Endurance is name of game for Hastings duo Katie and Jemma

The weekend was one of endurance racing over the beautiful, hilly South Downs for two athletes from HY Runners.
Katie ParsonsKatie Parsons
Katie Parsons

Conditions were very windy and wet but both ladies knuckled down and got it done.

On Saturday Katie Parsons set off on the Beachy Head Marathon. Her time was 4hr 23min, which was a course PB for her by more than seven minutes. She said: “I had some emotional moments, but I pulled myself together and stayed focused on what I was there for.”

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Her strategy worked well and earned her the position of 20th female over the line and in the top five per cent of female finishers.

Jemma O'GormanJemma O'Gorman
Jemma O'Gorman

The following day was the Centurion South Downs Way 50-mile foot race, rescheduled from its original date in April.

Just after 7.30am, Jemma O’Gorman set out to tackle the course, raising funds for St Michael’s Hospice in memory of her dad Steve Williams, who she lost in 2016.

Jemma had been training on her own for several months before lockdown.

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When the race was rescheduled, she joined HY Runners as she knew they were a supportive bunch with top coaches.

She said:“The conditions were pretty extreme. Torrential downpours and strong winds on slippery chalk paths made for me resembling Bambi on ice!.”

Jemma made it to the end of the course – which finished on the athletics track at Eastbourne College in a fantastic time of 12hr 26min.