Press Report 2nd April 2024  

Apr 022024
 

Writtle 5 (Mile)
Friday 29th March

Good Friday saw the Ilford 5 take on the Writtle 5 Mile Road race, starting and finishing at Writtle College in the Essex Countryside.

A tough, undulating course was made trickier by the conditions on the day. Starting in bright sunshine, conditions soon became blustery before a heavy downfall settled in for the duration.

Leading the way for Ilford AC, by some margin, was Malcolm Muir who put in his usual gutsy performance to finish in 8th place in a time of 29 minutes 32 seconds.

Making a rare race appearance for the club, Billy Green had an impressive sprint finish to overtake 2 Springfield Strider runners in the last 100m to take 64th place in a time of 41 minutes 10 seconds. Just 4 places later Alison Sale came home for a time of 41 Minutes 48 seconds, which was good enough to place her 4th in her age category on the day.

Rachel Halpin, representing the club for the first time in almost a year, was pleased with her performance coming home in 46 minutes 11 seconds.

On the other end of the scale, it is rare that a club race doesn’t have Frieda Keane in the starting line up and she was cheered home by her teammates as she came home in a time of 49 minutes 32 seconds.

Victoria Park 5k
Friday 29th March

Closer to home another Ilford athlete, Anna Crawley, was racing in Hackney at the popular Victoria Park 5k event on Good Friday.
Always towards the front of the race, in a field over nearly 200 runners, Anna put in a sprint finish to shave 3 seconds off of her previous best time over the distance to finish in a time of 20 mins 14 seconds for 8th place, and 3rd female on the day, taking home the Bronze medal.


West Wight 3 Hills
Monday 1st April

Ilford stalwart Malcolm Muir completed an Easter Bank Holiday double by traveling to the Isle of Wight to compete in the West Wight 3 Hills 8 Mile race.
As the name suggests the race is hilly, taking in over 900m of ascent on a single lap course starting and finishing in Freshwater.

Malcolm started the race strongly and was always in contention for a medal place in a pack of half a dozen runners. At the 6 mile mark, as the hills took their toll on other athletes, Malcolm moved up into 3rd place. It was a position he retained, finishing in a very impressive time of 53 minutes 21 seconds, less than a minute away from the eventual winner, and over 3 minutes in front of the person in 4th place.

  Press Report 26th March 2024  

Mar 262024
 

BRENTWOOD HALF MARATHON
Sunday 24 March

The 42nd 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 14 runners in the field of over 1800 starters and were headed by three runners running their first half marathon. 

Alex Richards had an excellent debut finishing 3rd  overall in 1 hr 09 mins 06 secs, less than a minute behind the winner. Tom Gardner came in 15th with 1 hr 14 mins 26 secs and was the second M40 to finish while Josh Adler finished 34th in 1hr 20mins 51 secs. 
Richard Woolterton just broke the 90 minute barrier with 1 hr 29mins 59 secs for 124th place. Joel Denning set a new personal best of 1 hr 31mins 44 secs for 154th. Steve Horsley was another running his first half marathon finishing in 1 hr 41 mins 09 secs.

Carlie Qirem was the best of the Ilford ladies in 341st overall and 32nd lady in 1 hr 39 mins 41 secs and was supported by Joanne Reeves in 524th  and 65th female in 1 hr 46mins 14 secs.

Terry Knightley was the 3rd M60 to finish on the day in a time of  1 hr 38 mins 15 secs
Dennis Briggs was next home, 34th in the M45 grouping in  1 hr 38 mins 14 secs closely followed by  Steve Chissell in  1 hr 39 mins 04 secs and  Tarik Qirem in  1 hr 40 mins and 25 secs.  Adam Coals in  1 hr 47 mins 45 secs and Steve Lacey in  1 hr 50 mins 38 secs completed the team on the day

Orion 15
Epping Forest
Saturday 23 March

Two Ilford runners Iain Wilson and Diarmuid MacDonnell , headed to the hills and mud of Epping Forest on Saturday 23rd March for the Legendary Orion 15 mile race.
This is a renowned race in the fixture list and famous for being a demanding course with lots of elevation and great stretches of mud as well as uneven trails in the Forest. The persistent rain in the previous weeks had left the course sodden and slippery which only made the course even harder although somewhat enjoyable too!
Iain led the pair home finishing 88th in 2 hrs 17 mins 05 secs with Diarmuid coming home in 97th place for a time of 2 hrs 20 mins 43 secs

Last Friday of the Month 5k
Hyde Park
Friday 22nd March 2024

The last Friday of the Month 5k, is held every month in London’s Hyde Park, and consists of 2 laps adjacent to the Serpentine Lido.
March’s race consisted of 2 Ilford runners Malcolm Muir and Anna Crawley.
Malcolm led the way in 20th position in a time of 17 mins 30 secs and placed 5th V45 on the day. Anna came home exactly 3 minutes later in 20 mins 30 secs to finish 84th on the day and 2nd Senior lady finisher

 

Coleraine Campus 5k
Ulster
Saturday 23 March

Ilford athlete John Crawley was one of 2 Ilford runners racing abroad this weekend.

