Summary of 2002 Road Racing Year

Over 170 club members competed in almost 130 road races in 2002. The two races attracting the highest number of Harriers entrants were the Cranfield 5k and the Biddenham 10k with 63 Harrier finishers. The Blisworth 5 was the third most popular race with 52 Harriers. The Harriers running the most races in 2002 were Graham King, Chris Capps and Mike Bernard who each competed in 26 events.

The best individual race performance (as measured in terms of age grading) was Nick Berrill's run of 2:33:54 in the London marathon. Nick's equivalent age graded time was 82:41%. The best age graded time by a Harrier lady was Nicky Klabe's run in the Liverpool Half Marathon. Nicky's time of 1:21:38 equated to an age graded time of 80:60%.  Another Harrier to score an age graded time in excess of 80:00% was Martin Leach in the Silverstone 10k. Martin's finished in 39:54 for an age graded run of 80:59%

Five ladies set new club best times in 2002. Nicky Klabe set new senior ladies best times at 5k, 10k, Half Marathon and Marathon. Veronica Singleton set new LV40 best times at 5k, 5m, 10k, 10m and the Marathon. Teresa Munns set new LV50 best times at 5k, 5m, 10k (twice), 10m and Half Marathon. Deirdre Bethune set a new LV50 best for the marathon. Margaret Martin set new LV55 best times at 5m, 10m and half marathon. Only one new club best time for the men was set. This was Colin Tranter's MV60 run in the Cranfield 5k.

Graham King was voted the  'Most Improved Runner of the Year' During 2002, Graham set new pb's at all distances from 5k to the Marathon. His best age graded performance of 78:24 was achieved in the Nene Valley 10 (62:48). 

The Mens Road Race Championship was won by Nick Berrill with a total of 810 points from ten qualifying races. The Ladies Road Race Championship was won by Nicky Klabe with 794 points from ten races. In addition to winning the road race championship,  Nick Berrill also won the mens 5k and 5m race championship, Paul Langford won the 10k championship and Kevin Willett won the 10m and Half Marathon championships. Nicky Klabe won all five of the ladies individual race championships from 5k to half marathon.

Stevenage 5k (3)
(18th December 2002)

Graham King continued his excellent year with another pb in the third race of the Stevenage 5k series. Graham's time of 18:19 was a 12 second improvement on his previous best for the distance which was set at the second race in the Stevenage series on the 3rd December. Graham missed the club best time for a 5k by a V45 by just 2 seconds . Also running well at Stevenage was Steve Crane. Steve knocked 26 seconds of his previous 5k best time of 22:33 (which was also set in the second Stevenage 5k race on the 3rd December) to finish in 22:07. Another 5k improvement was recorded by Steve Gaunt whose time of 19:21 was a 27 second advance on his time in the 3rd December race.

Update on the 2002 Road Race Championship

The overall winners of the 2002 road race championship has been decided. Nick Berrill won the men's championship with an aggregate score of 810.1 points from his ten races and Nicky Klabe won the ladies championship with 794.0 points from her ten events. Nick's best age graded performance was in the London Marathon when his time of 2:33:54 equated to an age graded score of 82:41%.Nicky's best age graded performance was in the Liverpool Half Marathon with her time of 1:21:38 earning an age graded score of 80:60%.

The second and third places in both the men's and ladies championship have still to be decided. Graham King is currently second in the  men's championship with 766.3 points  closely followed by Colin Tranter with 761.4 points. Second in the ladies championship  is Teresa Munns with 737.0 points, followed by Veronica Singleton with 725.3 points and Deirdre Bethune with 724.3 points. The Championship ends on the 31st December.

The Boss Trucks X-C League
(Sunday 15th December 2002)

The third race in this season's Boss Trucks X-C League was hosted by the Harriers and held at Priory Country Park. Though it was the third scheduled race in the series, it was actually the first race to be successfully concluded as the first event had to be cancelled due to bad weather and the second race was declared void after a marshalling error.

300 runners from a dozen clubs participated in the yesterday's 5 mile race around the Park with the overall winners being Wootton who won both the men's and ladies races. The Harriers team finished in seventh place. Graham King was the first Harrier to finish and Teresa Munns was the first lady. A full set of Harriers positions will be posted shortly.

Gt Barford Half Marathon
(Sunday 8th December)

A record number of finishers - 551- and a new men's course record, were two of the highlights of this year's Gt Barford Half Marathon. The new course record was set by  Benson Matheka of Muzino RC. Benson's time of 1:06:44, achieved in very cold and windy conditions, was a two minute improvement on the previous best for the race which was set five years ago. The second man to finish was William Musyoki, also from Muzino, in a time of 1:12:22. Paul Gregory of the Vale of Alyesbury, who finished second in the race last year, was the third man home on this occasion in 1:13:27.

The first lady to finish in a time of 1:18:50 was another Mizuno runner Catherine Mutwa. The second lady was  Amanda Yorwerth of St Albans Striders in 1:23:04 and the third lady was Sally Baker, an unattached runner, in 1:26:11

The mens age category award were won by Roy Kellaway of Biggleswade AC (MV40), Dennis Tomlinson an unattached runner (MV45), Christopher Lamont of Stopsley Striders (MV50), Michael Welland of Oxford City AC (MV55), Mike Shipway of Woodstock Harriers (MV60) and Eric Davis of Riverside Runners (MV65). The Stopsley Striders team of Christopher Lamont, Bill Barrett and John Chapman won the men's team award.

