Guernsey Easter Runs
THE Guernsey Easter Runs regularly attracts a healthy sprinkling of Stubbies, and this year was no exception.
Caroline and Glen Street were taking part in their ninth festival in the Channel Islands, and like the place so much they made a week of it.
The festival, which is organised by the Guernsey Island Amateur Athletics Club, features four races in four days over Easter.
On Good Friday, there was a 10km road race based at the Rovers Football Club in Port Soif. The morning was hot, but with a slight sea breeze to take the edge off temperatures, this made for a great run along the rocky coastline.
The standard of running was outstanding with Poole AC's Williard Chinhanhu, the exiled Zimbabwean, who was in devastating form and dominated a class field of runners which included a couple of Kenyans, plus a strong contingent from the Aldershot, Farnham & District Ac, including two rising stars of the future, Suzie Bush and Steph Twell.
Chinhanhu coasted to victory in the 10km race in a time of 29min 19sec. Richard Simms, enjoying his first Guernsey Festival was the first Stubby to finish in 73rd cheered on by wife Julie, armed with camera to capture the weekend's running. Richard clocked a time of 42.35 and 73rd, followed by Dave King in 87th in 44:09 and Glen Street in 49.01 for 127th.
Mags Smith, who now lives in Bristol, but is a regular in Guernsey for the Easter festival with husband Ian, wore Stubbington colours for 132nd place in 49.29, followed by Caroline Street, whose 57.16 was good enough for 188th. She was closely pursued by Liz Hall in 191st place and a time of 58.25.
Saturday was the turn of the Keith Falla Memorial Cross Country Race over a sometimes hilly and lumpy 4.6 mile course at L'Ancresse. Again Chinhanhu won the race in 23.33. Richard Simms kept up a brisk but steady pace for 63rd place in 33.57, Dave King was 67th in 34.48, and Mags Smith finished ahead of Glen Street coming home in 98th with 39.03 to Glen's 40.09 for 104th. Caroline Street and Liz Hall finished in sight of each other, with Caroline taking 124th place with 45.49 and Liz 125th in 46.17.
Racing returned to L'Ancresse Common to the north of Guernsey on Easter Sunday for a 4x2 mile relay. Competition was unbelieveable, with four of the top 10 fastest times for men and the fastest three times for women being set on a lightning fast course.
Thirty eight teams took part, and Stubbington's men of Glen Street (15min 8sec), Richard Simms (13.28) and Dave King (13.45), with Bridgend AC's John Embling (12.06) making up the fourth and fastest leg of the quartet, finished 21st in a time of 54min 27sec.
The ladies conisting of Helen Embling (18.06), Mags Smith (15.30), Liz Hall (18.05) and Caroline Street (18.15) finished 37th in 69.56.
The final race for the four was the Healthspan Half Marathon in St Peter Port. Conditions were hot for the out and back course with Chinhanhu wrapping up the weekend's honours with a storming winning run of 1hr 3min 25sec. He went through the eight mile mark in 39 minutes.
Aldershot's Suzie Bush won the women's race in 1.14.55 and ninth overall, while 17-year-old Steph Twell, in her first half marathon, broke the British under-20 record in 1:17.27 for 14th overall.
It was also Richard Simms' first half, and he ran extremely well with a strong second half of the race. Running with team-mate Dave King, they finished in 65th and 66th places with a time of 1:38.27.
Glen Street and Liz Hall opted to give the 13-miler a miss, with Glen cajoling and encouraging from a car while Julie Simms drove, and Liz hared around the course on a bike.
They were there to see Mags Smith come home in 99th in 1:51.12, and Caroline Street rounding off a good weekend's running in 131st in 2:06.58.
Overall, Richard placed 46th from the four race series, Dave 49th, Mags 64th and Caroline 75th.