The Coleraine Campus 5K takes place at The University of Ulster Coleraine Campus and consists of multiple laps on closed roads within the campus.
John, who now resides in Northern Ireland, has had limited training in the last few months after adjusting to life with a new baby, went into the race without high expectations other than a goal of getting under 19 minutes. After a fast start, John managed to overtake half a dozen runners on the final stretch to come home in 23rd place, in a field of 97 runners,  in a time of 18 mins 21 secs, which was only 4 seconds outside his personal best over the distance.

 

Bela Vista Super 6k Challenge
Brazil
Saturday 23 March

Tony Young was the second Ilford runner to race abroad this weekend, taking on the Bela Vista Super 6k Challenge, which is held in São Gonçalo, a municipality in Rio de Janeiro.
Held at 4pm, the heat was in the early 30’s which Tony found uncomfortable, but despite this he was pleased with his time of 32 mins 25 secs

  Press Report 19th March 2024  

Mar 192024
 

BMAF CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP
Corwen Wales
Saturday 16 March

The British Masters Cross Country Championship was held on a muddy course in Corwen in  North Wales. Ilford AC stalwart Andy Catton was Ilford ACs sole entrant running in the 6km M70 age category event. Andy finished in 33 mins 08 secs to finish 3rd and win the bronze medal, only losing out on second spot on the run into the finish.

ESSEX 20 MILE CHAMPIONSHIP
Carver Barracks, Saffron Walden
Sunday 17 March

The Essex 20 mile Championship was held on a flat fast 4 mile lap in light rain  around the former World War II airfield next to the Carver Barracks in North Essex. The race is over 5 laps and also features an inter-county match and open competitors.

Ilford Ac had three runners, all of who will be in the London Marathon next month, in action. Leading club member was Tarik Qirem running his first 20 mile race finishing in 2 hours 35 mins 29 secs to place 198th overall and 12th in the M45 group in the Essex Championship. Next over the line was Joanne Reeves  58th female in 2 hrs 42 mins 33 secs for 5th in the F45 category. Completing the Ilford squad was Mandy Reid with 3 hrs 18 mins 32 secs for 116th in the ladies event and 11th in the F50 category

5 Mile Open
Victoria Park
Saturday 16th March

Victoria park harriers held the annual Mike Penman 5 mile Open race  on Saturday.
Ilford AC sole representative in the senior race,  stalwart Tom Gardner, secured the Silver medal in a time of 26.37.
James Connor of Havering claimed first place clocking a time of 24.54.

Three U11 runners made their debuts over  a one mile course that saw all participants awarded medals but no times were provided.
Danielo Reina and Joshua Denning ran together  for most of the race before a fine sprint finish from Danielo saw him finish in 3rd place with Joshua in fourth.
Also making her Ilford debut was D.L. Akande, who ran a fine race to finish in 7th position. 

In the  U13 Boys race, Barney Perkins ran a very competitive race  over the 2.6km distance to finish in a time 15.53 to claim the Silver medal.
Next home was the ever improving Elias Furreedan who despite a fast finish just missed out on the medals finishing 4th in 17.31. Debutant Yori Lauder backed up his U13B teammates with 12th position clocking a time of 22.29
Closing the  team was Daniel Guiba, who despite suffering stomach pains battled to finish in a  time of 25.40

In the Under 15 boys race  Jayden McDermott produced a fine run to earn a Silver medal  in a time of 19.05 and was followed by teammate Ethan Guiba who claimed Bronze in a time of 24.54.

For the Under 15 girls race Diya Kaur claimed Gold in an impressive time of 20:30

In the U17W race Leila Lauder ran a fine PB of 17.43 to win the Gold medal 

A good day for Ilford’s youngsters particularly those making their debuts.

  Press Report 12th March 2024  

Mar 122024
 

Inter Counties Cross Country

On the anniversary of his first Ilford AC appearance Sam Horsley made his way to the midlands to represent Essex in the annual cross country competition. Sam qualified for the county by finishing in third place in the county cross championships.