The ladies age category awards were won by Samantha Tophill of Fairlands Valley (LV35), Suzanne Pritchard of St Albans Striders (LV40), Yvonne Rice Oxley of West 4 Harriers (LV45), Margaret Swithenby of Milton Keynes (LV50), Rosemary Muston also of Milton Keynes (LV55) and Iva Barr of Bedford Harriers (LV60). The St Albans Ladies team of Amanda Yorwerth, Suzanne Pritchard and Carole Mooney won the ladies team award.

Nene Valley 10
1st December 2002

(Report by David Sutcliffe)

Luton Marathon
1st December 2002

Two pb's and the third man to finish were the highlights of the Harriers performances in this year's Luton Marathon. The first Harrier to finish and the third overall on the day was Nick Berrill in around 2:38:00. (Official results will be given as soon as available). Nick's last three marathons have been run between 2:32 and 2:38 - great stuff. The second Harrier to cross the line was Alistair Fadden in 3:22:00. Alistair's time was a three minute improvement on his previous best for the distance. Also getting a pb, and finishing in under 3 hours and 30 minutes for the first time was Terry McEwen. Terry's time of 3.27:00 was a 17 minute improvement of his previous marathon best of 3:40:00 which he ran at London in April. Well done also to Richard Piron who, having recently returned from a two week holiday, still ran 3:39:00.

Boss Trucks X-C League @ Northampton
(Sunday 24th 23rd November)

The second race in the Boss Trucks X-C league at Northampton was declared void after half the field took the wrong route. The problem occurred half way through the 7k race. A steward was missing from a crucial turning point and around 50 to 60 of the leading runners ended up rushing onto the local golf course rather than turning left down a muddy path. By the time the runners realised their mistake and doubled back, they were too far behind the rest of the field to catch up. As a consequence, most of the leading runners finished outside the first 100. 

This year's X-C league is not having much success as the first race in the series was cancelled because of high winds. The next race in the series, which is scheduled for December 15th, is being organised by the Harriers.

Wolverton 5
(Saturday 23rd November)

This year's Wolverton 5 was run in somewhat wet conditions. The rain started to come down heavily around ten to three and just as the race began at three o'clock, the heavens opened. Fortunately, the rain stopped shortly after and a number of Harriers ended up improving their pb's.

The first Harrier to finish was Nick Berrill in 26:35. (Nick's time was amazingly consistent with his run at Wolverton last year when he ran 26:36). The second Harrier to finish was Kevin Willett in 28.02 followed by Alistair Fadden who clocked 30:02. Among the Harriers getting Pb's were Terry McEwen who knocked around a minute off his previous 5 mile best to finish in 32:26 and Derek Morrison who improved his pb by around ten seconds to 32:57. Well done also to a number of runners who ran their first race for the Harriers including D. Thornton, G Hinde and C. Griffths.

It should be said that some Harriers had some criticism of the event. Though the race itself was as enjoyable as ever, no changing or showering facilities of any description were available for the runners and no mementos of any type were presented at the end of the race. Not particularly good value for an entry fee of £7.00 on the day 

Stevenage 5k (1)
 (Tuesday 19th November)

Six Harriers ran in the first race of the 3-race Stevenage 5k series. The first Harrier to finish and the sixth man overall on the night was Nick Berrill in an excellent 16:32. Nick's time was just 15 seconds below his best 5k of the year of 16:17 at Cranfield in July. The second Harrier to finish was Paul Mowbray in 18:30. Paul was running his first race for around six months following an injury. Steve Gaunt finished in 20:22 and Graham Bufton who is also coming back from an injury ran 20:49.  Steve Crane and Lesley Barnes who each set new half marathon pb's at St Neots two days earlier, also got new 5k pb's. Steve finished in 22:42 and Lesley ran 23:31.

St Neots Half Marathon
 (Sunday 17th November)

There were more notable performances by Harriers at the 1st running of the St Neots Half Marathon. The first Harrier to finish was Nicky Klabe. Out of 557 finishers, Nicky was 25th overall and the first lady on the day in 1:23:30. Nicky's success at St Neots was her second half marathon win in two weeks the first being at Stevenage on the 3rd November. The second Harrier to finish and 29th overall was Andy Sewell in 1:24:21. Andy's time was a new pb by 20 seconds. The 3rd Harrier to finish and the 57th overall was Mike Bernard who finished strongly in 1:28:15. Among the Harriers getting pb's were Steve Crane in 1:43:34 and Lesley Barnes in 1:46:53. Ian Marshall also ran his fastest half marathon for a number of years (1:31:47) and Gary Chester did well (1:32:34) in his first race for five years.

Stevenage Half  Marathon
 (Sunday 3rd November)

Kevin Willet and Nicky Klabe won the club's half marathon championship at Stevenage on Sunday. On a course which some find a bit difficult, Kevin was the 6th man to finish overall in a time of 1:20:35. Nicky who was the 3rd lady to finish overall in last year's race, was both the first lady Harrier and the 1st lady overall to cross the line this year in an improved time of 1:23:52.

