The Fleet Half Marathon

Athletes from the Royal Air Force, Army and Royal Navy joined over 2000 other runners in the 25th running of the Fleet Half Marathon. The race which serves as a warm up for the London Marathon has also held the Inter-Service Championships for a number of years. On their home turf the Army are always strong, and the task for the RAF in the Senior Men's Championship was not made any easier by a number of late withdrawals. On the plus side the Veterans Team still looked to be in good nick and despite there not being a Ladies Championship, the RAF's top female distance runner, Sgt Tara Park, was competing as an individual.

Conditions on the day were good and this was reflected in the early pace, which was extremely hot. Sig Chepkwony, the defending Fleet and Inter-Service Champion was in no mood to give up his titles easily and was prominent from the start. The field behind was very quickly split into a number of small groups all trying to live with this fast pace. For the RAF, WO Rob Payne and Flt Lt Simon Bell were prominent, closely followed by Chf Tech Roy Kellaway. Unfortunately there were also Navy and Army runners at the head of the field, and it looked like the Senior Men's Team Title was once again headed for the Army.

By 8 miles Rob Payne had pulled away from Simon Bell, who was going through a bad patch, and had dropped to third RAF scorer behind Roy Kellaway who was looking stronger as the race progressed. Behind these two Flt Lt Carl Thompson, Fg Off Shane Connolly and Sgt Dave Philpott were within seconds of each other, all using the race as preparation for the London Marathon in a month's time. Most impressive however was the performance of Tara Park who was up in the thick of it amongst the good male club runners, placing amongst the first 100 overall and in currently second place in the Ladies Race.

Chepkonwy continued apace and pulled away to an impressive win in the race and retaining the Inter-Service Title with a new course record of 1.06.18. The other medals in the Senior Men's Inter-Service Championships were taken by Mark Goodridge of the Navy, second in 1.09.50 and Sgt Dave Branfoot, Army in third place in a time of 1.11.38. First RAF man home taking the RAF Championship was Rob Payne in 1.14.40, followed by Roy Kellaway, second in 1.16.31 and Simon Bell third in 1.19.59. The Army retained the Senior Men's Inter-Service Title, but there was an excellent victory for the RAF in the Veteran's event with Carl Thompson joining Bob Payne and Roy Kellaway as the Team's third scorer. Tara Park continued to run strongly, taking second in the Ladies Race, finishing an excellent 79th overall.

The Henlow 10

A large field of over 300 athletes assembled for the 52nd edition of the RAF Henlow 10 Mile Road Race. With the race having been advertised in Runners World magazine, the numbers were boosted by a high contingent from the local civilian clubs. The weather was relatively kind, and although the day was overcast, the light winds were a definite bonus. As usual the athletes were bussed to the start point at Old Warden Airfield, before returning to RAF Henlow under their own steam.

Despite the high a showing from the civilian clubs it was the military contingent that was soon the fore. An initial group of 8-10 athletes was soon established and contained pre-race favourite Sgt Steve Neill, JSU Northwood who was stepping up in distance from his usual 1500 metres. Also in this group, and showing strongly, was WO Rob Payne, JFC HQ Brunssum, aiming for the RAF Veterans Title. The group was soon to split further as Steve Neill pushed the pace, with 4 athletes breaking away. Accompanying Neill and Payne in this group were OR7 De Vylder, JFC HQ Brunssum representing the Belgium Air Force and Lt Cdr Dai Roberts, another veteran, of the Royal Navy. A little further down, but inside the first 30 runners was first lady Sgt Tara Park, Innsworth who was having an excellent run and showing the majority of the men the way home. Park’s nearest competitor in the ladies race was Mrs Bruce, Tewksbury Athletic Club, but it was already looking to be a forgone conclusion.

By 2 miles Neill started to make would be the decisive move of the race. Up a slight incline, he started to pull away from the others in the group. In an effort to stay with Neill, Dai Roberts also became detached in second place with the 2 JFC HQ runners working in tandem to try and minimise the gap. Further down the field the remainder of the top 10 was made up almost exclusively of military runners, with only Mr Willet, Bedford Harriers mixing at the head of the race. In the team race RAF High Wycome were looking favourites with three runners in the top 20. Tara Park continued to run strongly and was still looking good for a finish in the first 30 runners. Mrs Bruce remained in second with Flt Lt Emmett, Lyneham and Flt Lt James, JSU Corsham in second and third place respectively in the RAF Championship.

