Club members please send your race results via  contact@sleafordtownrunners.co.uk

15th Apr - Grantham Cup 10k at Belton Horse Trials, Lincolnshire, Multi-Terrain.  **NEW**

Sleaford Town Runners had 6 runners in the Grantham Cup this year, all wanting a good time although the heavy recent rains were going to make it a challenge. It was a great race with a medal, banana, drink, crisps, sweets and a bottle of beer at the end.

All finish in good times for the conditions with the following times:

Gary Britnell 49:53, Andy Barlex 52:05, Michal Nizler 52:52, Mark Armstrong 59:32, Barbara Campbell 1:12:28 & Helen Barker 1:32:15.

Thanks to Gary Britnell for his Report.

14th Apr - The Betteshangar Marathon Betteshanger Country Park, Deal, Kent.  **NEW**

Hosted by Normans, Saxons and Vikings

Off to Kent I went again to attempt marathon number 52.

Normans, Saxons and Vikings hire a two mile tarmac cycle track for the day at The Betteshanger Country Park. The Betteshanger Marathon has an aid station every 2 miles, a line painted on the track to follow if you're worried about navigation, is pretty flat and has a near perfect wide tarmac surface.

This is a really flat and fast course with massive PB potential for runners in form. The 2 mile loop could get boring for runners unless you can switch off. As with all these events it was a very friendly group of runners and the medal and goody was very impressive. I will definitely return to conquer this one again.

Thanks to Shaun Louth for his Report.

8th April - ASICS Greater Manchester Marathon Road.  **NEW**

Manchester Marathon is a well organised event for those looking for a fairly flat, fast course. Conditions on the day were very good with some great crowd support along the route. There are frequent water stops some of which providing energy gels. There are also a number of porta loos on the course. Lou and myself stayed in The Holiday Inn Express Salford Quays which was very handy for start/ finish. Great hotel providing early breakfast on Marathon day with a good selection of food. Plenty of places to eat on the Quayside and the added benefit of a shopping outlet.

Louise McCauley 4:51 (PB), Jayne MacArthur 4:55.

Thanks to Jayne MacArthur for her Report.

24th Mar - Rutland Water Parkrun Leicestershire, Oakham, Tarmac paths. 

Well, I attended Rutland water Parkrun on Saturday 24th March as it was a special visually impairment day where guide running was being promoted and, where parkrun is making gains to make running accessible to all. I had 5 people that took turns in guiding me during the run which was fantastically done, everyone worked together as a team. I finished in a time of 26 minutes and 18 seconds, not bad considering that different people were taking turns at guiding.

Thanks to Mark Ellis for his Report.

11th Mar - Retford Half Marathon Retford, Nottinghamshire, Road. 

Host Club - Retford Athletic Club

Angie & I have run this race for many years and despite the inclines (I like to say hills) we keep returning for more pain! Griff Griffiths ran this event for the first time and improved his personal best further finishing in an excellent time of 1:25:03. Angie Freemantle like us all, had her training curtailed thanks to the 'Beast from the East' and a week away looking for vampires at Whitby! That said she appeared comfortable finishing in 1:55:39. My training had been hampered further with a bout of Man Flu and although I was more than pleased to just dip under two hours in 1:59:24 my muscles however, are still screaming at me two days on!

Report submitted by Paul Freemantle.

10th March - The Viking Challenge Reculver, Kent, Multi-Terrain.

Hosted by Normans, Saxons and Vikings

This event is a 100 mile challenge which runs alongside 6 or 24 hours endurance run on 6.2 mile loops. Complete as many 6.2 mile loops as you wish in the time limit. The course is a mix of tarmac roads (about 2%), decent trail (about 10%), not quite so decent trail (about 5%), and the rest is high quality concrete and tarmac farm roads and bike paths, so an awful lot of it is on good runnable surfaces and its pretty flat, about 250' a lap with some lovely views across the Kent Countryside towards Reculver, Thanet, a railway line and the A299. OK, confession, the A299 not quite so lovely, but it's something to look at and does make access to the location really simple as only half a mile from a major road. Shaun Louth and Jayne MacArthur took the 3 hour drive to Kent to take part in this event. Although these events are a good drive away they are so friendly, low key and pressure free. Also, there isn't a better goody bag or medal anywhere in the UK for your money. Shaun completed marathon distance and Jayne completed 8 laps to notch up an amazing 50 miles and yet another Ultra.

Thanks to Shaun Louth for his Report.

25th Feb - Clumber Park Trust 10k National Trust, Worksop, Nottinghamshire Trail & Tarmac Paths.

Cold and fresh, made perfect running conditions. These were our recorded gun times, Kimmy Kim 58:53 (with Darcy Dog), Jo Calver 1.15:09, Lindsey Winwood 1.17:06 & Helen Barker 1.17:31.

