West Norfolk endurance athletes in fine form

It was another busy weekend for WNAC members as multiple members took part in various running events across the weekend.Starting on Saturday, Sammy Stringer took part in the Cardiham Half marathon trail, a rugged, hilly challenge for runners hosted by Purple Gecko events.Stringer was placed 35th out of 79 and sixth female overall with an impressive time of 2:22:58.On Sunday, more WNAC members were out taking on running events.Club chairman Mark Garrett and wife Helen Garrett took part in the ZigZag half marathon event at Ferry Meadows.Both members came home with PBs.Mark Garrett ran 1:42:35 and was placed fifth with a new PB by two minutes. Helen Garrett also claimed a PB by 30 seconds as she ran a time of 2:8:29, for 42nd. Sunday also saw the return of the Shouldham Cross country series, another cold and breezy day made for perfect conditions for cross-country racing.Under 9s (800m): William Ward was third in the boy’s race with a time of 3:04 and Leo Kinsey was seventh with a time of 3:21.In the girls’ race, Lauren Lawrence was placed fourth running a time of 3:22 whilst clubmate Jessica Watts was placed fifth with a time of 3:31. Under 11s (2km): James Watts took the top spot in the boy’s race, running a blistering 7:55 and Duncan Roney clocked a time of 11:45.Under 13s (3km): Rhys Howard claimed third in the boy’s race with a strong run, finishing with a time of 13:46. Casey Ward powered through in the girls’ race to finish with a time of 15:32.Under 15s (3km): In the boy’s race, Ethan Ward continued his Shouldham dominance with first in 10:07 while Aidan Howard ran well as he returned from injury, finishing with a time of 13:28. In the under-15 girls’ race, Jessica Laurence was placed second with a time of 13:38.Under 17s and seniors (9k): Lewis English was third in the senior men’s category in 33:28 and Hanley Angell was placed sixth in the senior men’s category, running 36:58 for the tough 9k course.WNAC member Oliver Gayton took part in the 9k course and finished with a time of 41:01.Julie Ward enjoyed more success in the grand prix as she claimed second place in the women’s 45-49 category, with a time of 42:20. Rob Gosnell was placed sixth in the master men’s 45-49 category with a solid time of 40:44.WNAC members also took part in the popular Valentine’s 10k in Norwich.Oliver Foxwell continued his fine form with a strong performance, running 37:07 for 62nd place overall.Ben Foxwell enjoyed a solid run, finishing with a time of 43:12.One of WNACs newest members, Carl Pickett ran a strong time of 46:30 for 14th in the M55-59 category.