The second Harrier to finish this year (and 10th overall in the race) was Tony Dadd in 1:22:05. Tony's time was a 7 min 10 secs improvement on his previous best for the distance which was set at Canterbury in 1993. The second lady Harrier to finish was Teresa Munns in 1:43:04. Teresa also collected one of the LV prizes. The third Harrier male and lady to finish were Andy Sewell and Lesley Barnes.

Among the Harriers gaining pb's were Colin Liddiard (1:41:57) and Chris Capps(1:44:08)

New York Marathon
(Sunday 3rd November)

Four Harriers ran in Sunday's New York marathon. The first to finish was Graham King in an excellent time of 3:09:31. Graham's time was a tremendous 40 minutes inside his previous best for the distance of 3:50:00. Also doing exceptionally well was Norma King whose only been running seriously for around 18 months. Norma achieved her ambition to run a marathon by crossing the line in 5:41:45. Well done Norma.

Paul Langford and Richard Canvin completed the race in 3:39:29 and 3:38:44 respectively. Richard has apparently had a bet with a friend which involved him paying £1 a mile if he was beaten. (£26,000 in all!). Don't yet know the outcome of this.

Cross-country league race 1 - Letchworth
 - called off due to bad weather

The first race in the 2002/2003 cross country season was called off due to bad weather.  Click here for a report.

One race which did go ahead was the Fenland 10. The Harrier representative in this race was John Shearer who braved the howling wind to finish in 71:50, a good time under the circumstances.

Daventry 6  & Royal Engineers Half
(13th October & 20th October)

Derek Morrison and Terry McEwen ran new pb's at the Daventry 6 and the Royal Engineers Half Marathon respectively. Derek completed the Daventry 6 in 40:24, a 1 min 35 secs improvement of his previous best for the distance. Meanwhile, Terry knocked around three minutes of his half marathon previous best to finish in 1:30:02 at the Royal Engineers race. Well done also to Jim Gannon who ran his first marathon at Amsterdam in a time of 4:50:52. Jim ran for MENCAP and raised quite a bit of money for them.

Also running well was Colin Tranter in the Cabbage Patch 10.  Colin's time of 69:12 was his first sub 70 minute-10 mile for some time.

Ridgeway Run 15k & Cambridge Wildlife Trust 10k
(13th October 2002)

Seven Harriers ran the Ridgeway Run 15k. On a wet and windy day, which made running conditions difficult, Andy Sewell was the first Harrier to finish (and the 36th finisher overall) in 66:22. Just behind Andy was Stuart Bartlett in 66:54 followed by Neil Klabe in 69:24. The other Harriers running, Bill Billington, Deirdre Bethune, Jeanette Cheetham and Robert Cox all finished in under 90 minutes.

Robert Ogborne got a new pb in the Cambridge Wildlife Trust 10k. Robert, whose only been with the Harriers for a few weeks, knocked  three and a half minutes off his previous pb to finish in 46:19. Other Harriers getting pb's at Cambridge included Gordon Sutcliffe, (46:20), David Sutcliffe (46:58), Vic Byer (48:56) and Liz Byer (51:49). Chris Capps, who ran his first race for a few weeks, finished in a respectable 44:07.

A belated well done to Kevin Willet who ran 60:26 for the Goose Fair 10 on 22nd September. Kevin was the 10th person to finish overall.

The Gt North Run & Standalone 10k
(6th October 2002)

Newcastle and Standalone were the two main races run by Harriers on Sunday 6th October. Around a dozen Harriers did the Gt North with the first to finish being Nicky Klabe in 1:22:38. Nicky, who ran in the elite ladies group, was the 22nd lady overall in the race. Good performances were also achieved by Steve Crane (1:45:28) and Graham Short (1:42:00) who both got pb's.

19 Harriers ran in the Standalone 10k.The first to finish was Mike Bernard in 39.27 followed by Paul Roberts in 40:24 and Martin Leach in 40:46. Veronica Singleton was the first lady Harrier to finish in 43:22. Gary Fuller (45:44) got a pb.

The 2002 Road Race Championship has only three months left to run. Nicky Klabe continues to lead the championship with 792 points from 10 races. Graham King is in second place with 757.9 points from ten races followed by Teresa Munns in third place with 732.8 points from ten races. The main challenge to Nicky comes from Nick Berrill who has 724.8 points from nine races.

Biddenham 10k
(29th September 2002)

Over 50 Harriers ran in this year's Biddenham 5k & 10k races. The event, which has only been run for a few years, also attracted its largest entry so far, with 415 people finishing in the 10k and 81 finishing in the 5k. The overall winner of the men's race was Matt Janes in 32:44 with the overall winner of the ladies race being Mary Caprini in 42.00. The 5k race was won by Ben Webster in 17:55.

