January 7th - Woodcote 10K
 

January 8th - Woodcote 10K

There was a small turn-out from Maidenhead runners at the recent Woodcote 10k on a chilly morning in this small village. Mike Trees from Maidenhead was not bothered at all by the conditions as he followed up his victory at Cliveden with a comfortable win. His time of 34 mins 55secs kept him 30 seconds ahead of the second placed Craig Taylor. Clyde McCrabbe was next for MAC in 45:20, and Reiko Trees kept it in the family as first MAC lady in 46:10. Alison Attard was next in 56:31, while Pete Hitching clocked 57:10. Ken Ison, in his lone race of the year, ran a creditable 57:45, but son Stuart was a bit swifter in 48:38.

February 4th - Southern Vet Cross Country Championship

4 members competed in the Southern Vet Cross Country Champs at Ruislip. Claire Donald was 13th overall and 3rd vet 45, with Alison Brownhill close behind in 15th position and 6th vet 40. Mark Walker and Paul Bradley competed in the vet 40 race.

February 5th - Chichester 10K (Inc. AAA National Championships)

Sunday, 5th February was an absolutely perfect day for the staging of the 15th Chichester Priory 10km road race. After the previous cold, gloomy week, the weather was more like a Spring day in April than February. Claire Donald put in a fine run of 38 mins 38 secs, to take 24th place, but significantly third place in the Ladies over 40 category. Hayley Yelling took overall first place with a super run of 32:31. Maidenhead's Laurence Miles also ran strongly to record a personal best of 33:53 on the day and 48th place in a top quality field. David Ridley recorded a personal best time of 42 minutes.

February 11th - Chiltern League

Last Saturday Maidenhead Athletic Club competed in the last Chiltern League meeting of the season at Wing. The team has found the going tough in the first division, competing against top clubs including Bedford & County and Marshall Milton Keynes. Along with Tring, Maidenhead will be competing in the second division again next year. The ladies team was depleted by sickness and injury, but Alison Brownhill, Steph James and Sue McEwen had great runs and ended up in 6th position. The men had a full team of 10. Simon Allison led the team home in 36:03 with Miles Bennett following in 37:14. Liam Bark ran with the men and had a good run in 39:37, Paul Bradley ran in 39:55, supported by Nigel Patterson in 42:11, Pete Bark 44:01, Alan Church 45:18, Will Smith 45:32, Simon Emsley in 45:48 and Dave Waterman in 46:18.

There were some excellent individual results for the season, Steph James was 6th lady overall in the first division, with Alison Brownhill 10th. Alison also won the bronze medal in the Vet 35 category. Sue McEwen was fifth in the vet 45, competing against top veteran athletes. Dave Waterman picked up silver in the vet 60 category. In the men’s vet 40 Paul Bradley was 30th overall, Pete Bark 38th and Simon Emsley 40th. Alan Church was 25th in the vet 50s.

February 12th - Wokingham Half Marathon

Maidenhead Athletic Club runners made light of atrocious weather conditions on Sunday, by achieving a number of notable performances, including several personal best times.

At the ever popular Wokingham Half Marathon, 40 Maidonians took part. Andy Macaskill led the team home in a time of 1 hour 14 minutes 8 seconds. Mark Hollands (1:15:38) was next, knocking a massive 2 minutes 45 seconds off his personal best and taking second place in the Male 40+ category. Romano D'Aversa (1:23:35) put in a solid run, followed by Jim Tarrant (1:25:33), Alison Brownhill (1:25:50), Paul Bradley (1:28:38), Mark Ashworth (1:29:20), Stephanie James (1:29:28), David Ridley (1:31:35), Chris Owen (1:32:30), Matt Sinnott (1:34:09), Cavan Butler (1:35:45), Keith Greenough (1:38:48), Darrell Bressington (1:39:49), Mike Park (1:42:17), Tim Holt (1:43:13), Katie Worth (1:45:00), Derek Clark (1:45:17), Chris Wharton (1:47:40), Dave Waterman (1:48:32), Sayeed Islam (1:49:08), Linda Vinton (1:53:16), Alison Attard (1:55:04 - PB), Lesley Kernaghan (2:01:28), Mark Williams (2:01:32), Phillipa Phelps (2:02:29 - First Half-Marathon), Helen Sutton (2:02:58), Linda Fox (2:03:30), Gill Evans (2:03:46), Anushka Howell (2:06:04), John Shepherd (2:07:42 - PB), Samantha Turner (2:08:34 - First Half-Marathon), Jill Smith (2:10:20), Heather Penny (2:14:34 - First Half-Marathon), Ravinder Sihera (2:16:10), Bruce McEwen (2:18:39), Val Toeman (2:18:40), Judi Jeffries (2:25:57), Sandra Briggs (2:32:38) and Sally Hardick (2:34:02).

February 12th - Chessington Valentine’s 10k

At the Chessington Valentine’s 10k, Club President Pete Ison shook off a couple of injury plagued years to record an excellent 54 minutes 50 seconds. Also taking part in recovery mode were Anne Sloan (61:40), Dave Dando (64:20) and Zaf Alam (67:11).

February 12th - Meon Valley Plod

Five self proclaimed ‘nutters’ took on the notorious Meon Valley Plod. A 19:5 mile trail run taking in the picturesque rolling hills and wooded valleys of rural Hampshire, near Portsmouth and featuring, amongst other challenges, a quagmire of knee-deep mud and a near-vertical hill! First Maidenhead runner to finish was Jon Kew, in a time of 2 hours 45 minutes. Followed by David Ross (3:12:15), Carolyn Lockett (3:14:40), Jeremy Lockett (3:19:32) and Simon Emsley (3:58:43)

February 19th - Bramley 20/10

Those who finished later at Bramley had to contend with atrocious conditions, with driving wind and rain. The fortunate ones who ran the one-lap ten mile race missed all this, and Claire Donald took full advantage of the better conditions. She finished in an excellent 64 mins 08secs to take the first prize in the ladies over 40 category. In the 20-miler newcomer Andy Macaskill made light of the conditions as he ran a superb I hr 57 mins 57 secs, to finish 11th overall. Alison Brownhill ran 2:19:20 to take 6th spot in the over 40s category. Back in the 10-miler Stuart Mannering showed improvement with a very swift 61:36 to bring him 19th spot. Stephanie James rang strongly for 67:12 and 7th place in her category. Bruce McEwen completed the complement at this distance for 78:41. The twenty mile was also sprinkled with fine MAC performances. Jim Tarrant rang a strong 2:28:10, followed by Matt Sinnott in 2:36:51. Darrell Bressington and Gerry Killen were neck and neck, recording 2:43:26 and 2:43:27 respectively. Simon Emsley was next home in 3:08:07, with Gill Evans preparing for the London Marathon with 3:24:42. Justine Tooms also had to contend with the worsening conditions as she ran 3:31:10.

February 25th – National Cross Country Championships

Three Maidenhead ladies took part in the National Cross Country Championships at Parliament Hills. Leading the ladies home was Claire Donald in 127th spot with a time of 39 mins 36 secs. Steph James was close in a time of 39:59 (137th), very closely followed by Alison Brownhill in 40:03 (139th).

February 26th – Terminator 10

Then came the crazy gang, tackling the appropriately named Terminator. The course is around eleven miles with four energy sapping hills. Then there is plenty of wading through water and quagmire sections to test the hardy souls. If you've got the time there are nice views to take in. Literally taking the plunge this year were Jon Kew in 1 hr 26 mins 45 secs, followed by Jeremy Lockett (1:34:48) and Nigel Patterson in 1:37:31.David Ross took 1:41:18 and the lone lady, Carolyn Lockett managed a very creditable 1:47:21.

March 6th – Bideford Half Marathon

Darrell Bressington took part in this event on a cold and blustery day down in deepest Devon. At halfway he was looking at a possible personal best, but the second half was into the biting wind. Despite this he was near his time of last year and crossed the line in 1.36.48.

March 5th - Dunsfold 10k

At the Dunsfold 10k, Claire Donald continued her excellent season by coming home as 1st woman, in a time of 39 minutes 4 seconds, whilst Mark Walker took second place in the MV40 category, with a time of 37:58.

March 12th - Hastings Half Marathon

At the Hastings half marathon, Alison Brownhill battled her way to second place in the FV40 category, with a time of 1 hour 26 minutes 28 seconds. Simon Emsley following in 1:43:30.

March 12th - Milton Keynes Half Marathon

MAC was ably represented at the Milton Keynes half marathon by Mark Ashworth, finishing in a time of 1:29:33, Matt Sinnott (1:30:30) and Nigel Patterson with a personal best time of 1:32:03.

March 12th - Finchley 20

Darrell Bressington and Derek Clark progressed their preparation for the London Marathon by competing in the Finchley 20 mile road race. Darrell finished in 2 hours 36 minutes, with Derek just behind in 2:49.

March 19th - Fleet Half Marathon

Maidenhead Athletic Club fielded seven runners at the Fleet Half Marathon on Sunday. Leading the team home to claim 3rd Male Veteran prize in 30th place overall was Mark Hollands in a time of 01:16:45. Mark Walker & Matt Sinnott both claimed personal bests, with times of 01:24:21 & 01:29:49 respectively, whilst Claire Donald as ever took the leading lady role by claiming 1st place in the FV45 category, with a time of 01:24:46. Other MAC times were; Stephanie James (01:34:22), David Ross (01:34:36) and Clyde McCrabbe (01:53:50).

March 20th – Compton Bare-Bones 20

Three Maidenhead A C runners made their way to Compton in Berkshire for the 20-mile Bare-Bones Run. Victorious is the men's race was Maidenhead's Andy Macaskill with a superb time of 2 hrs 12 mins 53 secs. Run over rolling Berkshire countryside the course is mainly run on footpaths, tracks and brdleways and gives the competitors a bit of work to do with 2,200 feet of uphills. Adding backing up for Andy were Carolyn and Jeremy Lockett, who claimed to be a modest hour or so behind the race winner.

March 26th – Rome Marathon

David Ridley travelled to the Eternal city of Rome to race in warm and sunny conditions, also having to cope with miles of cobbled streets. His time was a very creditable 3 hrs 29 mins 10 secs, excellent so early in the year.

April 2nd – Taunton Marathon

Simon Emsley was racing closer to home at the Taunton Marathon, this time fighting strong cold headwinds, but still managing a personal best time of 3:47:17. He also managed his first ever 'negative split', which pleased him even more. For those not acquainted with running, this means running the second half of the race quicker that the first. That's no mean achievement after already having run a half-marathon. It augers well for his big races in April and June.

