SEAA Men's 12-Stage Road Relay, Stantonbury Stadium, Milton Keynes
Boldly going to the final frontier
“It’s Milton Keynes, Captain, but not as we know it.”
With the expense of hiring the Open University facilities going up like the Starship Enterprise, writes Alan Mead, the organisers switched venue to the track at Stantonbury Stadium, trekking a few miles even further up the road and boldly going to the northern-most frontier of the South of England.
It’s the sort of thing that ‘stattos’ hate: their carefully built up facts and figures are consigned to history while a new batch has to be begun. But one has to say that the stadium was a good location – although the markings out on the course for the long stage might have to be thought through a bit more. Yes, long stage men “keep left” – but only at the end of the first lap. One poor soul went round three times and another (difficult to believe this) set out on a fourth lap of Linford Wood before someone put him out of his misery.
Not as we know it, either, as for the first time in over a decade we were not expecting to get into the medals – a feat that only eluded us once on the old circuit. With quite a few of the stellar team preoccupied with other goals our aim was a comfortable qualification for the National. With a little less expectation comes a little less pressure – and you know what? It was a nice relaxed afternoon – once everyone was there.
Andrew Connick made his debut in the ‘A’ team but would have much preferred a short stage. Obliging character that he is, however, he set out on the initial long leg with his nose just showing ahead in the front rank as forty plus teams set out through the gates. He was kicking himself later, feeling that he hadn’t done himself justice, but he did set things up perfectly for Steve Davies who ripped up the red paths and took the team up 18 places to 3rd; surely this would be best time of the day.
Surrey League stalwarts the Cockerpillar and Wardy kept us in 8th and then James Fairbourn found himself touring MK on an ‘A’ team long stage when only a week or so earlier he’d said: “I’ve started training again so put me down for a short one in the ‘B’ team.” In good nick, ‘Sharpy’ set sixth best time of the day for his 5k stint and we followed up with Paskar whose elegant and flowing running style drew admiration as he set out – and even more when he got back having clocked a mere 23:35 for one of the day’s best times.
We were in fourth! Exactly as planned and now, would the gaps have grown sufficiently to allow us to retain a reasonable finishing position? Yes indeed. A lean looking but short-on-training Sp8y lost only one spot as he ran some 45 seconds slower than he’ll be aiming for at Sutton Park; and then Mal, Stuart, Lander and Mike clung on so well for our hoped for place in the top ten. Good work!
For much of the time Kent AC had been beavering away at the head of affairs but were under attack from Highgate near the end, with both teams being swept up by the Beagles who had been languishing behind the Bels until stage seven. Then man of the moment Keith Gerrard was unleashed on a short stage that put them right in contention and relegated our own Steve Davies to second best on the day.
1 Newham & EB 4:03:41; 2 Highgate H 4:04:13; 3 Kent AC 4:04:25; 4 Woodford GwEL 4:04:38; 5 Aldershot F&D 4:06:57; 6 Bedford &C 4:08:02; … 9 Belgrave H 4:12:57; 44 teams started, 36 teams finished.
A Connick (21) 25:15; S Davies (3 team, 1 on stage) 14:52; W Cockerell (8, 13) 25:23; R Ward (8, 5) 15:54; J Fairbourn (12, 23) 27:01; S Sharp (9, 1) 15:11; P Owor (4, 1) 23:35; N Speaight (5, 5) 16:27; M Byansi (8, 20) 27:46; S Kollmorgen (8, 22) 17:51; L Eguia (9, 16) 26:34; M Trees (9, 12) 17:08. For Woodford GwEL on stage 11 D Agustus (4, 3) 24:36.
Fastest long (7.664k): 1 F Neuschwander (Kent) 23:20; 2 P Martelletti (Victoria P) 23:30; 3 A Cooray (Vo Aylesbury) 23:34; 4 P Owor (Belgrave) 23:35; 5 J Gilbert (Kent) 23:37; 6 G Watts (Shaftesbury B) 23:39.
Fastest short (5.053k) 1 K Gerrard (Newham &EB) 14:37; 2 S Davies (Belgrave) 14:52; 3 J Mays (Kent) 14:58; 4 F Baddick (Newham &EB) 15:02; 5 A Whiteman (Shaftesbury B) 15:06; 6 S Sharp (Belgrave) 15:11.
Restored from the club's earlier website, belgraveharriers.com, and published here as originally written.