Beverley Athletics Club – 16th October 2021

One of the highlights in Beverley AC’s race calendar took place after a year’s absence on Sunday 26th September when over 400 runners donned their running shoes and took to the streets of Beverley and the Westwood for the Pittaway Beverley 10kms and the B&A Scaffolding Beverley Fun Run.

A shout out and congratulations go to all Beverley juniors in both the 10kms and fun run races, where 3 Beverley AC girls (Indie, Lois and Millie) took the first three girls’ places, and Caleb was third boy. And well done too to four older juniors who completed their first 10k: George, Ellie, Jorja and Emily. The coaches were very impressed with all of them, showing the results of their hard training sessions. The Juniors also took part in the Cleethorpes beach races on 10th October, in beautiful weather conditions where some very good performances were recorded. Indie was 1 st U11 girl and Caleb was 2nd U13 boy, with Freddie, Oliver and James 3 rd in the team event.

Another notable event in the Club’s calendar in September was the Northern Road Relays in Redcar, where Beverley was the only East Yorkshire club fielding senior teams in both the male and the female competition. It’s great to see the marathon events calendar in full swing now and Beverley have had runners in some very popular marathons in recent weeks. The Berlin marathon had one Beverley AC runner, Jody Horth, complete the iconic course whilst the recent London, Manchester and York events have seen several Club members take on the 26.2 miles challenge. Beverley 10 kms Race Director, Lucas Meagor, ran London Marathon and attempted to break the Official World Record to be the fastest runner dressed as a telephone box. Sadly, it was not to be this year but we’re sure there will be other future attempts!

The local Gruesome Twosome half marathon and 10 kms events, held in picturesque Lincolnshire, saw 6 pairs of runners from the Club take part and complete the distances as a pair, whilst further north, the Great North Run held on a new route in Newcastle was yet another half marathon challenge taken up by Beverley runners. The Club has also seen members take on the challenge of an ultra-race. 2 such recent events saw Peter Watkinson complete the Turpin Challenge, a 6-hour challenge running laps of York Racecourse where he completed 30.8 miles in 5:49:50, earning himself a 2nd place podium finish. In the Lakes in A Day, a 50 miles ultra-run with an ascent of 4000 metres, from Caldbeck to Cartmel, Lucy Stamford completed in 17 hours.

The East Yorkshire Cross Country League held its first race on Sunday 10th October at Bishop Wilton. Beverley fielded far more runners than any of the other 9 clubs who took part and achieved some great results. The men’s team finished 1 st with the ladies’ team finishing in 3 rd place. James Johnson and Rob Sparkes took 1 st and 2 nd place overall and Cath Snowball was 3 rd female. Sam Allen, the Club’s Cross-Country representative commented on the success of the day.
“I really want to thank all of the Beverley runners who took part in this first race of the Cross-Country series of 6 events. All play a part in the team event and all help in the scoring against the other clubs running. It was great to see new members coming to join in and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. I also feel proud that our inclusive club had the first runner home – and the last.”

Beverley has some great running trails and routes in the surrounding countryside and the Beaver Trail is just one of those proving very popular with runners and walkers alike. On Sunday 28th November members will complete the trail in memory of one its members, Steve Evins, who sadly passed away last year, and for whom the Trail was a hugely favoured training run.

An overview of just some of the races and events enjoyed by Club members recently would not be complete without a mention of one of the last events of 2021 – the Club Santa Run, where on Wednesday 15th December, Beverley will witness a host of festive running Santas turn out for a social run around the town, which also raises funds for local charities, followed by seasonal refreshments at our new Club venue at Beverley Cricket Club. If you see them, please wave, and wish them a happy Christmas and maybe consider making a festive donation in one of the many collecting tins that will be accompanying them.

Whatever and wherever your running challenges, Beverley athletes continue to enjoy their running experiences. Deciding to join a club is one of the best things any runner can do to help them with their own training as well as supporting friends and fellow runners. Being part of a club can often instigate big improvements in performance and more importantly provide enduring memories, experience, and friendships. We all run for different reasons – improving our health, both mental and physical, the personal challenges and motivation, the friendships – and the club can support everyone in achieving their own personal goals.

Further information and details about the Club and what it has to offer can be found on the Beverley AC website – www.beverleyathleticclubco.uk.