Press Report 25th March 2025  

Mar 242025
 

Orion 15

Two Ilford AC Vets made the trip to Epping Forest for a crack at the Orion 15 hosted by our friendly neighbours Orion Harriers. 
Seb Parris and Diarmuid Mac Donnell took to the trails on Saturday morning for the gruelling multi-terrain race which promised muddy puddles, log obstacles and 1450 ft of elevation gain.  The race is punishing and this year incorporated the county selection for the British Fell Championships later in the year. 
Weather conditions on the day were overcast and the course was unusually firm for March, even with a sprinkling of early morning drizzle. 
In a stellar field of 270 entrants, both chaps put in brave performances. Seb Parris finished 70th in 2:08:27 with Diarmuid clocking 2:16:36 for 100th place.

BRENTWOOD HALF MARATHON

The 43rd Brentwood Half Marathon was held in good conditions over a gently undulating course through the Essex Countryside starting and finishing at Becket Keys School in the town centre.

Ilford AC had 9 runners in the field of over 1800 starters.
First home for the club was Richard Morris in 1hr 22.52, closely followed by Christopher King in 1hr 23:21.Steve Chissell was next home in 1 hr 34:19, followed by Alan Pearl, who claimed 1st place in the M65 grouping in a time of 1hr 41.59.
Making his debut at the distance was Michael Perkins, who came home in 1 hr 51.04, closely followed by Stephen Lacey in 1 hr 52.27.
Ilfords only female on the day was Joanne Reeves who was pleased with her time of 1 hr 58.24.
Ilford’s final two runners were both also making their debut at the distance, Sean Costello in 2:06:51 and Batmanaden Ramen in 2:15:33

WORLD MASTERS INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

The 10th World Masters Championships are being held in Gainesville Florida and also feature a cross-country event and a 10km road race.

The cross-country was held over the grounds of a disused golf course so the 2km lap was mainly grass with a few slopes. Rob Sargent of Ilford AC took part in the 6km event in the M70 age group coming home 18th in 40 mins 52 secs. Combining with teammates Andy Murray, (Dulwich Runners) and David Profitt (Lliswerry) Great Britain finished 5th in the team championship

Rob will also be running in the 10km next Sunday

  Press Report 18th March 2025  

Mar 172025
 

ESSEX 20 MILE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Carver Barracks, Saffron Walden
Sunday 16 March

The Essex 20 mile Championships was held at the disused airfield at the Carver Barracks in Saffron Walden. The race was over 5 fast 4 mile laps around the perimeter and included an open event, which attracted many entries from those preparing for the spring marathon season.

Ilford AC had 8 men in the event and these were led home by Sam Rahman who held a good pace throughout to finish 26th in the Essex Championships in 2 hrs 09 mins 22 secs. Next in was Richard Morris with a new personal best of 2 hrs 12 mins 25 secs for 30 spot. The scoring team was closed by Terry Knightley in 48th place with 2 hrs 27 mins 43 secs. 

The Ilford club were the 7th Essex club to finish as a team.

Dave Thomas followed his age group bronze at last week’s British Marathon Half Marathon with a win in the Essex M65 age group in 2 hrs 31 mins 06 secs to take the gold medal. Tarik Qirem continued his preparation for the London Marathon with a 2 hrs 36 mins 23 secs clocking for 76th place in Essex.

Also in action, but competing in the ‘open event’ rather than the Essex Champs were Steve Chissell (2.28.59)  Bradley Brown (2.42. 33) and Alan Pearl (2.49.05) 

Ilford AC Shine at Cambridge Half Marathon

The 14th edition of the Cambridge Half Marathon welcomed its largest ever field, with over 13,500 runners taking on the scenic and historic course.
Starting at Midsummer Common, participants passed by iconic Cambridge University landmarks such as Jesus, King’s, St John’s, and Trinity Colleges, as well as the idyllic villages of Grantchester and Trumpington. The typically warm March day set the stage for impressive performances from Ilford AC’s contingent.

Leading the team was Sam Rahman, who put in a strong performance to cross the line in 1:22:05, placing 54th in the M40 category. He was closely followed by Danny Holeyman,  clocking an impressive 1:22:54 to claim 14th in the M50 division. Not far behind, Richard Woolerton, delivered a solid run with a time of 1:28:40, securing 47th in the same category.

The standout achievement of the day came from Joel Denning, whose determination paid off as he broke the 90-minute barrier for the first time, finishing in a commendable 1:29:54, earning 99th place in the M45 category.