Thanks to Helen Barker for her Report. 

24th Feb - Belton House Parkrun Grantham, Lincolnshire, Multi-Terrain.

Helen Barker 36:26.

Thanks to Helen Barker for her Result.

17th Feb - Belton House Parkrun Grantham, Lincolnshire, Multi-Terrain.

This week Kim Ulysses ran the course (without Darcy the dog's help) in an amazing 24:50; she was not so closely followed by Jackie Crossland and Jane Winter with times of 35:22 and 27:59 respectively. They agreed not to compare themselves with Kim, but with all of the other ladies 'of a certain age' who don't run at all! Mike Folland ran at Boston with a time of 33:15.

Thanks to Jane Winter for her Report.

17th Feb - Boston Parkrun Boston, Lincolnshire, Multi-Terrain.

Well, completed Boston Parkrun this morning, finished in a total time of 26 minutes 19 seconds, this was a new PB for this particular course. Parts of it are on Grass, and there's the odd tree route to navigate so, not bad considering. Also, according to the email that I received from Parkrun I was 25th altogether out of a field of 114 Runners, and I came first in my Age category 45 to 49 so, not a bad morning run all in all!

Thanks to Mark Ellis for his Report.

10th Feb - Belton House Parkrun, Grantham, Lincolnshire, Multi-Terrain.

Three Town Runners turned out for the Belton Parkrun this week. Our newest recruit, Sam Warby, came in at 27:22, closely followed by Kim Ulysses at 27:28. Jane Winter finished in 28:04. Kim's result does not reflect the speed that she actually ran as Darcy the Dog decided that she was just not in the mood for a run today and would prefer a stroll with the aptly named 'tail walker'. Consequently, after much shenanigans Kim was right at the back, behind all of the walkers, four minutes into the run! She overtook Jane half way around the second lap and soon disappeared into the distance! Darcy seemed to enjoy her trip out but is now on probation to see if she can be trusted to come to future running events.

Thanks to Jane Winter for her Report.

11th Feb - Mud and Miles Guided Coaching Trail Run 11.4 Miles, Woolsthorpe-By-Belvoir, Newark.

Having seen this advertised locally I thought it would be a great fun to join in and push me slightly harder than going out alone. I met up with the organiser just before 10am and was joined by 7 other runners all various abilities.

We were then were taken off through the many trail paths surrounding the Vale of Belvoir, I don't know the area that well so it was lovely to be shown the paths and trails that were available to us. The organisers also spent time with each and every runner coaching them and advising them on shared best practice. Yes, you can access these paths at any-time of the year for free however if you want great company and full support of being out on a very tough trail run where you are being coached I would certainly recommend these social running groups as a great alternative to race days.

Mud and Miles are a local company which organise a variety of events on a weekly and monthly basis, around Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and Leicestershire ranging from £3 to £10. https://mudandmiles.co.uk/

Helen Barker - 2.46 hrs.

Thanks to Helen Barker for her Report.

3rd February - Basingstoke Parkrun The War Memorial Park, Basingstoke, Hampshire, Multi-Terrain.  

Darcy and Kim Ulysses were at Basingstoke where they achieved a time of 27:12.

Thanks to Jane Winter for submitting the Result.

28th Jan - The Cakeathon Penistone, Sheffield. Hosted by Normans, Saxons and Vikings. Multi-Terrain.

Jayne MacArthur and Shaun Louth had a road trip 90 mins drive away up to Penistone Nr Sheffield. The course is part of the Trans - Pennine Way on pretty decent trail. Navigation is simple as basically you're on an old railway line, there are no turns, just a few gentle curves and you run along to the turnaround and then head back again!

Just remember the golden rules

• Don't miss the turnaround!

• Watch out for any cyclists or walkers who may be out on path, its not a closed route.

This is a timed event, not a fixed distance event. If you complete at least one lap, then you are an official finisher and will receive a Cakeathon medal, a goody bag and an official finish in the results. If you want to complete the marathon distance, then you'll need to complete 6 loops, a half marathon would be 3 loops, an ultra will be 7 loops or more and we'll have 50k option too.

Jayne completed 6 loops and a marathon and Shaun completed 3 loops and a half marathon.

Thanks to Shaun Louth for his Report.

27th Jan - Belton House Parkrun Grantham, Lincolnshire, Multi-Terrain.  

On the 27th January Darcy (accompanied by her person, Kim Ulysses), Jane Winter and Rachel Pledge attended Belton Parkrun. Darcy is a very intelligent dog who has trained her person to pull her along (unlike those foolish cani-cross dogs who waste their energy dragging people around the course). This week, with Kim's help, Darcy managed a time of 28:22, Jane 29:12 and Rachel 39:05.

Thanks to Jane Winter for her Report.

27th Jan - Waterway 30 miles South Wheatley, Nottinghamshire, Multi-Terrain.

