Streets of London pound to the beat of local runners

Laura Button celebrates finishing. (Image: Archant)

Laura Button, caught on the television cameras ‘high fiving’ onlookers near the beginning of the race, said she had found the going “really tough” while husband Shaun, who finished in 3:32:24 – an average pace of 7.56 minute miles – was “feeling proud,” adding: “I loved it and want to do it again.”

The day’s quickest Black Dog, Joanne Cox, who got round in 3:27:46, wasn’t so sure.

“I ran London two years ago and loved it so much I wanted to do it again. Today was just as incredible experience but I think I am going to hang up my marathon shoes now,” she said.

Emma Cowley, who crossed the finish line hand-in-hand with club-mate Lucy Johnstone in 5:42:49 and ran the race in memory of her grandparents, thanked all those who had helped her reach in excess of her fundraising target for the Alzheimer’s Society and Pancreatic Cancer UK.

Bob Paul relaxes after the London Marathon before heading for home in the family campervan. (Image: Archant)

Emily Barclay said she had, “The most amazing time out there; it was a stunning day”.

Ian Rodwell described London as “A fantastic experience and both emotionally as well as physically draining”, while veteran Robin Farrar declared himself pleased with “another good for age performance”, which secured him 51st place in his age category.

Black Dogs times were:

Jo Cox 3:27:46, Shaun Button 3:32:24, Phil Henry 4:09:33, Bob Paul 4:23:50, Ian Rodwell 4:28:55, Don Tiffin 4:37:17, Robin Farrar 4:42:43, Emily Barclay 5:30:26, Laura Button 5:33:50, Emma Cowley and Lucy Johnston 5:42:49.

Bill Kingaby (Image: Archant)

Meanwhile, away from London, two of the club’s marathon junkies were elsewhere. Ian Taylor was quietly getting on with completing the two laps of Stratford-upon-Avon’s Shakespeare Marathon in 3:59:24 – nine minutes quicker than the Great Welsh marathon he completed the previous week. Bob Jack was in Warsaw, one of 9,000 taking on the city’s marathon and finishing in 5:42; a time with which he expressed some delight given a draining trip to visit Auschwitz/Krakow and a 1am Polish sausage and beer dinner.

Now the club is turning its attention to its popular Summer Series of three 10k races.

Held on Wednesday evenings the races are run around a country course starting and finishing at the Bungay Area Running Centre (BARC), just 200m from the Maltings Pavillion, and taking in picturesque Ellingham Mill.

The start time is 7.30pm and the dates are June 3 and 24 and July 29. Entries are open via the Bungay Black Dog Running Club website.

Two members of Waveney Valley Athletic Club joined more than 35,000 runners in Sunday’s London Marathon.

David Mower enjoyed the atmosphere and was delighted to achieve a personal best time.

He described his race plan as all coming together on the day. At the halfway point his time was recorded as 1-58.28 so he managed to maintain a good even pace to finish in a time of 3-54.55. He was 12,180th overall and 167th in his age category.

Maxine Hunt passed the halfway point in 2-42.00 but dropped her pace a little in the second half of the race and finished in a time of 6-07.04.

At race one of this year’s Great Yarmouth five-mile series, Waveney Valley had five members take part.

Tim Earl finished in 46th place in 32:43 and achieved his third gold club standard at three different distances since the club year commenced on April 1.

Nigel Herrod recorded his best five-mile time for several years with 33:58 in 59th place and Alan Richardson was 149th in 41:17. Becky Langford is more familiar with longer distances but was happy with 42:14 in 162nd in her first five-mile race. She was accompanied by Bill Kingaby who was one second behind in 163rd.

Saturday’s 5k parkrun results: Gorleston - Steve Gibbs 22;15, Rob Milner 23:30, Suzi Knights 25:58 (pb), Kylie Rafferty 26:26, Alan Richardson 29:28, Cheryl Goymer 29:29. Fritton Lake - Wayne Freeman 22:07 and Mike Quantrill 22:52.