Also flying the flag for Ilford AC, Diarmuid Mac Donnell, returning to competitive running, delivered a credible performance with 1:31:33, placing 64th in the M50 group. Steve Lacey demonstrated remarkable improvement, running his fastest half marathon in two years, finishing in 1:49:16 and claiming 288th in the M50 category.

Rounding out the team, Jo Reeves put in a valiant effort to finish in 1:52:53, securing 49th in the F50 division.

  Press Report 11th March 2025  

Mar 112025
 

CHINGFORD LEAGUE RELAYS
Wanstead Flats
Sat 8th March

SENIORS
The final cross-country fixture of the winter was held at Wanstead Flats on a bright spring morning. The race is over 4 legs of a 3000m course around the edge of the Flats.
Ilford AC entered 4 senior men’s teams and one ladies quartet

The Ilford Men’s A team were led off by Josh Adler who recorded 11 mins 38 secs for his leg before passing on to Sam Crane 11 mins 29 secs with James Thake 12 mins 10 secs on the third leg and Fabrizio Stefanoni anchored the team in 12 mins 30 secs giving them a total time of 47 mins 47 secs and 8th place overall which placed them 3rd in the division 2 match.
This result confirmed that the Ilford team had won the 2nd division of the league and will be promoted to the top tier next season.

Seb Parris led off the B team in 12 mins 38 secs with Sam Joseph 12.22), Donogh Hurley 12.37 and Minel Vigo completing the B team who placed 10th overall in 49 mins 36 secs

The third Ilford team was made up of young athletes with Ryder Islam 12.05,  Luke Thake 13.03  Barney Perkins 13.21  and Fabio Reina 12.08 finishing in an excellent 14th place.

Ilford also had a team made up of masters athletes, the quartet of  Neil Crisp 13.45  Steve Crane 14.31,  Steve Chissell 14.01 and Jim Tilbrook 16.22 came home 38th in the field

Steve Chissell was placed second in the M60 age category for the entire league season and won the silver award.

The Ilford ladies team of Alison Sale 16.08, Dianne Crisp 18.53, Frieda Keane 19.09 and Pauline Tester 17.44 finished 23rd in the ladies event which gave them 8th place in the division 1 match.
Over the season they also finished 8th in the league and next winter will compete in division 2.

JUNIORS
16 of Ilford Junior athletes took part in the Chingford league relays held on a bright sunny morning at Wanstead Flats
Teams of 4 athletes ran 2km or 3.2km legs depending on their age category.

U11/13 girls were led off by Sophie Lawes who ran a great time of 9.48m handing over to teammate Alicia Adams who managed to gain 2 places clocking 10.03m before handing over to D.L. Majen-Akande, who produced a solid run of 10.09 m before handing over to last leg runner Iris Wan. Iris produced another consistent run equaling D.L. ‘s time of 10.09m finishing in overall 5th position, just 20 seconds off the medal places.
This team of junior girls have been a credit to Ilford AC with some great performances this winter and we look forward to their continued improvement.


U11/13  A team boys proved to be the most successful of the teams with a fantastic second place securing well deserved silver medals
Danilo Reina timed at 8.41m handing over in second place to ever consistent Caleb Singleton recording a time of 9.03m for third place Elias Furreedan took on the third leg with his usual determination and completed in a great time of 9.04m handing over to last leg runner Khalif Ali in 5th place. Khalif produced another great run with an outstanding last leg of 8.19m to overhaul three rivals and secure a well deserved silver for the team.


U11/13 boys B team produced a brilliant performance to finish in 9th place overall
First leg runner Daniel Guiba ran a strong first leg of 10.13m handing over in 8 th position to debutant runner Alfred Nelson  who produced a fine first performance of 9.44m before passing on to third leg runner Hashim Khan who produced a season’s best run of 9.28m making up one place before handing on to last leg runner Ewan McKinstry who ran a brilliant last leg of 9.25m making up three places to secure overall 9th place for the team .

These were great performances by the youngsters who had to mix and match the age groups with three U11s running against older athletes.

Amazingly Ilford’s U15/17 had to compete in the men’s competition, apparently due to a lack of U15 age groups teams entering, thus denying the team their chance of glory in their correct age groups.
A combined U15/17 team took on the challenge a produced some great performances
A leg runner Ryder Islam handed over to teammate Luke Thake after a fine run of 12.05 for the 3.2km leg. Luke worked really hard on the second leg producing a good time of 13.03m before handing over to teammate Barney Perkins for the third leg . As usual Barney gave his all for the team and produced another gritty run of 13.21m before handing over to last leg runner and ever improving teammate Fabio Reina who moved through the field and finished in a great time of 12.08m . Great credit must be given to this team who undoubtedly would have been amongst the medals if they had competed in their true age category.

