Tara sets huge PB to lead home Stratford AC in marathon

ATHLETICS

TARA Lambert was the first Stratford-upon-Avon Athletics Club finisher with a superb personal best in the Rotary Shakespeare Marathon on Sunday.

Last month she completed the 107-mile Dublin 2 Belfast Ultra, so a mere 26.2 miles was akin to a stroll in the park. Her time of 3:53:43 was a massive 37-minute PB and 42 minutes quicker than her time in this race last year.

Stratford AC runners were spread across showpiece events in Stratford and London.

Some 31 members competed in the Shakespeare Half Marathon, three in the marathon, 15 in the London Marathon and three of the club’s juniors qualified for the London Mini Marathon.

Seb Hopper also set a PB as the first Stratford AC runner home in the Shakespeare Half Marathon. He was 13th in a magnificent time of 1:20:01, which was an almost nine-minute improvement on his previous best.

In London, Simon Hanagarth also bettered his previous PB to finish in a superb sub-three-hour time of 2:57:02.

He was the first of 15 Stratford AC runners to finish in the capital, with Ivan Sarti breaking a 31-year-old club record.

His time of 2:58:16 knocked more than 26 minutes off the previous M55 club record which had stood since 1988.

For a full athletics round-up, see this week’s Herald.