April 2nd - Kingston Breakfast Run for Elite Women

Alison Brownhill again took the accolades, coming in as 2nd woman vet in the 16 mile Kingston Breakfast Run for Elite Women, with a time of 1:49:28.

April 9th - Thames Towpath 10

Maidenhead AC's Alison Brownhill excelled at Sunday's Thames Towpath 10 mile road race, finishing as 1st woman vet and 3rd lady overall in a personal best time of 1 hour 5 minutes and 30 seconds. Also achieving personal bests were David Ross with April 9th - Thames Towpath 10 a time of 1:09:42, Darrell Bressington (1:11:13) and Peter Bark (1:11:58). Other MAC times were: Philip Long (1:16:01), Tim Long (01:19:12), Linda Vinton (1:26:31) and Lesley Kernaghan (01:29:30).

April 9th - Reading Half Marathon

Leading the MAC team home at the Reading Half Marathon was Andy Macaskill with a time of 1:15:21. Following Andy were; Stuart Mannering (1:19:59), Paul Bradley (1:28:17), Joy Noad (1:35:13), Mark Williams (1:38:00), Clyde McCrabbe (1:39:33), Chris Wharton (1:41:14), Sayeed Islam (1:45:15), Tim Holt (1:44:33), Gareth Ralphs (1:46:42), Katherine Read (2:06:40), Linda Fox (2:04:22), John Kelly (2:08:50) and Jayne Holt (2:34:10).

April 15th - Asthma UK 10k

Asthma UK 10km Dorney Lake race, David Ross took a mere 24 hours to shake off the Maidenhead Easter 10 race director's burden and achieve a personal best time of 41 minutes 4 seconds. Other times were: Jon Kew (35:42), Keith Greenough (41:01), John Scaife (43:44), Glynne Greenough (47:24), Dave Waterman (48:07), Tom Quigley (50:01), Jackie Cadman (51:52), Heather Penny (57:25), Katharine Durham (01:02:33) and Anne Sloan (01:03:11).

April 17th – Two Oceans

In 29 degrees of South African heat, Simon Emsley completed the Two Oceans 'Ultra' 56km race in 5 hours 32 minutes, knocking a cool ten minutes off his previous best.

April 23rd – Flora London Marathon

Maidenhead Athletic Club athletes returned from the Flora London Marathon with the club's best results for many a year. Andy Mackaskill, Mark Hollands and Laurence Miles all achieved sub 2:45 finishes, whilst Alison Brownhill and Joy Noad fully justified their inclusion in the elite women's category with excellent runs. There were also a number of personal bests and a significant amount of money raised for the various charities. Finishing times were: Andy Mackaskill (2:35:27), Mark Hollands (2:39:52), Laurence. Miles (2:41:10), Alison. Brownhill (3:03:24), Jon Kew (3:11:53), Jim Tarrant (3:17:04), Joy Noad (3:25:47), Darrell Bressington (3:41:30), John Smith (4:08:02), Cavan Butler (4:17:10), Derek Clark (4:25:36) and Helen Sutton (4:30:24).

May 7th – Shakespeare Marathon

At the Shakespeare Marathon, David Ross ran superbly to finish in 3 hours, 25 minutes & 29 seconds, taking a massive 16 minutes off his previous personal best. Sayeed Islam & Leo Botha completed the difficult course in 4:42:03, whilst Linda Fox achieved a creditable 4:59:35.

May 7th – Marlow 5

In the Marlow 5, Claire Donald took a familiar role in leading the MAC contingent home with a time of 30:38, whilst Anne Sloan took the plaudits with a personal best of 48:05. Also competing at Marlow were Jim Tarrant (31:18), Joy Noad (34:32), Dave Dando (53:25) and Zaf Alam (54:02).

May 28th – Canterbury Half Marathon

Simon Emsley tackled the Canterbury Half Marathon, a tough course with a good breeze blowing. At eleven miles he had to tackle the biggest hill, but still managed a very creditable 1 hr 44 mins 15 secs.

May 30th – Burnham 5K

In the Burnham 5k, Maidenhead's Mike Tress was first across the line, with a time of 16 minutes 16 seconds. A total of 62 MAC runners took part with an impressive seven claiming category firsts: Mike Trees (Male Vet 40), Claire Donald (Female Vet 40), Liam Bark (Male Junior), Leo Botha (Male Vet 60), Sue McEwen (Female Vet 50), Katherine Leigh (Female Junior) and Pete Hitching (Male Vet 70). The prize for most original 'warm down' must also go to Mike Trees, who chased and apprehended a thief responsible for breaking into a competitor's car over a multi terrain escape route.

June 3rd - Dartmoor Discovery 32 mile Ultramarathon

Two MAC runners took part in the Dartmoor Discovery 32 mile Ultramarathon on Saturday June3rd. Temperatures were a sweltering 22 deg.C!!! Carolyn Lockett was 67th in 5hrs 41mins (2nd LV45) and David Ridley was 76th in 5:50. Out of 168 starters, there were 154 finishers. For the uninitiated, the race starts and finishes at Princetown (home of the infamous prison) and includes 4000 feet of ascent and descent. A 32 single lap mile road race must be something of an oddity nowadays, but it was a really well organised event. For your average club runner, it involves quite a bit of walking on 10-20% gradient uphills; when I asked the race winner whether he found it easy to run up such hills, he replied "is there any other way". Rather took the wind out of my sails.

June 4th - One Ball Run

Maidenhead's Pete Ison took part in the inaugural One Ball Run at Victoria Park, Hackney, in aid of Everyman, raising awareness of Mens' cancers. There were only around 170 runners, with the winner clocking 17 mins 23 secs for the two circuit 5K. Pete managed a much more modest 28:09 in very warm conditions. In the process he raised around £175 for research into prostate and testicular cancer.

June 4th - Bedford Harriers’ Harrold 10k

Simon Emsley ran the Bedford Harriers’ Harrold 10k in 47 mins 29 secs – a totally rural run on an undulating scenic route with two sharp inclines.

June 4th - Thames Trail Challenge Walk

Trying something completely different, MAC ladies Linda Fox, Anushka Howell and Alison Attard took part in the 13.5 mile Thames Trail Challenge Walk coming home as 3rd team.

June 7th - Yateley Summer 10k series

In the first race of the Yateley Summer 10k series, Sue McEwen took 3rd place in the FV45 category with a time of 45 minutes 44 seconds. Also running for MAC were; Mark Hollands (35:42), Jon Kew (36:42), Stuart Mannering (36:50), Bruce McEwen (47:51) and Justine Tooms (57:04).

June 11th – Wargrave 10K

Maidenhead Athletic Club's Liam Bark confirmed his tremendous potential by winning the under 18 category in Sunday's Wargrave 10k, with a time of 40 minutes 45 seconds. As in previous years, hot weather and a tough course made it hard going for the twenty-four MAC runners taking part, but excellent performances were also recorded by Simon Alison, taking second male vets' place in a time of 36:28 and Claire Donald, finishing as second lady overall in 39:15. Other MAC times were: Jon Kew (37:31), Jim Tarrant (40:14), Alison Brownhill (41:00), Chris Donald (42:16), Cavan Butler (45:43), Gerry Killen (45:47), John Scaife (46:10), Tim Holt (46:28), Will Smith (47:02), Peter Bark (49:57), Dave Waterman (50:37), Bruce McEwen (51:02), Liam Mifsud (51:53), Christine Thompson (52:09), Alison Attard (52:40), Sarah Strachan (53:12), Peter Hitching (56:20), Pete Ison (57:47), Neil Scott (58:52), Heather Penny (61:47) & Jill Smith (61:52).

June 11th – South Downs Challenge

Gerry Killen ran the South Downs Challenge and finished in a very repectable time of 2 hrs 41 mins 03 secs.

June 16th – Comrades Marathon

On June 16th Simon Emsley ran the 87.5km Comrades Marathon from Durban to Pietermaritzburg in 9:52:10. After the start at the traditional cock crow followed by a cannon (which made all the birds in the trees fly up into the air and set off several car alarms). he then concentrated on running a constant pace and saving energy up the hills, He had just crossed the line when he was greeted by an official who shook him by the hand and said “welcome home” then said “You are only a proper Comrades runner if you run it in both directions”. Just what you need 5 seconds after finishing.

June 25th – Thame 10K

Nearer to home in Thame, Joy Noad picked up second spot in the Supervet Ladies section at the Thame 10K with a time of 43 mins 57 secs. Also taking part was Will Smith, who crossed the line in 46.35.

July 2nd – Dorney Dash

Maidenhead Athletic Club's men took the 1st male team prize at the Dorney Dash 10k race. Simon Allison was first home, in sixth place overall, in a time of 36 minutes 21 seconds. Jim Tarrant in 40:01 and Paul Bradley (40:26) taking the other scoring positions. For the MAC ladies, Louise Walker overcame the energy sapping heat to record a personal best time of 42:48. Other Maidenhead times were: Mark Ashworth (42:57), Clyde McCrabbe (43:11), Amanda Linturn (43:18), John Scaife (44:57), Tim Holt (45:48), Kate Hunt (48:25), Sayeed Islam (49:01), Brian Roles (49:36), Sue McEwan (49:55), Stephanie James (49:56), Ezio Sakamoto (51:32), Richard Coleman (51:33), Katie Worth (51:50), Sarah Strachan (57:19), Peter Ison (58:26), Jill Smith (61:05), Bruce McEwan (61:07), Elena Fischer (63:25) and Rosie Pompermaier (73:07).

July 5th - Yateley 10k

After the torrential rain in June, conditions were far kinder for the 6 Maidenhead AC runners who ran the July Yateley 10k race. First home for the club was Mark Hollands (35:13), followed by Jon Kew (36:26). First Maidenhead lady was Joy Noad (44:27), followed by Sue McEwen (44:42) and husband Bruce (47:49). Rosie Pompermaier (1:04:18) completed the contingent. Hollands' performance gained him his first win as a veteran, and left him leading the MV40 category by 1 point, with just one race left in the 3 race series. Noad was placed 3rd in her category (FV45), and McEwen's 5th place (FV45) left her 2nd overall in the category, a single point ahead of her 3rd placed rival.

July 9th - Wycombe Half Marathon

As ever, a good contingent of MAC runners took on the undulating Wycombe Half Marathon. Leading the team home in a time of 1 hour 27 minutes 34 seconds was Jim Tarrant, followed by; Paul Bradley (1:30:00), Stephanie James (1:33:08), Clyde McCrabbe (1:36:08), Jeremy Lockett (1:37:57), Greg Marsh (1:38:51), Sue McEwen (1:43:04), John Scaife (1:44:19), Cavan Butler (1:45:14), Carolyn Lockett (1:45:33), Simon Emsley (1:46:29), Darrell Bressington (1:47:26), Dave Waterman (1:51:58), Lucy Brown (1:51:59), John Smith (1:55:27) and Dawn Wrigley (2:01:14).