This relay competition signifies the end of the Chingford league series which saw Ilford’s Juniors enjoy great success.

Barney Perkins was the overall series U15 champion and U13 runner Khali Ali was 3rd overall as was Ryder Islam in the U17s

Great season from everyone. Special thanks to our athletes and supporters for getting to these fixtures and competing in some very difficult conditions

PADDOCK WOOD HALF MARATHON
Sunday 9th March

This popular race in Kent had 2400 finishers and this year incorporated the British Masters Half Marathon Championship. The race is a one lap rural route over a fast flat course and was held on a sunny spring morning.

Ilford AC had two finishers in the race. Dave Thomas had a great run although tiring a little in the last couple of miles in the warm conditions. He crossed the line in 1 hour 32 mins 42 secs in 534th spot. The performance earned him 3rd place in the British Masters M65 age category and a bronze medal.
Launa Broadley recorded 2hrs 22 mins 40 secs, a time under a minute away from her personal best, placing her 9th in the British Masters Championship

Ilford also had Bev Thomas and Rob Sargent entered in the race but neither were able to take part due to injury

  Press Report 4th March 2025  

Mar 032025
 

Essex/Eastern Indoor County Championships
Lee Valley Stadium, Ilford

SENIORS

The first of the Senior Athletes to compete on day 1 of the Championships last weekend was Jordon Duncan in the Senior men’s 60m, Jordon placed second in his heat in a season best time of 7.30. In the final Jordon was 6th in another season best of 7.26. 

Next up was Ellie Wright in the Senior Women’s 60m, Ellie made a good start in her heart and went through to the final having placed 2nd in a PB time of 7.87.  In the Final Ellie placed 3rd, but second Essex Athlete in another pb of 7.84. 

Ian Johnson had a good run in his heat of the U20m 60m and qualified for the next round in a pb time of 7.12 for 3rd place. In the semi final he placed 6th in 7.27

The Vets 60m was a straight Final, Nat Senior in one of his first competitions as a vet, made a great start and led the field the whole way for an impressive win in 7.72. 

Krystle Balogun, was the final athlete on day one and despite having to run on her own, she managed to set a pb of 8.20. 

Ellie Wright was back again on day 2 this time in the 200m, where she had another excellent run to finish second (but first Essex athlete ) in a season’s best time of 25.50. 

Next up were the middle distance events and Jordan Hinds who has been suffering with a cold for 2 weeks, battled bravely in the senior ladies 800m, to take 4rd in 2.26. 89.

Luke Thake was next up and in first ever indoor 800m, he ran a pb of 2.20.85, which is faster than he ran outdoors last year and a reward for all his hard work this winter.

The senior men’s 800m was a straight final and Dylan Harrod followed the very fast pace from the gun, he was still in an ideal position at the bell, but just fell away on the final lap for second place. His time of 2.00.28, was a 2 second improvement on his last race and overall has run 4 seconds quicker indoors than last season. 

James Thake was the last of the 800m runners and went to the front early to try and push the pace, this was a brave experiment for James, which nearly paid off, but unfortunately he ended up in 5th place with a time of 2.05.96

Krystle Balogun was back again on day 2, dropping down to the senior ladies age group to compete in the 400m, and in a very close race, she missed the eastern silver by 0.05 of a second, but still came second in the essex champs with a time of 61.05

The final Ilford athlete to compete was Simeon Balson-Jones in the senior men’s 400m, Simeon is on the comeback trail and must have been pleased with 52.95 for third place in the essex champs

JUNIORS

8 Ilford AC junior athletes took on the challenges of the Essex/Eastern Counties Indoor Championships 

U13 athlete Daniel Okereke started the day by running a season’s best time of 8.29 in the first heat of the 60m sprint before going on to achieve a brilliant Bronze medal in the final clocking 8.38s

Daniel followed up his sprint Bronze with a very competitive leap of 4.11 metres to claim 5th place in a closely contested long jump final.

In the U17 boys 60m sprint Jaydan Roberts-Edwards moved comfortably through the heat recording a time of 7.41s but his semi final time of 7.40s saw him miss out on a place in the final.
Teammate Donnell Oligie narrowly missed qualifying from his heat, despite recording a Personal best time of 7.58s in 4th place
Jayden McDermott also ran a 60m PB of 8.05s finishing 5th in his heat.

