Ilford Back on track
Ilford AC Athletes are still scrambling about trying to find track races before Winter sets in
6th September Newham Sprints Meeting
Wanya Williams and Efe Adjarho both ran 100m races, once again the conditions were very windy a certain times of the day. Wanya ran a wind assisted 11.57 and a legal 11.83, Efe managed 13.54.
10th September Open Meeting Harrow
Four athletes made the long journey across to Harrow and they were all rewarded with personal best times for 3000m. Danny Holeyman ran 10.36.73 knocking 2 seconds off his best. Joseph Grange ran really to knock 55 seconds off his best with a time of 10.07.45. Inspired by his dad Ryan Holeyman knocked off even more than Joseph with 66 second improvement and a fantastic time of 9.47.32. Running in the final race of the night Ahmed Abdulle placed 5th in a high quality race in a time of 8.24.87, a pb by 5 seconds
10th September Open Meeting Aldershot
Whilst Joseph went to Harrow, Paul and Jak mad the equally long journey to Aldershot for a meeting purely of 1500m races. Jak was off first and after a slow start, he went to the front and led for most of the race, to be just piped in the last 100m, but was rewarded with a new pb of 4.10.2. Paul who has been concentrating on 800m so far this summer stepped up to the 1500m and set his second vets club record of season with fantastic time of 3.58.9.
12th September Open Meeting Mayesbrook
The sprinters were back in action again and the for the third meeting in a row there were wind issues. In the 100m U15 Rhys Ofori ran 11.37 with the wind slightly over the legal limit. Highlight of the 100m was a superb clocking of 10.88 by Abdulhakim Mohamed, his time was the 9th fastest ever by an Ilford athlete.
On to the 200m where both Findunu Abidekun and Wanya Williams both set personal bests, Wanya’s time was 23.60 and Findunu a flying 22.37. Findunu’s time was the third fastest ever by an Ilford U17 athlete. Fresh from picking up multiple trophies at the club awards night Krystle Balogun was back on the track and ran a seasons best time of 27.12
13th September Open Meeting Dartford
Jordan Hinds made the journey across to Dartford to race on their lovely Royal Blue track. She finished second in her race in a time of 2.23, which is her fastest time for 2 years and reward for all her recent hard training.
Orion 5.2 Forest run
Chingford
12th September 2020
Virtual Boston Marathon
London
12th September 2020
Many thanks to Diarmuid for supplying his own, very enjoyable, race report….
Diarmuid MacDonnell First ‘Boston (virtual)
12 September 2020
08:00
Being the only participant on the start line in South Park didn’t quite have the same pre race buzz as a 40000 mass start.
It was a bit more intimate with Andy holding the START sign and Alex firing her virtual pistol. Many thanks, Andy for turning up and taking care of my bike.
The first K was around the park before heading out onto the road and down towards the A13. The good thing about the A13 is there is a cycle path to run on and there are good long uninterrupted stretches. The bad thing is its a very loud and busy dual carriageway, not very scenic and has some awkward junctions. I was lucky with the junctions, managing to cross without having to stop while Alex was doing her best to keep up! The weather conditions were ideal and the legs felt good. The first 10K were slightly quicker than planned.
The second 10K brought us past Canning Town, Poplar, Limehouse, the cobblestones of Wapping and up to Tower Bridge. The quiet streets and Thames Path gave us serious aural relief. I could hear myself think and more importantly Alex could hear my instructions. Going over Tower Bridge brought me past halfway in just over 1 hour 41 mins. I was still feeling quite good but the legs weren’t as fresh as I was hoping so I stayed on the same pace along Bankside and up to Southbank while my official photographer was doing a valiant job taking some good shots while steering a bike and handing out water and fuel! A job on the Tourde France beckons for an incredible multitasker! It was beautiful running along by the Thames without the throngs and the city looked majestic in the morning sun. We progressed past Lambeth and Vauxhall to Battersea Park which again brought calm and nice long tree–lined roads and paths. I went past the 20 mile mark there and the body was feeling the effort. Alex‘s efforts to lighten the mood with some friendly jokes probably didnt get the response she was expecting! (But they were really good jokes!) We left the park with about 7 K to go.
The route brought us over Albert Bridge and then back along the river by Chelsea, past the Houses of Parliament to the finish on Birdcage Walk. The last 5K actually felt quite good for the end of a marathon. I had maintained an even pace, the legs were still striding and it felt good to be able to enjoy running up Birdcage Walk with the sunlight shining through the trees. Life was good. I stopped the clock under the Queens gaze.3.22 and change for even splits, which for a solo effort I was very happy with. Recovery was lying on the grass in St James Park and replenishing the soul with an ice cold coke. Life was indeed good.
Footnote: There are various schools of thought on virtual ‘races‘. They are not everyone’s ‘cup of tea‘ and that’s understandable. Is it a race in the truest sense? In my opinion no. Are they worthwhile? My answer is a qualified yes. It really depends on the individual. For some, running solo is a real struggle. Therefore doing 42K with little or no support may not going to be an enjoyable or worthwhile experience.
As it is more a run than a race I would suggest not putting too much pressure on oneself with the emphasis being more on enjoyment than trying to achieve a target. You still want to have a decent run but time shouldnt be the be all. As you are your own run director, there is a bit more planning involved. Be familiar with the route, even if its around a park and do a couple of long runs on it. If youre going to be on the road, be aware of things that could potentially impact your run including the time of day/week. You also need to have a clear plan for your ‘water stations‘. Personally I’m delighted I did it. Deciding to do it gave me something to train for and look forward to in so far as one looks forward to running a marathon and it was good exercise in mental strength. In the current climate I would say it’s one of the best things a runner can do. With the future so uncertain, waiting for things to return to ‘normal‘ could be a long wait. You wont regret doing it. But if you do, don’t blame me.
St Clare Hospice 10k
Harlow
13th September 2020
After A 6 Month break from racing and still nursing a knee injury, Terry Knightley of Ilford AC limped back into action at the Annual St Clare Hospice 10K Road Race around the country lanes of Hastingwood in Harlow.
Competing against 210 other runners in hot sunny conditions and with a Socially Distanced ‘Rolling Start’ , Terry finished in a disappointing 42 Minutes and 14 seconds for 29th place and 3rd in the Male Veteran Over 60 Age Group
Ilford AC Awards Night
Friday 11th September 2020
Although it has been a strange 2nd half of the athletics season, with races only returning on a limited basis recently after an almost 7 month break, Ilford AC were still able to hold their awards night last Friday to celebrate our athletes success earlier in the season and continued commitment to the club through a difficult period.
Although numbers were limited due to Social distancing restrictions at the venue at Dagenham and Redbridge Football Club there was still a good attendance with colleagues from the club coming to show their support for trophy winners proving that the club is strong throughout and isn’t just about ‘winners’.
The winners though were all well deserved and the trophy’s for the night went to:-
