Guernsey Easter Runs 2006
THE picturesque island of Guernsey was the setting for the annual Healthspan/Visit Guernsey Easter Runs, with Stubbington once again sending over a contingent of sun-seekers and hardy runners for the four race series.
Glen and Caroline Street have made regular pilgrimages to Guernsey for this festival of running, which is organised by Guernsey Island Amateur Athletics Club, and which was this year celebrating its silver jubilee after 25 years.
They were joined in Guernsey by Sian and Tony Mundy, along with Jane Butler who, despite the disappointment of not being fit enough to run the London Marathon because of a troublesome hamstring, managed to gain some consolation with some good runs at the weekend. Hopefully Jane will be fully fit and running consistently strongly soon.
The Guernsey Easter Festival consists of four runs in four days; a 10km road race on Good Friday, a 4¾ mile cross country across a heathland course by the coast, a team relay and a half marathon on an out and back route from St Peterport on Easter Monday.
This year's half marathon acted as a Hampshire championship race, and the event attracted runners from a number of county clubs including Denmead Striders, Southampton Running Club, Victory AC and Winchester & District AC.
In the 10km race at Port Soif, Glen Street was the first Stubby to finish in a time of 47min 15sec for 141st place, followed by Jane Butler in 50:54 for 174th and Sian Mundy, who was just behind in 181st with 51:32. Caroline Street clocked 53:29 for 192nd. Tony Mundy didn't compete.
Steve Dawes from Guernsey Island AC won the race in 33:42. Steph Twell, the talented teenager from Aldershot, Farnham & District AC, was the first lady finisher, fifth overall, in 35:34.
The following day, Easter Saturday, saw runners take part in the Keith Falla Memorial Cross Country race at L'Ancresse to the north of the island, with spectacular views across the bay. Lee Merrien, who represented Guernsey at the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane last month, won the race in a time of 23min 45sec, with Twell once again the top lady in 27:20 for eighth place overall.
Among the Stubbington contingent who took to the undulating course, with winds battering you at the turns, was Tony Mundy who was the first to figure. He completed the course in a time of 36:16 for 106th. Glen Street followed a couple of minutes adrift in 38:23 for 131st, while among the women, Sian Mundy was 152nd in 41:12, Jane Butler 158th in 41:59, and Caroline Street 163rd with a time of 43:05.
Twenty four hours later, the teams were at Les Amarreurs for the 4x2 mile relay - short, sharp, and quite tough over difficult ground, and windy conditions. Twell managed to eclipse the relay record once held by Stubbington's Zara Hyde-Peters with a staggering 10min 47sec for her leg. Hers was the 10th fastest time on the day, chasing Merrien's impressive 9min 30sec, five seconds off the record he holds for the distance set four years ago. Merrien's Guernsey Island AC team finished second behind another island quartet who won the relay in 42min 53sec.
Caroline Street anchored a composite team which finished 46th in 63:35, with the Stubbington runner completing her leg in 17:31. She had the satisfaction of beating the Stubbington Green Runners team which placed 47th, 17 seconds behind, despite the best efforts of Glen Street to catch his wife on the anchor leg! Glen clocked 15:31, with Jane Butler on first leg coming home in 16:46, Sian Mundy in 16:29 and Tony Mundy in 15:06.
With tired limbs, and possibly a few Easter hangovers for some runners, the final race of the weekend was the half marathon.
One hundred and 55 runners took to the line in the centre of St Peterport, which headed out to L'Ancresse and then back into the town centre to finish by the port. The race was won in a time of 1hr 14min 3sec by Guernsey's Steve Dawes which saw him capture series honours from the Easter races.
Louise Perrio from Guernsey was the top lady in 1:25.23 for 18th in a race where Aldershot's Twell did not compete. Perrio claimed women's overall honours, placing 10th overall.
For the Stubbington entry, Sian Mundy was first to finish the half marathon and collected a Hampshire championship silver medal in the Vet 45 category. She came home 128th overall in 1:57.04. Caroline Street was 136th in 2:01.45 to win bronze in the Hampshire championship Vet 45 category, and Glen Street was 144th with a time of 2:07.41.
Overall, 107 competitors completed all four races. Glen made 84th spot, Sian 92nd and Caroline 97th.
Glen Street reports that they had a great time on the island. He said: "We had an Easter egg hunt - creams eggs actually - in the grounds of the hotel which was organised by Di McEwen, and a couple of rounds of pitch-and-putt in which Southampton (Glen) trounced Pompey (Jim Butler)."