July 9th - New Forest 10

To the south, MAC's Gerry Killen completed the New Forest 10 mile race in a time of 1 hour 13 minutes 31 seconds.

July 30th - Luton 10K

Ultra runner Simon Emsley decided on a much shorter distance recently, when he tackled the Luton 10K. On a three lap totally traffic free course he managed a relaxed time of 46.37.

August 2nd - Yately 10K Series

The big guns were out at the last of the Yateley 10k series, the culmination of three races held in June, July & August. Toby Lambert set his sights on the course record of 29:47. Unfortunately, a moderate wind curtailed the Alton athlete's ambitions as he settled for the second fastest time ever seen on the course of 30:11. Maidenhead AC's members had slightly lesser ambitions, but Mark Hollands' 34:46 was good enough for 12th place overall and first in his age category (MV40) for the second month in a row. That, combined with his fourth place in June was good enough to win the MV40 series trophy by 2 points. Also picking up a Vet's prizes was Sue McEwen, 3rd FV45 (44:26), which secured her second place for the series in her category, proving Sue’s consistently good running for the club. Stuart Mannering (37:48), Bruce McEwen (47.45), Justine Tooms (54.57) and Rosie Pompermaier (63:26) completed the Maidenhead line-up. Justine managed to knock a whole 2 minutes of her previous best time for the distance.

August 6th - Milland Valley 21K Trail Race

Simon Emsley and David Ross tackled the Milland Valley 21K Trail Race on a hot and humid day last Sunday. Not for the feint-hearted, this proved a tough and hilly course, with some soft sandy tracks, a long set of steps at around 5K and just for fun a steep descent at around 16K. David Ross clocked 1:53:22 and Simon 1.59.19, excellent performances by both men.

August 13th - Bearbrook 10K

What a difference a week makes. The previous Sunday Maidenhead runners were sweltering on a training run in Windsor Great Park and last Sunday they were in a wet and windy Aylesbury for the Bearbrook 10K. This didn't dampen spirits as Sarah Strachan and Pete Bark produced personal best runs, Sarah clocking 51 mins 19 secs and Pete 43:15. There were also season best runs for Simon Emsley (45:17) and Pete Ison, whose 53:51 represented his best effort for 2 years! At the 'sharp' end of the race Simon Alison ran 35:54 to claim 19^th place and Jon Kew 36:47 and 28^th spot. Also producing good runs after the deluge were Tim Holt (45:20), Will Smith (47:08), Dave Waterman (48:30) and John Rickman, home in 53:55.

August 20th - Burnham Half Marathon

It was a welcome return for the Burnham Beeches Half Marathon, and Maidenhead A C runners turned out in numbers on what started out as a wet morning. Conditions improved, but it was quite a humid day to tackle a fairly tough course. Andy Macaskill was first home for MAC in a great 6^th place, improving considerably his time for the race and placing five places better that his previous 'Burnham' in 1 hr 15 mins 53 secs. First for the ladies was Claire Donald, preparing for the Berlin Marathon and running a canny race to produce 1:28:05. It placed her second in the over 40 category, and Alison Brownhill claimed 3^rd spot with 1:32:.55.Paul Bradley put in another strong performance with 1:29:41 and Clyde McCrabbe judged the run well with 1:35:01. Amanda Linturn is proving a welcome addition to the Club's ranks with 1:35:38. Greg Marsh found the second circuit a little more taxing, but run 1:37:43, and David Ross crossed the line in 1:40:06.Gerry Killen put in a solid run of 1:40:26, followed by Tim Holt (1:44:30) & Jon Kew (1:44:31). Simon Emsley followed in 1:45:23, then came Sue McEwen with 1:50:29 and Darrell Bressington in 1:51:50. Linda Vinton was pleased with her 1:58:17, while the Maidenhead performances were completed with Peter Slater in 2:00:30 and Lesley Kernaghan in 2:04:55. Ex-Maidenhead club member Simon Newton travelled down from Leeds to run 1:20:52.

September 2nd - Chalfont St Giles 10k Multi-Terrain Run

At the Chalfont St Giles 10k Multi-Terrain Run, Simon Allison took the male veterans' prize with a time of 38:00. Following Simon were Jeremy Lockett (45:08) and Carolyn Lockett (50:26).

September 3rd - The Beast

Preferring the more challenging of courses, MAC's Gerry Killen travelled to Corfe Castle in Dorset to tackle the aptly named Beast, a 14 mile off road race. In 'pea soup' fog conditions, Gerry finished in 1 hour 49 minutes and 6 seconds.

September 3rd - O2O 10K

Sue McEwen came home first in the FV50 category at the o2o 10k, in a time of 47 minutes 44 seconds. Also competing for MAC at Reading were Alan Russell (42:00), John Scaife (45:56) Jeanette Sanderson (52:31) Christine Thompson (54:20) Gill Evans (55:26) Jackie Hearne (65:19) and Rosie Pompermaier (70:28 ).

September 3rd - Hydro Active Women's Challenge

Cathy Ison continued her recovery from a serious knee problem by joining the celebrities in the Hydro Active Women's Challenge run around Hyde Park. In completing the course, Cathy raised in the region of £300 for 'Heads Up', a Head & Neck Cancer Research organisation based at the Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford.

September 10th - Grunty Fen Half Marathon

Temperatures soaring into the high 20's (80 degF) made the Grunty Fen Half Marathon every bit as arduous as its name implies. The relatively flat and open landscape offered little shade, and a stiff breeze made the race harder still as Maidenhead AC's Mark Hollands discovered on Sunday. Hollands struggled in the heat as he dropped from 9th to 19th place over the second half of the race to finish in 1:21:36, his slowest half for over 2 years, but still good enough to finish 4th in his age category.

September 17th – Dunstable 20 Mile Challenge

Simon Alison produced a fine run at the Dunstable 20 mile off-road challenge, finishing second in a time of 2.23:07. Backing up Simon in 37th spot was Carolyn Lockett in 3:05.30 and husband Jeremy (41st) with 3:06:06.

September 17th – Bristol Half Marathon

Four MAC seniors travelled to Bristol to tackle the Half Marathon. First home was Laurence Miles with a personal best time of 1 hour 16 minutes 22 seconds, followed by Matt Sinnott (1:27:46 pb), David Ridley (1:36:16) and Simon Emsley (1:39:04 pb).

September 17th – Stansted Slog

Paul Bradley & David Ross meanwhile took on the challenging Stansted Slog, a 13.1 mile trail race over some rough and hilly terrain in Hampshire. Paul completed the course in 1:41:49 and David in 1:48:06.

September 24th – Berlin Marathon

Claire Donald at last broke the 3 hour mark at Berlin, with a superb run of 2 hrs 59 mins 27 secs, to produce a clearly elite run. The Berlin course has a reputation for producing fast times, and with the usual enthusiastic crowds Claire was urged on to a personal best time.

September 24th – Windsor Half Marathon

At the Windsor Half Marathon conditions were warm and sunny and the course is tough, so many fell by the wayside. However, Maidenhead runners fared well. Alison Attard produced her best time for the circuit, with 1.57.44. First home for MAC was Martin Ilott in 1.51.30. Sarah Strachan returned to Windsor to clock 2:04.54, while Anushka Howell produced a solid time of 2.10.40. Linda Fox was happy to get around in a very respectable 2.18:04.

October 1st – Jersey Challenge

MAC's Jackie Cadman & Lesley Kernaghan travelled to Jersey at the weekend to compete in the 'Jersey Challenge'. This event comprises a 1 mile kayak across St. Catherine's Bay, a 40 mile cycle along the north coast of the Island and then an eight mile trail run. Despite a force 5 gusting to force 6 wind that almost caused the cancellation of the kayaking, the MAC ladies completed the challenge in 5hrs & 15mins to take first place in the Female Veteran team category.

October 1st – Great North Run

Several members of Maidenhead Athletic Club made their way northeast to join the cast of thousands at the Great North Run. In the Junior races, Alisdair Clark completed the 3.3km run for 10-12 year olds, in 25 minutes 53 seconds, whilst in the 4.5km 13-16 group race Katherine Leigh & Caitlin Clark recorded 21:28 and 30:25 respectively. In the half-marathon, both Clyde McCrabbe & Simon Emsley recorded personal bests for the distance. Quite a feat in a race where the sheer mass of bodies make it virtually impossible to move at much above snail's pace for the first mile or so! MAC times were: Clyde McCrabbe (1:31:35), Dave Rosewell (1:36:22), Simon Emsley (1:36:56), Gerry Killen (1:39:09), Mick Furseden (1:45:53), Derek Clark (1:51:37) and Adele Murdock, in her first half marathon of the year, (2:08:36).

October 1st – Kerridge 10K

Sue McEwen and Pete Bark made the shorter trip to Highclere Castle for the Kerridge 10k. The race was billed as 'multi-terrain', but the recent rain turned the course into something more challenging, with calf deep puddles in places. McEwen managed a creditable time of 52:05, with Bark just behind in 52:52.

October 8th - Henley Half Marathon

At the Henley Half Marathon, Mike Trees took first place In the Veteran Men's section, finishing in second place overall. Joy Noad then made it a MAC veteran's double, by taking the Ladies prize. Times were Mike Trees (01:16:44), Jim Tarrant (01:27:48), Paul Bradley (01:28:31), Rieko Trees (01:32:09), Joe Middleton (01:32:59), Joy Noad (01:33:51), Greg Marsh (01:36:32), Brian Roles (01:50:52), Mike Park (01:51:05), Linda Vinton (01:57:49) and Lesley Kernaghan (01:58:16). Meanwhile, in the fun run, Kate Durham made an encouraging return to racing by completing the six mile course in 58:22.

October 8th - SiS Woburn Safari 10K

Few races can boast a drive past bison, elephants and giraffes on route to the start, but that was what greeted Maidenhead's Mark Hollands, John Kew and Anne Sloan at the SiS Woburn Safari 10k on Sunday. As deer crossed the undulating course close to the leading runners, Hollands achieved his best ever 10k placing finishing as 5th overall and first veteran in a time of 35 minutes 2 seconds. Snapping at his heels, Kew finished in 8th position in 37:09, whilst Sloan posted a season's best 1:01:53.

