Press Report 7th December 2020  

Dec 072020
 
Chingford League
Redbridge Cycle Track
Sunday 6th December.
.

The Chingford League continues to pull out all the stops to get races on during these difficult times and on Sunday, for the second time this season they got a permit to race, this time at the Redbridge cycle track.

Races look a little different at the moment with a series of smaller socially distanced races taking part over the course of an afternoon and results being collated late into the night by the hard working organisers.
Despite challenging hills and cold wet weather the 26 Ilford AC athletes who took on the challenging 5k course on Sunday all enjoyed themselves in the first race of the day at noon.

Alex Richards led from gun to tape and despite taking the field on a longer course due to a wrong turn (3.26 miles) he produced a winning time of 16.51 closely followed by Tom Gardner in 17.00 minutes.
Rhys Edwards ran a great race finishing 3rd Ilford athlete in a time of 17.45.
First female was Sameena Ahmed in 21.21 very closely followed by Jordan Hinds in 21.44.

Full list of runners and times:- 

Alex Richards 16.51
Tom Gardner 17.00
Ryhs Edwards 17.45
Gary Coombes 18.02
Paul Holloway 18.21
Sam Rahman   19.05
Dan Holeyman 19.02
Steve Philcox  19.10
Haydn Newland 19.58
Diarmuid  McDonnell  20.11
Terry Knightley 21.03
Sameena Ahmed  21.19
Jordan Hinds  22.46
Tony Young   22.37
Anna Crawley  23.07
Breege Nordin  23.14
Andy Catton  24.00
Alison Sale  24.50
Gaye Young  25.05
Steve Cheal  25.28
Rob Sargent 26.29
Julia Galea  28.31
Bradley Brown  28.47
Frieda Keane  29.48
Pramila Munro  30.00
Kim Baxter  33.53

 

 

  Press Report 10th November 2020  

Nov 092020
 

ILFORD ONE MILE HANDICAP

Saturday was supposed to be the 3rd in the Winter series of Ilford Handicap races, however tighter Government restrictions meant that the 1 mile handicap had to be held virtually.

Fifteen athletes took part with each runner given an undisclosed Handicap.

The handicap calculations worked well with the winner Lovedip Dhaliwal finishing in a combined time of 14:50 just one second ahead of Sharon Honey, Frieda Keane and Adam Coals on 14:51.

Fastest actual time on the day was Steve Philcox on 5:25, followed by Phil Davies on 5:50 and Anna Crawley on 6:10. Third male home was Cliff Warren on 6:13 and second and third females were Breege Nordin in 6:35  and Alison Sale / Gaye Young who both finished in 7:08

Handicap time / handicap (in brackets) / actual time as follows…

Lovedip Dhaliwal 14:50 (6.00) 08:50
Frieda Keane 14.51 (6.00) 08.51
Sharon Honey 14:51 (6.30) 08.21
Adam Coals 14:51 (8:30) 06:21
Anna Crawley 14:55 (8:45) 06.10
Julie Gillender 14:56 (5.00) 09:56
Cliff Warren 14:58 (8.45) 06:13
Phil Davies 15.05 (9:15) 05:50
Steve Philcox 15:10 (9:45) 05:25
Breege Nordin 15:20 (8.45) 06:35
Gaye Young 15.23 (8:15) 07.08
Carol Muir 15:25 (7.00) 08.25
Anthony Perkins 15.36 (0.00) 15.36
Alison Sale 15:38 (8.30) 07.08
Gary Smith 15.44 (3.30) 12.14

VITALITY LONDON 10K
Back in May Ilford were due to send eight athletes to Green Park in London for the Vitality 10k run. The race was postponed until September then cancelled and organised as a virtual event.
The Ilford contingent swapped Green Park for Valentines Park in Ilford and run the 10k virtually.

First home was Dennis Briggs in a time of 46:51 with the much improved Alison Sale coming in 2nd place and first female in a time of 53:!2. Remaining runners were Mandy Ried 55.29, Lovedip Dhaliwal 59.07, Billy Green 59.50, Sharon Honey 60.00, Frieda Keane 62.45 and Jimmy Huddart 63:11

 

 

 

  Press Report 3rd November 2020  

Nov 032020
 

EUROPEAN MASTERS ROAD RUNNING CHAMPIONSHIP
Funchal, Madeira
29-31 October 2020

The European Masters Road Running Championships took place in Funchal on the Island of Madeira in sunny conditions. The Championships were postponed from March due to Coronavirus and the restaging was with a reduced attendance than is normal for these championships. The British team totalled just over 30 instead the normal of around 150. The event did attract a good quality field which included the 1995 World Marathon Champion Martin Fiz of Spain who won the M55 half marathon title here.

The first event was the 10km road race which was staged on a two lap course along the seafront and around the town with  a start time of 8.30pm.. Ilford AC  second claim member Edward Skinner ran in the M60 age category reaching half way in 27mins 23 secs and running steadily came home in 54 mins 19 secs in 106th overall and 18th in his group. As team numbers were reduced Edward was moved down to the M40 team which claimed the bronze team medal  in that category. It was Skinner’s first international medal.