The first two Harriers to finish in the 10k were Kevin Willett in 36:27 and Tony Dadd in 36:50. The last time Tony ran a 10k was back in 1995 at Dartford when he finished in 40:24. Biddenham was a new pb for Tony therefore by three and a half minutes. Other Harriers getting pbs included Graham Short who knocked around four minutes off his previous best to finish in 43:21, Zoe Willett who improved her time over last year's Biddenham 10k also by around four minutes to finish in 53:20 and Gerry Kinsella who ran 46:22. Other Harriers improving their times over the 2001 Biddenham race including Mike Bernard, Ray Evans, Jeanette Cheetham, and Lynne Gingell.

Club La Santa Half Marathon
(17th September 2002)

Malcolm McEwen recently ran an interesting half marathon at Club La Santa. Apparently, the entry consisted of just five runners (must be the smallest field ever) with the total number of marshals  - including starter, water stations, finish funnel and time keeper, numbering no more than three. Perhaps not surprisingly, there was little in the way of crowd support.  The good news however is that Malcolm achieved his best ever finishing position in a race (3rd male, 4th overall) in a time of 1:58:06. Brilliant stuff. Well done that man!

Diss 15

Well done to Jim Gannon who got a new pb in the Diss 15. Jim's time of 1:57:49 was a 6 minute improvement on his previous best for the distance. Jim's other pb's this year include a new 10 mile best at Leighton Buzzard and a new half marathon best at Grunty Fen.

The Robin Hood Half Marathon
(15th September 2002)

Eight Harriers ran in this year's Robin Hood (Nottingham) Half including Andy Sewell and Jack Chana who have done some travelling to races over the previous two Sundays - Liverpool on the 1st September and Portsmouth on the 8th. The Nottingham race is one of the UK's most popular attracting an entry an entry of around 10,000. However, the course is difficult in parts and not easy to get a pb on.

Andy was the first Harrier to finish in 1:225:53 while Jack completed in 1:48:09. Derek Morrison and Chris Cottam who also both ran in the Liverpool Half finished in 1:33:21 and 1:46:19 respectively. Also running at Nottingham were Ian Marshall (1:42:17) and Alex Rothwell (1:54:09). Kelly Grant had a good run (1:41:26) and Debbie Hylton completed in 2:14:34.

Swineshead 10
(8th September 2002)

Swineshead was once again the venue for this year's 10 mile championship club race. Around 30 Harriers ran in the race including a sizeable number who were experiencing the course for the first time.

The first Harrier to finish and the third man overall was Kevin Willett in exactly 60.00. The first lady to finish and the fourth finisher overall was Nicky Klabe in 62:34. The third Harrier to finish was Alistair Fadden in 64:30 followed by Mike Bernard in around 65:30. The second and third lady Harriers to finish were Teresa Munns and Viv Kilgour. Kevin, Nicky and Alistair won the team award and Richard Whiteman won the second MV50 prize.

All the results of the Swineshead 10 are expected to be published in this Friday's Times & Citizen.

Liverpool Half Marathon
(1st September 2002)

There was more success for the Harriers at this year's Liverpool Half Marathon. In a  race run in near perfect conditions, pride of place once again went to Nicky Klabe who was the third lady to finish in a new pb and club best time of 1:21:38. Nicky was only beaten by two internationals, one from Kenya and one from Russia. Out of a total field of some 2,500 runners. Nicky was the first British women to complete.

The race also produced some tremendous performances by other Harriers. Mike Barnard had a particularly good run and finished in 1:24:43, a new pb. Andy Sewell ran a very respectable 1:26:13 (despite experiencing some problems during the race) and Derek Morrison and Neil Klabe clipped around a minute and two minutes respectively off their previous best's for the distance. Liz and Vic Byer similarly ran their fastest half marathons to date and Chris Cottam improved his time over last year's race by a couple of minutes. Jack Chana who competed in his third race in seven days, also ran well to finish in 1:44:31.

2002 Road Race Championship
Update - July

Nicky Klabe is the new leader of the 2002 Road Race Championship. Seven months into this year's championship, Nicky has run her ten qualifying race and currently has an overall age graded score of 782.8 points (or an average of 78.2% per race.) In second position is Graham King with an age graded score of 753.3 points from ten races followed in third place by Deirdre Bethune with 723.4 points from ten races. In third place in the ladies championship is Teresa Munns with 588.1 points from eight races. In second and third places in the men's championship are Mike Bernard (642.1 points from nine races) and Neil Lovesey (640.2 points from nine races).

2002 Championship - Leading Positions (July)

All positions

Harriers Handicap Race
(14th August 2002)

There was an excellent turnover by the club in the annual Harriers handicap race which was run in Bedford Park. The race was staged over a 4.1K course with the handicap being just over 12 minutes.  On a glorious summer's night, the first to finish in an overall time of 24:00 mins was Kate Draper. Second was Paul Berry in 24:09 and third was Teresa Weaving in 24:14. The third lady to finish was Victoria Barnes in 25:16 and the second and third men were Mike O'Hara in 24:24 and Robert Cox in 24:57.

The fastest man on the night was John Shearer who completed in 14:37, second fastest male was Richard Piron in 14:45 and third fastest male was Alistair Vile in 15:26. The fastest lady was Veronica Singleton who finished in 16:09 followed by Lisa North in 16:22 and Lesley Barnes in 18:10.

