Press Report 31st October 2017  

Oct 302017
 

Essex Cross-country League
Horseheath Cambridge
Saturday October 28

 SENIORS

The first match of this winter’s Essex Cross-Country League was held on a cold morning last Saturday at Horseheath, just over the border in Cambridgeshire.

The senior squads of Ilford AC turned in good numbers, 21 in total with 9 representing the club in a cross-country race for the first time. This was the best turnout for several years and returned excellent results.

 

The ladies ran over the grassland course which was firm throughout in a 6km race.
Nicola Hopkinson continued her fine form, just ahead of her run in the New York City marathon on Sunday, to lead in the team in 49th spot in 30 mins 46 secs and was the first finisher in the F55 category.
Next home was Carlie Qirem in her first cross-country race for the team in 58th with 31 mins 18 secs, with another first timer on the country Gaye Van Der Vyver in 66th in 32 mins 26 secs.
Dianne Crisp closed out the scorers for Ilford in 75th with 33 mins 04 secs and she was 2nd finished in the F55 age grouping.
Anna Crawley made her club debut in any competition recording 35mins 21 secs for 95th.
Also in action for the ladies were Launa Broadley (119th 42.00) Pam Jones (121st  44.11) and Sheila Sinclair (122nd 44.25)

The ladies team won the division two match in their quest for promotion back to division 1 and were 12th overall in the masters table.

The men turned out 13 competitors in their 8km race.

Tom Gardner looked in good form for 11th in 28m 53 secs, while the ever reliable Malcolm Muir coming back from injury to finish in 31 mins 12 secs in 44th.
Another back in action following injury was Paul Holloway in 62nd with 32 mins 15 secs.
Seb Parris was next home in 80th in 33mins 21secs with Neil Crisp one second and one place behind.
John Crawley completed the scoring six in 103rd with 34 mins 26 secs.

Tony Nixon came in 140th in 36 mins 51 secs for 2nd in the M60 age group and Andy Catton was 3rd in that category in 37 mins 41 secs for 151st.

 

First timers for the club in cross-country league action were Tony Young (185th 41.32) Bill Green (187th 41.51)  and Satha Alaga (197th 43.07). also in action for Ilford were Dennis Briggs (144th 37.00) and Steve Cheal  (198th 43.07)

Ilford also had 2 runners in club vests running ‘second claim for the mens team on the day, Diarmuid MacDonnell 35:12 113th and Edward Skinner 42:15 188th

 

The Ilford men compete in division 1 and finished 7th and are in the same position in the overall masters table.

 

JUNIORS

Ilford Juniors had 4 athletes competing on the day in 4 different events, each putting in fine performances.

First up was Aaron Hick who finished 8th in the U11’s race over 1.8k, despite only being 9 years old.

In the U13B category Mathew Hick came 14th in a time of 12:10 for 3k.
After this performance Matthew was confirmed as first reserve for the Essex team to compete in the Inter counties, a great honour for the boy and the club.
Bradley Deacon was 31st in the U15B category in a time of 16:21 over 4k and Jordan Hinds was 16th U17W in the U1720W race with a time of 22:40 for 4.5k

 

Marathons
Two Ilford Ac runners were in marathon action at the weekend.

Dublin Marathon
Sunday October 29

Julia Galea ran the Dublin Marathon finishing in 4 hours 36 minutes 23 secs and was 13th in the F60 category.

 

Aukland Marathon
Sunday October 29

Ilford Kiwi Blair McWhirter has returned to his native New Zealand and ran in the Auckland Marathon.

Blair come home an excellent 3rd in 2 hours 25 mins 59 secs. He is ranked 5th for the year in this event among New Zealand athletes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Press Report. October 23rd 2017  

Oct 232017
 

Great South Run
Portsmouth
Sunday 22 October

The Great South is a 10 mile run starting and finishing on Clarence Esplanade in Southsea The fast and flat course takes you through Old Portsmouth, home of the Portsmouth Cathedral, through the Historic Dockyard before the final two miles on the scenic seafront.
The finish was particularly challenging with the runners facing a strong headwind along the seafront.
The race attracts a field of over 16000 and is the English Championship for the distance which were won by popular athletes Chris Thompson and Gemma Steel.

Ilford AC had 4 runners in the event. They were led home by an impressive performance from Amin Koikai who came home in 23rd place in 55 minutes exactly and was the first finished in the M40 age category.
Carlie Qirem and Tony Young were close together all the way around with Carlie crossing the line in 80 mins 00 secs and Tony 1 second behind for 2502nd and 2507th place respectively. Both gave good performances in the wind which slower the runners by 2 to 3 minutes from the times they would expect.
Completing the Ilford line up was Doris Gaga with 1hr 51 mins 23 secs in 12156th.
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  Press Report. October 16th 2017  

Oct 162017
 

ILFORD AC PRESS REPORT
16th October 2017

Ilford AC goes International
Ilford AC had three runners racing this weekend, each one doing a marathon, and all three in different countries around the world.

