Press Report May 6th 2024  

May 072024
 

WITHAM MAY DAY 5

The annual May day Bank Holiday 5 mile road race attracted over 250 entrants and was run on the usual undulating but fast rural course from Witham Rugby Club on a dry cool morning.

There were five Ilford AC runners on the day and in a very close finish, with just 90 seconds separating the front 4 runners,  the team was led home by Tom Gardner in 3rd place in a time of 26 mins 12 secs. Next home was Alison Sale running well for 114th place in 40 mins 10 secs. Alison was closely followed home by Billy Green in 40 mins 44 secs to claim 123rd place. The team were completed by Rachel Halpin, securing 164th place in 43 mins 43 secs and the ever reliable Frieda Keane in 201st place in 48 minutes 05 seconds



TED PEPPER MAY DAY 10k
Bromley

The Ted Pepper 10k is a long established trail race first run in 1979 as a memorial race to Blackheath runner Ted Pepper, who sadly lost his life whilst taking part in the Three Peaks Race.

Ilfords Andy Catton was the only Ilford runner on the day, and he instantly regretted his decision to run in flats rather than trail shoes, 

The course is off road, mainly in muddy forests and farm tracks with the recent heavy rain, and constant drizzle on the day making it a very testing run for all concerned.
Andy said he had never seen so many runners slip and fall in a race, including himself.
Despite this Andy ran a steady 50 minutes 02 seconds to finish 56th on the day and winning Gold in his age grouping and first Southern Vets m70 finisher


HARLOW MAY DAY 10K

In contrast the Harlow 10k was held in bright sunny conditions on Monday morning.

Flying the flag for Ilford AC was Julia Galea, finishing in a time of 64 minutes 03 seconds to claim 149th place and 4th in her age grouping

  Press Report 30th April 2024  

Apr 302024
 

Colchester Zoo Stampede 10k
Sunday 28th April

On Sunday Two Ilford AC athletes braved torrential rain and wind and an undulating course with their usual ‘Eye Of The Tiger’ spirit in the Annual Colchester Stampede 10K Road Race.
The race had to be delayed by 40 minutes due to otter pandamonium getting people parked in time, which wasn’t ideal in the wet conditions.

The race started and finished within the grounds of Colchester Zoo between the Elephant and Rhino enclosures and the route took in parts of the zoo before heading out onto the country lanes of Colchester before finishing back in the zoo grounds for the last kilometre. 

First home for the club in a huge field of approximately 2000 runners was club Stalwart, Terry Knightley in 48th position in a time of 43 Minutes and 24 Seconds to win the First Male Veteran Over 60 Prize.

Following him home in 379th Place was club Press Officer Billy Green ‘Roaring’ over the line in 53 Minutes and 10 Seconds claiming 12th in his age category 

All finishers were rewarded with Free Entry to The Zoo and a themed Medal.

LAST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH 5km
Hyde Park
Friday 26th April

The last Friday of the month 5k is held around the Serpentine in Hyde Park every month at 12:30pm, making it an ideal day out for those who are retired or ‘work from home’ .

Held on a  flat, fast course, the race attracts almost 200 runners of various abilities.

April’s race included two Ilford athletes, Adam Coals and Rob Sargent.

First home was Adam in 84th place overall, in a time of 20 minutes 58 seconds, with Rob coming home in 166th place in 29 minutes 43 seconds

  Press Report St Georges Day 2024  

Apr 232024
 

London Mini Marathon 20/04/2024

Ten of Ilford AC young athletes were selected to represent their boroughs in the mini marathon borough challenge. The event is held the day before the main marathon and the course is roughly similar to the last 2 miles of the marathon finishing at the same place.

Breakthrough performance of the day was from Leila Lauder who finished an excellent 31st in the u17 women. Leila’s continued improved form follows a period of very consistent training and the club looks forward to her continued development. Teammates Hawaa Patel (66th in u13 girls) and Diya Boparai (116th in u15 girls) also ran really well for Redbridge.

Two developing youngsters ran in the u13 boys. Barney Perkins was 51st and Elias Furreedan 143rd in his first mini marathon. Four boys ran in the u15 boys all returning from breaks in training for various reasons. Sam Horsley was 28th, Ryder Islam an excellent 56th with Aron Berhe (126th) and Luke Thake (137th) making up the team. Finally in the U17 Men James Thake (48th) and Samuel Crane (49th) both had good runs to squeeze into the top 50.

In the afternoon the club had one entrant in schools mile. Zac Forsyth had an excellent run to finish the course in under 8 minutes.