Through halfway Steve Neill continued to pile on the pace and was constantly extending his gap at the front, he eventually come home over a minute and a half clear in an excellent 53.56, taking the RAF 10 Mile Title in the process. Dai Roberts, in training for next year’s London Marathon, also retained his form well to take second place in 55.30. The battle between the JFC HQ Brunnsum pair was taken by the younger man (only 18 years) De Vylder, 56.14, however, Rob Payne was able to content himself with first place in the RAF Veterans Championships and second RAF Senior Man overall. Third home and taking the bronze medal in the RAF Championships was Sgt Stephenson, RAF Wittering. There was an excellent race for second and third in the RAF Veterans Race. WO Clive Wintrip, Halton prevailed over Chf Tech Roy Kellaway, Lyneham by 9 seconds with 59.36 to 59.45, these 2 being the last to break the hour mark and completing the top 10. There was no change in the positions in the ladies race, with Tara Park taking the Ladies Title in 1.03.07, finishing in strongly in 25th position overall. The team title went to RAF High Wycombe with cpls Cook and Litherland in 13th and 14th position respectively and Flt Lt Batey in 17th place completing their 3 scorers.

Innsworth Road Relays

Grey skies, with rain threatening for much of the day, greeted the runners taking part in the 15th edition of the RAF Innsworth Road Relays. Fortunately, the rain did hold off for the better part of the day, and allowed most to finish wet only with the sweat from the effort of the run. A total of 15 mens team and 5 ladies team started the event, with the ladies running the traditional split lap, with second and fourth leg runners ferried to the changeover point.

RAF Waddington as the defending champions had fielded a strong team and were looking favourites, with Brize Norton and High Wycombe also looking strong. The first lap in a road relay can often set the tempo of the event, and this certainly proved to be the case. SAC Matt Blunden, Waddington had a fantastic run on the first leg, home in 25.11, which was to be the third fastest of the day, to give his team a lead of just over a minute going into the second leg. Second was Cpl Marcus Maxwell of Brize Norton, catching Group Captain Dave Blore, High Wycombe in the last 400 metres, with 26.12 against 26.16. Fourth was RAF Innsworth, B team leading the Innsworth A team in 6th – someone had obviously got the seeding wrong here– with RAF Benson 5th splitting the home-based teams.

Chf Tech Andy Wood, Waddington set off on the second leg for Waddington, and despite not showing the excellent form of the previous couple of years, was able to extend the lead by a further minute from the nearest chasers, finishing his lap in 27.09. Brize and High Wycombe were having a close battle for second with Chf Tech Mark Thorogood extending Brize’s lead by a further 8 seconds from the first leg, he was round in 28.16 against 28.23 for Cpl Al Cook of High Wycombe. Innsworth A Team restored order, passing their colleagues in the Innsworth B Team, with RAF Benson continuing to hold 5th.

Whilst Cpl Ronnie McWilliam ran a solid third leg for Waddington 25.55, to hold the lead, all the action was going on behind with an epic battle for second place between Brize and High Wycombe. RAF 1500 Metre Champion, SAC Dan Lewis set off with a lead of 12 seconds on Lt Cdr Dai Roberts, of the Royal Navy, running for High Wycombe. The Navy runner had his man in his sights all the way round the lap and eventually proved too strong, passing Lewis in the final mile he came home with a 2 second advantage for High Wycombe to take into the final lap. Roberts and Lewis ran 25.06 and 25.19 respectively, for the second and fourth fastest times of the day. There were no changes of position behind these leading 3 teams with RAF Innsworth looking good to secure fourth place.

Waddington saved the best till last, with the RAFs current 5000 Metre Champion, Martin Whitehouse. Despite having a comfortable lead, Whitehouse was not going to pass on the opportunity to set the fastest lap of the day, and this he duly did coming home in 25.04. On the last leg for High Wycombe was Inter-Service Veterans Cross Country Champion, Wg Cdr Dave Cole. Knowing that Brize had their weaker runner on the final leg Cole was able to run relatively conservatively, but was still able to increase the gap by just over a minute. Chf Tech Dougie Martin ran a solid 28.37 to bring Brize Norton home comfortably in third place with Innsworth A Team home in fourth.

