Week Ending - 2025/03/01

SCARSBROOK BOUNCES BACK AT KIBWORTH

After missing the first race of the 2026 Leicestershire Road Running League in January, Badgers star Matt Scarsbrook returned to action at the Kibworth 6 and followed up his win in the event last year with a solid victory once again. The elevation profile makes this event one of the toughest on the calendar, and Scarsbrook was made to work hard for his win as young Hinckley RC runner William King tracked him for the first couple of miles. While the youngster dropped away before the ascent of the infamous Gumley Hill, OWLS ace Simon Allen, another absentee from race one, closed the gap on the Baddesley man to within ten seconds. However, Scarsbrook had enough wherewithal to withstand any challenge and was able to cross the line first in 32:40, a masterclass in obtaining a lead and not letting it go. Desford 5 race winner George Seymour took third place. It wasn’t your typical Scarsbrook win, but it was a very effective piece of racing showing his impressive race nous and versatility in getting the job done.

Badgers men were hoping to improve on their showing from the first race, and they did just that with four men back inside the top eleven. Unfortunately for them, OWLS showcased some of their burgeoning young talent and were able to keep Badgers in second spot. Chris Horton led home a trio of Badgers in ninth place with his rapid 34:26, with Danny Warren continuing his excellent form of the last few months in tenth place nine seconds later. A sleep-deprived Ryan Preece showed plenty of guts to battle home in eleventh spot in 34:55.

Adrian Payne ran 37:13 to make the top forty and a resurgent Glyn Broadhurst who will be fifty by the time of the next race, managed a quality 37:55. The men’s captain was barely catching his breath when fellow vet Chris Tweed surged over the line in a wonderful course best 38:02 and seven seconds later, Tweed’s training partner Luke Neal finished strongly ahead of his upcoming marathon attempt in Manchester next month. 

Jack Burton-Peet ran a fine 39:25, and Lee Taylor made his Kibworth debut in a respectable 40:18. Matt Green clocked a course best 41:52 and a silver standard and newcomer Ellis Cahill weighed in with a decent time of 42:15. V55 star Dave Jenkinson ran a brisk 44:19 and provided a selection of brownies that had his team mates positively drooling afterwards. Dan Hilton was another making his Kibworth debut, and he coped admirably with the wind and hills in 45:26.

One of the performances of the day was undoubtedly that of Andy Altoft who ran 46:02. To put that into context, it was a personal best for six miles on what is an immensely tough course and on a less than perfect day weather wise, and some eleven minutes quicker than he managed in 2025, a quite exceptional level of improvement, all borne from hard work over the winter, increased training volume and a mindset shift.

The veteran trio of Wayne Repton (47:01), Neil Rose (48:33) and Bill Gutheridge (50:50) all ran solidly ahead of Ashley Taylor, Marc Corbett and David Craig. Former 8-mile club record holder (V50) Rob Crow put in a good shift to bag a Bronze standard in 52:53. Joe Jenkinson went well in 55:26, and Matt Smith made improvements on his previous attempts in 59:03.

The ladies were led home yet again by their in-form skipper, Megan Griffiths, who took 14th place overall in the race, an excellent effort. Her time of 44:17 was six minutes faster than the second Badger female back, Jane Barrett, who herself produced a great run to bag a course best time of 50:34 and place among the leading V45 athletes. Erica Bassford clocked a super 51:50 as she began to reap the rewards of her marathon training. Kat Wilson, back in action now stronger and fitter than in 2025, also showed a good turn of speed to net a time of 52:21, making her one of just three triple scorers for the club, that is, bagging points for ladies, vet ladies and mixed teams. (Jane Barrett for the ladies and Chris Horton for the men, being the other two).

Joanne Crow was running her sixth Kibworth and emerged with a course best time of 53:05, a terrific achievement in the conditions. Grace Barsby made a return to league action after missing the season’s opener, finishing just ahead of Alice Belcher, who helped herself to a course best time of 53:50. Krystal Knight was one of only two Badgers to run a 6-mile PB on the course, an amazing effort considering. Her 55:09 represented a big step forward and in the unlikeliest of venues, too. Suzy Farrell ran 55:22, with Vicki Brunsdon running 65:00 and Sara Hawkins clocking a massive new course best by over seven minutes in 68:53.

Elsewhere, Dave Purvis took on the Tokyo Marathon and finished in a time of 4:02:18 to complete another star on his marathon major chasing mission. David Grant ran 41:59 at the Leicester 10K, only a few seconds off his PB, which is remarkable given he is just returning from injury. Yvonne Faulkner-Grant performed well in 56:15. Anne-Marie Matthews managed 3:58 at the Oundle 20 race, and Jane Barrett chalked up her 300th parkrun with her 7th place finish at Whitby, where fellow Badgers Terry Taylor and Lil Souter tied the knot and became husband and wife. Congratulations from all at the club.