Week Ending - 2025/05/24

THREE FROM THREE FOR IMPRESSIVE SCARSBROOK

Matt Scarsbrook continued his impressive start to the 2026 Leicestershire Road Running League season, securing his third successive win with a dominant run at the Watermead 10K race on Wednesday evening. From the off, the Badgers man left the field way behind him with a blistering first mile of 4:56, his fastest of the race, effectively blowing the competition away as a strong field grouped together battling for the runner-up spot. 32 minutes and 21 seconds after the gun, Scarsbrook was able to claim his second victory in this race after winning the inaugural version in 2025. A few course changes meant that it was not a carbon copy circuit, but it was still quick enough to produce a host of PB’s further back in the field. 

Ryan Preece had an exceptional run in 7th place. The self-styled Swede of Speed ran a 10K PB of 34:14 despite suffering a whiplash injury sustained during an impromptu bout of WWE-style wrestling after celebrating his epic half-marathon win at the weekend. In addition, he was brave beyond belief as he also battled a foot problem, which caused him to finish the race with blood-stained white running shoes, not too dissimilar to Eilish McColgan in her recent marathon attempt. In summary, Preece’s run was sick and his position seven, so it was very much a case of sick-seveeeeen as they say, in primary school playgrounds up and down the country, all of the time. 

Club Chairperson Danny Warren produced one of his best runs of the campaign to date, weighing in with a new 10K PB of 34:42, breaking a nine-year-old mark that he set while winning the Conductive Education race in Birmingham. Chris Horton (35:30) had a tough time but still managed to make the top 20 and was agonisingly two seconds shy of a rare Rhodium county standard time, a standard only four men achieved in the race. 

A trio of Badgers followed minutes later, all scrapping to evade the oncoming mixer. Chris Tweed, battle-weary from his arduous ultra marathon, almost took a detour before the line but finished in a spritely 39:19 in 60th spot. Lee Taylor broke the 40-minute mark for the first time with a sensational effort of 39:27, making the Badgers scoring six men, and his first time inside the 40-minute mark. Luke Neal, another with fatigue in his legs, paced 40 minutes to absolute perfection on the gun, and still making the top 70 runners in the sell-out evening event. 

Matt Green and Jim Cottom both ran well enough to score for the men’s vets team, with a further veteran trio of Dave Jenkinson, Michael Garrett and dazzling Dave Purvis all scooted home within the top 200, Garrett even bagging himself a 10K PB in his late 50’s! Ashley Taylor, Wayne Repton, and Rob Crow (on his 95th appearance for the club) all performed well, as did Andy Smith. 

The ladies had a decent turnout for this race, bolstered somewhat by the return of the pacy Beth Woodward and over half of the 16-strong side returned home with a new personal best. Leading the way was skipper Meg Griffiths, who finished 32nd in a strong field, with former GB star Gemma Steel winning the event in comprehensive fashion. The aforementioned Woodward is in superb form at present, and she powered her way home in a PB time of 45:58 and with it a top forty placing. 

Susie Stringer has been in great shape of late, and once again she proved her worth to the Badgers club as one of only two triple scorers (that is, ladies, vet ladies and mixed teams). The final scorer for the ladies A-team was the rapidly improving Erica Bassford, who took two and a half minutes off her prior 10K best with a fabulous effort of 48:11. 

She was followed home by four more Badgers, all of whom were aboard the PB train. Jane Barrett ran 48:53 to go a minute quicker than ever before. The impressive Kat Wilson clocked 49:06, her first foray into sub-50 territory. Alice Belcher took a remarkable three and a half minutes off her old best to set a new benchmark of 50:41, and like Danny Warren before her, Joanne Crow beat a nine-year-old PB with her magnificent 51:34 - just incredible. 

Hannah Burgess ran strongly in 51:54, Krystal Knight ran her first 10K race, despite having already completed a marathon! Danni Gunn ran a quality 55:45, the fastest time she can remember for the distance. Judy Parkes and Sharon Jackson performed admirably as did Holly Smith. Last but not least was Vicki Brunsdon, the mum of four running the final PB of the evening in 61:23 to cap a brilliant night for so many individuals as they look forward to the next race in just eleven days time at the West End 8 in Syston. 

The heatwave and league race meant there was limited action over the weekend. Mark Repton and Liz Peel were in Edinburgh for the running festival. Mark completed the marathon, although not in the time he hoped for; hot weather limited his time to 3:24:11. Liz managed 2:21 in the half-marathon distance as she edges her way towards 100 of these events. What next for Liz, we ask – 10Ks?

There was some parkrun enthusiasts giving it some welly in the heat on Saturday morning. Suzy Farrell chalked up parkrun number 100 with a seventh-place finish at Jubilee in Bedford. There were other top tens for Meg Griffiths, Jim Cottom (9th at Chasewater), 3rd at Medina on the Isle of Wight, Cam Barnes (10th at Durlston), Claire Bradford (7th lady at Groene Ster, Holland) and Rachel Browne (5th at Kingsbury). 

There were wins for Chris Horton, who triumphed by two and a half minutes at Market Bosworth. Susie Stringer who ran a PB of 22:32 at Bedworth as part of a female 1-2 with pacy team mate Emma Masser, both ladies making the top twenty regardless of gender. 

The fastest parkrunner of the weekend was Ryan Preece who took second at Banbury in a brisk 17:38 and a special mention to the genial Rob Crow who was part of a large Badger entourage to Barmouth and was first Badger back (in 22:53) despite being considerably older than every other Badger that day. Well done that man!