There was far more shuffling of positions between the first three teams in the Ladies Race.

Benson 7

A hundred and fourteen athletes set of on this the 40th running of the RAF Benson 7 mile road race. Despite the relatively clear skies, conditions were far from ideal for fast times with a strong wind which would be against the athletes as they set of on the first of the 2 laps.

With some of the more established RAF runners missing there was a chance for a first time winner. As the race set off up the now well-known and much feared climb, 3 athletes broke away at the head of the field. Chf Tech Andy Gibb, Benson was keen to make an impression on his home turf. He was accompanied by Lt Cdr Dai Roberts of the Royal Navy, and Cpl Greg MacDonald, Brize Norton, who was fresh from a win at the RAF Short Course Triathlon Championships. A second group followed these three a few seconds down and included Flt Lt Simon Bell, Henlow, Cpl Marcus Maxwell and Mark Prestwood, of Brize Norton and another on home turf Cpl Stockwell.

Just past the two-mile point, and on a downhill section, Greg MacDonald put in an effort and managed to break away from the other two athletes. Continuing to push he started to open up a significant gap. In turn Dai Roberts was moving away from Andy Gibb as he attempted to hold the gap to MacDonald. Up the hill for the second time, with MacDonald clear in front the second group also started to splinter with Simon Bell and Marcus Maxwell moving away from the other two athletes. Further down the field the order in the ladies race was becoming clearer, with Cpl White, Brize Norton leading from SAC Jo Brandford, High Wycombe, and Flt Lt Roe again of Brize Norton.

Through the final lap there was no change in the lead positions. Greg MacDonald having extended his lead significantly, was able to relax over the final mile to come home in a time of 37.36, some 39 seconds clear of Dai Roberts home in 38.05. Dai Roberts did have the consolation of being the first veteran home, with the second veteran, Andy Gibb, coming home third overall 38.45. The battle for fourth was won by Simon Bell, 39.20 - 10 seconds clear of Marcus Maxwell, home 5th in 39.40. A strong showing from Brize Norton saw Mark Prestwood 6th, 39.43, with Cpl Stockwell having a good run on his home patch in 7th, 39.59. In the ladies race Brize Norton were again prominent Cpl White and Flt Lt Roe 1st and 3rd 48.18 and 49.44, being split by SAC Brandford High Wycombe in 49.24. Brize Norton took the team event convincingly with their fourth scorer home in fourteenth position.

Honington 10K

Photos By Cpl S Greenhalgh and SAC D Parnham

Entries for this year’s Honington 10K reached 245 runners, up over 70 on the previous year. What was also encouraging was the number of female runners, who made up over 25 percent of the field. The weather was kind once again with the race taking place in extremely good conditions. The Army looked to have a strong team for the Inter-Service Championships, and would no doubt make it challenging for the RAF contingent. Unfortunately, the entry from the Navy was disappointing and they failed to field a full team, so the Inter-Service Team Event would be a 2 horse-race.

As expected the Army runners set their stall out from the start, with Cpl Lowe setting of at a cracking pace, going clear from the chasing pack by 1 kilometre. This pack was made up in the main of Army athletes, including the Army’s leading road runner and course record holder Sig Hagi Chepkwony. For the RAF SAC Dan Lewis, Brize Norton was also in contention, and slightly further down, making a rare foray into road running, was Wg Cdr Dave Cole, making a concerted bid for the Inter-Service Veterans title. In the ladies race the Army again had a strong team Cpl Sheldon, ATR Winchester looking the class act of the field. Leading the way for the RAF ladies was Sgt Tara Park, Innsworth who was battling hard for second place.

Through the halfway point Cpl Lowe was still out in front but was now beginning to look vulnerable as Chepkwony closed the gap. Dan Lewis was beginning to suffer and was losing contact with the group he was with, whilst Dave Cole continued to run strongly, looking untroubled in the RAF Veterans race, with SAC Ian Bailey, Marham holding third. Cpl Sheldon looked to have the ladies race sewn up and it was looking like the course record could be in threat. Tara Park was still running strongly and the silver medal in the Inter-Service race was a strong possibility.

