Last weekend, the City of Salisbury Athletics & Running Club organised the 32nd Stonehenge Stomp, in association with Amesbury Walkers writes Jonathan Kershaw.
Having stepped in to help when this popular local event looked set to disappear three years ago, the Club has not only helped to secure its future but has seen it grow - the 2020 event attracting a record number of walkers and runners. The Stomp, a long-distance walk that permits runners to take part, offers a variety of distances, from 5k up to 40k, all starting in Amesbury and centred around the famous stones. CoSARC is hoping to donate £3,000 of the money taken to local charities.
Bea Wood continued her excellent Cross Country season with another win, this time in the under-17 women’s race at the Southern England XC Championships at Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath. Elly-May Hards had a strong run in the senior women’s race, finishing 111th in a competitive field of nearly 700. There was a win for Eddie O’Gorman at the South West Vets XC meeting at Sidford in Devon.
In road running – Rob Drag finished 22nd at the Farnborough Winter Half setting a new PB time of 1:16:13. The Club was represented too at the “Romsey 5-mile” with all four Club athletes setting new PBs - Shaun Brown 26:41, Iain Weber 30.33, Vanessa Maple 42:51 and Catherine Rynne 44:39
There were three excellent long-distance performances from Club members during the week. Phil Perry romped home in 1st place at the Jubilee River Run near Windsor, completing his 45th marathon in a time of 3:23:25, knocking over 8 minutes off his previous best. James Hassan completed the epic Flitch Way Ultra 100k (over 62 miles) in a staggering 9 hours 52 minutes and 33 seconds, and Jenny Hartley was 2nd lady (4th overall) at the Far Side 24 hour race, covering 74.2 miles in gruelling conditions.