TVH team take off for prizes in the Concorde Five

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Concord Cup team prize winners Andrew, Riz and Paul

It was Sunday 11 June and as seems obligatory for the Concorde Five Mile Road Race, it was held on a warm day for the time of year.  The event has a special place on the Ron Hopcroft Endurance Cup calendar, it being a small, friendly, local but very well organised race.  Whilst five miles is an unusual contested distance in these time (who knows if this will change as we possibly move back to more Imperial measurements in the post Brexit world?), the Concorde Five nonetheless holds a UKA Licence and more importantly counts towards TVH’s internal championship!  BA Sports & Social Club, the host and organiser, also gives some generous prizes of vouchers and wine alongside an innovative medal design.

The race started bang on time in Cranford Park, the route looping around paths and pavements in the village of the same name as well as through its neighbour Harlington.  Notwithstanding a ramp up onto the A312, the course is fairly flat.  It’s a great race for any plane spotters.  The start area is right by Heathrow and there are regular opportunities for those who know their Airbuses from their Boeings to tick the models off as they go along.

The first Valley finisher was Andrew Mitchell in 29:34.  Andrew is our leading v40 endurance runner and this was another great performance by him.  He was third overall and also the first veteran home (25 Endurance Cup points).  Well done!  Next in for the club was Paul Woodgate, twelfth out of 111 and very pleased to take 50 seconds off of his pb with 31:21 (nineteen points).  Third home for TVH, seventeenth overall and first v50 was the relentless Richard Hooley, joining Andrew in winning an individual prize (23 points).  Congratulations!  Richard also combined with Andrew and Paul in retaining the prize for second team at the Concorde.  Can we go one better next year?  Completing our men’s contingent, Rizwan Rauf ran a determined 48:35 for 97th (seventeen points).  Showing considerable resilience after the London 10,000, Kirstie Tew finished 68th in 41:45 claiming a well deserved 20 women’s Endurance Cup points.

Thank you to Riz not just for racing but also giving lifts to Andrew, Kirstie and Paul.  Also thank you to all the officials, especially TVH’s Barrie Saunders.  More on the Endurance Cup’s next episode, at Battersea Park on Saturday 24 June, soon.