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Timberhonger 10k Road Race
Sunday 2nd July 2006
 
Left: Simon Murcott pips Tom Kenderdine in Sanders Park. Right: Helen Russell turns the heat up to win the womens race by 4 minutes.
This race always has hot weather but 2006 was a real scorcher. Race director Mark Graham had ensured that there was extra water on the traffic-free course but some runners were clearly showing the effects of the heat as they finished. The runners ran out and back along the picturesque Timberhonger Lane up to a 2km loop at the far end that they ran twice. On the return there was a bit of uphill before the welcome long downhill stretch back to Sanders Park. Finally they had to run past the start and through the park to the finish on the Kidderminster Road side and plenty of cooling water.
Kidderminster & Stourport’s Tom Kenderdine appeared to have established a winning lead by 7km (the then second-placed runner isn’t in sight in the photo in the gallery page) but went through a bad patch and was caught and passed in the final half kilometre across Sanders Park by Tipton Harrier Simon Murcott. A B&R runner won the women’s race again this year as Helen Russell ran herself to a standstill to finish first woman in 43-05 claiming 16 th place in the overall event (Bronwen Cardy had won in 2005). Paul Collins was the highest placed B&R man finishing in 5th place.
Above: B&R's Glenda & Stuart Clark finish the 10k side by side.
The course records set in 2004 by Tom Kenderdine (33-07) and Laura Woffenden (38-00) were never going to be broken in this year’s conditions and the effect of the heat is probably shown by this year’s winning time being nearly a minute slower than in 2005. The heat may also have accounted for there being fewer entries and finishers this year (294 completing the 10k compared to 294 in 2005). Although B&R runners were thin on the ground in the actual 10k race there were plenty marshalling and manning the finish funnel. Special thanks go to all the volunteers who marshalled. Runners were especially pleased by the additional water that the marshalls had to hand and for all their encouragement.
Also, this year saw the first running of the children's 2 k Challenge. Ninety-two budding Paul Tergats and Paula Radcliffes to pick up a well-earned medal. First boy was 15 year old Max Shaughnessy and first girl was Michelle Turner, aged 12. Well done to them both.
All profits from this year's race are donated to Bromsgrove Carnical's chosen charity, the Friends of the Princess of Wales Community Hospital. Organiser and B&R member Mark Graham enthused "it looks like when all the money is collected we might have raised close to £3,000 which will be a tremendous achievement."
Leading 10k men:
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1 |
Simon Murcott |
Tipton H. |
SM |
34.32 |
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2 |
Tom Kenderdine |
K&S |
SM |
34.39 |
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3 |
Chris Penn |
U/A |
SM |
37.37 |
Leading 10k women:
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16 |
Helen Russell |
B&R |
SF |
43.07 |
|
42 |
Sharon Townley |
U/A |
F35 |
47.07 |
|
48 |
Amy Hearn |
U/A |
SF |
47.45 |
Other B&R 10k finishers:
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5 |
Paul Collins |
B&R |
M40 |
39.15 |
|
85 |
Joanne Hounsell |
B&R |
SF |
52.14 |
|
132 |
Ian McCrudden |
B&R |
SM |
56.33 |
|
143 |
Fiona Osborne |
B&R |
SF |
57.27 |
|
163 |
Glenda Clark |
B&R |
F55 |
58.34 |
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164 |
Stuart Clark |
B&R |
M50 |
58.34 |
294 finishers.
Click here to see full 10k results at the Bromsgrove Carnival website.
Click here to see more photos from this event on our gallery page.
(PA/MG)
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