Round Harborough Relay

Sunday saw the annual running of the club’s Round Harborough Relay, a five-leg race that starts in Great Bowden and finishes at the Leisure Centre, taking in Sutton Bassett, Braybrooke and Marston Trussell along the way. A chilly day didn’t cool the competitive spirit which saw the team of Ray Lack, Jamie McAllister, Nick Turner-Henke, Adam Eales and Tracy Southwell prevail in the battle for the Nev Brooks Trophy, Eales powering the team into the lead on the Harborough to Marston Trussell leg and Southwell holding off the challenge of Gary Wallis. The team finished in an overall time of 2hr 20m 43s, more than two minutes ahead of the other six teams. Fastest legs were run by Laura Shephard, Andy Meads, Adam Barber, Sean Fenwick and Tom Ward.

It was a weekend for long races, with Harborough athletes in action at the marathon and half marathon distances and competing in the Battlefield Duathlon.

Bob Allsopp made his duathlon debut running 18 miles and cycling 47 to pick up 2nd place in his age group in a time under six hours. Further afield Jacqui Hanmer competed in the famously tough Boston Marathon. In hot and humid conditions Hanmer ran an impressive, jet-lagged 3hr 41m 36s, whilst over in Cambridgeshire the club was represented by Michael Brown at the inaugural Peterborough Marathon, where Brown was delighted to improve his personal best by 16 minutes to finish 99th in 4hr 12m 15s. The Rutland Spring Half Marathon saw six HAC members in action, with the team led home by two Kevins – Burgess and Dinsdale – backed up by Val Goode, Gemma Burman, Stuart Nimmo and Molly Smith.

Eilidh Maclean reminded us that athletics is not only about long-distance running, opening her 800 metres account for the season with 2:25.22 at the Charnwood Open.