Team Blizard Race Reports
Almost every single one of our athletes scored PBs in the Manchester marathon, along with race wins at Caythorpe, duathlons & success all round in the Sheffield half!
Most coaches spend race day in a frantic mess of worry, anxiety and contemplating every outcome under the sun for their precious athletes, but although Coach Dave Tune - Blizard’s lactate threshold testing head honcho and coach to scores of ever-improving athletes across the UK - is only human and thus shows the occasional sign of concern, he KNOWS that those athletes who follow their heart rate training zones set for them in their lactate tests WILL do well and go onto fulfil their potential, and that’s just what 10 Team Blizard runners did in Manchester yesterday!
Every single one of our marathoners performed fantastically, with Nene Valley Harriers’ top veteran ace over the distance in recent times, Yvonne Scarrott, smashing her PB just months shy of her 50th birthday!
The diminutive V45 finished second in her age category and 26th female overall in a superb 3:12:02 - if she had been in the next category up, which she will be in September, she would have stormed the V50 rankings, but as it is she is now ranked second V45 in the whole of the UK!
Her average heart rate was exactly what her lactate threshold test predicted she could sustain for the distance, meaning she had the perfect race, but of course, like a true runner, Yvonne still thinks there is ‘plenty more to come’!
Finishing just seconds behind was fellow Peterborough athlete, Eye’s Lee Whitton, who clocked a brilliant 3:12:43 for his first ever marathon, and by the images we’ve seen he certainly enjoyed every second of the experience!
Leading Team Blizard in over the mostly flat course were Sheffield’s Brian Rose in 2:55:13 - a PB by over 12 minutes! - and Salford’s Tommi Baker, whose 2:55:58 represented a very impressive first ever attempt at the distance! Barnsley's hugely promising endurance star, Dan Kestrel, had been running incredibly well in the lead pack for a long way before he succumbed to debilitating cramps, and was forced to withdraw. He will be back though, and will bounce back in style!
Danum Harriers’ ever-consistent and still-improving Paula Davies yet again ran a lifetime best on the roads, this time knocking five minutes off her previous PB with her first ever sub-4 hour result of 3:55:52. Like Yvonne, she is still gunning to get faster next time, which is the best attitude to have!
Not far behind Paul was North Derbyshire’s Shaun Johnson, who also smashed his PB with a strong 4:01:43, while Kimberworth’s Michael Jackson ran a determined 3:51:03 just seconds ahead of Skegness’s Martin Jessop’s 3:51:07 PB.
Clowne’s Karen Shipman was over the moon with her massive 12 minute lifetime best of 3:42:46, which qualified her for a Good for Age place at next year’s London marathon and also earned her the hard fought silver club standard - well done Karen!
Karen’s clubmates, Matt Russell, who always puts 100% into his training and racing, ran a fantastic 3:20:39, while Graham Worsfold’s 3:00:30 represented a huge six minute PB!
Again just seconds behind Graham was Retford’s David Corbett with another PB of 3:00:41, what a day for our phenomenal Team Blizard stars!
There were also PBs galore at the Sheffield Half-marathon, and an overall win for Yvonne’s club mate and Blizard’s Ruth Jones at the Caythorpe Canter half marathon, a very challenging all off road, muddy and hilly over-distance stomp of a race, but when did that ever stop us eh!
Finally, our own Jono Frary and his coached athlete Karen Lynch also earned their first race wins of the season at the start of the local summer duathlon series! Jono said: “There were some tough racing conditions and even tougher competitors! It also appears I'm now one of the Team GB captains at the European triathlon champs in May!”
Meanwhile Karen was elated to win for the first time! "My first ever race win in absolutely horrific weather conditions, and hopefully many more to come!" We don't doubt it for a second!
We don’t do things by halves here, but that’s what earns us the success we all word so hard for!
Keep up the lactate training Team Blizard, there’s so much more to come this season and we can’t wait!