October 15th - Chiltern League Division 2 Cross Country

After the disappointment of relegation last season, Maidenhead bounced back in the first fixture of the Chiltern League Division 2 Cross Country match at Watford last Saturday. The mens' team edged out Handy Cross, with four finishing in the first ten places. Mike Trees was first in 29 mins 43 secs, followed by Andy Macaskill (3rd), Laurence Miles (6th), and Mark Hollands in 10th spot. They were ably backed up by quality runs from David Crossland, team captain Stuart Mannering, Miles Bennett and Chris Donald. Also competing well were Liam Mifsud, David Hearn and Dave Waterman. The ladies fared well, and despite low numbers they grabbed second spot. For once, Steph James headed Claire Donald in 3rd spot, while Claire had to be content with 5th place. Reiko Trees consolidated the strong running with 8th place. The team was completed with solid runs by Sue McEwen and Jackie Cadman.

October 15th - Amsterdam Marathon

Meanwhile, Simon Emsley gathered with other runners in the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam on a cold and windy Sunday. It was worth the wait as he completed yet another marathon in a superb time of 3 hrs 38 mins 01 secs. This was a personal best by a staggering 9 mins and 16 secs, and 28 minutes faster than he achieved last year.

October 15th - Cabbage Patch 10

Nearer home, at the Cabbage patch 10-miler Maidenhead were not as well represented as usual, but there were some good runs, notably from Jim Tarrant who claimed a PB time of 64:52 and beat the 65 minute mark for the first time. Ably supporting was Paul Bradley who recorded an identical time. Amanda Linturn impressed with 70:09, followed by David Ross with 71:42. Completing the MAC line-up were training partners Sally Hardick and Sandra Briggs, crossing the line in 1:51:28 & 1:51:56 respectively.

October 15th - Cardiff Marathon

At Cardiff last week the incentive of a Millennium Stadium finish saw MAC's Gerry Killen complete the Cardiff Marathon in a very respectable time of 3:33:49.

October 22nd - Buckingham 10K

MAC's Anne Sloan & Jon Kew took on the hilly multi-terrain Buckingham 10K fun run. Kew finished 4th overall, with a time of 36:35 and Sloan completed the challenge in 62:50.

October 22nd - Abingdon Marathon

Five members of Maidenhead AC toed the line for the Abingdon Marathon on Sunday, with three picking up Berkshire County Championship medals. First to cross the line for Maidenhead was Matt Sinnott, taking a massive 12 minutes off his personal best time to come home in 3 hours 3 minutes and 15 seconds and claim silver in the MV40 category. Dave Ridley was next in 3:23:38, improving his time at Rome earlier in the year by over 5 minutes, and also earning a silver in the MV50 category. Not content with blasting over nine minutes off his personal best time at the Amsterdam Marathon only a week earlier, Simon Emsley lowered the mark by nearly 2 minutes more, finishing in 3:36:10. Completing the Maidenhead 26.2 contingent was Gill Evans recording 4:36:21 and also picking up a silver Berkshire medal in the FV50 category. MAC's Mark Hollands used part of the race as a training run, completing 18 miles in 1:49:01. Handy Cross runner Trevor Hunter, was awarded overall victory, in a time of 2:37:05 after the first across the line was disqualified for running under another runner's number.

October 22nd - Chicago Marathon

Over in what really was the windy city, with a chill factor of -3C, David Ross put in an excellent performance at the Chicago Marathon to record a personal best time of 3:24:31.

October 21st - Ironman Triathlon World Championships

Having qualified through the worldwide eliminators to claim a place as one of the world's best 52 triathletes in the 55-59 age group, MAC's Keith Greenhough travelled to Hawaii to complete in the Ironman Triathlon World Championships, on October 21. This race involved a 2.4 mile sea swim in rough conditions followed by a 112 mile bike ride on roads through hot and desolate lava fields and a 26.2 mile marathon run.Greenhough was delighted to finish the race in an impressive 13th place in his age group, in a time of 12 hours and 2 minutes. In addition to attaining world elite status, Keith used the event to raise money for the Burnham Beeches Rotary 'KidsOut' children's charity. So far he has collected around £2500 and is looking to increase this to over £3000.

October 29th - Auckland Marathon

In the middle of an Antipodean family holiday and with precious little training, top MAC runner Andy Macaskill completed the Auckland marathon in an excellent time of 2 hours 49 minutes.

October 22nd - Niagara Falls International 5km

The Ralphs family travelled west to have the colours represented at the Niagara Falls International 5km race. A wet and cool autumnal morning greeted them, but Gareth and wife Suzy challenged the elements to record times of 22:26 and 32:19 respectively, cheered on by son & MAC junior Sam. The race started and finished at the famous Niagara Falls, taking in the Niagara Park that runs alongside the river. Gareth took the MAC vest over the finish line as the first placed Britain and 3rd in his category.

November 3rd - Florida Ironman

Maidenhead Athletic Club member Laurence Miles recently returned from Clearwater, Florida where he competed in the inaugural Ford Ironman 70.3 Triathlon World Championship. The Ironman 70.3 event represents half the full Ironman distance, with the race comprising a 1.2-mile sea swim, followed by a 56-mile bike and finally a 13.1-mile (half marathon) run. Laurence's training at the Maidenhead club paid off where, in good clear conditions, he finished with a strong run in a time of 1:28:46 to complete the course in a little over 4 hours 32 minutes, placing in a very respectable 74th / 228 in his age group and within the top quarter of the overall field of around 1360 competitors. In addition to the result, Laurence is very pleased to have raised around £1150 for Breast Cancer Research and would like to thank everyone who supported him.

November 5th - Marlow Half Marathon

One of the most demanding of local Half-Marathons, the Marlow race still attracts a good entry and 22 from Maidenhead AC took on the challenge last Sunday. Mike Trees continues his good form, and he took top place with a time of 1 hr 15 mins 21 secs. Also figuring in the top fifty home were Jon Kew (27th) in 1:27:24, Joe Middleton (41st) 1:30:22, Paul Bradley (45th) 1:30:56 and Jim Tarrant (46th) also in 1:30:56. There were plenty of other good runs from Jeremy Lockett (1:35:14), Joy Noad (1:36:00), newcomer Derek Tippell (1:38:52) and Clare Marsh (1:40:39). David Ross clocked 1:41:06, while Gerry Killen ran a fine 1:42:19 after his recent marathon effort in Cardiff. Liam Mifsud recorded 1:43:01, Carolyn Lockett 1:46:20 and Tim Holt 1:46:24. Although chilly to start conditions were good and Glynne Greenough made it home in 1:47:12. Other maidenhead times were Chris Ellis 1:47:25, Simon Emsley 1:49:24, Michael Park 1:51:47, Dave Waterman 1:51:55, Sayeed Islam 1:53:18, Brian Roles 1:54:54 and David Hearne 1:58:50.

November 11th - Chiltern League - Luton

Beset by injuries and missing some of the big guns, Maidenhead AC had to fight hard in the 2nd race of the Chiltern League series to stay in contention for promotion. Nevertheless, valiant efforts from some of the newer team members helped to secure 4th place on the day and to stay 2nd in the division. Simon Allison bought the men's team home, and Steph James the ladies. In the men's race, determined sprint finishes from Chris Donald, Clyde Mccrabbe and Miles Bennett helped to gain valuable points, and an impressive debut by Chris Paine at 17th overall ensured that when back to full strength MAC have a real chance to top the division. In the ladies events newcomers Val Toeman and Judi Jeffries helped collect valuable points to ensure we are only a few points adrift of the current league leaders, Silson Joggers. A great team effort from all.

November 12th – Monaco Marathon

Linda Vinton and Lesley Kernaghan took on the beautiful but hilly Monaco Marathon, finishing in 4 hours 20 minutes and 4 hours 35 minutes respectively.

November 26th - Florence Marathon

Glynne Greenough competed in the Florence Marathon, on a course that passes many of Italy's most famous monuments and squares. In a time of 3 hours 46 minutes, Glynne finished in the top 20% of the women's field in the race.

November 26th - Eynsham 10K

Fortunately the rain relented for Maidenhead runners taking part in the two-lap 10k course around the attractive Oxfordshire village of Eynsham. Sixteenth spot was taken by Simon Allison as he came home in 35 mins 31 secs, ahead of team-mate Jon Kew in 36:48. Chris Paine did a massive personal best to finish in 37:16, with Jim Tarrant (40:05) and Gerry Killen (43:19) also having good runs. Sue McEwen was the first of the ladies home in 46:13, but husband Bruce was not far behind with 47:00. Alison Attard continued her run of PBs with 50:21 and the MAC contingent was completed by Sam Turner (60:20) and Anne Sloan (64:01).

December 3rd - Luton Marathon

Simon Emsley and Carolyn Lockett tackled the three-lap Luton Marathon in wet and very windy conditions. Although well down on his last marathon time, Simon produced a time of 3:54:23, a full 22 mins faster that last year. Carolyn fared very well, with a time of 3:48:00. and 6 minutes quicker than last year.

 

December 3rd - Grim 8

The previous week Maidenhead had fielded two teams in the suitably named 'Grim 8'. The team of Andy Macaskill, Laurence Miles and Matt Sinott, quaintly named 'My wife can't wrestle…' grabbed second place in the mens' team event. Andy was 5th, Laurence 7th and Matt 46th. The other MAC team named 'Meat and 2 veg' were a vegetable short, so Steph James (136th) and Clyde McCrabbe weren't placed in the team event, but like all 1500 runners had a great muddy time.

December 10th – Hogs Back

The Hogs back race near Guildford is one of the classic Road Races in the South of England. It was very satifying for Stephanie James to come home as 5th lady in a time of 52 mins 19 secs. In the mens' race there was an 8th spot for Andy Macaskill (44:46) and 15th for Laurence Miles (45:52). Backing up these times were David Ridley in 52:19, Keith Greenough 59:05 and Simon Emsley 60:44. Also taking part were Dave Waterman (62:50), Glynne Greenough (63:44) Jackie Cadman (68:28) and Rosie Pompermaier in 88:01. The mens and ladies teams gained creditable placings of 8th and 11th places respectively.

December 10th - Bedford Half Marathon

Gerry Killen tackled the Bedford Half Marathon and ran a superb 1 hr 37 mins 40 secs.