All participants completed the handicap within four minutes of each other.

Many thanks to David Sutcliffe who organised the event superbly well. Many thanks also to those who helped marshal the race.

Blisworth 5
(9th August 2002)

Over 50 Harriers ran in this year's Blisworth 5, the Club's 5-mile championship race. The first Harrier to finish in a time of 26:59 was Nick Berrill. Second was Kevin Willett in 28:04 and third was Alistair Fadden in 30:02. The first lady Harrier to finish and the 5th overall was Nicky Klabe in 30:10. The second lady Harrier to finish was Veronica Singleton in a new lv40 club best time of 32:49. Veronica, who clipped more than one and a half minutes of the previous lv40 best time for the distance, also won the 1st lv40 award. Also setting a new club best time was Margaret Martin. Margaret's run of 49:36 was a new best for the lv55 category.

Many other Harriers ran exceptionally well and achieved new 5 mile pb's. Included were Graham King who got under 31 minutes (30:36), Neal Lovesey (31:06), Neal Klabe (32:20) and Terry McEwen (33:10).

USA Ironman
(27th July 2002)

Hook Norton 6
(4th August July 2002)

Graham King continued his tremendous run of PB's at the Hook Norton 6. Graham's time of 37:41 was a one minute improvement on his previous best for the distance of 38:41 which was set at Rugby in May.

Stevenage Relays
(23rd July 2002)

Six Harriers team took part in this year's Stevenage Relays. Pride of place went to the Senior Ladies Team of Nicky Klabe, Lisa North and Eugenie Carr who won the overall ladies race (for the second year in succession) and also the Beds County Championships. The Vets Ladies 'A' team of Veronica Singleton, Teresa Munns and Jacqui Furr, won the Beds Vets County Championship and the Vets Ladies 'B' team of Christine Armstrong, Angie Kay and Leslie Barnes were 3rd place in the Vets County Championships.

The Senior Men's Team of Kevin Willett, Alistair Fadden, Paul Langford, Franck Monmont and Steve Gaunt all recorded good times and finished 3rd in the County Champs. The men's Vets team of Andy Sewell, Richard Piron, Neil Lovesey, Graham King and Brian McCallen were 2nd in the Vets County Champs. The senior men's 'B' team of Mike Bernard, Martin Leach, Neil Klabe, Alistair Vile and Graham Bufton (who ran his first race for some time) all recorded good times.

Milton Keynes Half Marathon
(21st July 2002)

It was another successful day for the Harriers at the Milton Keynes Half Marathon. Nick Berrill ran 1:15:44 and was 3rd man to finish overall. Nicky Klabe ran 1:22:41 and was the 2nd lady to finish. Nicky's time was a pb and also a new senior ladies club best time. Other Harriers running included Mike Bernard (1:33:27) Martin Leach (1:35:32),  Jim Gannon (1:46:47), Vic Byer (1:56:58), Deirdre Bethune (1:58:58) and Liz Byer (2:04:57).

The Cranfield University 5k
(12th July 2002)

Over 60 Harriers in the Cranfield 5k, the Club's 5k Championship race. The first Harrier to finish was Nick Berrill in 16:17. Nick's time  was almost half a minute faster than his only other 5k race this year, Blisworth in May. The second Harrier to finish was Paul Langford in 17:42 followed by Franck Monment in 17:48. Paul's time was his fastest run over the distance since his 2000 Cranfield 5k of 17:28.

The first lady Harrier to finish and the third lady overall on the night was Nicky Klabe in 18:07. Nicky's time was a new pb and and a new club best time.  The second and third  lady Harrier finishers were Eugenie Carr (20.00) and Veronica Singleton (20:16) who also won the LV40 prize. Veronica recorded a new lv40 club best for the distance while Teresa Munns got a new lv50 club best time of 22:07 (and a pb) and Colin Tranter recorded a new mv60 club best of 20:38. Both Veronica and Teresa won Beds County Prizes and Nicky, Eugenie and Veronica won the ladies team prize.

Many Harriers including Neil Lovesey, Graham King, Tony Parello, Neil Klabe and Chris Capps got PB's. Many of the beginners, who joined the club in April, ran their first race.

  2002 Road Race Championship

After six months of the 2002 road racing year, this year's Road Race Championship is being to take shape. Currently leading the Championship is Graham King with 748.3 age graded points from his ten qualifying races. In second place is Deirdre Bethune with 718.3 points from ten races followed by Nicky Klabe in third place with 700.5 points from nine qualifying races.

In the Championship, a maximum of 10 Age-graded scores per runner are calculated from official race times.

Age Graded Performances

The age graded performances of all Harriers taking part in road races are now being posted on the site with times up to the end of June now available..

The highest age graded performances so far this year have been by Nick Berrill. Nick has produced age graded runs of 80+% in four of his five qualifying races up to the end of June. His best performance was in the London Marathon where his time of 2:33:54 equated to an age graded score of 82:41%. The only other Harrier to record an age-graded score of 80+% in a race so far this year is Martin Leach. Martin's time of  39:54  in the Silverstone 10k, represented an age graded equivalent of 80:59%. After Nick and Martin, the best age graded performances this year have been by Nicky Klabe. Nicky's best run was in the Silverstone 10k with her time of 37:45 representing an age graded equivalent of 79:25%.

