Hastings AC runners in form as virtual races turn to real ones

Athletics events are starting to pick up again for Hastings AC, with the last of the virtual races finishing up and the ‘real thing’ starting to kick off.
By Community sport reporter
Published 8th Apr 2021, 17:26 BST
Reus Brown has been in fine formReus Brown has been in fine form
Reus Brown has been in fine form

Runners from the club took part in the Hastings Half marathon which was run virtually. Paul Mcleery and Katie Arnold ran the 13 miles in 1hr 35min and 1.54 respectively. Reus Brown won the kids’ mini run of 2k in 7.02. Lucienne Simkiss-Day ran a mile 6.04.

There have been some fantastic times for the juniors for the English Schools Cross Country, which was also a virtual race – this time over 2k. Some 1,600 runners submitted times and the results – as yet unpublished – are hotly anticipated. But Hastings AC’s Reus Brown put in an amazing time of 6.47, Rae Le Fay in 7.10 and Phoebe Barnham finished in exactly eight minutes.

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Now the long-awaited return of non-elite racing has arrived and it went off with a bang at the PB 5k in Ardingly on Easter Monday. Windy and cold conditions – which included snow – greeted athletes from across the region, who were clearly delighted to be back in action. There was a junior race and five senior races in total, with some fine running from Hastings AC athletes.

Reus Brown stormed home in the Junior Mile in third place, shaving an impressive 13 seconds off his PB in clocking 5.17. Lenni Ruusuvuori also had a cracking run with a new swift PB of 5.55. In the men’s race Ethan Hodges ran 16.56 (just five seconds off his 2019 PB) while Katie Arnold clocked a nine-second PB in the ladies race with 20.28.

With training having resumed and the fixture calendar filling up, Hastings AC members have a lot to look forward to.

Related topics:Athletics