Runners excel in Cheddar (From Penarth Times)

Runners excel in Cheddar

A HALF marathon in the picturesque Somerset countryside provided a rich hunting ground for Penarth and Dinas Runners on November 13.

Cheddar Running Club's event is fast growing in reputation for being well organised on a mainly flat, fast course.

The'Fabulous Fourth' Cheddar Half Marathon was no exception and some cracking performances were the order of the day.

Of the seven Penarth and Dinas participants no less than four personal best times were recorded.

Julie Davies, an ex-club colleague who maintains close links with Penarth and Dinas Runners, knocked four minutes off her previous best to post a time of just over 1 hr 35 mins.

Emma Ridgill made a sensible start to her race before making her move just after five miles. Despite an injury to her right leg she managed to hang on and finished in 1:51:13.

Janice Clement caught up with Stella Sturgess at the five-mile point and was never more than a few paces behind her for the remainder of the race.

However, she was unable to make the necessary surge past Stella, who was determined to keep up the pace. As a result both also crossed the finish line inside 1 hr 52 mins.

Having suffered food poisoning on her return from Nepal a couple of weeks ago, Stella was amazed and delighted by her personal best time of 1:51:40. Janice was more than happy to settle in behind Stella as she went on to better her previous best time set 11 years ago, finishing in 1:51:54.

Having been disappointed with her times in Cardiff and Stroud, Jo Hendry was determined to lay out her stall early on in the race. Good conditions helped her to cover the first few miles at a fast pace and she hung on to finish in 1:56:29 - her second best half marathon time since Cheddar in 2001.

Husband Neil also responded to this inspirational course, producing a better time than either Cardiff and Stroud, with a time of 1:41:02.

Clem had been hoping for a good time, but even he exceeded his expectations. Mixing it with the lead runners, he was able to respond to surges in pace and his 1:17:01 earned him 6th place overall and 1st in his age category. At the presentation ceremony, he was awarded a plaque and a bottle of wine.

A limited race field of 300 runners, imposed by policing restrictions, means that entries have to be early. Last year a number of Penarth and Dinas Runners were disappointed to find that they had left it too late, so entries were sent off as early as July this year. It was certainly worth the effort and well done to the Magnificent Seven!