Milton Keynes 10k
(9th July 2002)

The eighth and final race in this year's East Midland Grand Prix Series took place at Milton Keynes. The first Harrier to finish in a time of 35:36 was Kevin Willett. Kevin's time was a new PB by around 10 seconds. The second Harrier to finish was Nicky Klabe in a new Senior Ladies club best time (and pb) of 37:30.  Nicky was the fourth lady to finish at Milton Keynes and the third lady overall in the series. Also establishing a new club best for 10k was Veronica Singleton. Veronica's time of 41:37 clipped almost two minutes of the previous LV40 best for the distance. Another lady Harrier to have a good Grand Prix Series was Eugenie Carr who finished in fourth place overall

Dunstable 10k
(30th June 2002)

Nicky Klabe and Paul Langford were the winners of this year's 10k championship race at Dunstable. Nicky was the first Harrier to finish (and the first lady overall) in a time of 38:23. Paul finished in 38:29 just ahead of Graham Horne (38:35) and Alistair Fadden (38:35). Teresa Munns (47:16) won a lady vets prize. Well done also to Graham Short who knocked almost 5 mins of his previous pb to finish in 44:26. 28 Harriers ran in the race.

The Colworth Marathon Challenge
(21st/23rd June 2002)

The inaugural running of the three-day Colworth Marathon Challenge proved to be a big success. The Challenge, consisted of a 5-mile race on the Friday, an 8-mile trail race on the Saturday and a half marathon on the Sunday. The overall winner of the event was Paul Pudney who won all three races and completed the Challenge in a time  of 2:33:32. Second in the 5-mile race and also the 8-mile trail race was Harrier Nick Berrill in times of 27:39 and 49:38 respectively. Nicky Klabe was the 1st lady to finish in the 5-mile race (30:42) and the 1st lady to finish in the half marathon (1:27:38).

Nearly 40 Harriers ran in one or more of the races. The first Harrier to finish all three races was Kevin Willett in 2:49:23. Kevin finished third overall. The second Harrier to finish and also fifth overall was Alistair Fadden in 3:02:22. The third Harrier to finish and also seventh overall was Andy Sewell in 3:04:46.  The other Harriers completing all three races were Richard Piron (3:06:20), Richard Whiteman (3:11:51 & 1st MV50), Derek Morrison (3:18:00), Colin Bennetts (3:27:49), Gary Fuller (3:36:37), Jack Chana (3:45:41), Gary Denton (3:49:27), Shaun Trotter (3:52:57), Ian Kingstone (3:59:30), Chris Cottam (4:02:21), Gary Horsman (4:07:21), Lynne Gingell (4:09:39) and Jackie Bullard (4:10:02).

The Challenge will be held again next year with the dates already set at 20th/22nd June 2003. Organiser Richard is hoping to get a major Unilever Company to sponsor the event and to advertise the race more widely.

 Colworth 5: Colworth 8-mile Trail Race: Colworth Half Marathon

Market Harborough 5
(25th June 2002)

The penultimate race in this year's 8-race Grand Prix Series took place at Market Harborough. The first Harrier to finish and the 3rd lady on the night was Nicky Klabe in 30:11. Nicky knocked almost a minute off her time in last year's Harborough race. Graham Horne was the second Harrier to finish in 30:18 and Graham King the third  home in 31:32. Graham K's time was a two minute improvement on his 2001 Harborough run. Also running well was John Shearer who finished in 32:18 and Neil Klabe who ran 32:41 and got another pb. Chris Capps ran his 3rd race in 5 days and finished in 35:38. Bill Bethune's time of 43:06 was a minute and a half up on last year.

Banbury 5
(18th June 2002)

There was more Harriers success in the Banbury 5, the sixth race in the 8-race Grand Prix Series.  The second lady to finish on the night was Nicky Klabe in 30:13. Nicky's time was a 30 second improvement on her performance in last year's Banbury race. The third lady to finish at Banbury was Eugenie Carr in 32:00. ( Eugenie also finished in 4th place at the Bedford 6 and in 2nd place at the Weedon 10k). The first Harrier to finish overall at Banbury was Graham Horne in a new pb of 30:08. Also continuing to run well is Neal Klabe who improved his 5-mile pb again to finish in 32:47.

Weedon 10k
(11th June 2002)

Nine Harriers ran in the Weedon 10k, the hilliest and some might say toughest, of the 8-race Grand Prix Series. The first Harrier to finish was Graham Horne in 38:57. The second Harrier, and the second lady overall on the night, was Eugenie Carr in 40:51. Gary Fuller had a good run and knocked 10 seconds off his pb to finish in 46:50. Graham King (41:51), Veronica Singleton (43:12) and Bill Bethune (56:00) also all had good runs and recorded faster times than in 2001.

