Round 2 of the GRC GP Series kicked of at Holme Pierrepont at the weekend and a GRC team of 6 joined the small field for this low-key, old-school race. On a flat course that is exposed to any kind of wind, the team were fortunate that the weather on the day was as good as you could expect.
Doubling up as the Notts 10-mile championships, this race attracted a very strong field. The strongest of the GRC team proved to be Joaquim ‘Flash’ Jeronimo who was targeting a sub 1hr run. Flash ran the race like he runs any other – hard. Trying desperately to hang on to a group from Newark, he dug-in on the long finish approach to smash his target with a time of 59:03. In his first attempt at the distance, Flash becomes only the 3rd runner to represent GRC to break the magical 1hr mark.
Next in was Andrew Pask who’s been struggling for form of late. Using this race as a marker, he concentrated on running as hard as he could and then evaluating later. Taking his first look at the watch at 9 miles, Andrew was shocked to see the pace was quicker than he expected. Finishing with a confidence boosting 67:39, his time is something like his times of old.
Next across the line was the ever-improving Stefan Latter. Confident of a PB, Stefan ran a near perfect race to clock a time of 69:57 which beats his previous best by 37 seconds and ranks him 210 in the UK for the V45 category.
Alan Carley was next in his longest race in 3 years and his first attempt at a 10-mile race. Clocking a solid 71:03, Alan is now ranked 102 in the UK for the V55 category.
Ben Mason, the GRC GP Series leader was there, stretching his lead by being the only one to already clock 2 race performances. Enjoying his moment at the top of the tree, Ben ran his fastest 10-mile race in 4 years with 79:53 and is now targeting the next race in the series.
The only female runner in the team was Emma Duncan who was attempting the distance for the first time. Being joined for her last mile by the other members of the team, Emma ran a strong finish to clock an impressive 96:10, bagging a Pewter club standard in the process.