Uttoxeter Half Marathon

Chris powers home
Good running conditions greeted the 270 starters for the second leg of this year’s Burton & District Summer Road Racing League, the Uttoxeter Half Marathon. The race, one of the most challenging on the circuit, featured, for the first time, the half marathon as one event in a ‘festival’ of running.
With a number of runners recovering from last weekend’s London & Stratford Marathons it was left to Chris Pearson, the Club’s man of the moment to lead our contingent of 14 runners home with a superb 1:19:19 for 8^th place overall & the men’s vet40 prize as a well earned bonus. Tom Bradley ran well to stop the clock in 1:27:59 for 36^th place with Stuart Halsey continuing his good form finishing four places further back in 1:29:12. Andy Orme ran well for a top 50 finish in 1:29:47 and it was good to see Matt Clemson in racing action again as he finished in 57^th place in 1:32:21. Tom Eyre & Nigel Atkins continued their early season rivalry as they finished in times of 1:36:44 & 1:36:52 respectively. Steve Leafe did well to make the start line after recent injury problems and, in the circumstances, his 1:42:28 was a good effort. Dave Eyre, after some recent heavy training, found the course hard going as he finished in 1:49:07 with Gary Price, not far behind, in 1:49:49. Tim Argent gained valuable Club Championship points as he finished in 1:51:59 with Ray Udall, still feeling his recent fine performance in the Manchester Marathon, stopping the clock in 1:54:16. David Lunn, showing no significant ill effects from his very busy racing schedule, finished in 1:55:35 with Stuart Reeves, going well for most of race before the notorious hills took their toll, completing the Club’s finishers in 2:04:17.