December 18th - Berkshire Cross Country Championships

Fine weather greeted the assembled runners at the Berkshire Cross Country Championships on Sunday, at Burchetts Green. Maidenhead Athletic Club's Sue Blackett continued her fine cross-country form as she overhauled the third place runner on the final lap of the ladies 6km race to win a County Bronze medal. The performance also guaranteed her a place on the Berkshire County team for the Inter-Counties Chamionships to be held at Nottingham in February. In the men's race, Mark Hollands finished 11th, missing county selection by around 10 seconds. He must now wait as second reserve to see if he gets called up. David Ridley was the only other Maidenhead AC runner, completing the challenging 12km course in just under an hour.

December 26th - Aylesbury 5K

Whilst many people were bargain-hunting in the Boxing Day sales, Maidenhead AC's Hollands family were medal-hunting in Aylesbury. Starting the chase in her first road race was 10-year old Bryony, completing 4 laps of the sloping Market Square in 4:08 - just 7 seconds behind the winner of the under-11 girls competition. Her father, Mark, completed the undulating 5k course in 17:22, finishing 10th overall, and winning the Male Veterans 40 category.

December 31st - Cliveden Cross-Country
 

January 25th - Southern Championships

Saturday 25th January saw members of Maidenhead AC's cross country squad make the long trip down to Bicton College near Exmouth in Devon to compete in the South of England championships. In perfect conditions for fast racing, the hilly course provided a demanding test. At stake as well as the championships was the battle for Maidenhead's own 10 mile cross country trophy traditionally awarded to the first team member home in this event. Chris Donald's experience in the big championship races stood him in good stead as he came home 418th in 49 minutes 38 seconds to retain the trophy for the 3rd year in succession. Paul Mee pushed him hard but faded in the closing stages finishing 430th (49:50) whilst new comer Matt McCabe, who continues to improve with each race was 502nd in 52:06. These two will no doubt be putting in the miles over the coming 12 months aiming to knock Chris off his pedestal next time around.

Wokingham Half Marathon really marks the beginning of the local road racing year and the race has grown in stature and numbers over it's 18 year history, with nearly 1700 finishers this year underlying the appeal of the event. Maidenhead A C have always supported the event in large numbers and this year 35 runners produced no less than 10 personal best times and our Mens team were second behind the mighty Reading Roadrunners. Top of the pile was Simon Allison with a PB of 1 hr 15 mins 42 secs and first place in the Berkshire over 40 Championship. Tony Linturn was not outdone, with first place in the over 50 Championship with his time of 1:21:54. Up there with these two stood Simon Newton (1:17:34 - PB) and Jon Kew, having a fine run with 1:18:08. Also producing personal bests on the day were Jeremy Lockett (1:27:48), Keith Greenough (1:31:20), Glynis Greenough (1:39:35), Lesley Kernaghan (1:45:30), and Linda Fox (2:07:41). Also posting her best time was the first lady home for Maidenhead, Alison Brownhill (1:32:40) and Roger Neaves in his first ever race (2:07:41). Elaine Doga took a staggering five minutes off her best time, coming home in 1:49:55. Apart from all this there were equally impressive runs from Chris Donald (1:23:40), newcomer Matt McCann (1:27:33), Jim Tarrant (1:32:12), Malcolm Edwards (1:32:45), Neil Fleming (1:36:22) and Tim Long (1:36:35). Also packing in under the 1:40 mark were David Ross (1:38:20), Dave Waterman (1:39:05), Cavan Butler (1:39:07) and Dave Rosewell (1:39:15). Not too far behind this little group came Carolyn Lockett (1:40:23), Neil Scott (1:42:45), Greg Marsh (1:43:15), Pete Ison (1:45:30), Dawn Willis (1:46:09) and Phil Long (1:46:26). Under the two hour mark for Maidenhead in the cool and wet conditions were Janak Mistry (1:51:07), Erica Burger (1:53:30) and Simon Emsley (1:56:42). Completing the Maidenhead contingent were Catherine Carrington (2:00:09), Anushka Howell (2:07:10), Cathy Ison and Sue McEwen (2:08:15).

Last Saturday saw the Maidenhead AC cross country squad return to Stockwood Park in Luton scene of the season's first fixture back in October, for the final league division 2 match. In the senior ladies race Clare Donald continued the fine form she has been showing all winter finishing in 25 minutes 32 seconds to claim a victory by a margin of almost 2 minutes in the senior ladies event. As a result of this Clare picked up the overall league prize across the five fixtures in the senior ladies and Female 35 categories. Clare was well supported by Jo Morgan 4th (28:04), Lesley Kernaghan 12th (30:18) and Emily Reid 19th (31:04). The consistent running of this quartet throughout the season also saw then come away with overall 3rd placed medals in the team event.

The men's team were somewhat in the shadow of the ladies success. They were led home by Simon Allison in 10th place in 37:56 followed by Chris Donald with his best run of the season to finish 28th (40:56). Billy Wilson was 40th in 42:36 and behind him came Paul Mee 52nd 43:58, Matt McCabe 64th (45:42), Alan Church 77th (48:56) and Will Smith 92nd (50:54. Will as junior team manager was no doubt still celebrating the U13 boys fine league victory earlier in the day. The senior men captured 8th place overall in the league staying just one place clear of local rivals Burnham Joggers.

Maidenhead A C had runners out in large numbers again last Sunday for two quite different races. At the Bramley 10/20 race they were competing over either 10 or 20 miles in ideal conditions for running. Many were well into preparations for spring marathons, notably the London Marathon. Simon Allison made the best of the conditions in the 20-miler, coming home in a personal best time of 2 hrs 07 mins 26 secs. Also running well was Simon Newton, who clocked 2:11:03, followed in a little later by Billy Wilson (2:20:20) and Ken Fox (2:21:10). Packing in behind these were Chris Donald (2:27:36), Keith Greenough (PB, 2:28:30), Malcolm Edwards (PB, 2:34:10), Cavan Butler (2:38:10) and Glynis Greenough (PB, 2:38:31). Also having fine runs were David Ross (2:39:20), Douglas Thompson (2:40:14), Dave Waterman (2:43:50), Neil Scott (2:44:02) and Lesley Kernaghan ( 2:52:09). Elaine Doga also set a personal best, clocking 2:53:42, ahead of Dawn Willis in 2:58:08. Simon Emsley came home in 3:09:10, to be followed by the last couple to achieve personal bests. Linda Fox and Roger Neaves came over the line together in 3:27:56.

In the 10 miler first home for MAC was Sharon Hill in an excellent 1:10:10, a little way ahead of Tim Long ( 1:14:40). Following in these two were Phil Long (1:16:18), Des Carrington (1:16:44) and Pete Ison (1:19:47). Peter Green was suffering for an upset stomach, but still managed to get around in 1:28:40. Catherine Carrington took a tumble at seven miles but still crossed the line in 1:33:14. Running together again were Cathy Ison and Sue McEwen and they were home in 1:35:27. Preparing for their first half marathon were Sandra Briggs and Sally Hardwick, who ran around in 1:37:10.

Meanwhile, there were three intrepid off-road runners who made there way to Pewsey, Wiltshire for the aptly named 'Terminator 10' which in fact is 10.9 miles. Carolyn Lockett came home with the third female veteran prize with her time of 1hr 42 mins 53 secs. Husband Jeremy produced a time of 1:34:03 and John Rickman 1:38:07.

This was a brand new event this year, run at Silverstone race circuit and attracting around 10,000 entries. Bearing this in mind it was a particularly good day for Simon Newton, as he crossed the line in 1 hr 21 mins 19 secs to take 42nd spot and 33rd in the Senior Mens category. Also performing well was Matt McCabe, who ran in 1.37.53 to finish 401st. Elaine Doga (1:50:52 - 2369th) and Simon Emsley (1:51:15 - 2415th) finished strongly on the day.

March 9th - Hemel 10

This Sunday five MAC runners made their way to Hemel Hempstead for the 'unsung' Hemel Ten, a 10-miler run mainly through beautiful Hertfordshire countryside. First home was Will Smith in 77 mins 05 secs, followed in by Pete Ison in 80:05. Taking part in his first 10-mile race and therefore producing a personal best was Neil Bennett with 83:25. Sue McEwen is still getting back to racing, but fared pretty well with her time of 86:20 on an undulating course in blustery conditions. Finishing the club line-up was Cathy Ison with a time of 97:28.

March 9th - Reading Half Marathon

There were some excellant runs by Maidenhead AC runners at this year's Reading Half Marathon, one of the biggest half marathons run in the South of England. Runners were held up for 45 mins at the start, in cool blustery conditions, because of a problem on the course. Despite this Simon Newton ran a superb 1 hr 21mins 02 secs to finish 68th out of nearly 7,000 finishers. Next in for the club was Liam Hanna, making a welcome to Maidenhead colours, and his time of 1:25:08 was enough to place him second in the over 55 category. Then there was Paul Mee, back after an injury and running a fine 1:28:30, closely followed by Matt McCabe also running well to record 1:28:43. Steve Humphrey was next in 1:30:27, followed in by Douglas Thompson (1:33:50) and JIm Tarrant (1:35:24). Dave Rosewell was next to cross the line in 1:41:42 and then there was a gap to Simon Emsley (1:49:29) and Dave Baldwin (1:52:14). Many are training for the London Marathon and that was the case with Roger Neaves and Linda Fox, who both recorded times of 2:11:33. Completing the Maidenhead group were Julie Brown (2:15:51) and Jackie Hearne (2:18:31).

Fleet & Hastings Half Marathons - March 16th

Maidenhead A C runners were out in force at two 'pre-London' Half-Marathons, with results showing that it looks as though it's going to be a good year for the Club. At Hastings Sandra Briggs and Sally Hardick were running in their first 'half' and they came away with heads held high as they produced identical times of 2 hrs 14 mins 25 secs. In front of these two for MAC were Paul Mee (1:27:27) and Alison Brownhill (1:32:33), both producing fine personal bests on a notoriously tough, hilly course. Greg Marsh is running back into form (1:39.04) and he finished a little ahead of Robert Miles (1:43:39) and John Rickman (1:44.00).

Meanwhile, at Fleet there were some very encouraging times, particularly from Romano D'Aversa, who produced a fine run of 1:24:11. Taking the plaudits for a personal best on the day, which gave her the over 50's ladies third spot, was Glynis Greenough, who crossed the line in 1:38:33. Showing he is no slouch was Richard Elston, who took 1:26:15 to get around, ahead of Colin Thorpe (1:26:54), Billy Wilson (1:27:54) and Keith Greenough (1:30:50). Not too far away was Malcolm Edwards (1:31:17), ahead of Dave Rosewell ( 1:36.04) and Neil Scott (1:38:29). Completing the Maidenhead times were Chris Owen (1:44:28), Simon Emsley (1:51:51) and Anushka Howell (2:04:15) on a fine day for distance running.