2002 Road Race Championship

Graham King is the early leader in the 2002 road race championship. Graham has already run ten qualifying races this year and amassed 740 age graded points. The second man in the championship is Mike Barnard (562 points from 8 races) followed by Jack Chana (526 points from 8 races). Leading the ladies table is Teresa Munns with 586 points for 8 races. The second lady is Deirdre Bethune (575 points from 8 races) with Nicky Klabe in third place (543 points from 7 races). The Championship runs through to the 31st December.

In a new development, all Harriers age graded race times will now be published on the website. Age graded times to the end of May, are already available. A separate table which lists age graded times of 75%+ is also given. Both tables will be updated on a monthly basis.

Many thanks to Graham King and David Sutcliffe who have undertaken all the work and produced all the figures. 

The Bedford 6
(26th May 2002)

37 Harriers ran in this year's Bedford 6, the largest contingent from any club. The race also attracted the most Harrier entrants of any race so this year.

Following the withdrawal due to injury during the race of Nick Berrill, the first Harrier home was Nicky Klabe in a new pb of 36:49. Nicky was the 3rd lady to finish on the night. The first man to finish was Stuart Bartlett in 37:30 followed by the improving Mike Bernard in around 38:01. Neil Lovesey also had a good run finishing in 38:29. Running well also was Eugenie Carr who's recently rejoined the Harriers after a couple of year's break. Eugenie was the 4th lady overall in 38:43. Among those getting  PB's were Neil Klabe who finished in 39:28 (his fourth pb in his last four races), Kevin Bullard (45:52), Jackie Bullard (47:07) and Teresa Munns (44:38).

European Duathlon Championships
(26th May 2002)

Chris Proud came tenth in his age group in the European Duathlon Championships at Zeitz in Germany. The Duathlon consisted of an 11k run, a 44k bike ride and a 6k run. Chris's total time for the event was 2:35:57 with his splits being 44:48, 1:23:57 and 26:30 respectively for the three stages of the race.
 

The Capitol Hill Classic 10k
(22nd May 2002)

Deirdre Bethune was the 1st lv50 finisher (from 21 in her age group) in the Capitol Hill Classic in Washington DC. Deirdre's time of 47:17, was more than three and a half minutes ahead of the 2nd lv50. Bill Bethune ran 54:42 and was the  48th finisher from 78 in his age group.

The Rockingham Speedway 5
(22nd May 2002)

There was more success for the Harriers at the Rockingham Speedway 5, the 3rd race in the 2002 East Midlands Grand Prix Series.  The inaugural running of the Rockingham 5 (which has taken over from the old Corby 5) covered two laps of the Speedway course. 

The first Harrier to finish, in a tremendous time of  26:39, was Nick Berrill. Nick was 10th overall on the night. Nicky Klabe was the second Harrier to finish and the 3rd lady overall in 30:17. Nicky's time was less than 10 seconds outside her pb. Neil Klabe also ran well (33:01) and got his 3rd pb in his last three races. Graham King similarly did well, despite suffering from flu and Chris Capps ran his first 5-mile race. Deirdre Bethune also had a good run and was the first LV50 to finish on the night.

Eye 10k
(19th May 2002)

On a sunny but breezy day, 3 harriers ran at Eye. The course was fairly flat but testing. The runners had the wind in their faces for the first 4K before turning home with no wind and high temperatures.  Times were down for most competitors because of the heat. However Jacinta Horne, following on from her success in the Blisworth 5k when she knocked 6 mins of her  previous best for that distance, lowered her 10k best time by another 2 mins 11 secs to 51:02. (Jacinta's previous 10k best time had been set at the Daffodil in March). Two other Harriers ran at Eye. Neil Lovesey finished in 40:45 and Chris Capps ran 45:41.

Rugby 6
(15th May 2002)

Nicky Klabe, in a time of 37.00 mins, was the 2nd lady to finish in the Rugby 6, the second race in the eight-race Grand Prix Series. In the first race in the series, the Silverstone 10k, Nicky had been the fifth lady finisher. Also continuing to run well is Graham King. Graham's time of 38:41 was a 26 secs improvement on his previous best for the distance which was set at Bedford back in 1998. Another PB was gained by Neil Klabe. Neil's time of 39:59, was  a 1 min 38 secs improvement  on his run in last year's Rugby 6.  Alastair Vile, who was running his third race in a week,  had another good run and completed the distance in 41:53. 

Laser Care Cranfield 10k
(12th May 2002)
 

Husband and wife team, Martin & Liz Yelling won the Laser Care Cranfield 10k on Sunday.  Pride of place went to Beds & County's Liz Yelling who broke the old course record by 10 seconds to finish in 34:05. Martin Yelling, running for Team Milton Keynes, ran 31:28. The men's course record of 30:10, which was set by Hugh Jones over ten years ago, still stands.

The second and third men over the line, Bedford Harriers Nick Berrill and North Herts Paul Pearce, fought a close finish with Nick prevailing by just one second to finish in 33:53 to Paul's 33:54. The men's vet awards were won by Mark Booth (Milton Keynes), Brian White (Fairland Valley Spartans), Alan Webb (Midland Vets), Derek Myall (North Herts) and Ken Wilford (Beds & County). Team Milton Keynes won the men's team prize.