On a blustery day on a tough course Sam had a strong start and held on to finish in 22nd in a very strong field. This race includes representation from the whole of British Isles so is a fantastic performance

Sam has had a really strong year showing the benefit of consistent training, a positive approach and excellent coaching from the club. We look forward to his progress as he moves up an age group in April.

 

CHINGFORD LEAGUE RELAYS
Wanstead Flats
Saturday 9 March

The final fixture of the winter’s Chingford League was the cross-country relays held on Wanstead Flats. This a 4 x 2 miles relay on a flat course around the Flats, popular with the clubs and well attended.
This year there were around a 100 teams from the 22 club league in action

Ilford AC entered three ladies teams along with three mens plus one incomplete men’s team. Both the ladies and mens teams were placed third in division 2 before the race and were looking to move up into one of the promotion spots to the top league

Leading off for the Ilford ladies A team was Jordan Hinds who ran a good leg to put the team in the lead in the lower tier race. This spot was maintained by the rest of the squad; Leila Lauder, Anna Crawley and Carlie Qirem as they ran to victory in 55 mins 32 secs in the Div 2 match and placed 7th overall female team.
As they scored maximum points in the race and promotion rivals Mornington Chasers failed to finish a team they moved up to to second and will compete in in division one next year.

The Ilford ladies B team of Pauline Tester, Diya Kaur, Joanne Reeves and Alison Sale placed 60th overall in 63 mins 14 secs, while the C team of Julia Galea, Launa Broadley, Frieda Keane and Dianne Crisp were 89th in 75 mins 46 secs

The Ilford mens A team was composed of runners from the clubs middle distance squad and were led home by James Thake who handed onto Aron Berhe in third spot in the second division match. This placing was maintained by the remaining members of the team; Ryder Islam and Samuel Crane to finish in 46 mins 43 mins for  7th in the overall race.
Despite a good result of third in their division race this team did not secure the points necessary to gain a promotion placing and will be among the favourites to win the lower tier next season

The Ilford B  team of  Ronan Edwards, Josh Adler, Neil Crisp and Joel Denning finished 13th with 49 mins 24 secs and  the C team of Tarik Qirem, Luke Thake, Steve Chissell and Steve Crane recorded 58 mins 08 specs for 39th in the event.
The club also fielded an incomplete D team of Jim Tilbrook, Rob Sargent and Andy Catton.

Many of the clubs development team had stepped up a level to compete for the Senior teams on the day, but the club did put out an U11/13 team for the 4 x 2k race earlier in the day.

Daniel Guiba, Khalif Ali, Elias Furreedan and Barney Perkins ran a cumulative time of 35:53 to finish in an excellent 4th spot.
Following the races, awards were given out based on the season’s performances and the biggest cheer of the day was for Ilfords Barney Perkins who was the No 1 U13 boy for the season.

  Press Report 5th March 2024  

Mar 052024
 

ROAD

Tokyo Marathon
Sunday 3 March

Two runners from Ilford Ac ventured east to take part in the Tokyo Marathon, the first marathon major of the year. The race was a field of over 26000 and was run around the city centre on basically a flat course with a slight downhill in the first 5km. The race was won by Benson Kipruto of Kenyan in a course record of 2 hrs 2 mins 16 secs.

Nick West was the first of the Ilford duo to finish in a new personal best of 4 hours 09 mins 41 secs after reaching halfway in 1 hr 59 mins.
Stephen Parker passed halfway in 2 hours and 9 mins to finish in 4 hours 56 mins 10 secs.


Leicester 10km
Sunday 3 March

Nearer to home Ilford Endurance Coach Rob Sargent took part in the Leicester 10km on a chilly Midlands morning. The course runs from the city centre up to the grounds of the University of Leicester and Victoria Park on a basically fast but twisty course with a couple of hills to keep it interesting.
Rob came home in 650th in a field of around 1000 in 60 mins 25 secs.

Cambridge Half Marathon
Sunday 3rd March

The Cambridge Half Marathon is one of the biggest in the South of England with over 15,000 runners running a stunning course which takes runners through the grounds of 4 of Cambridge’s colleges, St Johns, Trinity, Kings and Jesus.
Jack Nixon was first Ilford runner home in a time of 67 mins 39 seconds for 17th place and 2nd in the M35 Category.
Malcolm Muir ran his best time since 2017 to finish in an impressive 76 mins 58 seconds for 211th place and 12th in the M45 Category

INDOORS

Essex and Eastern Counties Championships
Lee Valley Athletics Arena
2nd – 3rd March

Ilford AC sent a strong team of 32 athletes to the annual Essex and Eastern Counties held over two days at the Lee Valley Athletics Arena. The team included many youngsters having their first taste of indoor competition along with many seasoned senior and veteran athletes.
A total of 15 medals were won, four gold, four silver and seven bronze.

