Stratford athletes battle the mud at Coombe 8

ATHLETICS

CLARE WEATHERHEAD led the seven-strong Stratford AC contingent home at the picturesque Coombe 8.

Coombe Abbey Country Park was the scene for the tough multi-terrain race on wooded paths and undulating farmland.

As with all off-road events this year, mud was the main feature, but this was offset by the crisp, sunny conditions.

Weatherhead (70:25, 130th) was first home for Stratford, followed by Lisa Dallison (71:14, 136th), Chris Whateley (74:31, 174th), Rebecca Pridham (75:52, 189th), Tony Tomecek (76:48, 200th), Pippa Abrams (87:27, 277th) and Jean Hill (92:21, 294th).

There were 339 competitors that completed the race.

Telford 10k

STRATFORD AC’s Yvonne Gajny and Phil Brennan took part in the Telford 10k.

The event is claimed to be one of the fastest 10k courses in the country and attracted a huge field, with more than 1,100 runners taking part.

The two-lap course consisted mainly of punishing straight sections of over a mile along a narrow track between tall trees, with overtaking sometimes difficult in the crowded field.

Gajny (48:31, 685th) clocked a time close to her season’s best and just inside the top 20 of the competitive W45 category.

Brennan came home just behind in 48:43 to finish third in the M75 category.