Lisbon Rock ‘N’ Roll Marathon
Sunday 15 October

The Lisbon Marathon in Portugal describes itself as ‘the home to possibly the world’s most gorgeous marathon’. Athletes journey from the seaside village of Cascais, run along the banks of the Tagus River and pass World Heritage sites.
The race starts at 8am, and with a 40 minute train journey to the start Ilford athlete Tony Hyde found himself starting 10 minutes late. The weather was unseasonably warm and Tony struggled with the heat but still finished with a very respectable time of 3 hours 46 minutes

Niagara Falls Marathon
Sunday 15 October

The Niagara Falls Marathon runs from the City of Buffalo in New York State over the border into Canada and then alongside the Niagara River to finish next to the iconic Niagara Falls. Declan Cullen of Ilford AC crossed the Atlantic to take part.
Unfortunately, Declan has been suffering with an injury to his piriformis muscle of late and found the race tough going. He reached half way in 2 hours and gamely battled on to come home in 259th spot in 4hrs 24 mins 48 secs.

Marathon de Vannes
Sunday 15 October

The Marathon de Vannes in France follows the coastal paths of the Gulf of Morbihan in Brittany.
In another race that took place in unseasonably warm weather, Ilford athlete Peter Spelman battled through the elements to finish in 5 hours, 5 minutes

 

ELVIS Presentation
Last Friday was the annual ELVIS Presentation Awards. This was the 10th year of the event which has gone from strength to strength under the leadership of Martin Clarke and the individual Race Organisers.
Ilford AC featured prominently in a number of the awards which are presented to the runners who achieve the best overall score in their age group.
Nicola Hopkinson picked up the V45 award and Dianne Crisp was there to collect the V55 prize. On the Men’s side Steve Philcox won the V50 prize and Andy Catton was also there to collect the V60 prize.
An excellent 10th year with more to come next year!!

 

 

WALKING REPORT

BACK WITH A BANG

Talented multi-eventer Seb Parris spearheaded the Ilford’s challenge in Saturday afternoon’s Enfield League 5 miles walking race over 5 circuits at Lee Valley Athletics Centre.

In warm conditions former Ilford star Francisco Reis, now racing for Thames Valley Harriers, shot off into the distance leaving the rest to scrap for the remaining 2 places in the frame.
Talented and successful junior walker George Wilkinson of the host Club, Enfield & Harringey AC, was an early custodian of 2nd spot, and on current form looked like one hard to dislodge.
Parris had other ideas being in good form himself after his recent Marathon running best of 3 hours 10 minutes in Moldova, as he waited for the right moment to apply pressure on the youngster.   By halfway Parris had the edge and pressed on to claim 2nd place in 43 minutes and 22 seconds with Wilkinson still a threat but just 15 seconds in arrears for 3rd.
Pick of Ilford’s other walkers were consistent Mark Culshaw in 7th spot clocking 48.19 and stalwart Dave Kates 10th in 53.19.
Kates had a busy afternoon, for soon as he sped over the finish line, he was quickly changed and on his way to Watford FC, where he’s a season ticket holder, to watch them defeat the Arsenal 2-1!

 

  Ilford AC Press Report. 9th October 2017  

Oct 092017
 

Essex Cross Country Relays.
Stubbers, Upminster
7th October

In the Seniors race Ilford AC put out 5 teams, 2 women and 3 men.
The Womens ‘A’ team, consisting of Breege Nordin, Carlie Qirem and Diane Crisp came in 21st place and the ‘B’ team consisting of Frieda Keane, Julia Galea and Pam Jones came in 40th place.

The Mens ‘A’ team consisting of Moad Zahri, Tom Gardner, Alex Richards and Ahmed Abdulle gave the best performance of the day for the Ilford Seniors, just missing out on a medal place by 12 seconds to finish in 4th place.
The ‘B’ team od Steve Philcox, Neil Crisp, Dennis Briggs and Seb Parris came in 18th place, whilst the ‘C’ team of Steve Cheal, Andy Catton, Bill Green and Alaga Satha finished in 45th place.
Unfortunately a lot of times went unrecorded due to the very large field in the seniors race, but all finishing positions are correct.

 

 Chester Marathon
Sunday 8 October

The 8th Chester Marathon was staged on Sunday from the town’s racecourse and after a short tour of the historic town before heading out into the Cheshire and North Wales countryside before returning to the racecourse for the finish alongside the River Dee. Ilford were represented by 2 runners in this event.

Sam Rahman came home in a creditable time of 3 hours 01 mins 44 secs for 162nd place out of the 2644 finishers. He was delayed in starting his training earlier in the year due to a back injury which led to him slowing in the second half after reaching 20km in 1 hr 19 minutes. The race also doubled as the British Masters Championship and in his first appearance in the masters categories he finished 10th in the M35 category.

