Press Report 23rd November 2021  

Nov 222021
 
Evensplit 5k
Friday 19th November  

Friday night saw Jak Wright open his winter season with the EvenSplit 5k in York, representing Ilford up north.
Despite the wind Jak ran a new PB of 16:03, an improvement of 17 seconds from his previous best, placing 8th overall and 3rd from the University of York.

London Cross Country Championships
Parliament Hill
Saturday 20th November

After setbacks with Injuries Ilfords Ahmed Abdulle had set his comeback for this, the London Cross Country Championships. After a measured start Ahmed fought his way to catch the lead group which very early on turned into a battle between himself and Sayed Chafari of Highgate Harriers with both runners well clear of the chasing pack.

Ahmed attacked with 1k to go but just lost out by 6 seconds to his rival, finishing in 34:03, however he was delighted to receive a silver medal in such a high standard race

His next race is the highly acclaimed cross challenge in Liverpool where his aim is to qualify for the European championships.

Also representing Ilford was Seb Parris who ran a strong race to finish in a time of 44:20

London Youth Games
Parliament Hill
Saturday 20th November

Ilford youngsters were out in force at the London Youth Games on Saturday, competing for various London Boroughs.
Resolute Ryder’s racing resolve saw him compete after not making training on Thursday but bravely wanting to still race with no power in his legs. He managed to finish a credible 183rd in the U13 age category.

Sofia Crane, a member of the newly formed  development squad, represented Redbridge and was running in her first competitive race (u11). She ran strongly for 145th place.

In the U15s category Samuel Crane, running for Redbridge, came through the field to finish 88th. He was pleased with his position. 

The outstanding performance of the day saw Joseph Grange  representing Havering win bronze.  After being pushed over at the start and being one of the last runners to make it to the top of the famous first hill (Parliament hill), he battled hard to eventually catch the leaders. As Joseph slipped his way into 2nd spot, it was unfortunately too little too late and he was out-sprinted on the last bend to finish a very commendable 3rd place, securing him a podium finish  position in a championship race.

In the U17s category we had Ronan Edwards who got out well, tackling the iconic hills strongly. He lost a few places on the second lap , pulling a few back on the downhill run into the finish to come 40th out of 117 ,his best London Youth Games result yet.

London Universities Indoor Champs
Lee Valley
Saturday 20th November 

Jordan Hinds, who is now in her last year at Queen Mary University, entered the London Universities championship last weekend. 

Jordan’s entry for the race had been handled by her university, and they forgot to put her time down, which meant she was seeded 11th of the 12 entered athletes, and had to run in the slower second heat.  The first became a battle between 3 athletes and the winning time was 2.24.19. 

Jordan went straight to the front in heat two and by the end of the first 200m lap in 34 seconds she was well clear, she continued to work from the front reaching 400m in 70 seconds  and 600m in 1 minute 45 seconds. Having been in front the whole race, Jordan began to tire a bit on the last lap, but crossed the line in 2.24.11 an indoor pb by more than 7 seconds and more significantly faster than the first heat. After a long wait she was finally handed the gold medal, and this became her second indoor title, after previously winning the Essex U20 800m in 2019

 

Chelmsford 10k Road Race (incorporating the Essex 10k Championship)
Sunday 21st November 

On Sunday in extremely Windy and Blustery conditions over an undulating Single Lap Country Lane  Course a Small contingent of Ilford AC runners ran the Annual Chelmsford 10Km Road Race which Incorporated The Essex County Championships.

The club was led home by the dependable Malcolm Muir in 31st place in a time of 35:46. Chasing Malcolm all the way and finishing with a big PB of 36:18 was 16 year old Ryan Holeyman in 34th place. Ryan had bragging rights at home that evening as his dad, Danny, was the next Ilford runner home in 47th place in 37:15.

Just one second and one place behind Danny Holeyman was Stephen Philcox who grabbed himself an Essex Bronze medal in the M50 Category

Next home, continuing his remarkable medal winning season was Terry Knightley in 62nd place for 38:12. Terry not only secured another Essex Gold v60 medal but also won the Essex County road running Grand Prix prize for 2021. A remarkable achievement in its own right but it also means that Terry has now won the Essex County Road Running Grand Prix Series in all the age Categories as a Senior Male, MV40, MV50 and Now as a MV60.