LONDON MARATHON 21/04/2024

Ilford AC had 4 runners among the 53745 finishers in the 44th London Marathon.
On a crisp morning Sam Rahman led the challenge for the club running a well judged race finishing in 2 hrs 55 mins 52 secs after passing halfway in 1 hr 27mins 12 secs.
The chilly wind slowed most competitors as they ran into the wind during the second half with Richard Woolterton crossing the line in 3 hrs 11 mins 50 secs with an halfway time of 1hr 34mins 24 secs. Tariq Qirem  was running his fourth marathon finishing with 3 hrs 39 mins 12 secs, while Mandy Reid was the clubs only female competitor and in her second marathon found the second half tough, but was very pleased with her time of 4 hrs 54 mins 35 secs


Eastern Young Athletes League (EYAL) 

Ilford AC sent a team of 29 young athletes to the first EYAL match of the year in Ware 

Two athletes competed in the under 13 girl’s age group. Nayla Mills Ugoh competed in 100m, 200m and long jump and achieved 2 PBs in the 100m (14.5secs) and the Long Jump (3.32m). Drissialemoy Majen Akande made an excellent debut for the club running a brilliant 3.20 for the 800m and competing well in the 100m and long jump.

In the under 15 girls we had 7 athletes competing. Kenina Nkrumah and Jasmine Shaer both came 5th in their 100m events and also performed well in the field. Chiara Mullings Smith jumped a new PB of 1.35m in the high jump for second place and also set new best also in the long jump. Debutant Gloria Ananwa showed real promise for the future in the 200m, 300m and shot put. The best performance being her 29.5 for third place in the 200m. In the longer events Diya Kaur and Hawaa Patel also made their track debuts and set great first bests. Finally Sofia Crane competing in the shot put and also helped with field judging

The U17 Women had a great turnout with 5 athletes. Leila Lauder ran well in the 1500m for 3rd place and set a brilliant new PB of 2.34 in the 800m. Omo Ojo, Chison Chijioke and Mya Ward all made their track debuts for the club over multiple events. Adaeze Oyem had a great competition setting PBs in the 80m hurdles (14.5secs) and the shot put.

Three athletes competed for the Under 13 boys. Elijah Muirhead and Andre Mullings Roache made their outdoor debuts in the sprints and the jumps. Daniel Guiba showed great commitment and attitude running, setting new PBs in the 200m, 800m and high jump.

The under 15 boys were as always well represented. Justice Okereke ran 12.2secs in the 100m for a new PB and won the Long Jump., Damien Amaniampong ran new PBs of 12.3 secs in the 100m, and a brilliant 5.04 in the long jump. Jaydan Roberts Edwards showed his continued form finishing 3rd in the 100m and 200m just outside his best times. Three debutants competed Matthew Ayers, Olatoye Oguntoye and Joshua Matthews, the highlight being Ayers 43.6 secs time in the 300m. Ethan Guiba and Luke Thake continued to show their versatility over the sprints and distance events with Ethan setting new PBs in the 100m and 1500m

In the u17 men Jas Singh won the long jump in a new PB of 5.34 (though he insists he jumped further when he lived in India!) James Thake set a new PB of 1.60 in the high jump while also running the 400m and the 1500m with Samuel Crane. Jayden-Kyle McDermott finished the individual events with 3 PBs in the 100m, 800m and high jump, a future decathlete in the making!

Finally the league had this year brought in mixed 4x100m relay events which the club used its depth in to come 3rd in the U17 event and 2nd and 3rd in the u15 with the A team running a great time of 52.5 seconds.

  Press Report 16th April 2024  

Apr 162024
 

JUNIORS

Orion Pentathlon and Quad Kids
Waltham Forest

12 of Ilford ACs Junior athletes took part in the Annual Orion Pentathlon and Quad Kids competition held at Waltham Forest. 

In the Quad Kids competition Darsh Kainth, Maat Mullings Smith, Georgia and Ruby Merchant, Daniel Okereke, Elijah Muirhead, Andre Mullings Roache and  D.L. Majen-Akande took part in multiple events including 75m sprints. Long jump, Vortex throw and 600m run.

In difficult windy conditions all of the athletes produced great performances with Ilford athletes claiming the first 3 overall positions in the U11 category:- 3rd  Elijah Muirhead, 2nd A.J Mullings Roache and 1st  Daniel Okereke
A brilliant introduction to competitive athletics enjoyed by all.

In the Junior /Senior pentathlon competition,  comprising  100m,  long jump, high jump, shot-put and 800m Ilford AC were again successful with Jayden McDermott victorious in U17s

Jaydan Roberts-Edwards and Justice Okereke fought out an exciting neck and neck finish in the final 800m event with Justice claiming overall victory in the U15 event and Jayden securing 2nd spot

Other team competitors Ethan and Daniel Guiba also had great performances with PBs for both in the High jump competition. 

A great family day out and a memorable double win for brothers Daniel and Justice Okereke

SENIORS

Little Bromley 10k
Essex

Last Sunday saw the Eighth running of the Little Bromley 10k, with profits from the event going to local charities.
The course is a flat single lap run through the picturesque countryside lanes of the village of Little Bromley.
Ilford stalwart Malcolm Muir put in his usual gutsy performance to record a time of 35 minutes 12 seconds, which placed him 19th on the day and first in his age category. The race was won by Jack Nixon, who although not representing Ilford on the day, runs 2nd claim for the club, in a time of 31 minutes 05 seconds.


