Grange in 63:47, 6th Malcolm Muir in 65:01, 8th Stephen Philcox 67:35 and Fabrizio Stefanoni in 9th in 67:42.

First lady home by a margin of almost 8 minutes was Ilfords Neringa Masilioniene in 11th place in a very impressive 67:42.

The next 3 Ilford females home were Alison Sale 43rd 91:45, Gaye Young 46th 93:42 and Pauline Tester 93:55.

Also finishing the tough course for the club were:-
Richard Woolterton 14th 74:26, Stephen Crane 16th 75:28, Daniel Holeyman 24th 80:18, Terry Knightley 26th 81:10, Bradley Brown 33rd 88:11, Stephen Lacey 37th 89:24, Sean Costello 100:29, Sharon Honey 53rd 100:35, Mandy Ried 54th 101:47, Ramen 62nd 112:21, Ray ‘Sparra’ Everingham 64th 115:55, Julia Galea 65th 115:59 and Frieda Keane 66th 116:34

With the race also doubling as the clubs own 10-mile championships Gold, Silver and Bronze medals were awarded to Joseph Grange, Alex Richards and Tom Gardner for the men, and Neringa Masilioniene, Alison Sale and Gaye Young for the ladies.

In the clubs vets categories there were Gold medals in the V40, V50 and V60 categories for Paul Grange, Stephen Philcox and Terry Knightley for the men and in the same categories Gold medals were won by Mandy Reid, Alison Sale and Sharon Honey for the women.

LAST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH 5Km
Hyde Park
30th December 2022

Four runners from Ilford AC ended their year with an outing in the Serpentine Runners Last Friday of the Month 5km on a two lap course in London’ s Hyde Park.
First to finish from the quartet was Joel Denning in 51st and 4th in the M45 age group in 19 mins 58 secs. Next home was Joanne Reeves with 22 mins 30 secs for 104th overall and 3rd   in the F45 category.
Rob Sargent came home 167th in 29 mins 16 secs and Carol Muir completed the squad in 31 mins 57 secs for 180th.

In other races over the Christmas period Malcolm Muir was the only Ilford entrant in the Witham Boxing Day 5m race finishing in 18th place in a time of 29:02 and Diarmuid MacDonnell competed in the Wicklow Boxing Day 5k race finishing in a time of 19:02 for 41st place


  Press Report 13th December 2022  

Dec 132022
 

Sikh’s In The City Running Festival
Woodford Green
Sunday 11th December

The ‘Sikh’s In The City Running Club’ held its 10th Anniversary running festival on a bitterly cold, sub zero temperature, Sunday Morning in Woodford Green.

Over 200 competitors took part on a short 2k course around the Woodford area in various distances ranging from 10k right through to the Marathon distance.

Ilford’s bright young running star Ryder Islam took part in the 5 lap 10k distance race and led the field to take home a Gold Medal in a time of 39 minutes and 30 seconds.

Seasoned veteran Ray ‘Sparra’ Everingham took on the 11 lap Half Marathon challenge and was pleased with his 22nd place in a time of 2 Hours 37 minutes and 58 Seconds.

Telford 10k
Sunday 11th December
Meanwhile Brother and Sister team, Malcolm and Carol Muir took on the 2 lap, Traffic free Telford 10k in equally challenging cold conditions.. 

In a large field of over 1,100 runners Malcolm put in a strong performance to finish in a time of 36 minutes and 08 seconds for 358th place, with sister Carol pleased with her finishing time of 1 hour, 2 minutes and 23 seconds for 1,000th place.

Spending the weekend in Telford both also took part in the Telford parkrun on the Saturday morning with Malcolm winning the event in 18:30 on his 150th parkrun, and Carol finishing in 31:18 in her 523rd running of the event.for 135th place

  Press Report 6th December 2022  

Dec 062022
 

ESSEX VETS CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP
Writtle
Saturday 3rd December

The Essex Cross Country Championship for athletes over 40 was held over a two lap grassland course at Writtle, near Chelmsford. The Ilford team was slightly down on numbers and strength due to injuries and a fixture clash but gave a good performance in the challenging muddy conditions..

In the ladies race Mel Jones led home the Ilford team in 52nd position and placed 12th in the F50 category with 43 mins 31 secs. Close behind was Alison Sale in 55th and Gaye Young came home 63rd with 44 mins 51 secs

In 84th spot was Sharon Honey with 48 mins 48 secs, a performance that earned her the silver medal in the F65 grouping.
The squad was completed by Dianne Crisp in 90th place in 50 Mins 28 secs

There was a good turn out for the club in the men’s over 50 race. Stevie Philcox put in a typically strong performance  to gain Bronze in the 55-59 category in a time of 33 mins 21 secs for 11th place.  Diarmuid Mac Donnell came home 39th in 36 mins 19 secs with Richard Woolterton 48th with 37 mins exactly. Neil Crisp closed the team in 69th spot in 38 mins 16 secs and the club placed 6th in the M50 team competition.

Terry Knightley came home in 88th position in 39 mins 54 secs, followed by Sean Costello in 127th for 45 mins 45 secs. Just 5 places behind was Jim Tilbrook in 46 mins 39 secs with Steve Parker making a rare appearance finishing in 139th place in a time of 51 mins 09 secs.

In the mens  40-49 race Malcolm Muir gave his usual 100% for the club as he finished 13th and 6th in the M45 age category with 31 mins 38 secs. Joel denning ran on the mud for the first time for the club and  finished 51st in 37 mins 13 secs while Steve Crane was just two places behind in a time of 37 mins 20 secs.
The team was completed by Dennis Briggs in 63rd with 39 mins 09 secs.
In the team competition for this race Ilford were the 8th club to finish.

