ON DAYS LIKE THESE!
An early start for some of the JJs from Jesmond with a 6:30 meet to get the coach for the fast Brass Monkey Half Marathon in York. After resuming sleep on the bus, the JJs arrived in York and clear bright and fairly windless day greeted them. Stretching and coffee grabbed in the York Racecourse saw us greeted by Lottie Rhodes, currently sojourned in York, who was volunteering at the race and on water station 1. More JJs arrived and talk turned to pacing and expected times. It’s on days like these when skies are blue and the grass is green, as Matt Munro once sang, that you look and around and think what might have been. The JJs weren’t in no mood to think what might have been and they all took the race by the scruff of the neck and wow did they produce some results.
A couple of JJs were on pace making duties to help pull round their club mates. Support was loud round parts of the course, Lottie on the water station saw the JJs twice and gave encouraging words, whilst going through the village of Appleton Rowbuck, Joe Inns parents were in good voice. Tom Dowling set of the PB toppling with an impressive run with a suspected cracked rib. Our first woman home was Laura, who chased in Rob. Louise was our next woman home in another PB. Incredibly the first eleven JJs home all set PBs with Tom, Joe, Ben, Rob, Laura, Cliff, Rob, Emillo, Louise, Matthew and Simon Barker all going sub 1:40. Next home was Geoff Blair who paced Sophie to a new PB, followed by Emily and Beth, with the latter getting a PB, with both being paced round by Simon. Good to see Sami back running and pacing round Gerry to yet another PB and Martyn and David finished the JJs finishers. In all, fourteen JJs set new PBs. An absolutely amazing performance.
With spring marathons coming up for a number of JJs, it’s a great marker at the start of the year. High spirits meant the journey passed quickly and a celebration drink was in order back in Jesmond. Another great JJ day out.
177th Tom Dowling 01:20:16 45/49 22nd PB
313th Joe Inns 01:24:40 snr 89th PB
359th Ben McMain 01:26:03 snr 99th PB
437th Rob Kingston 01:28:16 snr 112th PB
454th Laura Chapman 01:28:34 snr 20th PB
513th Cliff Veitch 01:30:04 55/59 21st PB
523rd Robert James Mulligan 01:30:33 snr 128th PB
536th Emilio Vazquez 01:30:56 snr 131st PB
626th Louise McLeman 01:33:57 snr 39th PB
754th Matthew Down 01:38:24 55/59 40th PB
801st Simon Baker 01:39:15 45/49 98th PB
853rd Geoff Blair 01:42:17 60/64 22nd
854th Sophie Reynolds 01:42:17 snr 63rd PB
892nd Emily Pass 01:44:00 snr 65th
897th Beth Deutsch 01:44:10 snr 66th PB
910th Simon Wells 01:44:33 50/54 79th
1239th Samantha Friedman 01:55:35 snr 96th
1240th Gerry Rowland 01:55:36 snr 97th PB
1332nd Martyn Collins 01:59:25 50/54 109th
1381st David Newman 02:04:35 60/64 46th