Southern Senior 6 Stage and Veteran 4 Stage Men’s Road Relay,

Rushmoor Arena, Aldershot, Sunday September 20th, 2015

MIXED FORTUNES FOR TVH MEN IN SOUTHERN ROAD RELAYS

It was another Sunday start for the Valley’s senior and veteran men’s teams as they traveled to Rushmoor Arena, Aldershot, for the Southern Road Relay Championships.

The senior men traveled with an 8 man team which included 1 man making their road relay debut for the Valley, while the veteran men had a 5 man team with 1 member making their debut in the veteran’s road relay.

In the senior men’s 6 Stage Road Relay it proved to be a tough day for the Valley men, as the team were missing a number of relay regulars and also faced some mishaps on the day which resulted in the team finishing in 47th place out of 69 finishing teams.

Fortunes were much improved in the veteran men’s 4 Stage Road Relay, as the Valley’s V40 team made it into the top 20 to finish in 18th place overall out of 58 finishing teams.

For Sunday’s road relays the men’s senior and veteran races were run over the same 2 lap 6km course on the footpaths and private roads through some woods and around Rushmoor Arena, with the only difference being that the senior race included 6 man teams and the veteran race 4 man teams.

The course itself is mostly flat and fast, with a small hill at halfway and a longer hill at the end of each lap, while mild sunshine and a light breeze meant good conditions for racing.

The men’s performance of the day came in the first race of the day, the veteran’s race, when Andrew Mitchell lead the V40 team off on 1st leg and attacked the 2 lap 6km course to record an excellent time of 20m 01s, which brought him home in 2nd place and earned him a pb over the course and also the 6th fastest time overall in the race.

On 2nd leg was Greg Bennett, who had enjoyed a good summer season on the road and track but struggled to find a good rhythm over the course and finished in a time of 23m 32s with the team in 17th place.

Leg 3 saw Paul Woodgate coming from his best ever summer season after recording numerous pb’s on the road and track, but he missed his target time and recorded 24m 22s which placed the team in 20th place with 1 leg to go.

Stepping up for the 4th and final leg was Christian Nielsen, who was also making his debut in the veteran’s team, and in a well paced run he produced a good time of 22m 19s to move the team up 2 places to finish the race in 18th place out of 58 teams overall.

In the V40 race the Valley veterans team finished in a very good 13th place out of a total of 34 V40 finishing teams.

The Valley’s V40 B team had Richard Hooley starting on 1st leg, but with no one else on the team it was down to a race against the clock, and Richard produced a good time of 23m 37s to put him in 43rd place in the race as he crossed the finish line.

With the men’s veteran race concluded, it was time for the senior race to get underway, with Valley U20 junior athlete Robert Vallance starting the race on 1st leg.

After making a good start the combination of an extended summer holiday and not enough training left Robert in 60th place with a time of 21m 29s.

Leg 2 saw Toby Clyde, the 2nd Valley U20 junior on the team, navigate the course well and in a well judged race he moved up through the field 16 places to finish in 44th place in a good time of 20m 01s.

It was a road relay debut for Antonio Silva on leg 3, and despite not knowing the course he used his strength to good advantage to move the team up a further 8 places to 36th place in a very good time of 19m 06s, which also proved to be the fastest leg of the day for the Valley men.

On leg 4 Kieron Sexton found it hard going without his usual turn of pace, as he had only just returned to training after a break at the end of the summer season and his time of 22m 32s put him in 42nd place.

A hard fought 5th leg from Manuel Da Silva couldn’t improve the team’s position as his time of 23m 44s moved them into 46th place with just 1 leg to go.

For the 6th and final leg it was Valley veteran Steve Norris, but an awful trip and fall on his way to the race meant he wasn’t in good shape to race, but he somehow managed to hold things together with a time of 22m 46s to bring the team home in 47th place out of 69 finishing teams.

Despite only having 2 athletes, there was good news for the Valley men’s B team, as both runners recorded a pb over the Rushmoor Arena course.

Starting the race on Leg 1 Fahad Abdi had one of his best ever races to record a very good time of 21m 42s to finish his leg in 62nd place.

Then Scott Brewer also ran well with a time of 25m 00s which put him in 71st place at the finish.

As the day at Rushmoor Arena came to a close there was only one thing left to decide, who was going to be the winner of the Valley’s own Southern Road Relay Trophy for the fastest handicap leg on the day.

In the end it turned out to be a runaway victory for Fahad Abdi, who won the handicap and the trophy with a handicap time of 17m 02s – Congratulations Fahad!

Many thanks to everyone who raced on the day and also to those who gave up their time to come and support the team, it does make a difference.

Up The Valley,

Phil.

Senior Men’s Southern 6 Stage Road Relay Results, 20-09-15.

47 : TVH Senior Men – A Team – 2:09:38

Incomplete Team : TVH Senior Men – B Team – 46:42

69 finishing complete teams

Veteran Men’s Southern 4 Stage Road Relay Results, 20-09-15.

18 : TVH V40 Men – A Team – 1:30:14

Incomplete Team : TVH V40 Men – B Team – 23:37

58 finishing complete teams

Men’s Southern Road Relay Handicap Trophy Results