Shortly after the halfway mark Sig Chepkonwy, took over at the head of the race and continued to extend his lead to the finish, coming home in 31.33. Cpl Lowe despite being passed held things together well and come home in 32.12 and the Army took a clean sweep of the Inter-Service medals, and also took the team race, with Lt Whitemen third in 32.44. Another notable performance for the Army was Sig Laycock who broke the course record for junior men with 33.39. For the RAF, Dave Cole eventually passed a below par Dan Lewis to take the RAF Championship in 33.22, with Lewis following closely in 33.39. Ian Bailey held on to third to take the bronze medal in 34.09. In the team race RAF Brize Norton took the RAF title from RAF Marham and RAF High Wycombe respectively. Dave Cole lost out to WO Payne of the Army for the Inter-Service Veterans title, but had the consolation of the RAF Veterans title to go with the overall championship title.

The pace set by Cpl Sheldon of the Army did not abate and she came home with an excellent course record of 37.23 to take the ladies title. The race for second was extremely tight with Tara Park leading all the way up the final straight before being caught just before the line by Cpl Harvey of the Army. Tara did have the consolation of taking the RAF Ladies 10K Championship, and also an excellent time of 40.12. Cpl Jodie Digby of RAF Wittering took second place in the RAF Championship in 42.05, with Sgt Abbott of Henlow third in 43.21. The Ladies Championship was taken by RAF Lyneham lead home by Cpl Mandy Meecham in 43.38, with RAF Honington second.

The Honington 10K has once again proved to be an excellent event and anyone interested in running in the 2005 race, should look out for details with their PEd Flt, or contact the Stn Gymnasium at RAF Honington.

FLORA LONDON MARATHON 2004

The weather for this year’s London Marathon was in sharp contrast to last year, which had been blessed with glorious sunshine. Competitors at this year’s event had to put up with numerous showers, some heavy, throughout the duration of the race. Much talk in the press had been on the absence of Paula Radcliffe who had chosen to miss the event to concentrate on preparations for the Olympic Games Marathon. However, for the RAF it was the absence of our first 2 athletes from last year’s race which was the more worrying news, especially with the presence of the first 2 athletes in this year’s Inter-Service Cross Country Race representing the Army and the Navy.

Official starter for the race Sir Roger Bannister set the already soaked athletes off on cue at 0930 for 26 miles of pain, suffering and hopefully glory. The start as is usual was extremely fast given the calibre of the international athletes competing and it was important for Service athletes not to get carried away, but to run at their own pace. Having taken up a vantage point at the Cutty Sark at around the 10K point I waited anxiously for the site of the first Service athletes. First through this checkpoint was, perhaps unsurprisingly, the Inter-Service Cross Country Champion Pte Haggy Chepkonwy of the Army in an excellent 31.25. He was followed by Mne Croasdale of the Royal Navy 45 seconds down in 32.10. Unfortunately, for the RAF, our runners just could not compete with this pace, although several were on schedule to run sub 2.40. First man past the 10K point was Cpl Mark Prestwood, Brize Norton in 35.03, closely followed by Sgt Jerry Greeves, again of Brize Norton in 35.30. Also running well were Sgt John Siddens, Cottesmore 36.05 and Sgt Simon Dobbs, Kinloss 36.17.

By the halfway point the race for the Inter-Service title seemed to be a clear battle between Chepkonwy and Croasdale, with the latter having closed the gap to just 18 seconds. Mark Prestwood continued to head the RAF contingent passing the halfway point in 1.15.12. Jerry Greeves however was starting to suffer and had been passed by John Siddens 1.16.35 to Jerry’s 1.17.48. As the miles passed it was clear Chepkonwy was beginning to struggle, having been passed by Croasdale, he had started to struggle and was beginning to go backwards. Croasdale continued his excellent progress to finish finish 50th overall in an excellent time of 2.23.24. The Navy also took the next two places in the Inter-Service Championship for a clean sweep of the medals, with all their athletes under 2.30. Chepkonwy was eventually overtaken and failed to win the Army Marathon title having been passed in the later stages by WO Robin Bentley, 2.34.37 against 2.35.15 for Chepkonwy .

The RAF Marathon Title was taken by Mark Prestwood coming home in 2.36.59. John Siddens maintained second to take the silver medal in 2.39.30 with Simon Dodds moving through to take the bronze medal for the third time in 2.42.16. In the Veterans race the RAF did manage to secure an Inter-Service medal with Wg Cdr Jeff Beck finishing in third place to take the Bronze Medal in a time of 2.53.56.