Newport runners in the spotlight as the awards are handed out
Newport & District Running Club members celebrated another impressive year at their annual AGM and awards presentation evening.
The event took place at Newport Bowling Club on Wednesday evening after runners had completed their weekly club runs.
The AGM took place first, with the usual formalities that accompany such a meeting, and the committee, many of whom are new to their roles, introduced themselves and gave an update on their roles and what work they’ve been doing.
Following the AGM, members were treated to a chip supper, while a photo slideshow of events from the last year played on the screen, before the awards section took place.
These awards reflect club members’ achievements over the course of 2022, with members submitting their best times from certain distances for consideration, as well as voting for fellow members on awards such as ‘most improved’.
Prizes for race distances include the outright fastest for male and female runners, as well as ‘age graded’ awards which adjust times depending on the age category of the runner.
Prize winners
Age Graded 5K - Men: Robin Guy; Women: Anne Strowger.
Age Graded 10K - Men: Richard Bennett; Women: Anne Strowger.
Age Graded Half Marathon - Men: Phil Dolding; Women: Annabel Bolton.
Age Graded Marathon - Men: Phil Dolding; Women: (No award this year).
Fastest 5k - Men: David Clarke; Women: Elizabeth Bennett.
Fastest 10K - Men: Ashley Moore; Women: Elizabeth Bennett.
Fastest Half Marathon - Men: David Clarke; Women: Elizabeth Bennett.
Fastest Marathon - Men: David Clarke; Women: Annabel Bolton.
Ultra Marathon - Men: Darren Waters; Women: Ellen Deighton.
Most Improved Runner - Men: Alex Cochrane; Women: Elizabeth Bennett.
Strowger Award (Effort and Participation in Races): Hilary Stevenson.
MacDonald-Jones Award (Inspiring Others): Jo Lutner.
Contribution to the Club - Men: Neil Fairbrother; Women: Emily Pope.
Meanwhile, Newport’s Alex Millington took part in the Walton Winter Wobble, the popular 10k race that starts and finishes in Walton-on-the-Hill, in Stafford.
This is an out-and-back race, which starts and finishes at Walton High School, features a lot of undulation including a sample of Cannock Chase.
Runners take in the village of Brocton en route to the turnaround point, which is at Brocton Field, just south of the Glacial Boulder and Womere.
Millington ran a very strong race to take seventh place overall in a field of 134 entrants, in a time of 39 minutes and three seconds, a very quick time, especially considering the hills that must be navigated on the course.
The Walton Wobble next returns with the summer edition in July.
