Normanby Hall 10k round up

Sunday marked a momentous day in Team Blizard’s competitive history, as our first ever 10k was a storming success at Normanby Hall, seeing hundreds of athletes from across the country taking on the exciting new course, with plenty of PBs scored by runners of all speeds across the board!

At the sharp end of the race, elite Team Blizard's Tom Morris, fresh from being crowned European age group triathlon champion, was victorious in a controlled and tactical 34:29, just ten seconds ahead of Scunthorpe’s David Robinson, while club mate Richard Budge did well to hold off the valiant challenge from Winterton’s Andrew Holt for the third podium spot, who was just one second adrift in 34:58!



Team Blizard’s Sheffield representative, Brian Rose scored a brand new PB in his first race since his huge lifetime best in the Manchester marathon, when he clocked a fantastic 36:09 to finish eight overall, while Blizard's super V50 Jay Buxton just dipped under the 40 minute barrier with an impressive 39:54.




However, the women’s race produced even more eye catching results, when Leeds City’s Sarah Kemshall shot to a 37:01 result, her fastest time in four years when she ran an incredible 35:30 at the Abbey Dash 10km! Scunthorpe’s Lindsay Skinner showed she’s still got it when she crossed the line to clinch the second lady’s prize in 39:13, just under a minute ahead of her nearest rival, Scunthorpe’s Shawnie Lovatt, who finished less than 30 seconds shy of her lifetime best with a strong 40:11.



Another top veteran in record breaking shape was the ever impressive Frank Thomas from Caistor, who, at the age of 55, knocked a massive 51 seconds off his previous best with a stunning 43:07!



Also running well on our first ever 10k course were Doncaster’s Richard Morton with 45:39, Andrew Billington notched up a 46:19 result, while Clowne’s Karen Shipman knocked a huge 67 seconds off her PB with a scorching 47:05! Gainsborough’s Hanna Bennett did her best to slash as much as she could off her previous best when she crossed the line in 49:46, annihilating her 51:08 former best, and Claire Bunting provided inspiration for all around her when she finished in 72:16, supported by her guide runner, Sarah Skelton.



Notts 10m, Summer Solstice 10k, Phil Johnson 5k, Hull 10k and the Banff 10k and half marathon in Canada

Over at the hugely competitive Notts 10 mile road race, top veteran Gareth Lowe was a sublime sixth in a storming 52:37 and a brand new PB over the distance - at the age of 43! Incredibly, if the Clowne star can run close to that time when he turns 45 in less than two years’ time, he will rank inside the top 20 ALL TIME for 10 miles! As it stands though, he will have to make do with ranking first in the country for his current V40 category, ahead of another of Dave Tune’s coached athletes, Matt Bidwell!



Another Team Blizard veteran excelling against elite competition was Telford’s international ace, Claire Martin, who picked up the third ladies’ spot behind GB runners Gemma Steel and Juliet Potter with a stunning 58:58. Brilliantly, Claire also now tops the female V40 tables, ahead of the former championship marathoner, Hayley Haining! Telford club mate Robert Nash ran a massive 57:27 PB following his lactate test at the clinic, while Retford’s David Corbett’s 65:51 was a great indicator that he is continuing his ever-improving form this year.



Meanwhile, the amazing Doncaster V55, Caroline Wheelhouse, ran an astonishing 68:07, placing her second in the country for her age, and Askern’s tenacious curly-haired athlete, Kelly Raven confounded all expectations as she crossed the line in 71:02, her second fastest ever 10m time despite being ravaged with injury woes recently. She impressively ran the whole race in her threshold zone, so kudos to this hard working runner for never giving up and believing in the power of heart rate training!



Bushfield Joggers’ V60 revelation, Eric Winstone, incredibly ran a lifetime PB of 75:54 at the age of 64, a time that will place him in the top 35 in the country in just two months’ time when he joins the V65 rankings, if he can repeat this impressive feat!



Earlier in the week, Team Blizard speedsters were in action at the Phil Johnson 5k, with Scunthorpe’s Matty Smith narrowly missing out on an overall win with a near PB of 16:14, while Worksop’s Tracey West also clinched the silver position in the women’s race, the V50 star claiming 19:29 result, and a PB by more than half a minute to boot! Both athletes are personally coached by Dave, and reaping the rewards of his guidance.



Coach Jono Frary’s ace duathlete, Katie Webster, made a massive contribution to a group endurance swim challenge on the weekend, when she was part of a team attempt to swim as far as possible over a 24 hours period. The GB age group athlete managed an eye-watering 13 miles!



Over at the Hull 10k, lactate tested Arron Larkins from Rotherham stormed to an overall win on the testing course in a substantial 33:10 PB,



and club mate Ian Whyman was also in great form when he knocked 70 seconds off his previous best with a fantastic 36:08 to finish 11th overall and first V40.



Our Blizard shop expert and yoga guru Angela Boyle ran well to post a 49:40 result, and, to round off a perfect day in Hull for Team Blizard, our ambassador and committed threshold athlete, Emily Whall, continues to make substantial inroads into her 10k bests with another gigantic chunk knocked off on Sunday, clocking a brilliant 43:47, another 84 seconds off her PB in just two weeks!



Over in Canada, Blizard's own sports massage therapist, Owen James, and his world record breaking wife Lindsy shone in the Banff 10k and half marathon, with Lindsy winning the half in a strong 87:57 by a massive eight minutes, and Owen acing the 10k in a victorious 36:05, finishing more than 90 seconds clear of his nearest rival!



Eye’s Ben Heron impressed yet again when he finished sixth at the undulating Summer Solstice 10k with a 33:48 result, while club mates Lee Whitton and Laura Conway clocked 44:59 and 45:05, the latter a PB, the former equally impressive considering Lee had won his first ever ultra marathon just two days’ earlier! Finally, Rotherham’s Brenda King’s V65 ran 62:50 to notch up her second fastest 10k of the year - so far…!