Course record broken at Shouldham

Inevitably, the temperatures were the talk of the weekend for those competing in outdoor athletics, although the beauty caused by the frost made the conditions more bearable.The majority of those in action in the colours of Ryston Runners AC were taking part in the fourth scheduled event of the club’s Cross Country Grand Prix Series, although it was only the third running opportunity of the season due to the cancellation ofDecember’s event because of dangerously strong winds.The hard frost made conditions underfoot at Shouldham Warren somewhat easier and, indeed, at least one-course record fell, to former Ryston member Christine Anthony, who took the F60 record from her St Edmunds Pacers clubmate, Maureen McCarthy.Athletes from the host club bagged their fair share of category honours.First places went to Dylan Whitehouse and Isabella McKenzie in the U17 races, Christopher Cann and Dawn Robinson in the 35s, Andrew Simmonds M50, Susan Hipperson F45, Judith Berry F50, Nic Bensley and Ruth Chadwick 55s, and Pauline Sparrow F65+.Second spots were bagged by Nellie Chadderton U13G, Cody Pearman U17B, Gareth Hunt SM, Linda Marshall F55, and Tony Savage M60. Charlotte Smith SF, Tristan Langley M35, Dan Yallop M40, Rob Skillings M45, and Martin Ive M55.Other Ryston placings were: Dexter Young 14th U9B, Freddie Hubbard 4th U11B, Maya Marcinek 5th U11G, Wiktoria Marcinkek 4th U17G, James Trim 5th SM, Claire Whitehouse 11th F40, Jacob Derby 6th M45, Irena Marcinek 4th F45,Jake Whitehouse 4th M45, OwenJart 6th M50m Will Honeybone 7th M50, Paul Freear 8th M50, John Crowley 9th M50, Martin Ive 5th M55, Lisa Harris 5th F55, Wendy Fisher 6th F55, and Martin Blackburn M65.Possibly more sensibly located over the chilly weekend, two Ryston juniors competed in the Norfolk County Sportshall Championships. Loyal members of the club’s Sporthall squad all season, Freddie Hubbard and Isaac Western acquitted themselves admirably,Western came away as U11 County Champion 2025 in the chest push, and with a silver medal from the foam javelin competition.Beating him to that gold his clubmate Freddie is now U11 County Champion and also took fourth place in the four-lap race.But he still turned out to compete in the frost at Shouldham Warren the next day, where he took another fourth place, in the U11B race.Almost a dozen members missed the home fixture in favour of taking part in the Holkham Beach Run – a five-mile event hosted by North Norfolk Beach Runners. A complete set of pódium places was achieved by Lynne Howlett, first F65, Sarah Ellis, second F45, and Justin Walker, third M50.Walker was first home for the club, in 13th place overall and with a time of 37:37. Sam Doughty was 37th/11thSM/41:44, and Mark Fountain 51st/9thM45/43:23.Julie Williamson was the first Ryston female to finish, placed 52nd in 43:28/5thF40.Richard Grant placed 60th/8thM55/44:06 and Mark Doughty 62nd/5thM50/44:35, before Sarah Ellis finished 81st in 47:26.Alicia Pentelow was 85th/5thSF/48:09, then Lynne Howlett 114th in 51:08.Jacqui Scott was sixthF50 when finishing in 154th place in 56:05, and Martin Elsegood completed the club’s contingent in 193rd/23rdM55 in 65:48, with a further 10 other runners finished behind him.