And then it was down to Eastleigh , near Southampton, for the 10K event, which attracted around 1,300 runners on a bright sunny day. Tony Linturn and Pete Ison flew the flag for the club, recording times of 37 mins 20 secs and 47:17 respectively.

And lastly, there was a fine run by Simon Newton at the Adidas Kingston Breakfast run, which he was competing in as a build-up to the London Marathon. His excellent run of 1 hr 38 mins 48 secs was good enough to take him to 20th place.

Towpath Ten and Woking TenTen - March 30th

Last Sunday saw Maidenhead runners taking part in two races, with many honing their training for the London Marathon on 13th April. At the Towpath Ten Alison Brownhill continued her 'purple patch' with yet another personal best, completing the ten mile circuit in 69 mins 40 secs and finishing as fourth lady. John Rickman was also down by the Thames and he recorded a time of 74:01.

Meanwhile, at Woking eight MAC runners were taking part in the Woking TenTen, a combined 10 mile and 10K race. In the 10K Keith Greenough was first home in 41:52, followed by wife Glynis in 46:01 who was the first lady over 50. Completing the complement in the 10K was Cathy Ison, who ran 57:37. In the ten mile event there were fine runs by Colin Thorpe and Steve Humphreys, who ran 65 mins 30 secs and 67:25 respectively. Following up were Neil Fleming (74:01), Will Smith (76:09) and Simon Emsley (85:04).

Totton 10K - April 6th

Claire Donald was fifth lady overall in 37 mins 15 secs and took first spot in the ladies veteran section in the Totton 10K run in Hampshire.

Paris Marathon - April 6th

On the first Sunday in April Matt McCabe took on the Paris marathon, but unlike the previous marathon he tackled he decided to train this time. The result was an hour taken off his previous time with a very creditable 3:28:10.

London Marathon - April 13th

The London Marathon is always the race runners most look forward to each year and once again the race was highlighted by another incredible World Record run by Britain's Paula Radcliffe. Making more modest runs but certainly with no less effort were runners from Maidenhead A C, who ran well in warm conditions. The first two home in personal bests were Simon Newton (2:58:46), ahead of Romano D'Aversa in 3:03:02. Simon's legs just couldn't manage a sprint finish and Romano had to stop for six minutes for treatment of severe blisters. Next in was Nick Browning in 3:05:17 followed by Paul Mee, who ran a superb 3:14:36, ahead of fireman Steve Humphreys in 3:21:37 and Colin Thorpe (3.28.11). There was then a procession of Maidenhead runners in under four hours, including Cindy Rebello (3:34:40) and husband Wayne Rebello (3:43:36) who had a comfortable run ready for the 55km 2 Oceans Marathon back home in South Africa on Easter Saturday. Following Cindy home down the Mall were Dave Waterman (3:35:49), Chris Donald (3:43:17), Dave Gardner (3:43:36) and Dave Rosewell (3:49:05). Cavan Butler suffered in the warm conditions and clocked 3:52:03, ahead of debut man Dave Ross in a great 3:51:07. Dawn Willis returning from injury still completed the 26.2 miles in 3:53:04. Richard Davies is a newcomer to the club and he ran well to record 3:54:38. Finishing in just over 4 hours were Joseph Yiu in 4:03:53 in his first marathon. Perhaps one of the most heartening runs of the day was from Janak Mistry, who struggled to fit in enough quality training but still ran a gutsy 4:13:56 . Completing the distance for the first time were training partners Linda Fox and Rogers Neaves who ran 5:10:36, in the process raising substantial amount for charity.

Rotterdam Marathon - April 13th

Over in Rotterdam on the same afternoon as the London Marathon were five Maidenhead runners in even warmer conditions, but running equally well. Keith Greenough has put in some serious running over the winter and it showed as he recorded 3:16:07 in this popular marathon. Wife Glynis has been equally hard working and she was rewarded with a time of 3:35:46. Also running extemely well were Elaine Doga with 3:53:36, just ahead of Lesley Kernaghan in 3:53:56. Neil Scott completed the 'team' with 4:01:52.

Bracknell Half Marathon - April 27th

The Bracknell Half Marathon was marked by a fine run by Simon Newton of Maidenhead AC. Simon has entered a rich vein of form since running the London marathon and produced a time of 1:19:51 to take 9th place. Jon Kew was not too far behind and came home in a time of 1:23:41. Will Smith was next in as he broke the 100 minute mark with 1:39:26. Stuart Ching ran well to produce 1:43:50 and Andrew Tate followed him in 1:46:01. With all Maidenhead runners getting in under two hours it was a show of the club's growing strength in depth. Simon Emsley ran a time of 1:51:31 and fresh from her marathon in Rotterdam Elaine Doga crossed the line in 1:58:10.

Shinfeld 10K - May 5th

Maidenhead runners were back in action for the Bank Holiday Monday 10K race at Shinfield, near Reading. For Sarah Strachan the sunny day turned out fine as she knocked 2 minutes off her previous best time to come home in 54:52. First home for MAC was Tony Linturn with 37:30 and first lady was Alison Brownhill, continuing her good form with 41:53. Jim Tarrant ran well to record 41:30. Dave Gardner was back in action after a year out of racing and he comfortably made it around the 6.2 mile circuit in 43:20, while next in Dave Waterman cruised home in 44:50. Then within a minute three Maidenhead men crossed the line, Pete Green (48:00), Pete Ison (48:13) and Simon Emsley (48:44). Keeping these men in sight was Lesley Kernaghan with 49:01, ahead of Elaine Doga in 51:24.Dave Chalis was next to finish in 56:56, while Cathy Ison also comfortably beat the hour mark with 58:14. Paula Bryant was racing again, recording 71:20.

Icknield Way 10K - May 10th

Three Maidenhead runners made their way to Chinnor in Oxfordshire for the Icknield Way 10K Charity Run, which marks the start of Christian Aid Week. The beautiful, if tough, course features some off-road running and a two mile climb at the start. It then flattens out before another hill and then a fast downhill finish. Carolyn Lockett had a fine run and was third overall and first veteran lady over 35 in 46:29. Also having good runs again were Carolyn's husband Jeremy in 14th spot with 41:55 and John Rickman, 23rd in 45:44.

Marlow 5 - May 11th

The Marlow five mile race is beginning to get ever more popular and there were some fine performances by Maidenhead A C runners. First home for the club was Simon Newton in an excellant 28 mins 45 secs as he prepares for his next big race in Australia. Tony Linturn continued on his way back to top form with a run of 29:55, good enough to make him first male home over 50. There were equally strong runs from Chris Donald and Jim Tarrant, who posted times of 32:38 and 32:55 repectively. Georgina Heron had a fine run to make it home in 35.51, while Simon Emsley recorded 38:58. Completing the group was Jan Aldous with her run of 52:54.

Plymouth Half Marathon - May 25th

It was a case of the two Simons at the Plymouth Half Marathon last Sunday. Simon Newton continued his fine run of form with a time of 1 hr 21mins 56 secs to take a very creditable 53rd in a tough race. Simon Emsley found the going a bit tougher but battled around in 2:00:21.

Wargrave 10K - June 8th

Maidenhead A C fielded 23 runners for this very popular local event, which saw over 500 runners take the line for it's 21st running. Conditions were warm and humid with the threat of rain, but there were some fine performances. Tony Linturn, on a course very familiar to him took first place in the over 50 Berkshire Championships as well as picking up another prize for being third overall on age adjusted times, his actual time being 37 mins 40 seconds. Glynis Greenough proved all her hard work worthwhile as she won the first senior veteran over 50 award with her time of 46:21. Also picking up an award in the 35-50 age category Berkshire Championships was Alison Brownhill with her time of 42:50. First home for the club was Jon Kew, who ran strongly to record 36:23, ahead of the in-form Simon Newton, who clocked 37:07. Next was Paul Mee with an excellent 40:20 and Jim Tarrant proved his worth with 41:00. Then came Keith Greenough in 42:14, ahead of Dave Gardner (43:07), Dave Rosewell (44:14), Chris Donald (46:33) and Brian Roles (46:55). Simon Emsley also ran well with his time of 48:30, with Pete Ison (50:13), newcomer Linda Vinton (51:48) and Gill Evans (52:03) packing in behind. Zoe Lee, in her first ever 10k ran an excellent 52:05 with Elaine Doga (52:48) and Sarah Strachan (55:51) in pursuit. It was also great to see 81 year old Ken Cooper back racing and his time of 57:09 was very commendable in the warm conditions. Jackie Hearn (57:08) was just quicker than Ken, while Cathy Ison (60:03) and Grant Oliver (62:43) made up the Maidenhead contingent.

January 11th - Disney World Marathon

Simon Newton of Maidenhead A C took the long journey to Disneyland, Florida, to take part in the Disney Marathon on Sunday and he's very pleased he did. His time of 2 hrs 54 mins 58 secs was a personal best by a long way and it was enough to bring him home in a superb 24th spot.

February 8th - Wokingham Half Marathon

Wokingham Half Marathon was another of Maidenhead A C's target races and as a result they fielded 30 runners in extremely windy conditions. Despite the difficult blustery wind there were six great personal bests. Simon Newton led the way with a PB and a superb time of 1:16:43, well inside his expected time. Making big strides were Jim Tarrant (1:24:42) taking a massive seven minutes off his PB and Louise Edwards (1:37:20), who went even better, knocking eight minutes off her previous best time. There were also bests for Billy Wilson (1:26:16), back after injury, Alison Brownhill (1:28:13) and David Ross (1:35:55). Backing up these great performances were Jon Kew (1:20:17), Chris Donald (1:23:48) and Jeremy Lockett (1:28:33). Despite many Maidenhead runners being heavily into training for Marathons there were plenty who ran under the 1 hr 40 mins mark. Joy Noad returned to half marathons with 1:33:06 to win the prize for the first lady veteran, followed in by Dave Gardner (1:35:04), Dominic Parkes (1:35:30), Dave Rosewell (1:37:20), Gerry Killen (1:37:45) and David Hearne (1:39:33). Around the 1:40 mark was Chris Owen (1:40:30), Dave Waterman (1:40:39), leading home newcomer Danuta Tinn (1:41:41), Carolyn Lockett (1:41:46), Greg Marsh (1:41:56), and Cavan Butler (1:43:02). Darrell Bressington battled around to clock 1:47:23, ahead of Brian Roles (1:47:48), Simon Emsley (1:52:16), Linda Vinton (1:52:20) and Janek Mistry (1:54:30). Completing the Maidenhead contingent were Alison Attard (2:01:15), Gill Evans (2:04:17), Anushka Howell (2:04:40), newcomer Ruth Smith (2:10:55) and Lucy Marsh (2:12:30).

