Press Report 31st December 2024  

Dec 302024
 

Ilford AC’s 101st year concluded with 2 of the clubs longest running(excuse the pun) events, the Boxing day handicap which is 15 years old, and the 10m Cross Country Championships which has been part of the clubs running calendar since the early 1950’s

Ilford AC Boxing Day Handicap
Hainault Forest
26th December 2023

A field of 20 runners brushed off the Turkey and Christmas hangover to toe the line for the 15th 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 which traditionally takes place a few days later
Each runner is given a handicap based on their previous form over the year.

This year’s winner was Shahnaj Begum who ran the course in 32:55 off of a scratch handicap.
Billy Green was next home in 33:46 (4 min handicap) followed by Barney Perkins in 33:50 (11 min handicap)

The actual fastest times on the day, handicap excluded, were Josh Adler 20.45, Samuel Crane 20.51 and Stephen Philcox 22.12.

Other runners on the day (actual times) were Rhys Edwards 22:37, Gary Coombes 23:24, Alfie Hick 23:35, Danny Holeyman 23:50, Jordan Hinds 25:11, George Hick 27:07, Steve Crane 27:24, Mathew Hick 27:25, Jim Tilbrook 28:52, Charlie Hick 30:15, Rachel Halpin 33:15, Diane Crisp 34:16, and Julia Galea 36:50


ILFORD CLEAN UP IN THE MUD

Ilford AC 10 Mile Cross Country Championship
Hainault Forest
December 28th 2023

On Saturday 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.

First home for the club was Josh Adler, claiming first Senior Male prize in 63:55
In 5th place, claiming 1st VM50 was Stephen Philcox in 68:44.
There then followed the remaining 5 Ilford men in very close proximity:-
Christopher King 14th 73:37, Richard Woolterton 15th 74:21, Bradley Brown 17th 78:14, Diarmuid MacDonnell 18th 78:56 and Steve Chissell 19th 79:11
Steve Chissell’s time gained him 1st place in the VM60 grouping.

Josh, Stephen and Christopher made up the men’s team which finished 2nd on the day.

In the ladies race, Alison Sale led the team of 3 home in 6th place with a time of 91:42.
Alison was followed home by Pauline Tester who was 9th female finisher in a time of 95:37, which also gave her 1st place in the FV60 grouping.
Completing the team was Shahnaj Begum, 12th female finisher in a time of 102:58

The 3 ladies combined to finish first female team on the day.

With the race being Ilfords own Championship, medals were awarded to Ilford athletes in all categories.

Winners were :- 

Senior Men Gold Josh Adler, Silver Christopher King
V50 Men Gold Stephen Philcox, Silver Richard Woolterton, Bronze Bradley Brown
V60 Men Gold Stephen Chissell

V40 Ladies Gold Shahnaj Begum
V50 Ladies Gold Alison Sale
V60 Ladies Gold Pauline Tester

 

Of course this event wouldn’t have been possible without the help of all the marshals, organisers and scorers, all of whom were club members, many traveling many miles to offer their support and help to the club.

  Press Report 23rd December 2024  

Dec 232024
 
Ware Cup
Loughton

SENIORS

The Annual Ware Cup, hosted by Loughton AC was held at Roding Valley Recreation ground last Saturday. Following recent heavy rainfall the 7.8k course was very wet and muddy, and in some areas runners were running through puddles almost knee deep.
Despite the conditions Ilford AC had 5 athletes battling the course on the day.

In the ladies race Alison Sale led the team of 2 home in 15th position with a time of 41 mins 01 secs. Frieda Keane then came home in 34th position in 51:13, a time which also gained her 3rd place in her age grouping

The ladies finished in 6th position on the day.

In the men’s race, Seb Parris led the team of 3 home in 18th place with a great run in the conditions in 32 mins 46 secs.Joel Dennis was next home in 27th place for 33 mins 57 secs
The team was completed by Edward Skinner in 79th place in a time of 46 mins 32 secs.

The men’s team also placed 6th position on the day

JUNIORS

Ilford AC had a junior team of 9 athletes who battled the difficult conditions to produce some fine performances for their Club

The Under 11’s ran 1.5k, the U15’s 5k

The U11 Boys team saw Danilo Reina produce another strong run finishing in 4th place to continue his ongoing improvement. Reina was followed home by teammate Joshua Denning who produced a fine run in 13th place timed at 8.38m Aydan Jeeachee contributed to the team with a determined run of 12.28m in 15th place.

Talented U13runner Khalif Ali had to pull out before the start of the U13 Boys race leaving ever reliable teammate Elias Furreedan to lead the team home with another great run of 8.06m in 5th place  Elias was ably supported by teammates Daniel Guiba and Zayn Jeeachee finishing in 7th and 11th places respectively recording 8.49m and 10.55m .

