Ryston members well represented in fourth race of series

Members of Ryston Runners AC were well occupied on Sunday, helping out, competing – or, in many cases, both – at the fourth event in the club’s 2023/24 Cross Country Grand Prix Series at Shouldham Warren.A chilly but windless and dry morning made for decent race conditions.In the junior categories, it was the U17s who took most honours for the host club, with Dylan Whitehouse and Cody Pearman first and second in the men’s race and Belle McKenzie first in the women’s.

Ethan Ward claimed victory in the U15B race and Madison Hicks was second in the U13G. Freddie Bagge was placed third in the U9B race.Freya Reynolds, U11, was the only other Ryston-listed girl competing, although some prioritise their schools in this competition.The U11B event saw Freddie Hubbard (fifth) and Rhys Howard (eighth) competing the day after they had won medals at the Norfolk County Sportshall Championships, while Thomas Simmonds was the only Ryston Runner in the U13B and was placed fifth.

Ryston’s women showed the way to whitewash in the senior races, with Dawn Robinson, Beth Shaw and her sister Aimee Shaw taking the top three spots in the senior women’s race, and Lynne Howlett, Pauline Sparrow, and Ceridwen Howell repeating that feat in the W65+.Still impressive, though not clean sweeps, were the results in the W45 and 55 categories, with Becky Taylor and Lucy McDowie first and second in the former, and Ruth Chadwick and Linda Marshall in the latter, and the same in the M50 courtesy of Nic Bensley and Liam Dawson.

Lesley Robins won the W50s, while second and third places were earned by Nathan Stockdale and Ben Keeley (SM), Chris Chaplin and Michael Howlett (M35), Tony Savage and Nigel Kenny (M60), and Jit Patel and Kevin Howlett (M65).Solo Ryston medal winners in their respective categories were Phil Thompson (M45) and Chris Balmer (M40).Ryan Oakes finished just off what would have been the podium, had there been one, in the senior men’s age group – an experience shared by Tristan Langley (M35), Rob Skillings (M40), Steve Bennington (M55), and Chris Chapman (M65), also fourth in their categories.

Others completing the 5k course through the forest trails were: SM 7 Gareth Hunt, 8 Oliver Foxwell, 10 Ben Foxwell, 12 Brad Melville, 15 James Trim; SW 5 Tiegan Moore, 6 Danielle Sparkes, 7 Charlotte Smith; M35 5 Christopher Cann; W40 9 Claire Whitehouse; M40 6 Andy Simmonds, 7 Luke Pavey, 8 James Ord, 11 Jake Whitmore, 12 Shaun Hamer; W50 5 Lisa Harris, 6 Judith Berry, 12 Joanna Taylor, 13 Helen Driver; M50 7 Owen Jary, 8 Jan Knight, 9 George Pettit, 13 Craig Harris, 14 Paul Freear; M55 7 Martin Ive; M65 5 Martin Blackburn, 8 Paul Firmage.