Race date: 24/10/2021
Race 5 of our 2021 Road Championship saw a select group of 9 Striders head to Leeds for the Abbey Dash. This is run on a fast, out-and-back course in Leeds city centre, and always attracts a strong and deep field.
Kadar Omar of Birchfield Harriers won the men’s race in 28:46, while Stockport’s Jessica Piasecki was first woman in 31:19, the second fastest time by a British woman this year.
The fastest Strider of the day was Philip Cooper, whose excellent 33:40 was only good enough for 119th place, a sign of the quality of the field. Lucy Broom was our first woman, in 41:07. Full results are here.
2717 people ran in total. Here’s how our 9 Striders got on in full:
| Pos | Name | Cat | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 119 | Philip Cooper | MSen | 33:40 |
| 223 | Seth Kirby | MSen | 36:25 |
| 226 | Jordan Moat | MSen | 36:33 |
| 258 | Nick Booker | M50 | 37:34 |
| 336 | Malcolm Baggaley | M35 | 39:08 |
| 389 | Tim Holt | M40 | 40:07 |
| 435 | Lucy Broom | F45 | 41:07 |
| 833 | Dot Kesterton | F65 | 48:10 |
| 1193 | John Walker | M55 | 52:13 |
With some top athletes turning out and points based on winning times for our Road Championship, you had to run well to score well today, but that’s exactly what everyone did. Although Philip was our highest scorer, this was his last road race of the year, so for Championship news we have to look elsewhere.
With only two race weekends left and three scores to count, anyone going for the club’s Road Championship needs to have registered at least one score by now. That means we’re starting to get a sense of who might come out on top.
Overall
On the overall points table, the top 3 remain unchanged. Remember, men score points based on the first man’s time, and women based on the first woman’s time, so this table adjusts for sex (but not for age).
Jim Rangeley, still the only person with three scores in the bag, keeps top spot, just one lockdown away from the title. Sarah Percival and Kate Scott stay 2nd and 3rd. Nick Booker and Jordan Moat move into 4th and 5th close behind.
Any of Sarah, Kate, Nick, Jordan, and 6th-placed Harriet Davies could still top the points table, but keep an eye out for Seth Kirby and Lucy Broom too, who both ran their first race today.
Points Table
| Pos | Name | Cat | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jim Rangeley | MSen | 183.04 |
| 2 | Sarah Percival | F40-49 | 167.94 |
| 3 | Kate Scott | F50-59 | 161.82 |
| 4 | Nick Booker | M50-59 | 158.67 |
| 5 | Jordan Moat | MSen | 158.24 |
| 6 | Harriet Davies | FSen | 156.82 |
| 42 | Seth Kirby | MSen | 78.99 |
| 48 | Lucy Broom | F40-49 | 76.17 |
Age-Graded Table
On the age-graded table, times score points based on world records for your age and sex. That means a fast course helps and a strong field doesn’t hinder, so it was a better day to pick up age-graded points.
Dot Kesterton (F65) moved into the lead here, with Nick Booker (M50) establishing himself in a clear 2nd place. There’s a good scrap behind between Kate Scott (F55), Jordan Moat (MSen), and Paul Bentley (M60), but it’s hard to imagine anyone other than Lucy Broom (F55) challenging Nick for 2nd. Unless, that is, Caroline Brock (F35), David Wilson (M60), or Graham Goff (M70) manage another two races before the series end.
| Pos | Name | Cat | Age-Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dot Kesterton | F65 | 185.26 |
| 2 | Nick Booker | M50 | 162.60 |
| 3 | Jim Rangeley | MSen | 149.45 |
| 4 | Kate Scott | F55 | 146.81 |
| 5 | Jordan Moat | MSen | 143.54 |
| 6 | Paul Bentley | M60-69 | 143:23 |
| 33 | Lucy Broom | F45 | 80.50 |
| 34 | Graham Goff | M70 | 80.22 |
| 35 | Caroline Brock | F35 | 79.53 |
| 37 | David Wilson | M60 | 79.28 |
Age Categories
With only 9 Striders scoring points, there isn’t a lot of change in the age category tables, but a few things have become clearer:
Senior Men
The Senior Men’s category looks like a battle between Jordan Moat and Seth Kirby, unless Richard Pearson has plans to race I don’t know about. Malcolm Baggaley (9th, 73.51), who counts as a vet by some measures, should place well too.
