Bramley Newspaper Articles

Pushing the boundaries on the track and at Worksop Half Marathon.

Southwell running club members have recently extended their training programme to include challenging training at the YMCA Athletics Track in Newark. The sessions which are suitable for runners of all abilities, have focussed both on speed and endurance helping runners to train to their lactate threshold and thus making their aerobic system more efficient. The sessions have been well attended and club members have very much enjoyed the new challenges.

Eleven members of the club put their training to the test at the Worksop Half Marathon this weekend. The morning of the event presented perfect running conditions and allowed runners to appreciate the beautiful scenic views as they followed the undulating course through Clumber Park. Club results were as follows: Steven Rice 1:33:21 Nigel Whitmore 1:43:03, Mel Duffy 1:45:30, Steven Tomlinson 1:45:42, Jess Coyle 1:47:08, Stephen Holt 1:50:12, William Lee 1:54:49, Katie Botham 2:00:04, Sarah L Mckie 2:05:11, Lauren Birkbeck 2:15:33, Megan Mulraney2:15:33.

We welcome any new members to join our regular training sessions Tuesday evenings from 6:45pm, meeting in the Leisure Centre car park in Southwell. We also hold more general group runs on Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings. For more details visit www.southwellrunningclub.org.

Ruby Runner

Southwell Running Club.

From Rutland Water to World Major Marathons

Kat Hall and Lauren Birkbeck from Southwell Running Club took part in the Vetruvian triathlon a classic middle distance triathlon held at Rutland water. Beginning with 1.9km swim in the sheltered bay of Whitwell Creek followed by an 89k ​bike course on flat, fast and exciting roads surrounding Rutland Water taking riders through countryside, pretty Rutland villages and large woodland areas. Finally the 21k run follows the perimeter track of Rutland Water with a turning point at Normanton church and a return to the finish line in Whitwell where competitors received a VIP welcome. Kat gained PB time of 5:36:51 coming 8^th in her age category while Lauren was not far behind in 6:27:33.

Ben Parker and Carol Hayward went a bit further afield for their challenge and took on their second Abbotts World Major Marathon in Berlin. It was a perfect day for running on such an iconic course which starts in the Tiergarten near the Reichstag and takes runners past the golden angel Siegessaule monument. With cheering crowds and lively musicians lining the route, runners travel down Unter den Linden Boulevard through many parts of the city, passing Potsdamer Platz and the legendary Fernsehturm before running back towards the finish which is just past the Brandenburg Gate.

Carol said that “Running towards the Brandenburg Gate is the most incredible feeling with the cheering crowds encouraging you onwards, you have tears in your eyes as you pass through the monument and enter the home straight – it really was very emotional!” Ben finished in a time of 3:52:02, and Carol in 4:34:39.

We welcome new members to join our sessions on a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday morning.

Ruby Runner

Southwell Running Club.

Bramley Challenge

On a beautiful sunny evening during the September heatwave Southwell Running Club held their annual Bramley Challenge at Caythorpe Cricket Ground. This 5 mile race between the 5 local clubs of Holme Pierrepont Running Club, Notfast Running Club, Newark Striders, Southwell Running Club and newcomers Newark Athletic Club is a fast and flat route out towards Hoveringham and back and usually provides many opportunities for PBs. The high temperatures had runners really pushing their limits to achieve their usual times but it was great to see Matt Nutt from Holme Pierrepont come in first in a brilliant time of 27:45. Second was Geoff Greg from Newark AC in 28:33 and third was James Kirkwood also Holme Pierrepont in 30:39. First lady was Hannah Matharu from Holme Pierrepont in 32:21, followed by Katy Simpson from Southwell Running Club; 33:31 and third lady was Amy Taylor from Notfast 37:06.Congratulations to the small group from Newark Athletic Club who won the trophy. The evening was topped off with chip cobs all round. We extend our thanks to Caythorpe Cricket Club for the use of their premises.

Ruby Runner

Southwell Running Club.

Southwell Running Club members have had a busy summer beginning with their annual Relay Race held in the grounds of the Rugby Club. Club members brought family and friends along to participate in the event where runners ran in teams of three to complete 18 laps of the rugby field. The fine weather added to the enjoyment of the evening and it was wonderful to see younger runners really doing their best and joining in the occasion. Everyone enjoyed a well-earned chip cob or two afterwards and we extend our thanks to the Rugby Club for the use of their facilities.

Long term club member Penny Durance achieved great success in a number of races including coming first in her V65 age group in the Belper Rover. This challenging 30K fell race takes runners on bridleways, ancient roman roads, through woodlands and along part of the Midshires Way. Penny also gained a gold medal in the Notts AAA Summer League and a county championships silver medal in the Newstead Dash.

Several club members took part in the Newark Half Marathon and enjoyed a slightly drier event than last year with Ben parker finishing in 1:35:46, Stephen Rice in 1:33:58, Lourens Du Toit 1:36:54, Stephen Holt 1:47:53, Bill Lee 1:59:43, Megan Mulraney 2:00:27, Lee Mulraney 2:00:27 and Lauren Birkbeck 2:02:25.

Our training and social runs have continued through the summer and we of course welcome new members to join us on a Tuesday or Thursday evening or Saturday morning.

Ruby Runner

Southwell Running Club.

Smashing the Klagenfurt Ironman

Southwell Running Club members are renowned for wanting to take on big challenges so when Katherine Hall and Lauren Birkbeck decided to sign up for the Ironman Kärnten-Klagenfurt they knew that they were in for a long haul with their training. Preparation for these types of events takes months of dedication and hard work, with the event itself being the victory lap. Katherine and Lauren both smashed it, achieving finish times of 13:55:44 and 14:53:49 respectively. Known as one of the most beautiful races in Austria, the legendary triathlon begins with a 2.4 mile breathtaking swim in Wörthersee Lake, followed by 112 miles of cycling on closed roads through the rolling hills of the Kärnten region in Carinthia, and finishes with a 26.2 mile run along the shores of Wörthersee Lake finishing in the heart of Klagenfurt City where each competitor is announced as an ironman as they cross the line. These two really are Southwell’s Ironwomen!

In other club news, several members braved the heat to take part in the second Notts AAA Summer League Race at Wollaton Park. All achieved commendable times despite the high temperatures with Steven Rice coming home first for the SRC men and Katie Simpson first for the women.

The club continues to meet throughout the summer months with many enjoyable training sessions taking place on a Tuesday evening – come along and join us, we are a very friendly bunch.

Ruby Runner for Southwell Running Club