 

BRITISH MASTERS  5 Km CHAMPIONSHIP
Battersea Park
Sunday 4th December

 

The British Masters held their 2022 5km road championship on the fast flat paved traffic free roads of Battersea Park on a cold Sunday Morning.
The event was a  two lap course and Ilford AC had four runners in action.
Joanne Reeves was the first home for the club in 135th overall, 30th female and 9th in the F45 category with 21 mins 16 secs. Launa Broadley who is in great form and improves from week to week placed 174th in a new personal best of 28 mins 13 secs and 10th in the F55 grouping.

Launa has improved her best time for this distance this year by over 2 minutes.
Doris Gaga gave her best performance since recovering from a bad case of COVID finishing 177th  with 29 mins 51 secs.

Rob Sargent was the only male runner from the club this morning and he crossed the line in 27 mins 52 secs for 173rd overall and 14th in the M65 age category.

  Press Report 29th November 2022  

Nov 292022
 

ESSEX CROSS-COUNTRY LEAGUE
​Writtle College
Saturday 26th November

The third round of the Essex Cross-Country League was held at Writtle College, just outside Chelmsford, on a wet, soft grassland course on a mild morning ideal for Cross Country running.

Ilford had good squads out in both the senior mens and ladies races and produced good results.

The ladies raced over 6 km and Jordan Hinds led the team home in an excellent 16th place in 27 mins 13 secs. Backing her up were Amy-Louise Bird in 21st with 28 mins 02 secs and Anna Crawley with 29 mins 40 secs for 43th. The team scorers were closed by Alison Sale in 63rd in a time of 31 mins 28 secs.

Mel Jones was 3 places back in 32 mins 06 secs with Sharon Honey 93rd and the 1st finisher in the F65 category with 35 mins 32 secs. Julia Galea was 2nd in the same grouping in 38 mins 45 secs for 121st . Frieda Keane completed the line up coming home 123rd in 40 mins 12 secs

In this match the Ilford ladies finished in 5th spot and stand 6th in the Division 1 league table.

The men’s race was over 8km and Ilford were led home by Tom Gardner with a strong run for  19th in 26 mins 59 secs. There was good support from Paul Grange in 23rd with 27 mins 10 secs, giving 2nd finisher in the M40 category, and ever reliable Malcom Muir with 28 mins 36 secs for 44th and 3rd in the M45 age group. Steve Philcox had a fine run in 72nd with 29 mins 57 secs and 2nd m55 in the race. Dylan Harrod, who is still in the U20 age category, came home 83rd in 30 mins 25 secs. The team was completed by Berekhet Berakly in 113rd and 31mins 46 secs.

Also in action for the club were Steve Crane (145  33.44) and Bradley Brown (197 36.59)

The Ilford men claimed 6th in their division 1 match and sit 7th in this seasons table

Earlier in the day the club’s young athletes again put in solid performances, with the result of the day probably going to Joseph Grange who came 2nd in the U17 men’s race in a time of 21:42 over the 6k course.

In the Under 15 boys race, held over a 4k course Ilford had a strong team of three runners with Samuel Crane coming home first for the club in 15th place for a time of 14:31. Backing him up with good performances were Aaaron Hick in 19th place in a time of 14:43 and Aaron Berge in 15:20 for 27th place.

Chingford League
Trent Park
Saturday 26th November

Due to a fixture clash, with most of the Ilford Squad racing in the Essex League, Ilford AC had just the one runner at the Chingford League 5 Mile Cross Country race in Trent Park.
Jim Tilbrook continues with his return to fitness putting in a solid performance for 39th place in a time of 43:17

 

SCVAC Cross-Country 5 Mile Championship
Croydon
Saturday 26th November 

Earlier in the day Andy Catton competed in the SCVAC Cross-Country Championship which was held in conjunction with The South of the Thames Cross Country Association’s 5 mile event in Lloyd Park Croydon.

Held over a toughish, undulating well grassed two lap course, Andy put in a good performance to win a Gold M65 medal finishing in 145th place in a time of 36 mins 03 secs

BRITISH MASTERS 10 Mile Road Championship
Gravesend CycloPark
Sunday 27 November

The British Masters 10 mile road running championship was held on  the Cyclopark in Gravesend over 6 ½ laps of the 2.5km undulating circuit which was a challenge to the competitors as there were several climbs on each circuit of the track

Ilford AC had 7 runners in the event with the ladies team putting in a sterling performance to win the team W45-W50 trophy.
They were led home by Jo Reeves in 60th place overall 1 hr 16 mins 46 secs . Next to finish was Gaye Young with a steady run of 1 hr 22mins  43 secs for 74th.  The team was completed by Launa Broadley who is improving week by week and set a new personal best on the challenge course by 2 minutes recording 1 hr 37 mins 58 secs for 89th.

First over the line for the Ilford men was Diarmuid Mac Donnell in 34th spot with 1 hr 5 mins 48 secs  Another runner in fine form is Joel Denning who set a new best time for the distance of 1 hr 9 mins 49 secs in 43rd  position. Also in this age group was Dennis Briggs in 7th and 47th overall in 1hr 10 mins 58 secs. The men combined to take 3rd place in the British Masters championships.

Also having a run out was club endurance coach Rob Sargent who recorded 1hr 40 mins 24 secs for 91st and 9th in the M65 category.

In conjunction with the British Masters event, Veterans AC, a London based club that organizes races for masters (over 35) athletes, held their 10 mile championship where Broadley took a silver in the F55 group and Sargent a bronze in the M65 age category.