Week Ending - 2025/03/22

BADGERS GIVE IT PLENTY AT THE ALDI ASHBY 20

The Aldi Ashby 20 race took place at the weekend with plenty of Badgers in action, giving plenty of effort over the demanding two-lap course. A fresh but otherwise very pleasant morning for running welcomed the dozen or so Badgers who toed the line with over 1300 others for the popular annual event, used by many as a test of stamina ahead of their Spring marathons. Leading the way for the club was Cameron Barnes, who has been working hard over the winter in preparation for his upcoming attempt at the Manchester marathon in four weeks’ time. The 27-year-old has been in great shape so far in 2026 and put in a quality performance to return home in an impressive 2:17:41, his first attempt at the distance in a race. He was followed over the line by two Aldi big-hitters in the form of employee of the month Luke Neal, who cruised home in 2:21:13 and his hard working colleague Mark Repton, who ran a solid 2:24:13. Lee Taylor made his distance debut with a fine 2:30:26 and London-bound Susie Stringer was in fine form as she battled home in a pacy 2:51:42, a personal best by an incredible 27 minutes which bodes well for her upcoming marathon in the capital. Teammate Bill Gutheridge will be with her next month, as he is the lucky recipient of the club's place in the iconic event. At Ashby, he was able to manage a fine 2:53:15 ahead of Wayne Repton, who also sneaked home under three hours. 

Rising star Rhys Hopwood wore the number one bib in the event and managed to finish in a brilliant 3:03:44. Carl Ford ran strongly ahead of his upcoming marathon in Manchester, bagging a time of 3:26:15, and if Jill Miller was just seven seconds slower, she could have had a time of 3:33:33! The experienced Anne-Marie Matthews ran a course best of 3:53:57, and former club chair / 100-marathon club inductee Karen Thompson ran 4:09:02, pacing her daughter Jade around the course for her go. 

The Reading Half Marathon saw Matt Green thankfully remembering his shorts for the occasion as he finished first Badger back. Star of the show, however, was undoubtedly Jane Barrett, who after waiting ten years for a half marathon PB, only had to wait four weeks for another as she sped round her hometown event in a rapid 1:48:06. Dave Purvis ran 1:45:51 at the Stafford Half and Debbie Bremner managed 4:00:24 at the Twin Lakes 20-mile race for a personal best in her 50’s, a feat almost as rare as Adam McElhone attending a track session. 

The 7 Pools 10K run in Sutton Park saw a host of good performances, with in-form Jim Cottom leading the way in 45:00 for 22nd place overall. Adrian Parkes ran strongly in 54:39 with his wife Judy also going well in 62:02. Holly and Andy Smith both battled hard to complete the course in a fine 67 minutes.  

Parkrun saw several excellent performances, perhaps most notably from last week’s star Jack Burton-Peet, who followed up his lifetime best 18:34 at Tamworth with an even quicker 18:01 to finish second by the slender margin of seven seconds. A debut win and a sub-18 time are almost certainly on the cards soon, given this rapid improvement. There was success at Kingsbury Water Park, where captain Glyn Broadhurst led the way in 19:08 for yet another victory in a career literally littered with them. Megan Griffiths took second lady in 22:32, and Charlene McGowan also made the top ten with a quality run. Lil Souter clocked her fastest time in years as she continues to improve in 2026.

At Barmouth, Joanne Crow produced a display as dazzling as Jack’s, albeit in a different fashion. Ten years after her last parkrun PB (at Kingsbury when she was in her 30’s and Burton-Peet not even running), she doggedly sped round the seaside course in a magnificent 25:13 to land a new best at the distance that she has now run 178 times, a quite sensational statistic as well as effort. It earned her fifth place amongst the ladies and keeps alive her dream of being a first-place finisher of the future.

Another experienced veteran, Chris Horton, managed a first-place finish of his own at Brunswick Park, in a time of 17:27. Not only did it maintain his unbeaten record at the venue, but it set a new all-comers V50 record there. Liz Peel ran her 300th parkrun at Jubilee Park, Bedford, a marvellous milestone, and Vicki Brunsdon achieved a new PB of 29:21 at Zalew Wrzensinski in Poland. 

Mia Cox recorded another good PB at Riversley Park junior parkrun, running a rapid 8:01, and seven-year-old Rory Horton took over a minute off his previous best with a brilliant 10:10 in the same event.