February 15th - Meon Valley Plod

The Meon Valley Plod sounds like a bit of a doddle for experienced Marathon runners but that isn't the case. The run is all off-road near Petersfield and during the 19 mile slog the runners have to negotiate uphill stretches totalling 2000 feet. First home for the Maidenhead men was Jon Kew as he recorded 2 hrs 49 mins. For the ladies Alison Brownhill led the way with 3:01. Jon Kew was ably backed up by Chris Donald (2:53) and a resurgent Billy Wilson (2:54). Jeremy Lockett was not far behind in 2:59 and Dave Ross rang strongly to make it in 3:03. Carolyn Lockett (3:10) ran as strongly as husband Jeremy as she led home Simon Emsley (3:13), Jeanette Picton (3:15) and Dave Waterman (3:17), a veteran of such events. Completing the eleven brave souls from Maidenhead was Lesley Kernaghan with her time of 3:30.

February 15th - 26.2 Road Runners Valentine 10k

Down in Chessington five runners were taking part in the 26:2 Road Runners Valentine 10k. Here Sue McEwen led the way with 47:10 seconds, ahead of Pete Ison in 47:35. Running in tandem Cathy Ison and Bruce McEwen ran a comfortable 61:40. Zaf Alam became the star for Maidenhead as he took a chunky five and a half minutes off his previous best to cross the line in 64:30.

February 29th - Bramley 10/20

Bramley 10 mile & 20 mile races attracted 28 runners from Maidenhead as another in the clubs target races for 2004. Four runners weren't content with just running the 20 mile two lap race and did one extra lap as warm-up. The intrepid quartet are in training for the 35 mile Two Oceans race in South Africa and they posted some impressive times for the 20-miler. Dave Waterman clocked 3 hrs 08 mins 45 secs, Simon Emsley 3:12:00, Elaine Doga 3:12:22 and Lesley Kernaghan 3:13:22. Overall first for Maidenhead was Simon Newton with an outstanding run of 2:05:00. Chris Donald showed his training is on track with 2:14:33, and Alison Brownhill was first MAC lady home in 2:22:20. Dave Ross knocked eight minutes off his time for last year with 2:31:50, and Keith Greenough (2:35:40) and Cavan Butler (2:37:01) also had fine runs. Following in these were Neil Scott (2:43:24), Gerry Killen (2:44:08), Darrell Bressington (2:44:08) and Glynis Greenough (2:48:15). Janek Mistry continued his good form with 2:56:26, ahead of Linda Vinton (3:04:50), Linda Davies (3:19:49), Ruth Smith (3:23:11), Anushka Howell (2:24:03), Gill Evans (3:28:33), Sandra Briggs (3:31:00) and Rosie Pompamaier (3:35:00).

In the ten mile event it was Billy Wilson leading the way in 63 mins 50 secs. Joy Noad ran quicker than expected to record 67:30, ahead of Tim Long with 73:43. Also running in well were Catherine Carrington (92:44), John Shepherd (94:38) and Ravinder Sihera (98:00).

March 7th - Reading Half Marathon

Maidenhead A C runners have kept busy recently in various races, with some notable performances. The big race in March has been the Reading Half Marathon, which once again had a bumper field. There was a personal best for Steve Humphreys as he clocked 1hr 26 mins 10 secs, behind Chris Donald, who improved his previous 'half' time by two minutes to record 1:21:57. Joy Noad continues her return to full fitness and ran home in 1:27:27, well ahead of Simon Emsley (1:43:16) Neil Scott (1:46:18)and Elaine Doga (1:48:58), who are all into heavy training schedules. Liz Kendall-Jones ran her first race for some time and recorded a good time of 1:52:15. Gill Evans in preparation for the London Marathon ran a solid 2:03:01.

March 14th - Fleet Half Marathon

At the Fleet Half Marathon there was a personal best for David Ross as he broke the 1:35 to clock 1:34:07. Matt Sinott also mde light of the strong winds and rain to cross the line in 1:42:14.

March 14th - Berkshire in the Inter-Counties Cross Country

Alison Brownhill recently represented Berkshire in the Inter-Counties Cross Country event at Nottingham. Her run brought her home in fifth spot for the Berkshire Team.

March 14th - Hemel 10

Pete Ison travelled to Hemel Hempstead for the final Hemel 10 ten-miler, getting around the demanding course in very windy conditions in 1:24:35.

March 21st - Kingston 16

Simon Newton improved on his time last year at Kingston in the 16 mile race, recording a time of 1 hr 38 mins 32 secs.

April 4th - Thames Towpath Ten

There was double celebration for Joy Noad on Sunday as she finished second lady and first veteran in the Thames Towpath Ten, a ten-miler run mainly along the banks of the Thames. Her time of 1 hr 06 mins 32secs was excellent in the blustery conditions and the only Maidenhead runner ahead of her was Jim Tarrant, who crossed the line in 1:05:15. Steve Humphreys ran well to finish in 1:06:55. Then came a block of four with Phil Long leading the group home in 1:16:16, just pipping newcomer Peter Bark (1:16:17), ahead of Tim Long (1:17:24) and Sue McEwen, who ran 1:18:14. Darrell Bressington was next in 1:21:57 and completing the Maidenhead group were Heather Penny (1:33:13) and Ravinder Sihera (1:39:03).

April 4th - Rotterdam Marathon

Meanwhile, across in Rotterdam there were six Maidonians running the city's marathon. Leading the way in 3 hrs 21 mins was Jon Kew, while the ladies were led home by marathon debutant Alison Brownhill ran a splendid 3:26. Jeanette Picton and Dave Rosewell ran identical times of 3:30, while Neil Scott managed a very creditable 3:46. The real star however was Sandra Briggs, whose ambition was to get around the classic distance and she was very pleased with her 4:30 time. In the 10 kilometre race before the main event Sally Hardick ran a personal best time of 53 mins 15 secs, while Sarah Strachan ran an equally good 54:59.

April 4th - Paris Marathon

Gerry Killen had been the club's sole representative in the Paris Marathon. He enjoyed the experience and ran well to finish in 3:46:05.

April 18th - London Marathon

The London Marathon this year was made tougher by very wet conditions, but despite that there were some memorable runs from Maidenhead AC runners. Outstanding on the day was a fine run by Simon Newton taking part in his 4th London and only one minute and three seconds outside securing an Elite start in next years race. Simon's time of 2 hrs 46 mins 03 secs was eight minutes quicker than his last marathon and twelve minutes quicker than his London time last year. Also running up to form was London fireman Steve Humphreys who ran a very strong 3:12:10. Janak Mistry in his second London ran a commendable 3:56:52 ahead of John Smith who crossed the line in the Mall in 4:04:12. Joseph Yiu was next in 4:10:50, with Linda Vinton running a superb 4:14:55. Gill Evans was running for the sixth time and she was satisfied with her time of 4:22:27. For Ruth Smith it was her first attempt and in 'unknown territory' she performed very well to clock 4:34:37. Anushka Howell was next in 4:37:17, ahead of training partner Linda Davies with 4:40:08. Sandwiched in between was Cavan Butler (4:38:33), normally expected to run much faster, but severely restricted by stomach cramps. Rounding off a satisfying day for the club was Jackie Hearne running her first marathon with a time of 5:48:03.

April 25th - Bracknell Half Marathon

There were some fine runs from Maidenhead runners at the recent Bracknell Half Marathon despite recent marathon runs. First home for the Club was Simon Newton in 1 hr 19mins 30secs to take 11th place, just one week after his cracking run at the London Marathon. Claire Donald hit form again as she took second spot and second lady in the veteran category. She was overall 26th in a time of 1:24:06. Jim Tarrant ran well again to make it around in 1:29:02 and 44th place. Then in came Simon Emsley & Dave Waterman, who had recently done a gruelling 35 mile race in South Africa. Simon was only 15 seconds outside his personal best to record 1:42:57, while Dave took silver in the over 60's Berkshire Championship with 1:54:38. It was enough to put Maidenhead men into fifth spot in the team event. Completing the Maidenhead times was Alison Attard who produced a time of 2:02:10.

Maidenhead A C juniors

Maidenhead A C juniors have started their track and field season with a flourish and great performances at Eton on separate meets at the end of April and early May. In the girls contest Liz Allen finished first in both the 100m and 200m under 17's. Katherine Leigh (u13) was third in both the 1000m and discus. Jade Anderson, in her first league match for the club came 4th in the shot and 2nd in the 'B' string discus, and was backed up by good performances from Caitlin Clark, Sarah Allen and Victoria Sherwood.The boys matched the girls in the under 13 event, with Malcolm Gledhill winning both the 100 & 200m in excellant times. Tim Romain (u15) placed second in the high jump with a leap of 1m 45 and Greg Smith (u15) ran a fine personal best in the 800m. Oliver Jones (u17) competed well in the 1500m in his first track event for the club as did Stuart Cardino, Courtney Flemming and Adam Russell.

May 5th - Marlow 5

At the Marlow 5 five mile race the Club's Mens and Ladies teams took second spot in tough competition. There were strong performances all round, with Simon Newton finishing 16th and Joy Noad finishing as third lady vet. Simon Emsley also improved his time over the distance by nearly two minutes, finishing in 36:44.

May 16th - Woodley Carnival 10K

In her very first 10k race Louise Edwards was placed 3rd in the senior ladies event and Alsion Brownhill third veteran in the Woodley Carnival 10K.

May 22nd - Marlborough Downs Challenge

Four brave souls took on the 20 mile Marlborough Downs Challenge, with Simon Emsley, Lesley Kernaghan and Elaine Doga recording 3:45. Romano D'Aversa really got his skates on and ran a superb 2:19. Jeremy and Carolyn Lockett went even further, running the 33 mile version and knocking one hour off their time for the previous year.

May 23rd - Aberdeen 10K

Lawrence Miles ran the Aberdeen 10k and achieved a new PB, well over 2 minutes quicker in 35:27.

May 30th - Plymouth Half Marathon

The very busy Simon Emsley ran the Plymouth Half Marathon in 1:46:35 and Liam Mifsud ran 1:44:16.

