ERRA Women's National 6-Stage Road Relay, Sutton Coldfield

Belles just out of the medals

President and Team Manager Charlie Dickinson, Rose O'Brien, Tish Jones, Jo Rhodes, Fee Maycock, Alison Heydenrych, Sam Amend, Louise Blizzard and Vikki Goodwin.

Charlie Dickinson writes:- A very strong team came to Sutton Park with just a hope of getting one of the minor South of England medals, given out because of the Milton Keynes cancellation three weeks ago. After a wonderful performance from everyone, the team were left disappointed just 12 seconds short of the bronze.

What a wonderful group of girls we have, the Magnificent 8. All arrived early, warmed up themselves without being reminded, reported to the changeover in good time, supported and encouraged each other, and ran their hearts out, a Team Manager’s Dream!
Jojo ran the first leg to order. Not phased by the fast mass start and top loading teams, she kept to her own pace finishing strongly just as predicted. Rose on leg two, a 400m track girl, but with an excellent ‘Bridges’ a week ago, kept to a sensible steady pace up to the memorial, but just as she was set to unleash that track speed down the hill, she was crippled with severe stitch and had to ease off right at the wrong time. She still finished strongly to complete in a very satisfactory time but was left very frustrated hoping low 18's.

Louise has been troubled by a badly swollen ankle and worried that she would let the team down after missing a great deal of training. She did nothing of the sort running a typically gutsy third leg pulling back three places. Then to Tish on leg 4. She ran just as we have come to expect from our new superstar. Flying round in 16:51 she moved us up from 27th to 14th and getting just about in sight of those medals.
Sammi on the difficult leg five has herself been nursing and ignoring her Achilles injury prior to the marathon next week. We can always count on Sammi to pull out a great performance and this was no exception. With large gaps to chase down she moved us up one more place to 13th.

The always dependable Fee was trusted with the final leg and she ran a blinder and in now difficult windy conditions a mere one second from her time last year. Storming past the girl from Norwich just 30 meters from the finish was typical of how she has run all season.
Then the long wait for the results, were the South not giving the silver to Aldershot ‘B’ whose ‘A’ team had got the gold miles in front? We were ahead of Norwich, did that make us third? But no, we had overlooked the runner from Bedford running 17.35 on the last leg to pip us by an agonising 12 seconds.

If only! The stitch, the ankle, the Achilles, all finding just another two seconds each! But that's how we all are, never happy always wanting more, and all determined to come back next year and get that medal!
But we were not done yet, up to the top of the hill to egg on the men's team and to see our Will stick to the Leeds man like glue and not let him get away. And so pleased for him to get that gold medal after all he has done for the women's team.
A final huge thank you to Vicky and Alison who came as reserves, never complained and were truly just as much part of the team. Alison ran a blinder on leg two and showed that if it had been seven legs we would have certainly got that medal!

ERRA Championship

1 Aldershot F&D ‘A’ 1:37:56; 2 Aldershot F&D ‘B’ 1:43:06; 3 Bristol & West 1:44:13; 4 Birchfield H 1:45:00; 5 Rotherham H 1:47:03; 6 Thames Valley H 1:47:12; … 13 Belgrave H 1:49:32; … 59 teams started, 48 finished.

Belgrave runners (team change, team position, ranking on stage, ranking overall). ‘A’ Team: J Rhodes (-, 29, 29) 18:28; R O’Brien (-1, 30, 30) 18:56; L Blizzard (+3, 27, 20) 19:03; T Jones (+13, 14, 3) 16:51; 13 S Amend (+1, 13, 8) 17:44; F Maycock (0, 13, 17) 18:30.
‘B’ Team: V Goodwin (-, 51, 51) 21:46; A Heydenrych (+10, 41, 28) 18:53.

Fastest: 1K Wootton (Coventry) 15:39; =2 L Weightman (Morpeth) & L Whittle (Royal Sutton Coldfield) 15:48; =4 L Partridge (Aldershot F&D) & S Twell (Aldershot F&D) 16:02; 6 E Pidgeon (Aldershot F&D) 16:14; … 18 T Jones; =63 S Amend; =101 J Rhodes; 104 F Maycock; 135 A Heydenrych; 139 R O’Brien; 143 L Blizzard; 253 V Goodwin; 324 runners.

SEAA Championship

1 Aldershot F&D AC ‘A’ 1:37:56; n/s Aldershot F&D AC ‘B’ 1:43:06; 2 Thames Valley H 1:47:12; 3 Bedford &CAC 1:49:20; 4 Belgrave H 1:49:32; 5 City of Norwich AC 1:49:38; n/s Aldershot F&DAC ‘C’ 1:50:43; 6 Herne Hill H 1:51:41; 16 teams started, 14 finished.

Jo Rhodes - leg one.