Sussex honour for coach delights Hastings athletes

HY Runners head coach Terry Skelton has been elected vice-president of Sussex County Athletics.
HY Runners at WoodchurchHY Runners at Woodchurch
HY Runners at Woodchurch

The role was awarded to Skelton because he has proved a positive advocate and role model within athletics in Sussex for many years.

Skelton has been responsible for organising a Sussex Cross Country League race and the Sussex Cross Country Championships, both held annually on the downs in Bexhill.

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Sussex also runs a junior Sussex endurance squad and each year, the top athletes from U13 to U20 are selected to take part in four sessions across the winter season.

Terry SkeltonTerry Skelton
Terry Skelton

One of these is held on the beach at Camber and organised by Skelton.

Meanwhile HY Runners have had a busy few days.

Runners competedin the Woodchurch five and 10-mile races near Ashford, put on by Nice Work for the second year running.

In the five-mile race. HY Runners were out in force with David Ervine (JM) racing hard to run a fantastic personal best time of 27.47.

Chris Brandt of Hastings ACChris Brandt of Hastings AC
Chris Brandt of Hastings AC
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Also running were Oliver Carey (SM) in 27.57, John Ralph (MV40) 30.57pb, Andy Edmonds (MV45) 31.42pb, Shannon Hopkins-Parry (first lady) running 33.08 and Alf Johnstone (JM) 37.45 (PB).

In the ten-mile race, Will Carey (SM) ran a superb 56.36 personal best for second place. Carl Adams (MV45) also achieved a PB with 62.44.

The Beachy Head half-marathon took place on Sunday.

Taking on the hills over the beautiful South Downs were HY Runners Nadine Isted (2hr 20min) and Kerrie Tolley-Cloke (2.29), who ran the first nine miles together.

The half marathon is new this year and takes in much of the full marathon route.

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Over the weekend, the UK Obstacle Racing Federation’s Southern Time Trial finals were held at the PT Barn in Essex. It was about 2km in distance with 20+ obstacles.

In the female masters category was Sophie McGoldrick, who was very close to a top-three finish in her first OCR competition – she placed fourth behind some very strong women, completing the course in 18.17. In the men’s senior race Chris Shipley completed the course in 11.27. These were good runs for both athletes and bode well for the spring season.

HASTINGS AC

Hastings AC athletes are taking part in any event they can find at the moment despite them being few and far between.

The Trail Events Co Exmoor Half Marathon ended up being 17 miles but the club’s Lorna Watts finished as third female and 15th overall in 3:04;11. Martin Watts was 15th overall and third in his age category in 3:05:30.

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Chris Brandt was 14th, and first in the vet category, at the Woodchurch ten-miler in 1:07 at the end of a nice two-lap undulating course – not bad considering he’d only recently won the Tempo Age Graded Virtual 10k with 41:18. Training and virtual racing during lockdown has paid off.

Parkrun organisers have announced they won’t return in October as hoped, and the cross country season aswe know it still looks uncertain.

But Hastings AC are rallying the troops for the new PB5k winter race series starting at Ardingly on November 14.

On local soil there is the Nice Work Hastings Winter Cross Country Series in Pett Level, with four events over winter. It’s a great opportunity to see what their legs have got, and maybe a good time for any previous members to dust of their spikes and get involved again.

Please email the club at [email protected] for more information.