The first round of the Grantham Running Club Grand Prix Championship to place at the Folksworth 15, this race is a hilly double lapper and sells out as runners prepare for their spring marathons.
First home for GRC was Peter Bonner setting a PB with a time of 1:41:32 as he prepares for the London Marathon again. This was planned to be the final outing for his Alphaflys but it was just a mile too far for them as they delaminated on the final incline leaving him with “a boot and a clog” run in. Despite this he bagged his first over 75% finish of the year to make sure he will be featuring near the top of the leader board in 2026.
Next home was Alan Carley who thought the temperature was a bit hotter than optimum so opted for the vest, after a strong start he had to grit his teeth in the final quarter of the race, hanging in there to clock 1:51:46 but with a level of commitment that was always going to hurt the next morning. Alan just missed out on a Silver+ time by 0.18%, something he is bound to rectify next time out on a flatter course.
The sole female runner for the club was Catherine Payne in her longest road race since 2021, although her time was outside her PB she was pleased with her pacing and was rewarded with a time 1:53:56 and an 85%+ run to open her account in the Championship.
The forth and final runner for the club was Craig Drury also having to dig deep to make up for an interrupted training programme over the Christmas break coming home in 2:15:32 in line with his best expectations.
Report by Robert McArdle
Photos c/o Yaxley Runners & Joggers