The weekend just gone was particularly pleasing for one member of Ryston Runners AC.
Richard (Dickie) Ebbs, after four years frustrated by injury problems, returned to his best form when winning the M50 category and was placed seventh overall in the Blencathra Valley 15k, part of the Lakeland trails series.
With 2000ft of ascent, Ebbs said: “I knew I had to go flat out on the flatter sections as I’d lose time on the climbs”, which proved correct as he was fifth starting on the hilly sections but before slipping to seventh place, which he held on the technical descent.
He was elated to return to the feeling of being able to give everything he had in a race, and his reward was a free place in next year’s event.
Other club members were running distances from 10k to a half-marathon.
The Run Norwich 10k featured 17 of them, with one claiming category honours as Ruth Chadwick took first place in the F55 age group, 1166th overall, in 48:18.
Other clubmates in the field were: 168th Laurynas Miseucius 40:10, 688th Lee Johnson 45:22, 832nd Christopher Cann 46:19, 919th James Trim 46:54, 1031st Jonathon Hawes 47:34, Hayley Hawes 47:47,1296th Tristan Langley 49:03, 1903rd Lucy McDowie 51:39, 2203rd John Crowley 52:55, 2439th Craig Harris 53:56, 2446th Lisa Harris 53:57, 2754th Chris Chadwick 55:13, 3313rd Judith Berry 57:32, 3687th Molly Hopgood 58:49, 3803rd Christopher Brockbank 59:16, 5286th Daniel Timms 65:48, 6685th Debbie Crowley 75:06, 6855th Salina Cumbridge 76:36.
Of the four members who went to Sawtry for the 10-mile race, three came away with category honours, and the other was not far off.
Linda Marshall was first F60/118th with 1:25:22. Pauline Sparrow was placed second in the F70 category /217th with 1:40:43, and Jit Patel was third M65/83rd with 1:19:20.
Heading them all home was Mark Ramsden, sixth M45/ 60th in 1:14:38.
Jean Goult ran a PB of 3:38:15 in the Great North Run half-marathon in Newcastle.
The coming weekend will see hundreds of runners taking to the roads in the annual Round Norfolk Relay.
Initially a Ryston event, this unique race now attracts a máximum of 60 teams of 17, with the home club fielding just two this year, one in each of the Club and Open categories.
