SUTTON PARK in Birmingham – the seventh largest urban park in Europe and second largest outside a capital city – was once again the venue for the Midlands Road Relays Championships on Saturday.
More than 1,100 runners from across the Midlands came together to take part in this event, in which the ladies competition consisted of teams of four, with each team member running 4.33km (2.71 miles) before handing over to the next runner in their team.
The men’s competition consists of teams of six, with each runner completing 5.88km (3.68 miles). The course is notable for a pretty brutal hill early on, which really does take its toll on runners.
Bromsgrove & Redditch Athletic Club was well represented in all of the age groups and there were also some new faces to these relays for the club who all did themselves proud.
Results: U13 girls: 23rd – Esme Ranger 22.46, Lucy Hatfield 18.01, Maggie Parkinson 19.34 (out of 29).
U13 boys: 4th – Finnan Robins 14.32, Pijus Tvardauska 15.14, Leo Merritt 14.45 (out of 28); George Godwin 16.05, Seb Purvis 14.54 (incomplete team, 17th at time of finishing).
U15 boys: 4th – Josh Robins 12.44 (2nd fastest time of the age group), Luke Richardson 13.45, Joe Cunliffe 13.55; B team 39th – Harry Williams 16.20, James Pickup 17.21, Adam Knowles 16.41.
U17 women: 3rd – Beth Sykes 14.50, Amy Mijovic-Couldwell 15.06, Anna Nicod 16.01; B team 14th – Alice Battey 15.55, Ellen Bowen 16.09, Eleanor Moss 17.31 (out of 24).
Senior women: 15th – Sally Hogan 16.14, 16th Tamara Freeman 17.40, 34th Alison Pickup 21.35, 36th Mary Morris 20.13 (out of 102).
Senior men 32nd – 39th Mark Appleton 20.36, 33rd Gareth Richardson 20.28. 37th Gavin Moorhead 21.30, 41st Kevin Fisher 21.37, 37th Robert Mole 21.32, 32nd Ashley Ross 20.25; B.team – 74th Adam Parr 22.41, 62nd Peter Ball 21.35, 64th Robert Humphries (PB) 22.44, 63rd Joshua Wiseman 22.56, 60th Andrew Freeman 22.10, 59th Ben O’Connor 23.04 (out of 101).
Masters: 16th – Stephen Brookes 23.14, Matthew Henney 24.38, Peter Hawcroft 25.35, Ian Keyte 24.10, Dean Hartshorne 22.04, Kevin Lanckham 24.19 (out of 22).
Redditch-born Joe Smith helped Tipton Harriers to fourth place with an 18.33 leg.