In the under 13 boys 60m Elijah Muirhead and Andre Mullings-Roache both achieved personal bests of 8.81 and 9.09 respectively, both narrowly missing out on the semi-finals. In the girls 60 m Nayla Mills-Ugoh also set a new best of 9:07 again just missing out on the next round.

The Under 15 boys had a very successful weekend with 2 fantastic medals, the first county medals for the development group.
Jaydan Roberts-Edwards in the 60m set personal records in every round and equalled his best of 7.48 in the final for a fantastic bronze medal. He returned the next day in the 200m and set another personal best of 24.70 but just missed the final. He was well supported by training partner Damien Amaniampong who set new bests of 24.89 for 200m and 7.66 for the 60m in the semi-finals of both competitions. Third member of the group Justice Okereke set a 200m best of 24.77 in the 200m heats but was unfortunately disqualified in the semi-final. The day before he gained the club first medal of the weekend in the long jump with a fantastic PB jump of 5:51 for the silver medal.
Luke Thake unfortunately suffered disqualification also in the 300m but looked strong and rightly looks forward to the outdoor season.
Both Jayden and Justice Performances place them currently in the top 20 in the country for 2024 and Damien in the top 50, showing the standard of competition on show.

Jasmine Shaer (8.95) and Kenina Nkrumah (9.07) both gained personal bests and great indoor experience in the u15 girls 60m.
For the under 17 girls, captain Stacey Amaniampong set a new best of 8.67 to reach the semi-finals in the 60m and a new indoor best of 29.50 in the 200m heats. Adaeze Oyem just missed the semi-finals in the 60m but was pleased with her new best time of 8.96.

James Thake came into the 800m with high hopes of a first individual Essex medal. After a strong heat he duly delivered coming 3rd in the final in a time of 2.06.09. Three sprinters contested both the 60m and 200m in this age group and all achieved new best times. Joshua Babalola, making his club debut, reached the semi-final of the 60m in a time of 7.62 and ran 25.31 in the 200m. Jaskirat Singh ran 7.91 in the 60m and 25.49 in the 200m both best times, Jayden-Kyle McDermott also achieved bests in 60m (8.13) and the 200m 27.33.
Finally for u17 four men raced the Essex 1500, Sam Horsley (4th), Samuel Crane (5th), Aron Berhe (7th) and Ryder Islam (8th). Sam’s time of 4.21.05 was a new PB and he looks forward to representing Essex in the cross country in the next 2 weeks.

Oliver Blainey has previously won many medals at the event and returned this year with a strong silver medal in the u20 400m (52.16) and a new PB in 60m (7.29) to make the final.

For the senior event the highlight was double middle distance gold by Alex Richards. His 1500m win of 4.12.37 was made even more impressive by the fact that it followed his 800m win (1.55.66) only 30 minutes before.
In the 800m Dylan Harrod came 4th in 2.04.59 and in the 1500m
Tom Gardner returned from injury to claim a bronze in 4.22.85. Rhys Edwards came 5th in the 1500m in a time of 4.31.15 a good return to form and he also showed his versatility in the triple jump gaining a brilliant Essex bronze with a jump of 11.01. Jordan Duncan represented the club in the sprints and progressed well through the 60m rounds finishing the final with a great bronze medal in a time of 7:20. Jordan unfortunately pulled up in the 200m the next day

Jordan Hinds is another athlete with a strong record in this event. After a winter of road and cross country she showed a return to form with a solid silver in the senior 800m in a time of 2.25.87. Ellie Wright, like Jordan, has grown up with the club and ran brilliantly in the 60m to gain a bronze medal in 7.95. She was supported by training partners Toyin Olufemi (8.25) sixth in the final and Aleena Lawrence (8.56) who went out in the heats.

There were selected events for veterans also at the championships and Club legend Krystle Balogun delivered as always with double gold in the 60m (8.36) and 300m (44.11).
All-rounder Akwasi  Nkrumah claimed a bronze in the 60m in 8.19 and a silver in the 300m in 43.05. Finally Steve Chissell came 8th in the 1500m in a new PB of 5.37.98.

Credit to the athletes and their coaches for a strong set of results after a long winter and hard training.