St Clares 10k
Essex

The St Clare Hospice 10k starts and finishes at the Hospice in Hastingwood, Essex, tackling a route along roads through the beautiful Essex countryside and raises much needed funds for the Hospice.
Ilford Julia Galea is a regular at this event and was pleased with her time of 1 hour 3 minutes 05 seconds which placed her 12th in her age grouping on the day.


Sao Paulo Half Marathon
Brazil

Ilfords Anthony Young is having an extended stay in Brazil at the moment, and has not let his fitness drop by entering some local races. Last weekend Tony participated in the Sao Paulo Half Marathon. Despite the intense heat of over 35 degrees, which to a Newcastle born lad is over 35 degrees more than he would normally have ran in during the Summer when growing up , Tony was pleased with his performance of 2 hours 01 minute 16 seconds which placed him 8th in his age grouping.


Larne 10 Mile
Northern Ireland

Also racing abroad this weekend was Ilfords John Crawley, who is now permanently based in Northern Ireland, whilst still retaining his Ilford AC membership.
John joined almost 700 other runners in the annual Larne 10 mile race, out and back along the coast in County Antrim.

John set out at a very fast pace but at 4 miles he felt he had probably set out too fast, and that along with an unusually warm day and a strong headwind at the 5 mile turnaround point  meant that he found the second half of the race very tough going. Despite this, John finished in a very good time of 68 minutes 07 seconds to place 65th on the day

  Press Report 9th April 2024  

Apr 092024
 

Essex AA and Suffolk AA County Road Relay Championships
Sunday 7th April
Colchester

Four men’s teams and two women’s teams were in action, representing the club, in the prestigious County Championships on a very windy and blustery but sunny afternoon in Colchester

The Veterans race was the first of the day with teams competing in the V40, V50 and V60 categories.

Ilfords men’s V40 team, consisting of Sam Rahman, Berekhet Berekhy and Malcolm Muir, found the competition fierce and finished just seconds outside of the medals in 4th place with a combined time of 51 Mins 49 seconds over the 3 x 3 mile course

The V50 team consisted of club 5k specialist Steve Philcox, club captain Danny Holeyman and Fabrizio Stefanoni. The trio battled admiralty in the blustery conditions and were rewarded with the silver medal, coming 2nd out of 17 competing teams in a combined time of 52 minutes 57 seconds

The club put up both a men’s and women’s team in the V60 category. 

The ladies were represented by Beverley Thomas, Joint club President Dianne Crisp and Pauline Tester. Amazingly this was the same team that represented the club in the Seniors category at the same event in 1984. The ladies put in a stellar performance to bring home the second Silver medal of the day in a combined time for the 9 mile course of 1 hr 15 mins 05 secs.

The men’s V60 team consisted of club legend Terry Knightley, joint President Neil Crisp and Dave Thomas which meant both our V60 teams were represented by 2 husband and wife teams. The men matched the success of the ladies, bringing home the third silver medal of the day in a combined time of 58 minutes 27 seconds.

The final race of the day was the Seniors, with the men running 4 x 3 miles and the ladies 3 x 3 miles.

The Senior ladies consisted of Jordan Hinds, Anna Crawley and team manager Carlie Qirem.

The ladies put in a gutsy performance in very blustery conditions to finish in a very credible 6th place, out of 15 competing clubs, in a combined time of 58 minutes 40 seconds.

The men’s Senior race had 22 teams competing for Essex medals. Ilfords team consisted of Tom Gardner, Josh Adler, Jack Nixon and Alex Richards. Tom started off with a fantastic 15:04, handing over to Josh, in his first Essex event who came home in 16:35. Josh handed over to Jack, who ran an incredible 14:38, who then handed over to Alex.
Alex started the leg in third place, but was able to overtake the Braintree runner in a nail biting finish, coming home in 14 mins 50 secs to secure Ilfords 4th Silver medal of the day in a combined time of 61 mins 09 secs for the 12 mile course.

Overall a very successful day for the club in the Essex Championships.

Paris Marathon
Sunday 7th April

Steve Lacey was Ilfords sole representative in this years Paris Marathon.
Despite a knee injury that affected his training, Steve was pleased with his finishing time of 4 hours 38 mins 36 secs.
Steve ran in his West Ham shirt, meaning that the Hammers shirt will be represented twice in Europe this week with West Ham playing in European competition in Germany on Thursday evening.

VAC 5km
Battersea Park
Tuesday 2nd April

The first of Veterans AC summer races in Battersea Park was held on a gloomy wet evening last week. The 5km event, over the two lap flat fast course, produced fierce competition and great times

Ilford Ac had 6 competitors in the field with Joel Denning in good form crossing the line in 34th spot in a new personal best time of 19 mins 20 secs.
Tarik Qirem improved his best time for the distance by 20 seconds to finish in 58th pace in 20 mins 42 secs, His training for London Marathon is on track to record a good time on April 21st.

Carlie Qirem also posted a good time finishing 11th in the ladies race and 63rd overall with 21 mins 19 secs. Joanne Reeves also had a good run for 14th female and 72nd overall in 23 mins 31 secs.
Rob Sargent came home 91st with 29 mins 28 secs while Launa Broadley recorded 30 mins 28 secs in 94th place