Calli Thackery success at Swansea Bay 10km

It was a busy weekend of racing away from the track with fast times in Swansea Bay whereas City of Norwich won the Round Norfolk Relay

ROUND NORFOLK MT RELAY, Kings Lynn, September 16/17

The 35th edition of the circuit of the Norfolk boundary race attracted a maximum entry of 59 teams of 17 for the day and night long race of 17 individual stage races, Martin Duff reports.

Unfortunately, there was a major problem during the early hours of Sunday morning when a suspected ram-raider caused havoc in Feltwell. A spokesman for the race said: “Stage 14 had to be cancelled at a moment’s notice in the middle of the night due to a last-minute road closure, which has caused a few headaches.”

For the race, teams were asked to predict their total times and the slowest then started first and 43-year-old Michael Eccles was then the fastest, of the 56 starting teams. This was on the 16.32 miles out to Hunstanton with a 97:28 clocking in bright late morning sunshine. His family also took the age-graded award awarded for a squad of three relations.

Last year the race turned into a battle between the two Norwich clubs and here, City of Norwich sought to overturn their loss to the Road Runners back then.

By the end of the third stage, it was City who had the advantage thanks to Ellie Grubb’s 38:12, which was not only the stage fastest overall, but also beat her own 2018 women’s stage record by 22 seconds.

After six stages, City of Norwich, who had John Senior fastest on the run on to Mundesley, led by eight minutes from Bure Valley, whose Joanne Watkins was quickest amongst the women.

The next stage to Lessingham had St Edmund Pacers’ W65 Jenny Morgan clock 71:22 to register a top class 91.9 per cent on the graded tables to be comfortably the best overall on an age basis.

Norwich then kept up the pressure on stage 8 on to Horsey as 45-year-old Cat Cummings ran 46:33 for third fastest overall on the 7.52-mile stint and 85.2 percent on the age tables. This was a stage masters’ women’s record and just a little adrift of 58-year-old Malcolm Tuff’s 86.1 per cent for Ryston.

However, it was 63-year-old Pat Ronksley whose 56:26 for the Stragglers earned 88.4 per cent on the age graded tables, the second best of the race.

Andrew Jakeman then improved the stage nine record for the 16.6-miles forward to Belton with 89:59 and triathlete Joanna Oregan hacked more than eight minutes from the women’s best with 1:43.02.

The weather stayed mild overnight and, after…