Week Ending - 2025/05/25

MATT WINS INAUGURAL WATERMEAD 10K

The fifth instalment of the 2025 Leicestershire Road Running League season took place last Wednesday evening with the inaugural Watermead 10K in Leicester. The race replaced the speedy Prestwold 10K event and there was no shortage of success for Badgers once again as in-form elite runner Matt Scarsbrook launched himself into an early lead on the flat double lap course. Hinckley RC star Harry Robinson immediately gave chase but a blistering opening mile of 4:42 established daylight at the front of the race and while this pace was ultimately unsustainable, the damage had been inflicted on his rivals allowing the Baddesley man to storm home a minute clear of the field in 31:17. This was a superb win and time, especially considering the large grassed section of the course, done twice, which slowed all athletes down and meant that the event was classed as multi terrain rather than road, excluding it from being valid for club records. One of three runners to therefore miss out on a record was second man home, Chris Horton, the only Badger to net a Rhodium standard with his 14th place finish of 35:07. A frenetic early start soon caught up with the Atherstone runner who had to hang on grimly over the final four miles, finishing five places and 23 seconds ahead of team mate Neil Russell who once again put in a tremendous shift for all three teams, men, vet men and mixed, with the second quickest 10K of his career on his 50th league appearance for the club.

The league leading men’s side were pitched against an Owls team packed with quality and it was fit again skipper Ryan Preece who was next home in a gutsy 36:00. A resurgent Danny Warren crossed the line next in a season’s best 36:05, both he and the skipper showing positive improvements for looks likely to be a promising second half of the season given their pedigree. Mark Cox ran a superb Diamond standard time of 36:10 and a personal best for the distance too with Adrian Payne in close attendance eleven seconds and two places further back. For Badgers, it was just as well that these guys were on their mettle as the final results showed they edged Owls to the team win on the night by a solitary place, meaning that every involvement was pivotal o the team success. In form Luke Neal ran a 10K PB in 37:52 with up and coming mountain biker William Pickering finishing strongly in 38:17.

In a high-quality field, Chris Tweed finished in 61st place yet was still well inside the 40-minute mark with a cracking run of 38:39, four seconds ahead of his more youthful counterpart Cameron Barnes. David Jackson bid a poignant farewell to his spell in the mixer with a Silver standard time of 40:51, narrowly ahead of fellow big hitter Mark Coggan who ran a punchy 41:09 just outside the top one hundred. Mark Repton was next through on his half century of club league races with Jack Burton-Peet going well in 41:23. Matt Green strode home in 41:42, marking his 50th appearance with a personal best at the grand old age of forty-nine no less, a stupendous achievement. Sam Starkey and Jim Cottom both ran under 44 minutes with veteran trio Bill Gutheridge, Colin Lees and Dave Jenkinson all going strongly.

Daily Mail reading Ashley Taylor clocked 46:26 with Dave Purvis breaking 48 minutes in a solid run. Paul Cooper was next to cross the line for the men before one of the best golfers in the club, Andy Altoft followed through ahead of Andy Smith (in 59:39) meaning that every single male Badger runner had broken the hour mark, an excellent effort all round.

The league leading ladies outfit look unbeatable atop division two and celebrated with another comprehensive team win. Packed with talent, the side were once again led home by speedy captain Liberty Underhill who ran well inside the club record for 10K (albeit for it not to count!) in a blistering 41:53 and a fine 15th place in a stacked field. Megan Griffiths can seemingly do no wrong these days and once again waded in with a major contribution to the team’s success thanks to her brisk 45:06 (31st place). Pacy Stacey Horner made her first appearance for the club this term and was straight into the points scoring with an excellent effort of 46:12. Sciatica ridden Rachel Crump could barely walk from the car but stick a pair of Vaporflys on her and she’s a different beast as she defied science to charge home in 46:46, another outstanding athlete to unfortunate miss out on a club record due to the nature of the terrain.

Beth Woodward produced one of the runs of the night with her 47:00. Lopping over five minutes off her old best, on a flat yet far from optimal course is an incredible feat from someone already operating at a pretty high level. Grace Barsby sped back next in a swift 48:15 with Rachael Browne digging deep to break fifty minutes. Janey Barrett helped herself to a wonderful PB in 50:11 helping the vet ladies recover some ground in their league campaign.

Rising star Erica Bassford continues to impress, her latest run producing a brilliant new personal best time of 52:19 as she chases down U23 league leader Megan Church who has taken the division by storm thus far, indeed it was the fleet footed youngster who was next back, battling hard over the finish line with elbows flying everywhere refusing to be intimidated as she too ran a PB time of 53:32 in this instance. Kat Wilson made a welcome return to 10K action after an injury absence and V60 club record holder Pip Weston ran like a Rolls Royce in a splendid 54:58 (Silver standard). Sharon Jackson ran well as did Alice Belcher who clocked a PB of 54:18 before the trio of Esther Parr, Kate Rathbone and Sara Hawkins rounded up a fabulous night of action for the club.

With such a huge turnout for the Watermead race, there was little other action during the week from club members aside from some parkrun activity, notably at Belvoir Castle where Fiona Reidy, Trudie Cruddas and Pete Mann all marked their 100th parkrun event. There was double delight at Market Bosworth where Badgers had first male and female finishers as Chris Horton recorded his 15th consecutive win over a six-month period and Mia Cox proved her success at Babbs Mill recently was no fluke with a win on a far trickier course. Fiona Audley made it a 1-2 for the girls in 24:22, ten seconds adrift of the prodigious Cox. Adi Payne and Mark Cox also hit the top ten.

Glyn Broadhurst won outright at Itchen Valley with Megan Griffiths taking third female. Joanne Crow (Barmouth), Martin Graham (Holbrooks), Yvonne Faulkner-Grant (Coronation Park) and Wayne Repton (Anacostia, USA) all made top ten finishes while at the home of Badgers parkrunning, Kingsbury Water Park, there was a win for the rapid Rachael Browne as well as top ten finishes for Dave Jackson and Rachel Crump.