Next two Ilford runners home were John Crawley (79th 39:42) and Adam Coals (111th 43:16) who both had great races.

Sharon Honey, finishing in 240th place in a time of 53:25 picked up her first Essex County medal for over 25 years winning Bronze in the F60 category – a remarkable achievement.

Carol Muir completed the squad finishing 312th in a time of 1:00:37

BMAF 10km Championships
Gravesend Cyclopark
Sunday 22 November

On a crisp Sunday morning the British Master 10km Championships took place over a rolling but fast 4 lap course at the Gravesend Cyclopath in Kent.
Ilford AC had 10 athletes in the field and they were led home by Carlie Qirem who finished 89th in the field setting a new best time for the distance by nearly 2 minutes of 42m 19s. This performance earned her the national bronze medal for 3rd spot.

The next four Ilfprd athletes also set new personal bests with Dennis Briggs 96th in 43m 05s, Tony Young recorded 45m 25s in 114th,   Gaye Young 130in 47m 27s, with  Hannah Sheikh was one place behind with 47m 40s 

Julia Galea was 4th in the F45 category in 60m 20s while Launa Broadley came home 172nd with 64m 28s

Three of the club’s more senior  athletes combined to take the bronze team medal in the M65 age group. Andy Catton led the team in 129th overall with 47m 20s and was supported by Ernie Forsyth in 165th in 56m 28s with Rob Sargent following him over the line with 58m 01s,

A good mornings work for Ilford AC

 

Eastern Counties Cross Country Championships
Horseheath Cambridge
Saturday 20th November

Trevor Robinson was Ilfords only entrant at the Eastern Counties Cross Country Champs on Saturday. On a bitterly cold morning and a horrendously hilly 7.5 mile course which included a river that had to be crossed, Trevor gave a good account of himself to finish in a time of 73 minutes

 

 

 

  Press Report 16th November 2021  

Nov 152021
 

STEBBING 10
Sunday 14 November

The Stebbing 10 took place over a rolling course from the picturesque village of Stebbing on an unseasonably mild November morning..

The race started just after 11 o’clock and a short Remembrance Sunday service. It was a good day for Ilford Ac with 7 Essex medals and 6 personal best times.

The race incorporated the Essex 10 mile championship and the Ilford AC challenge was headed by Malcolm Muir who is in excellent form at the moment coming home in 15th place overall in a time of 59:53. Malcolm was closely followed by Danny Holeyman 24th place in 1:02:02 who attained a new PB over the distance.
Next home, and continuing to add to his V60 achievements was Terry Knightley in 30th place 62:55, a time that broke his own V60 club record and secured him an Essex V60 Silver medal.

This completed the team of 3 which finished in 5th place.
Backing up the team with excellent performances were Stephen Philcox 34th 1:03:48 for a Silver V55 medal, Dennis Briggs 95th 1:11:34 with an impressive PB and Tony Young who also secured a PB for 160th position in a time of 1:17:28

Leading the ladies home, continuing her fine form with a new PB was Carlie Qirem in 87th place in 1:10:50. Gaye Young was next home securing the first of 5 ladies Essex medals with a Bronze V50 medal for 180th place in 1:19:44. Completing the ladies scoring team was Hannah Sheikh who earned a Bronze V45 medal to finish 183rd in a time of 1:20:25.

The ladies secured 4th place on the day.