The second and third ladies to finish after Liz Yelling were Jane Wilson in 41:43 and Vicki Gibbs of Northampton Road Runners in 43:21. The ladies vet awards were won by Kari Ann Cowan (Beds & County), Yvonne White, Nina Souster, Margaret Swinthenby of Milton Keynes and Margaret Crowe also of Milton Keynes. Beds & County won the ladies team prize.

25 Bedford Harriers ran in the race. The second and third Harriers to finish after Nick Berrill were Mike Bernard in 39:53 and Graham King in 40:51.The first lady Harrier to finish was Jackie Bullard in 50:04. A number of Harriers substantially reduced their personal best times for the distance including Jane Sizer who knocked around 9 minutes off her old best time.

Blisworth 5K
(10th May 2002)

Two new club best times were set at the Blisworth 5k. Teresa Munns set her 3rd new LV50 club best time of 2002 with a run of 22:33 and Colin Tranter set a new mv60 club best time of 21:08.

The first Harrier to finish in the race and the 10th overall was Nick Berrill in an excellent time of 16:44. Jacinta Horne also had a very good run and knocked six minutes off her old PB with a time of 23:36

Silverstone 10k
(7th May 2002)

A new senior ladies club best time was set at the Silverstone 10k and many other Harriers got new PB's. The new club best time was set by Nicky Klabe. Nicky's time of 37:45 was a 38 secs improvement on the previous club best time of 38:23 which was also set by Nicky at Milton Keynes last year. Nicky was the fifth lady to finish on the night.

Franck Monment was the first Harrier to finish in 36:18. Second was Alistair Fadden in a new pb of 36:57 and third was Graham Horne in 37:37. Graham King knocked 1 min 4 secs off his old pb to finish in 38:40, Paul Mowbray ran 38:56 and Mark Cook finished in 38:59 which was another PB. Others running the distance faster than ever before included Chris Capps in 43:46 (a 4 mins 4 secs improvement), Neil Klabe 41:15,  Mark Holland 45:11, and Debbie Bilham 50:04..

Leighton Buzzard 10
(5th May 2002)

16 Harriers ran in the Leighton Buzzard 10. The first Harrier to finish was Alistair Fadden in 64:56. Mike Barnard, running his 8th race of the year and just two weeks after first marathon, was the second Harrier home in 67:40. Jim Gannon also had a good run and improved his pb by 6 mins 7secs to 76:55.

Excellent performances by the Harriers in the Stevington 7.5. Dave Briggs and Tony Dadd were joint winners in 45:25 and Richard Piron was the 1st vet to finish in 45:50. 

At the Neolithic Half Marathon in Salisbury, Andy Sewell was the fourth man overall to finish in 1:27:13. Andy's carrying an injury at the moment so this was a good run.

 Eastern Vets Road Relays
(21st April 2002)

Report by David Sutcliffe

                 Cathie goes ‘the extra mile’.      Dubious club record for ‘supercrocks’.

Hemingford Grey is better known for its ‘Country Life’ image and as the home of retired Prime Ministers, rather than as a scene of athletic achievement. Unfazed by such trivia the Harriers Ladies team cruised home in third place in their  section of this 3 X 3K event despite having mustered only two runners.   So Beds & County, in complying with the rules by having three runners, thus took third-place medals, having finished in fourth place by a distance equal to the length of Hemingford Grey High Street plus that of John Major’s front garden.

 LADIES 35+    

MEN  60+        

The Harriers’ M60 team picked up awards for the fifth time in five visits to championship events, but were unable to hold a rejuvenated Milton Keynes team  who came back strongly after losing out in the last encounter at the Eastern Vets cross-country.  However, the team were able to claim a club a club record of a somewhat unusual  nature – an age aggregate of 200 years!!

VETERANS ONLY EVENTS

Harriers teams compete in three or four Veterans’ events each year, though many more events are available for those who like to travel further either around the U.K .or abroad.

NEXT EVENT is likely to be the ‘British Vets’ 5k championship, a competitive  and enjoyable event held last  year at the Open University. Details are awaited for this year.

LOCALLY,  Beds & County will be hosting three Track and Field meetings ,open to all veterans, with races at distances up to 3000m. See Harriers Race-book or Beds & County notice-board for details.                                                                                                

Nuneaton 10K
(28th April 2002)

Theresa Munns had another good run in the Nuneaton 10k on Sunday. Theresa's time of 45:57 was just four seconds outside her own pb and also the club's LV50 best time of 45:53 which she set at Whittlesey at the start of the month. Theresa also set a new LV50 half Marathon best of  1:41:38 at Brighton in February.

London Marathon
(14th April 2002)

There were 32,536 finishers in this year's London Marathon. 24,768 men and 7,768 ladies. The first Harrier to finish was Nick Berrill in 2:33:54. Nick was the 89th finisher overall in the race and the 78th man. A tremendous run. (Nick's own pb is 2:28:01).The first Harrier lady to finish and the 106th lady overall was Nicky Klabe in 3:10:27. Nicky's time was a new pb and a new senior ladies club best time. Nicky's time should give her a start among the elite ladies next year.

Two other new club best times were set. Veronica Singleton established a new LV40 best of 3:18:36 and Deirdre Bethune recorded a new LV50 best (and pb)  of 3:49:23.