The half marathon start  was at 4 o’clock on Sunday afternoon and was over a challenging course.  Rob Sargent from Ilford AC ran in the M65 age category  and found the first two 7km laps over the undulating clifftops very tough and at 10km had a time of 58 mins 52 secs.  The race then dropped down  a steep gradient for two shorter laps along the seafront. Rob came in at 2hrs 5 mins 16 secs for 76th overall and 8th in the M65 grouping. Sargent ran in the M55 British team who just missed out on the medals in 4th spot

BFTTA Open Academy Track
Dagenham
31st October  

An afternoon of PB’s

Some of Ilford’s  young athletes had one more track race before the short lived season came to an end, and with blustery wind good times were not expected and even more bizarrely the meeting was almost over after 3 events as the track had been double booked. 

Joseph Grange decided to have a go at the 3000m, it was a steady start and Joseph was in the middle of the field, as the race progressed he was running consistent laps and moving his way through the field and eventually ended up in 3rd place in a time 10.01.93. A pb by 6 seconds and his third pb of this season. 

Rhys Edwards who has recently joined us from Woodford went in the 1500m, Rhys is in the middle of a heavy exam schedule and therefore missed a bit of training. He had planned out his race tactics in the morning and got them spot to finish in 5th place in a time of 4.22.81, a pb by 2 seconds.

Finally Jordan Hinds also ran in the 1500, and after a good months training was in shape for a good run. The initial pace was very quick and Jordan hung back slightly, at half way she was spot on her race plan. The wind seemed to get even stronger during the second part of her race, and she slightly off her 5 minute schedule, but still finished in an excellent 5.03.28, knocking 6 seconds off her previous best.  

SCVAC 10k Championships
Beckley, Nr Rye
1st November 2020

Former England International Andy Catton headed down to deepest Sussex to a little village called Beckley (near Rye) for the SCVAC Champs this weekend, his first race since November last year due to injury and CoronaVirus.

The course was hilly and the wind and rain were relentless with Andy describing the race as one of the toughest 10k races he had ever done.
Keeping up with the leading pack at 5k Andy turned an ankle over in a puddle with a hidden pothole which set him back a little, but he regained composure to keep up the 5m/km pace to finish in exactly 50 minutes which placed him just outside the medals, finishing 4th M65

Gravesend Floodlit 5k

Trevor Robinson competed in the 1st race of the Gravesend Floodlit 5k series last Friday and was pleased with his time of 23:51

  Press Report 26th October 2020  

Oct 262020
 

CHINGFORD LEAGUE
Epping Forest
Saturday 24 October

The first match of this winter’s Chingford League took place in Epping Forest on Saturday and was run under the Covid regulations. This necessitated that the men and women ran in separate races and the races were started in 12 separate waves, with each wave racing one minute after the previous.

Ilford AC competed in the league for the first time and therefore both men and ladies were competing in division 2. The club entered a large team and were rewarded with good results. It was the first time that most had raced since March.

The women’s squad were headed home by Amy-Louise Bird in 24th spot with 37 mins 44 secs for the 2 lap 5.2 mile course. Supporting her were Anna Crawley in 36th with 39 mins 49 secs and Carlie Qirem in 40 mins 08 secs for 39th. Next up were Bree Nordin placing 41st in 40 mins 27 seconds, while Alison Sale finished 54th in 41 mins 57 secs, breaking her 5m pb in the process. Completing the scorers was Gaye Young with a time of 43 mins 20 secs. It was a successful debut for the club in the league as the ladies finished 6th overall and top of the division 2 rankings.

Also running for the club were Mandy Reid (103  48.02)  Julia Galea (109 48.48)  Frieda Keane (118 50.08)  Pramilla Monro (119 50.36) Sharon Honey (121  51.15) and Launa Broadley (123 51.37). There were 130 finishers

 

The mens race featured a strong field and first home for the Ilford team was Gary Coombes in 23rd with 31 mins 12 secs for the 5.2 mile course. Next home were Paul Holloway in 31st with 31.44 and Sam Rahman with 32 mins 31 secs for 37th. Danny Holeyman placed 56th with 33.13 secs and Steve Philcox was 2 places and 11 seconds behind. Closing the scorers was John Crawley in 75th in a time of 34 mins 59 secs. The team were 7th overall and second in the division 2 match behind Woodford Green AC

Also in action were Terry Knightley (89  36.05)  Jim Tilbrook (145  41.31)  Steve Cheal  (150 42.52) Trevor Robinson (153 43:32)  Rob Sargent (155  44.06)  Bradley Brown (166  47.11)  and Sparra Everingham (171  50.34) There were 175 finishers

 

RUN TRACK SERIES
Hexham
Sunday 25 October

Tony Young returned to his native North East at the weekend and took part in a 3000m track race at Hexham. He ran a hard race to finish 6th in his heat in a personal best time of 12 mins 57.7 secs.

  Press Report 20th October 2020  

Oct 192020
 
Woodchurch 5 Mile Road Race
Sunday 18th October 2020

With races in short supply at the present time, two intrepid Ilford AC athletes travelled to a small village near Tunbridge Wells in Kent for the second running of The Woodchurch 5 Miles Road Race.

With a Covid friendly wave start involving a maximum number of 12 runners setting off to run in 5 minute intervals, and Competing against 137 other runners over an unbelievably Hilly course around the village of Woodchurch, Terry Knightley won The Male Veteran Over 60 Category finishing in 23rd place overall in 34 Minutes and 11 seconds. Following him in 129th place and 2nd in the Female Veteran Over 60 position was Kim Baxter finishing in 56 Minutes and 57 Seconds.