The team were excellently backed up by Alison Sale and Freida Keane who took Silver and Bronze in the V55 category in 305th and 361st positions in times of 1:30:34 and 1:35:40. These were followed by Julia Galea in 388th in 1:39:37 for a Silver V65 medal and Carol Muir in 423rd in a time of 1:43:18

  Press Report 9th November 2021  

Nov 092021
 

Interclub Vets Race
Loughton
Saturday 6th November

Four male vets ventured across town to the home of Loughton AC to compete in their annual Interclub vets race at Loughton. Reigning male team champions IAC were slightly depleted in numbers due to very late notification of the event being received but they equipped themselves well finishing third overall on the day in a strong field comprising 7 teams.
Gary Coombes had a fantastic run on the undulating 5.2 mile 3 lap course  finishing 2nd overall in a time of 31.15. He was closely followed by Ilford debutant Fabrizio Stefanoni in 7th place (33.36) with Danny Holeyman finishing in 11th spot (33.59) with Diarmuid McDonnell in 20th place (36.19) making up the team.

Billericay 10k
Sunday 7th November

On Sunday Two intrepid Ilford AC athletes travelled to the Essex Town of Billericay to compete in the 25th Annual Billericay Striders 10Km Road Race.
In ideal weather over a one lap rural course and against a huge field of over 600 athletes the two Ilford Runners did the club proud.

First home in 24th position and winning the First Male Veteran Over 60 prize was Terry Knightley in a season’s best time of 38 Minutes and 6 seconds. Knightley had won the race outright back in 1998.

Following him home in 97th place was the ever dependable Adam Coals who clocked 43 Minutes and 52 seconds.

All finishers received a commemorative medal and Mars Bar.


Roding Valley Half Marathon
Sunday 7th November 

Starting and finishing at Ashton playing fields in Woodford, the Roding Valley Half Marathon follows one small lap of approx. 1m before looping out along two longer laps of approx. 6 miles each.
This year in it’s 37th running the race had 2 Ilford entrants, Alison Sale and Frieda Keane.

Alison, who had been chasing a sub 2 hour half marathon for a while, was delighted with her PB time of 1:56:21 to finish in 94th place. Frieda was equally pleased with her time of 2:08:43 which was just 1 second outside her best time for the distance and placed her 126th


British Masters 5km Championship
Barrowford, Lancs
Sunday 7th November

Rob Sargent of Ilford AC travelled north again, this time to compete in the British Masters 5k Championships. The event was held on an overcast breezy Sunday morning over 4 1/2 laps at the fast flat cycling circuit in Barrowfield, near Burnley in Lancashire.
Rob ran a steady race throughout to finish 14th in the M65 age category in 27 mins 14 secs.

 

 

  Press Report 2nd November 2021  

Nov 012021
 
ESSEX CROSS-COUNTRY LEAGUE
Saturday 30 October
Writtle College, Chelmsford

The second round of this season’s Essex Cross-country League was held at Writtle College on the outskirts of Chelmsford On Saturday and there was a strong turn out from all 24 clubs in the league.
The course was a flat grassland lap which was a little slippery after overnight rain.

The first race of the day in which Ilford were featured was the U15 Boys race, which was also a trial race for Essex selection for the SEAA Inter Counties XC Champs at Oxford later in the year.
The race, over 4k, consisted of a very strong field with the first 3 runners finishing just 2 seconds apart.  In a thrilling finish Ilford’s Joseph Grange came home second in a time of 13:54 which was enough to earn him the coveted Essex vest in what is proving to be a great season for the youngster.
Also continuing to impress in his first season with the club was Samuel Crane who ran a strong race to finish 27th in a time of 16:02

The Senior ladies raced over 2 laps for a distance of around 5.5km and the Ilford AC ladies team was headed by Jordan Hinds in her first senior league race having just moved up from the junior ranks. In an impressive run she came home in 15th place in 22mins 55 secs.
Next home was Carlie Qirem with 24m 35s for 31st, with Alison Sale 54th in 26m 34s. Alison was also 3rd in the F55 category in this race. 
Gaye Young completed the scorers in 62nd with 26m 59s.
The Ilford ladies placed 4th in this second division in this fixture but remain top of the table after their win in the first match at Hockley.