Sole U13G was the ever consistent Iris Wan who yet again produced another solid run of 8.52m to secure 5th place

Ilford’s U15Boys were the star turns on the testing course with a great victory for Fabio Reina in an impressive time of 21.24m  42 seconds in front of second place. Stephen Amoli produced his best performance for Ilford AC finishing in 5th place recording 29.19m Consistent Ethan Guiba closed the team in 6th with a time of 29.36m. 

Despite being hit by illness and late withdrawals , Ilford’s Juniors managed to produce some great performances and are really enjoying the rewards from all of their hard training


CHINGFORD LEAGUE 5km
Olympic Velodrome

SENIORS

The latest round of the Chingford League was held over 3 laps of the fast cycle track at the Olympic Velodrome in Stratford.

In the men’s race Ilford Ac fielded 11 runners in their division 2 match.
The team were led by a fast run from Ronan Edwards, who is still in the under 20 category, who finished 4th in a new personal best of 15 mins 54 secs. Next home in 20th spot was Sam Rahman with a time of 18 mins 02 secs with Richard Morris finishing 23rd with 18 mins 36 secs. Dan Holeyman placed 27th in 19mins 02 secs and Richard Woolterton recorded 19 mins 26 secs for 30th. Steve Chissell closed the team in 49th with 21 mins 09 secs. 
In the match the Ilford team were 4th but remain top of the table as they push for promotion to the top tier.

Jim Tilbrook, who is in good form at present, also recorded a personal best of 22 mins 25 secs in 56th place

Also in action were:- Bradley Brown (51st  21.32)  Steve Lacey (55th 22.16)  Steve Crane (58th  22.43) Tony Young (68th  24.14)

The Ilford ladies race in division 1 and in this match only managed to field a squad of 3.
Alison Sale led the way with 41st spot in 23 mins 24 secs, while Pauline Tester came home 65th with 24 mins 48 secs and Shahnaj Begum placed 88th in 26 mins 14secs.

In their match they were 8th and are in the same position in the league and have a hard fight ahead to avoid relegation to the second division

JUNIORS

Ilford AC entered a team of 14 Junior athletes spread over four separate races 

U11 Boys saw Danilo Reina and Ewan McKinstry continuing their great head to head competition with Danilo Reina finishing in 8th place recording a great time of 8.35m followed home by teammate Ewan McKinstry in 14th place with another terrific time of 8.48m over the 2k distance

Our sole U11G competitor was debutant Georgia Broom who ran a very competitive race in 10.14m to seal 12th place against much older athletes , a really promising debut for her.

For the U13 boys Khalif Ali continues to produce outstanding performances on very little training finishing in 5th place recording a very impressive 7.57m, again over the 2k distance. Ever improving Caleb Singleton impressed again in 8th place recording 8.21m, another great run from him. Elias Furreedan continued his current good form supporting his teammates in 13th position with an impressive 8.38m continuing his successful season. Daniel Guiba closed the team with a typically determined run to finish in 15th place and a time of 10.16m.

Ilford’s trio of U13 girls continued their ongoing improvement with really good performances in the cold, blustery conditions.
D.L Majen-Akande led the team home in 11th place in 9.44m narrowly pipping teammate Iris Wan who was 13th in a time of 9.48m. Alicia Adams continued her ever improving form in 28th place clocking 10.41m

2 outstanding performances from U1 5Boys Fabio Reina and Barney Perkins saw them finish in 3rd and 4th places respectively over their 5k course.
Reina , making his Ilford AC debut ran a strong consistent race to finish in a time of 18.48m, closely followed by fast finishing teammate Barney Perkins who recorded 19.05m. Barney’s fine run keeps him top of the Series leaderboard with 2 races remaining. Ethan Guiba produced another fine, strong race securing 18th place and a time of 23.52m

U17 runners Ryder Islam and Leila Lauder both had strong runs in their respective races with Ryder recording 19.35m securing 12th place.

Leila produced her best run yet for Ilford AC finishing strongly in 2nd place and a massive personal best performance of 20.50m

  Press Report 17th December 2024  

Dec 172024
 

ESSEX MASTERS CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP
Epping Forest

The Essex Cross-Country Championships for Masters Athletes, runners over 40, was held in Epping Forest near Chingford. The event was over a very wet and muddy 2 lap course of 8km. Ilford AC had 19 entrants across the age categories and won 3 individual and 3 team medals.

The first race was for all men over 50 and the Ilford team were led home by Fabrizio Stefanoni in an excellent 5th overall and 4th place in the M50-54 group  in a time of 32 minutes 30 seconds. 

Next home was Steve Philcox who continued his good form on the cross-country with 7th place overall and 2nd in the M55-59 category with 32 minutes 40 seconds to claim a Silver medal. 

