Severn AC hosted this years Glos AAA 5km Championship at their popular Sandhurst venue. A bumper 150 runners started and Tewkesbury AC represented over 10% of the field with 16 runners lining up.
With the event coming so soon after the Tewks 1/2M, the Tewkesbury team could have been forgiven for still having sore legs. Bizarrely, quite the opposite as 5 runners smashed their personal best (Pb) times in one of this seasons first 5000m events. The outstanding performance came in the unlikely form of Stuart Dudfield. Unlikely as Dudfield put in a life-time best effort in the 1/2M just four days prior. The flying runner has long set his sights on breaking the 20 minute mark for the distance. However, on the night he went one beyond and landed inside the 19 minute mark with 9 seconds to spare. Ironic as wife Cathy his training partner and club captain screamed her support while supported on crutches until her broken bones rebuild.
The standard of competition was immense at the sharp end. Clive Baker ran the quickest for Tewkesbury and, if fact, the quickest he as ever ran to clock a Pb. His performance completes a hat-trick of remarkable runs over the Marathon, Half Marathon and now, the 5000m in the space of a month. Worth mentioning too, that Bakers time of 16.37 minutes was just seconds short of the club record.
Jon's Rawlings and Mansfield best efforts were short of Baker although they did mange to squeeze a former team mate in a finish line sandwich.
Fast improving Luke Anthony ran well enough to hold off Rob Knight by 10 seconds before a quadruple of Tewkesbury boys reset their Pb's in quick succession. Nigel Tillott, Stuart Dudfield, Stuart Buchan and Dan Webb all came within 35 seconds of each other in their best times to date.
Distance runners Adrian Lavery and Phillip Howells finished either side of White Horse regular Rob Jordan.
A great sight to see club sectary Steve Wiggall returning to racing. Likewise Mick Morris. Both club stalwarts are successfully overcoming theirinjury woes.
Tonight's V70 winner was Mike Ward. Ward's running of late is a joy to watch.
Last but not least, was yet another come-back man, Darrell Summers who was more
than satisfied with his exploits.
24th Clive Baker - 16.37 (Pb)
31st Jon Rawlings - 16.58
34th Jon Mansfield - 17.11
45th Luke Anthony - 17.40
47th Rob Knight - 17.50
65th Nigel Tillott - 18.44 (Pb)
68th Stuart Dudfield - 18.51 (Pb)
73rd Stuart Buchan - 19.16 (Pb)
75th Danny Webb - 19.29 (Pb)
81st Adrian Lavery - 19.43
101st Rob Jordan - 20.57
117th Phil Howells - 21.53
123rd Steve Wiggall - 22.09
132nd Mike Ward - 23.48
136th Mick Morris - 24.32
140th Darrell Summers - 25.25