The team was completed by Hannah Sheikh placing 66th with 27m 21s and Sharon Honey in 88th, and 4th F60 on the day, in 29m 21s. Dianne Crisp placed 95th in 30:54 and Launa Broadley completed the squad in 123rd in 38:28

The men raced over 3 laps from a distance of 8km with Ahmed Abdulle giving a strong performance to come home second in 26mins 09 secs.
Supporting him was  Gary Coombes in 34th with 29m 54 secs, placing him as 3rd M45, and the ever reliable Malcolm Muir in 39th in a time of 30m 12s. Dan Holeyman came home 76th in 32m 34s with John Crawley running close to him all the way in the race just 3 spots behind with 32m 40s.
Terry Knightley placed 1st in the M60 age grouping in 97th with 33m 49s . He completed the scoring six which placed the Ilford team 8th in this fixture but they remain 5th in division 1 of the league.

Neil Crisp returned to racing after a break to place 116th in 35m 32s and Denis Briggs came home 148th in 38m 14s. The team was completed by Steve Cheal in 182nd in 44:03 and Rob Sargent 192nd in 48:44

In the u17s male age group race, which was over the same 2 lap course the ladies raced on Ilford had the one runner. Ryan Holeyman ran a strong race and placed 16th in a good time of 20m 42s

WIX 5
Sunday 31 October

A day after representing Ilford AC at the Essex League  cross-country race at Writtle, Terry Knightley braved what can only be described as ‘Biblical’ Weather Conditions of driving torrential rain and Gale force winds at the Annual Wix 5 Miles Road Race.

On a one lap course around the flooded country lanes of Manningtree and Wix in North Essex, Knightley braved the weather conditions with 80 other athletes to finish in a ‘seasons best’ time of 31 minutes and 43 Seconds and 9th position overall and claim the First Male Veteran Over 60 title !

Hexham 10km
Sunday 31 October

Tony Young returned to his native Northumbria at weekend to take part in the Hexham 10km. The race is held on one of the fastest courses in the north east and Tony was rewarded with a new personal best of 45m 44s placing 91st  in a field of over 400.

Serpentine 5km
Hyde Park
Friday 29th October

On a very windy 2 lap course Ilfords Carol Muir found the going tough but did well to finish in a time of 29:22 which placed her 6th in the FV50 category and 129th position overall

 

 

  Press Report 26th October 2021  

Oct 262021
 

CHINGFORD LEAGUE
Olympic Velopark
Wednesday 20 October

The third fixture in this winter’s Chingford League was held at the floodlit Olympic Velopark in the Queen Elizabeth Park at Stratford .
The 5km race was just over 3 laps of the fast circuit and Ilford AC had teams in both the mens’ and ladies’ events.

The ladies were headed by Anna Crawley in 19th spot in 20m 55s with Carlie Qirem close behind in 21st with 21m 10s. Amy-Loise Bird completed a powerful trio for the club in 23rd recording 21m 28s.  Next home was Gaye Young in 22m 53s for 39th with Alison Sale 42nd with 23m 22s. One place behind Hannah Sheikh completed the scorers with 23m 31s.
On the night the ladies team finished 5th in the first division of the league.
Supporting their colleagues were Pauline Tester (72  25.06)  Sharon Honey (81  26.13)  Frieda Keane (103  29.01) Launa Broadley (111 33.226)  Karen Kufour (113  26.33)

The Ilford men were led home by Dan Holeyman in 18mn 18s for 49th place with Diarmuid Mac Donnell in 70th recording 19m 13s. Next over the line was Adam Coals with 20m 24s for 99th, with Tony Young 153rd in 22m 42s. The team was completed by Rob Sargent 208th with 27m 05s and Trevor Robinson in 211th for 27m 47s.
In the match the men finished in 9th spot in division 1.

Report – man in the bushes

SEAA Cross Country Relays
Wormwood Scrubs
Saturday 23 October

The SEAA Cross Country relays were held on an unseasonably warm Saturday morning  at Wormwood scrubs.

41 teams had entered the men’s race, which consisted of 4 laps of 4000m over a tough undulating course, including 2 teams from Ilford AC.

The SEAA consists of the very best runners in the south of England so it was always going to be a tough challenge for our teams. The challenge was made even harder when none of our registered runners turned up.

* NOT sent to press !