Also racing in the M55 group were Berekhet Berakhy in 6th (33.09) Malcolm Muir 8th (34.03) and Dan Holeyman 14th (35.20). 

Jim Tilbrook who shows improved form with very race came home 36th in the M55 event

The team awards are in ten year bands and in the M50-59 Ilford took Gold with Stefanoni, Steve Philcox, Berekhet Berakhy and Malcolm Muir.

In the M60-64  race Dave Thomas had a good run to lead the Ilford squad in 4th place  in 35 mins 52 secs with Neil Crisp one place behind with 36 mins 27 secs. 

Next in was Terry Knightley in 7th recording 37 mins 28 secs and Steve Chissell completed the team in 8th in 37 mins 32 secs. 

In the M60-69 team results Ilford were 2nd and Dave, Neil, Terry and Steve took home the Silver medals

Alan Pearl placed 5th in the M65 race in 40 mins 04 secs and Andy Catton added another county medal to his collection with a Bronze for 3rd spot in the M70+ event with 42 mins 14 secs.

In the ladies race Alison Sale came home a creditable 5th in the F55-59 group in 43 mins 05 secs. 

In the F60s championship Pauline Tester, who has had a good year of results, came home 3rd to take the Bronze medal with 45 mins 42 secs. She was supported by Dianne Crisp in 9th (51.58) and Frieda Keane 13th (56.07).
Bev Thomas was 7th in the F65 category in 59 mins 45 secs.

Pauline, Dianne, Frieda and Bev combined In the F60-69 team, and Ilford were again on the rostrum taking the Silver Essex medals.

There were only two Ilford runners in the M40-49 race. Seb Parris placed 19th (34.55) in the M40-45 group and in the M45-49 category Joel Denning came home 27th (40.16)


Chase The Moon
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

On Wednesday night Run-through held its monthly ‘Chase the moon’ event over Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

There were 2 races, over 5k and 10k with Ilford AC being represented with 3 runners.

In the 5k event Gemme Ellender came home in 20:57 which gained her 2nd place in her age grouping and a PB over the distance.

Gemma was followed home by Joanne Reeves in 23:41 which placed her first in her age grouping.

In the 10k event Anna Crawley placed 3rd in her age grouping in a time of 42:56

Southend 5 Mile Road Rudolph Run

On Sunday a Trio of Ilford AC Members joined over 618 athletes, mostly dressed festively as Elves and Santa’s, to compete in the Annual Southend Rudolph 5 Miles Road Race along a windy seafront course.

The First Runner from the club to finish was Terry Knightley in a season’s best 32 Minutes and 55 seconds for 18th position and winning the First Male Veteran over 60 prize.
Knightley Won this race outright in the first ever edition of the race back in 2011.

This was the day after winning his 87th Essex County Medal at The Essex Veterans Cross-Country Championships. 

Following him home was Gemma Ellender in 32nd Position in 35 Minutes and 6 seconds placing her first in the Female Veteran Over 35 prize. It was also a PB over the distance, making it her second PB of the week

Next In was Kim Baxter in 58 Minutes and 18 seconds for 517th place and 6th Female Veteran over 65.

All finishers received a Yuletide Themed Medal that can be hung on a Christmas Tree as a decoration.

London 10k
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

Another athlete running for the second time over the weekend was Frieda Keane who ran a solid 1 hr 40 seconds to place 17th in her age grouping.
Backing up Frieda was Shahnaj Begum who came home just after, in a time of 1 hr 1 min 27 seconds

  Press Report 10th December 2024  

Dec 102024
 

BRITISH MASTERS 5 km CHAMPIONSHIP

Battersea Park 

The British Masters 5 km Championship was held over the fast flat Battersea Park course for the 3rd consecutive year. On a cloudy damp morning Ilford AC had 8 competitors in action in a field of over 225.

The race was won by Adam Baker of Leeds City in 15 minutes exactly, with Sam Rahman leading the Ilford Challenge in 53rd spot with 17 mins 31 secs.
Joel Denning came home 110th in 19 mins 20 secs, just 1 second off his personal best for the distance. Dave Thomas placed 123rd with 19 mins 52 secs and Andy Catton was 6th in the M70 category recording 23 mins 04 secs in 182nd overall Rob Sargent completed the men’s team for the club in 220th .

Pauline Tester led the Ilford Ladies home in 199th overall and 1th in the F60 group in 24 mins 28 secs while Bev Thomas was 6th in the F65 category and 213th with 28 mins 18 secs on her return from injury. Launa Broadley completed the team with 30 mins 15 secs and 10th in the F55 grouping.  The ladies combined in the F55-64 category in the team event and took home the silver medals.