Club Awards Report

Kate Sergent proudly displays her medal after the York Marathon, where she had been selected to represent her country. On Saturday we had the Club's Awards night held at Stratford High School, where some 300 of you packed out the main hall. This event also doubled as a celebration of our club's 40th anniversary. You will see below Paul Bearman's introductory speech, which also includes a brief history of our 40 years. There is also a full list of the awards. It's worth remembering that in those 40 years, just 21 members have been inducted in to the club's Hall of Fame. This is an honour bestowed on members who represent their country. Kate Sergent, one of this elite group, was representing her country at the York Marathon last Sunday and we have a report on this. There is also a report on Ryan Bakewell competing in the Chelmsford Marathon. On Saturday Ryan was named as the Most Improved Male Senior Athlete of the Year and on Sunday he more than justified that recognition. There's also a report on the first of this season's Winter Series race, in which almost 40 members competed. Finally, for senior members, there's a couple of "save the date" reminders for this year's Christmas Party and Christmas Run. Enjoy the rest of the week. Best Wishes David Jones. Yorkshire Marathon/ Masters International. Report - Phil Brennan. Almost every week, someone from the club runs a marathon somewhere in this country or abroad. It happens so often that it is sometimes easy to overlook the sheer effort and dedication, together with a certain amount of luck, which it takes to finish the distance. On this occasion, it was Kate Sergent’s turn. As one of the best in the country in her age group, she was representing England Masters for the third time in a match against a home nations team. Kate’s preparation had been affected by lack of training partners on the long runs but despite this she finished the scenic race around York in a chip time of 4:50:44, 9th in category, another major achievement. Kate said afterwards “I was lucky to get to the start line, as I had throat virus all week, and disappointed that it was slower than my last two outings. On reflection, though, it was the same time I ran in New York ten years ago and the whole thing was a wonderful experience”. Ryan Bakewell (left) Chelmsford Marathon. Ryan Bakewell in his own words. My race weekend started with a message from Sarah Bland asking if I was attending the award ceremony on Saturday. We’d already meticulously planned the logistics to get down to Chelmsford during our toddler’s nap time and stay with my in-laws, so unfortunately I couldn’t go. She then told me I’d bagged the ‘most improved Male’ award, which I was super stoked about! Thank you so much to SAC for the support and recognition. However this felt like a bit of a double edged sword…