Pramila Monro made her marathon debut breaking her target of 5 hours with 4 hrs 58 minutes 38 secs for 222th and 605th female. Despite her inexperience at the event she ran a steady race with a clocking of 2 hrs 11 minutes for the first 20km and slowing her pace only slightly in the second half.

 

Royal Parks Half Marathon

Sunday 8 October

The Royal Parks race a spectacular Half Marathon in central London – the first and only one of its kind. The stunning 13.1 mile route takes in the capital’s world-famous landmarks on closed roads, and four of London’s eight Royal Parks – Hyde Park, The Green Park, St James’s Park and Kensington Gardens.

Nicola Hopkinson put in an excellent performance to record 1hr 43m, her best time for 6 years, to finish 2201 overall, 319th female and 2nd in the F55 grouping.

The Big Blue Run

Harrow Lodge Park
8th October

The Big Blue Run is a local charity run, now in its 4th year, in aid of Havering MIND.
The race took part on an unseasonably warm October morning on the slightly undulating Harrow Lodge park course that is used for the weekly parkrun event.
Although billed as a 5k (3.1 miles) run, the course was actually around 2.7 miles so the times should be put in to a little perspective.

Ilford AC had 4 athletes on show for the race with Dennis Briggs leading the quartet home, finishing in 2nd position on the day with a fantastic time of 18:25. This was Dennis’ 2nd race of the weekend after competing in the Essex Relays the day previously.
Also competing in his second race in 2 days was Bill Green who came home in 19th position in 20:35 followed closely by Tony Young in 23rd place with a time of 20:55.
Nichola Fairburn, running in her first race for 4 months put in a great effort to finish 48th in 28:26 and the quartet was completed by Jim Huddart who had to walk most of the race due to injury in 82nd place in 36:55

Shoreditch 10k
8th October

The Shoreditch 10k is the first in a series of ‘City runs’ organised by Adidas which enables runners to run traffic free through some of the capitals inner city districts.
Carlie Qirem, one of a number of athletes to race twice in 2 days after competing in the Essex relays the day previously, was Ilfords sole representative on the day clocking in a fantastic time of 48:35 for 1013rd place. There were 4,120 finishers.

  Ilford AC. Press Report. 2nd October 2017  

Oct 022017
 

Chisinau Marathon, Moldova

Sunday 1 October

Over the years Ilford AC runners have raced in many countries; France, Portugal, Spain, Finland to name a few in Europe and further afield in the USA, Canada, Australia, Brazil and South Korea but Seb Parris added to that list on Sunday when he took on the Chisinau Marathon in Moldova. The race was around the capital of the former Soviet Republic which is to the East of Romania.

Weather was ideal for marathon running, slightly overcast and 16 degrees. The weekend had over 17000 runners in different events including a 5km, 10km and a half marathon. Parris was one of the 339 entrants for the marathon. He ran a good race to finish 22nd in a new personal best for the distance of 3 hrs 10 mins 23 secs, beating his previous pb 5 years ago by 13 minutes.

Cardiff Half Marathon

Sunday 1 October

The Cardiff Half Marathon is run on a scenic route around the cities’ iconic landmarks from Cardiff Castle to the Civic Centre in the middle of the city. Ilford Acs Declan Cullen made his annual visit to Wales for the race and on an overcast morning ran steadily to reach 10km in 48 minutes. He slowed a little in the second half to come home in 1hr 45mins 30secs for 2020th out of the just under 20000 runners.

Harold Wood Charity run 5 Miles

Sunday 1 October

The club had three runners competing in last Sundays Charity 5 mile race, a 2 lap multi terrain hilly course starting and finishing in Harold Wood Park.
Leading the way for the Ilford trio, finishing in 20th place overall, was Dennis Briggs with a chip time of 35:07. Coming in at 39:09 for 43rd position was Anthony Young, followed closely by Billy Green in 45th position with a time of 39:24

 

 

​WALKING REPORT​

 

CHAMPIONSHIP WIN FOR UTTLEY

The annual Civil Service 10 Kilometres’ race walking Championship which was held on Wednesday afternoon around Birmingham’s Canon Hill Park proved a resounding success for Ilford’s Steve Uttley, as he defied recent injuries to win in 61 minutes and 20 seconds with just 3 seconds in hand over 2nd placer Jason Brewer.
Completing the frame in 62.05 was former Ilford AC member John Llewellin, who came out of retirement to prove he still has what it takes to perform well.   In 7th spot, clocking 70.17 came veteran Bob Dobson who completed this annual Championship for an astounding 46th time!
In conjunction was the annual Representative Match between the Civil Service and British Police, which saw another feather in Uttley’s cap as he’s the team Manager of the Civil Service team who won emphatically!
One Ilford member with particular cause to fondly remember this meeting was Mark Culshaw who competed as a guest – leading from start to finish, recording 58.05, his fastest time in years!