| Pos | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jim Rangeley | 183.04 |
| 2 | Jordan Moat | 158.24 |
| 3 | Ben Stittle | 133.67 |
| 4 | Philip Cooper | 85.45 |
| 5 | Ed Startup | 81.61 |
| 6 | Richard Pearson | 81.56 |
| 7 | Seth Kirby | 78.99 |
Senior Women
No change on the Senior Women’s table, so Harriet Davies is well-placed if she can get another race in. Caroline Brock, Rebecca Pease, and Rachel Thorley all need two more races to challenge.
| Pos | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harriet Davies | 156.82 |
| 2 | Laura Rangeley | 130.85 |
| 3 | Maggie Vickers | 108.39 |
| 4 | Caroline Brock | 100.00 |
| 5 | Rebecca Pease | 93.48 |
| 6 | Rachel Thorley | 85.77 |
M40-49
Well this is embarrassing; there’s a chance I might be 1st M40. But I’m looking over my shoulder at Adrian Fisher (9th, 82.89), Robert Dawson (10th, 80.79), and Paul Scott (11th, 74.95).
| Pos | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tim Holt | 147.31 |
| 2 | Stephen Slater | 137.73 |
| 3 | Robin Nelson | 130.25 |
| 4 | Matt Rimmer | 129.46 |
| 5 | Lee Mills | 117.00 |
F40-49
Sarah Percival’s in a great position on the F40 table, but Jacqui Herring or Lucy Broom may still run her close.
| Pos | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sarah Percival | 167.94 |
| 2 | Christine Booth | 135.89 |
| 3 | Josephine Blewitt | 134.39 |
| 4 | Rachel Rea | 125.07 |
| 5 | Jacqui Herring | 82.57 |
| 6 | Abigail Hickinbottom | 76.77 |
| 7 | Lucy Broom | 76.17 |
M50-59
Nick Booker’s the fastest M50 at the club, and in great form, so it’s no surprise to see him clear here.
| Pos | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nick Booker | 158.67 |
| 2 | John Armitage | 130.13 |
| 3 | Neil Schofield | 125.45 |
| 4 | David Bocking | 121.79 |
| 5 | Paddy Treehowes | 120.55 |
F50-59
Kate Scott looks like she’s got the F50 title in the bag.
| Pos | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kate Scott | 161.82 |
| 2 | Caroline Greenough | 75.91 |
| 3 | Karen Clark | 73.50 |
| 4 | Carole Haste | 73.12 |
| 5 | Nada Ross | 69.23 |
M60-69
No change from the M60s, so Paul Bentley is still looking good.
| Pos | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Bentley | 133.18 |
| 2 | David Bownes | 92.86 |
| 3 | David Wilson | 74.50 |
| 4 | Barry Gyte | 62.56 |
| 5 | Richard Binks | 59.68 |
F60-69
Dot Kesterton shouldn’t have any difficulties closing out the F60 category.
| Pos | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dot Kesterton | 144.33 |
| 2 | Jo Gleig | 110.73 |
| 3 | Stephanie Street | 71.73 |
| 4 | Kate Waddicor | 70.94 |
| 5 | Carol Beattie | 66.56 |
M70+
With only 2 races left, and no M70 having run more than once so far, it looks like they might run out of time.
| Pos | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graham Goff | 64.81 |
| 2 | Graham Hague | 60.50 |
| 3 | David Parry | 60.21 |
| 4 | Michael Ingham | 49.04 |
F70+
Understandably, our W70s have been a bit too busy with marathons and cross country for the Road Championship this year.
There is, of course, far too much data to include it all here, so this is just a selection. As ever, see The Spreadsheet for the full picture.
The next race is the Derby 10 Mile on November 14th, and the series then concludes with the Doncaster 10k and the Clowne Half Marathon, both on November 28th (you’re expected to choose between them, not run them both). You still have time to enter the remaining races if you’re quick, so anyone who’s got one score on the board already can still register the full three scores for the series.