Mud mud mud mud ohhh more mud. Trying not to fall in canal. DNF got to 15miles and we all stopped. To much MUD, would I do I again NO! 

Helen Barker & Tracey Du-Feu.

Thanks to Fluffy for her Report.

24th Jan - Lincolnshire Wolds Head Torchers Run Moot Hall, Holton-Le-Moor, Lincolnshire,

Multi-Terrain.

So, I ventured out to the small village of Holton-Le-Moor to join a group of headtorch runners. The evening was surprisingly mild and everyone was really friendly. There was a choice of a 5 or 7 mile run, both of which involved boggy fields, ditches and styles.

Opting for the 7 miler off we went. It was quite a vision to see over 30 runners all in a variety of colours of Hi-Viz with bright headtorches. The run was a real adventure with some very steep hills. On the descent from one very high hill there was almost a vertical drop, with boggy, slippery mud. Trainers were almost lost on a number of occasions and I almost face planted 4 times. It was more of a slide down the hills and often out of control. In the quiet night all that could be heard was laughter and screams, as people struggled through knee deep mud. The organisation was fantastic and the lead runner and back runner made sure everyone could run at their own pace (or wade through the mud!).

The run ended at Moot Hall, which is a very unusual but beautiful building. We were rewarded with a roaring open fire and a meal of chilli con carne and cake! What a fantastic evening and all for £5.00. I will certainly be doing more of these! Now off to clean the trainers.

Thanks to Tracy Parr for her Report.

20th Jan - Belton House Parkrun Grantham, Lincolnshire, Multi-Terrain.  

15th Belton House parkrun, and a PB of 25:33 - over a minute faster than the old one from September ☺️ Rachel Pledge also ran (37:35), and Jane Winter was there volunteering as a marshal. Thanks for the speed training, which I know has helped!

Thanks to Kim Ulysses for her Report.

20th Jan - Boston Parkrun Lincolnshire, Multi-Terrain.  

Well, it was my third visit to Boston Parkrun. It was a cold and frosty morning but, very clear conditions. Paul Davidson was guiding. We had to take great care not to slip on the icy patches that were around. It wasn't a bad turn out overall, I think there was about 140 participants overall. Taking the icy parts into consideration and the off-road sections, we finished in a time of 27 minutes 56 seconds.

Thanks to Mark Ellis for his Report.

20th Jan - Holme Pierrepont 6 Hour Challenge Nottinghamshire, Road.

Very friendly event organised by 'Its Grim Up North Running'. Event consists of 3-mile laps around the Water Park with little bits added should you wish to do exact distance i.e. HM, FM. As mentioned well organised, good food stop, encouraging marshals, great goody bag and Medal.........oh and the chocolate fudge - amazing! The weather was wet and cold but thankfully not windy. Happily, managed Marathon distance well within the time and did contemplate another lap or 2 but the call of hot chocolate and indoor loos was too much. This is my second Marathon here in as many months - would I do it again..........not sure.

Thanks to Jayne MacArthur for her Report.

20th Jan - The Ranscombe Winter Challenge Ranscombe Nature Farm, Cuxton, Rochester.  Multi-Terrain. Hosted by Normans, Saxons and Vikings.

Shaun Louth had a weekend trip to Kent to take part in this challenge. This is an 8 hour challenge on 4.4 mile loops. It's a challenging trail run on the North Downs (in fact a part of the route is on the North Downs Way) on a mixture of single track, wide double track through fields and woodland. There are some lovely views and whilst there are some hills there are also some very runnable down hills also!

Due to the weather conditions I personally really struggled with the course. The whole route was a mud bath and I spent so much time trying not to fall that this really wasn't enjoyable. My first lap took 1 hour 45 mins to get round and the second lap was nearer 2 hours because I fell a couple of times too. After 2 laps I had had enough, rang the bell and received my bling and amazing goody bag as usual. I will definitely be back to tackle this route in dryer conditions but I am never doing the winter event again.

Thanks to Shaun Louth for his Report.

13th Jan - Belton House Parkrun Grantham, Lincolnshire, Multi-Terrain.

There were five Sleaford Town Runners at Belton Parkrun despite the cold weather. Encouraged by Kim I managed to get 27:45, Kim, who could have gone considerably faster if she hadn't been with me, came in at 27:49, Clare got a PB at 37:09, Rachel Pledge got 39:41 and hot on her heels was Helen at 39:51. Other Town runners at parkruns this week were Mike Folland at Boston with 33:19 and Griff, at Beeston parkrun 28:15.

Thanks to Jane Winter for her Report.

13th January - Belton House Parkrun Grantham, Lincolnshire, Multi-Terrain.

Fluffy did park run. Much faster. It was blooming freezing. 5km 37.09.

Thanks to Clare (Fluffy) Bergner for her Report.