U20 female athlete Adaeze Oyem produced another consistent performance in her 60m sprint heat recording a good time of 8.70s for 6th place 

Star of the day was U15B Shot putter Dhanusshan Ponnambalam, who produced a great Personal best throw of 10.89 metres to claim a brilliant Gold medal 

Day 2 saw Donnell Oligie and Jaydan Roberts-Edwards return for 200m action with the latter sustaining an injury whilst in a very strong position approaching the finish line ending his race just short of the line,

Teammate Donnell ran a very strong race before discovering that he had been harshly disqualified for a lane infringement.

Toye Oguntoye made an impressive Championships debut in the U15B 200m clocking a PB of 26.45s finishing 4th in his heat

Best performance of day 2 went to Gloria Ananwa in the U15G 200m, clocking a PB of 38.86s which saw her qualify comfortably in 2nd place for the semi finals where she recorded another PB of 8.83s in 4th place narrowly missing out on a final place.

A mixed Championships for Ilford’s Junior athletes but the medal successes and PBs made it a worthwhile experience for all of them. Many thanks to our supporters and coaches for giving up their time over two long days in order for the athletes to be able to compete.

Brighton Half Marathon

Meanwhile, on the road, Tarik Qirem took part in the 35th running of the Brighton Half Marathon.
The 13.1-mile route, mainly along the seafront, takes in some of the city’s best-known sights, including Brighton Palace Pier, the Royal Pavilion and the colourful beach huts of Hove.
Tarik was pleased with his time of 1 hr 37mins 20 secs, which was a PB over the distance and placed him 959th in a field of almost 9,000 runners

  Press Report 25th February 2025  

Feb 252025
 

ENGLISH NATIONAL CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Parliament Hill Fields

The English Cross-Country Championships returned to Parliament Hill Fields, the Wembley of the sport, and was run over the traditional challenging course which was made even more tricky and muddy by some heavy rain earlier in the day.

The club had 4 athletes competing in the younger age groups. Barney Perking ran his first national championships and showed his usual strength to finish a great 277th in the u15 race finishing in 19m 35s over the 4k course.
In the under 17s race, over 6k Samuel Crane finished 147th in 26m 09s and Ryder Islam 245th in 28m 23s out of 319 participants.
Finally in the u20s race over a long distance of 10km Ronan Edwards continued his recent good form finishing in 84th place in 40m 02s in a field of just under 200 runners.

Ilford AC fielded a full team in the large field for the Senior Men’s 12km race with Seb Parris leading the squad home in 65 mins 41 secs.
Dan Holeyman was next over the line with 67 mins 07 secs and Steve Chissell recorded 74 mins 08 secs. Bradley Brown finished in 75 mins 39 secs with Diarmuid Mac Donnell home in 77 mins 40 secs. Jim Tilbrook, 80 mins 24 secs and Steve Lacey 80 mins 57 secs completed the team.
In the team competition Ilford were placed 104th out the hundreds of teams competing

Jordan Hinds was the only runner for Ilford in the senior ladies race over 8 km finishing 312nd in 40 mins 58 secs

London Winter run (10k)
Trafalgar Square

On a  cold, but bright, Sunday morning six  Ilford athletes lined up alongside 20,000 other runners for the ‘10k London Winter run’,  which is an annual event through the city of London, organized by Cancer Research UK

The 10k route which starts on Trafalgar Square and passes such iconic London Landmarks as St Paul’s Cathedral and St. Mary-le-bow church (home of the famous Bow Bells) before finishing on Whitehall alongside The Cenotaph, was lined with Polar bears, penguins and yetis – or at least people dressed up as such!

First home for Ilford was Tarik Qirem in 45m 29s. Tarik was followed by Alison Sale in 51m exactly, Billy Green in 51m 28s Carlie Qirem in 55m 34s, Mandy Ried in 59m 27s and Frieda Keane in 60m 49s 

All Ilford runners dedicated their runs to former teammate Nicola Hopkinson who lost her own battle with cancer just over a year ago, and a message was placed on the memory board in her name.


Eastbourne Half Marathon

In Absolutely brutal weather conditions and over a challenging hilly course Terry Knightley of Ilford AC bravely completed the Eastbourne Half Marathon in 1 Hour And 39 Minutes achieving 100th position out of 930 finishers and third place in male veteran over 60-65 category.

All finishers received a Medal, Protein Ball and Packet of Wet Wipes for their efforts !