Race Report Springs into Action

Hello there, Race Report fans, and welcome to your first Report of 2025! The sun arrived and brought with it a brilliant day of racing for Team Green at the Berkhamsted Half Marathon and five mile ‘Fun Run’ (the organisers have evidently never experienced the five miles of the Pednor loop).

But first of all, I am delighted to bring you news from under the lights of Battersea on Thursday evening. Angus Williams and Aran Davidson raced at the FNUL 5k on 27 February, the first of these regular, highly-contested fixtures for 2025. Angus came home in a blistering 15.15.30, followed by an equally fleet-footed Aran in 15.31.34. Well done!​

In more exotic climes, Caroline Stephens ticked off Marathon Major Number five (of six) in Tokyo. She clocked a brilliant chip time of 4.02.43 (or, at least, I presume that is what is meant by ‘net time’ as opposed to ‘gross time’ on the website).

Chiltern had no less than sixteen athletes pounding the tarmac around hilly Ashridge in this morning’s Berko Half Marathon and five in the five mile race.

In the Half Mike ‘Tiny’ Turney led the Club home, taking the now traditional first V60 prize, in a very creditable chip time of 1.29.13. Ali Young was first V50 female with a chip time of 1.30.56. They were joined by: Russell Vandenbrekel (1.29.46); Tom Wright (a PB time of 1.30.51); Mairead O’Rourke (1.37.25); Club returner Paul Horwood (1.37.36); Ben Hannen (1.39.26); Grant Whitaker (1.41.40); Frank Gaymond (1.42.54); new member Denzil Carr (1.45.21); Lauren Mayot (1.49.06); Giles Greenhalgh (1.50.17); Tom Powell (1.53.51); Rik Edwards (2.02.16); Isabel Montesdeoca (2.07.34) and Chris Pitkin (battling through a cold to 2.08.43).
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In the five mile race Tom Ford was victorious overall, albeit representing Berkhamsted School, in a time of 27.39, while sister Emily was first female in 33.13. Of the Chiltern Harriers AC runners Jon Taylor came home first in a chip time of 36.37. Joining him were: Heidi Folkard (42.15); Phoebe Gorman (46.46); Steve Field (51.35); and Mel Folkard (54.28).

COMING UP LOCALLY: Humanity Direct XNRG Amersham Ultra, Intercounties Cross Country, Cambridge Marathon, Goring 10k, Hardwick X-Stream (where we have mens’ and womens’ team titles to defend!), Second Sunday 5, the Ashridge Boundary Run, the next of the Gade Valley Marathon training runs, Hillingdon and Oakley 20s and Last Friday of the Month 5k. For these events and more, as well as details of where to enter, check out the Club Calendar.

A NOTE ABOUT RACE REPORT: following a poll on WhatsApp, Race Report will be focussing on ‘major’ local races where there are (likely to be) numbers of Harriers running, rather than coming out every week. However, we still want to hear about other events that you may have been taking part in, to make sure that we continue to have an engaging and diverse report to read. If you have done an event, or know that someone else has, ping a quick email to [email protected] to make sure it is included in a future iteration of Race Report.