On a Bank Holiday weekend marred by Storm Katie, our athletes put in some of their grittiest performances yet in horrendous conditions, with race wins and silver medals at the Ackworth half marathon and the Notts Easter 10k, PBs galore at our Blizard Spring 5k, and a return to racing for one injury-prone but determined member of the crew at Cardiff!

First up is the increasingly astonishingly fast Dan Kestrel from Barnsley, who blew the competition away despite the gales to win the Ackworth half marathon, resplendent in the Team Blizard racing kit of Newline vest and On Running Cloudracers, flying the flag in complete style!



Dan even won it running at just marathon pace in a superb 74:19, and, speaking afterwards referring to the horrendously windy conditions, he said: “First this morning, it was supposed to be marathon pace, and it felt like a marathon effort! Massive thanks to Ackworth Road Runners and Blizard Physiotherapy!”

Meanwhile, Team Blizard elite and hugely plucky athlete all round considering her ongoing injury issues, our star from Rotherham Harriers, Fiona Davies, was second lady overall in 86:25 and firstV40 in the Yorkshire Vets half marathon championships!



What a couple of storming results in just one race, but there's more to come!

Our own Ruth Jones made a return to the podium when she finished second at the Notts AC Easter 10km on a notoriously challenging off road, muddy and hilly course at Wollaton Park. The wind and rain were ever present throughout the race, but as is often the case, almost as soon as she crossed the line the rain stopped and the sun came out..!



Meanwhile, Blizard's top sports masseur, Owen James, is in increasingly hot form, and his massive 21 second PB of 34:14 at the Salford 10k proved he is showing no signs of slowing down! He said confidently: “Next stop - the North Lincs Half!”



BRJ's lactated tested and coached athlete, Roger Holliday, made a steady but gutsy return to racing after injury in style at the Cardiff World Half Marathon championships in wet and windy conditions - well done Roger!



Last but most definitely not least, our free Blizard On Running 5km time trial was another blinding success, with Askern’s Kelly Raven not just beating but annihilating the 20 minute barrier for the first time with a stunning 19:49!



She was over the moon with her result: “Just 10 months ago I was stuck in the 21:50's for 5k, but after just four weeks of lactate threshold training, sticking to my heart rate zones, and running slower than I'd done before, I knocked over 30 seconds off my 5k time, taking it down to 21:20.

"Four months later that time dropped another minute and 13 secs to 20:07, and on Saturday I ran a 19.49 5k, something I NEVER thought my body was capable of! All you runners out there know how difficult it is to get PBs over a short distance like 5k, so thanks to David Tune and his lactate threshold training - IT WORKS - and I'm getting excited about the times that are yet to come!”

Meanwhile, Team Blizard ambassador Emily Whall continued to knock great chunks out of her 5k times with a swift 21:35. She has made great strides in every sense, bringing her PB down from 23:13 in a matter of weeks!

Check out the results link here: http://nebula.wsimg.com/e28ba7ba410350117a74e518adcaa544?AccessKeyId=3A0A51725C217F52094D&disposition=0&alloworigin=1 if you haven’t already, with the star performance surely coming from Brenda King, who pushed hard for a fantastic overall PB and - of course - a course PB of 30:22 - great running Brenda!

Team Blizard elite triathletes Tom Morris and Mike Chadwick finishing first and fifth respectively in 17:11 and 18:30, the latter’s result being particularly impressive considering he has been suffering with a knee injury for some time.

Jo Goodier and Brian Rose proved their marathon training is well on track with strong 19:26 and 17:42 clockings, while Chris Pye returned to racing with a promising 19:27, and Kelly was never far behind resulting in her new shiny PB!

M55 super veteran Ged Naylor scored a course PB with 18:18, which was remarkably only nine seconds away from his lifetime best performance - superb Ged!

Also running impressively were Jonathan Drake, Russell Walker, Warren Clarke, Steve Barber, Rich Morton, Richard Fletcher and Max Polson, while clearly our Dave Tune was taking it easy, gliding in with an easy 18:02 to take the third place spot.

Jono’s swim analysis athlete and top triathlete, Andrew Kitchen, posted a great pre-season time of 22:27, with fellow triathletes Katie Webster speeding to a PB of 23:15 and Jess Barrington’s 24:46 close behind! Our yoga expert Angie Boyle proved she’s not just ace striking a bendy pose when she shot to a sparkling 22:12, while SJ Hodson continued her consistent form with a great 24:16 to her name.