June 13th - Wargrave 10K

Maidenhead A C had it's usual crop of runners at Wargrave 10K, with 23 turning out in sweltering conditions. Local MP Theresa May started the race, presented the prizes and in between cheered her husband home. First to cross the line for MAC was Laurence Miles, taking 16th spot in 35 mins 40 secs. Laurence was followed in by Simon Allison, 28th in 37:34, with Ken Fox (37th) and Chris Donald (38th) clocking 38:47 and 38:52 respectively. Jim Tarrant put in another solid run (40:12) and Alison Brownhill was the club's first lady home in 42:05. Then there were a whole trail of runners coming in under the 50 minute mark, led by Gerry Killen (43:21), Cavan Butler (43:51), Bill Roach (45:06) and Will Smith (47:30). These were followed in by Philip May (48:05), Sue McEwen (48:19) and Pete Ison with a years best of 49:37.Steve Watson ran an excellant 51:20, while Janak Mistry recorded 52:18. Linda Vinton and her training partner Alison Attard were next in 52:59 and 53:20, closely followed by Dave Waterman (53:44) and Linda Davies with 56:23. Liz Smith was happy with her time of 60:00, with the evergreen 82 year- old Ken Cooper looking fresh as a daisy at the end, crossing the line in 62:43. The Maidenhead group were rounded off by another pair of training partners as Bruce McEwen and Cathy Ison finished together in 63:32.

July 3rd - Datchet Dash

Despite 30 of it's runners making their way to Le Touquet for the 20 and 10K races, Maidenhead A C still had 20 taking part in the re-vamped Datchet Dash 10K. The venue had moved to the superb facility at Dorney Lake and even with a very gusty wind times were good. Chris Donald led the way with a fine time of 39:07, just staying ahead of Jim Tarrant in 39:23. Richard Boardman and Steve Humphrey also had a little scrap with Richard recording 41:26 and Steve 41:35. Alison Brownhill had another excellent run with 41:59 and she led home Matt Sinnott (42:12) and Chris Owen (42:42). Gerry Killen ran well in 43:53, as did Sue McEwen (46:11), Simon Emsley (46:23) and Will Smith ( 47:07). Will's son Edmund was not too far behind in 49:02 and another to break the 50 minute mark was Neil Scott with 49:54. Lesley Kernaghan handled the conditions well to finish in 50:09 and Pete Ison (51:02) and Linda Vinton (51:17) were next in. Bernadette Johnson crossed the line in 55:10, ahead of Jackie Hearne (58:54) with Cathy Ison and Bruce McEwen finishing together in 59:24.

July 3rd - Le Touquet 20 et 10 Km

There was good food, good wine and good times aplenty as runners from Maidenhead Athletic Club enjoyed their annual weekend in France, to participate in the Le Touquet 10km & 20km road races. The races were run in difficult blustery condition and featured a high class international field of over 1000 competitors. Leading the club home in the 20km event was Jon Kew in a time of 1 hour 18 minutes 59 seconds, followed by Dave Rosewell (1:34:51), Darrell Bressington (1:44:00) and Brian Roles (1:45:00). The 10km race saw the ever improving Simon Newton home in 27th place overall, in an excellent time of 36:08, followed by Simon Allison (37:53), Peter Bark (43:42), Mick Furseden (45:00), Dominic Parkes (45:14), Alan Kirby (48:18), Tom Quigley (48:26), Mike Emans (49:37), Pete Green (52:00), Nick Toeman (52:20), Dave Challis (52:50), John Rickman (52:57), Peter Conduct (53:44), Gill Evans (54:31), Sally Hardick (56:03), Kate Durham (57:29), Anushka Howell (57:30), Ravinder Sihera (57:30), Sarah Strachan (57:35), Sandra Briggs (59:44), Dave Littlefield (63:40), Val Toeman (64:44), Zaf Alam (65:35) and Judi Jeffries (65:45). The trip was once again superbly organised by Alan Kirby and remains one of the highlights of club's year.

June 27th - Thame 10K

Once more Joy Noad led MAC home with a time of 40 mins 49 secs. This time it was Simon Emsley second home for the club in 47:47, just edging out Will Smith who ran 47:56. Paula Bryant completed the quartet with 74:40.

July 11th - Wycombe Half Marathon

Joy Noad returned to success with a fine run at the recent Wycombe Half Marathon. Joys' time of 1:30:49 was quick enough to bring her home as the first lady over 45. Next in for the club was Greg Marsh, in fine form with 1:37:04, ahead of Dave Ross who ran 1:38:17. Jeremy Lockett, despite a recent leg injury recorded 1:42:32 and Louise Edwards improved on her time of last year with 1:44:23. Joseph Yiu was next in 1:44:39, ahead of another who improved on his time of last year, Simon Emsley clocking 1:46:00. Darrell Bressington ran strongly for 1:47:35, as did Carolyn Lockett in 1:51:13, Elaine Doga (1:57:20) and Linda Vinton (1:58:36).

August 15th - Burnham Beeches Half Marathon

Burnham Beeches Half Marathon always attracts a good entry from Maidenhead and this year was no exception as a big group took on the testing course in very humid conditions. Simon Newton was first to cross the line in a fine time of 1 hr 21mins 30 secs, with Joy Noad, the club’s first lady home in 1:29:16, both making light of the conditions. Jim Tarrant found the second half of the race tough but still posted a strong 1:32:01, ahead of Nick Browning with 1:32:47. Matt Sinott used his power to record 1:34:55, while Greg Marsh continued a fine run of form with 1:35:29, followed in by Richard Boardman in 1:36:16. Cavan Butler also handled the sticky conditions well with 1:39:10, as did Gerry Killen (1:42:11). Louise Edwards battled well for her time of 1:43:00, while Simon Emsley (1:44:59) and Dave Rosewell (1:45:45) were not too far behind. Chris Madge has been training with the club while over from the USA and he was pleased with his time of 1:46:01. Others to finish inside 1:50 were Joseph Yiu (1:46:45), Phil Long (1:47:02) and brother Tim in 1:49:45. Darrell Bressington was next in 1:55:10, ahead of Lesley Kernaghan (1:56:20), Elaine Doga (1:56:39), Dave Waterman (1:57:30) and Clyde McCrabbe (1:58:45). Linda Vinton was happy enough with her 2:00:44, as she led home John Smith (2:00:59) and Alison Attard (2:02:58). Completing the club entry of 27 were Bill Roach (2:08:13), Linda Davies (2:08:17) and Linda Fox (2:22:03).

September 4th - World Biathle Championships

There was success for Lesley Kernaghan at the recent World Biathle Championships held at Marckoberdorf, nr Munich. There were fourteen nations taking part and Lesley was second lady in the over 50's category. Lesley has had many previous successes at international level and she completed the event, consisting of a 1000m run, 150m lake swim and 1000m run in 11 mins 37 secs.

October 3rd - Cardiff Marathon

It's been good news all around for Maidenhead A C over the past couple of weeks. Joy Noad continued her strong sequence of results with a fine run of 3 hrs 05 mins 49 secs at the Cardiff Marathon. This was enough to give her 2nd spot in the ladies over 45 section and 5th place overall. Nick Browning ran an equally strong 3:13:30.

October 3rd - London to Brighton

Meanwhile Martin Ilott ran 8 hrs 40 minutes for London to Brighton. Wayne Rebello, running with Mike Baldock of Datchet Dashers took 9 hr 24 mins for the gruelling distance.

October 9th - Chiltern League Cross Country RAF Halton

Maidenhead won the first round of the Chiltern Cross Country League Division 2, held at RAF Halton near Wendover last Saturday.

The senior women performed excellently to end in joint first with Burnham Joggers. Joy Noad came second, less than a week after coming fifth in the Cardiff Marathon. She was followed closely by Alison Brownhill, Janette Picton and Louise Edwards in 5th, 6th and 9th places. Sue McEwen, Linda Vinton and Lesley Kernaghan all had fine runs coming 6th, 10th and 11th in their category.

The men put out a strong team finishing second. Newcomer David Walker lead the team in 6th position, chased to the finish by Simon Allison in 7th. Paul Hartland had a great run finishing 10th, and Miles Bennett began his comeback ending in 11th position. Mark Walker, another strong newcomer was 14th and Paul Mee back from South Africa came 35th. The men were out in force and other finishers included Chris Donald, returning from a break, Dave Rosewell, Clyde Mccrabbe, Billy Wilson, recovering from an injury, Phil and Tim Long, Simon Emsley and Peter Conduct.

October 10th - Henley Half Marathon

At Henley Half Marathon, Greg Marsh, who has completed all 22 Henley Half marathons, got a PB in 1 hour 31 mins 45 sec. Alison BrownhillI ran 1 hour 32 mins 5 secs and Chris Donald did 1:38:10. Also running were Linda Vinton, Alison Attard, Linda Fox, all preparing for Marathons in the near future.

October 10th - Chicago Marathon

At the Chicago Marathon, Simon Newton completed his fourth marathon of the year so far with a time of 2 hrs 55 mins 44 secs.

October 17th - Abingdon Marathon

Newcomer Mark Hollands was to the fore as he achieved a personal best of 2 hrs 57 mins 30 secs. at the Abingdon Marathon, which was good enough to earn him a silver medal in the Berkshire Championships and 30th place overall. Despite running with a broken toe Simon Emsley also achieved a PB, running home in 3:51:01. There were also some excellant runs from Jim Tarrant (3:12:10), Nick Browning (3:13:45) and Jo Morgan, as she recorded 3:37:33.

October 17th - Cabbage Patch 10 Mile - Twickenham

This race has become a favourite on the MAC calender and it proved popular again this year. There were personal best times for Louise Edwards (71 mins 20 secs), Phil Long (73:55), Tim Long (73:57) and Darrell Bressington (76:44). Gerry Killen, who had achieved a PB at the Liverpool Half Marathon the week before ( 1:34:21) also got a best time with 70:15. Louise Edwards was first lady for MAC, while Jon Kew had a splendid run, crossing the line in 61:00. Dave Rosewell had a solid run of 68:55, while Linda Vinton and Neil Scott recorded 85:03 and 87:11 respectively. Others running were Sarah Strachan (88:14), Lucy Marsh (95:18), Sandra Briggs (97:03), Ravinder Sihera (97:05), and Yvonne Formanski (102:09).

October 17th - Peter Driver Memorial 10K

At the recent Peter Driver Memorial 10K at Fleet Danouta Tinn was placed 13th lady with a strong run of 46 mins 20 secs.

October 25th - Dublin Marathon

Five Maidenhead runners were in Dublin's fair city for the Dublin Marathon, run on their Bank Holiday Monday. Currently living and working in Ireland, Maidenheads Laurence Miles put in a fine performance to finish 92nd overall in 2 hrs 50 mins 01 secs. Some other fine runs from Maidonians came from Dave Rosewell with 3:20:43, quite near his personal best time. Then came the debut marathoners in the shape of Greg Marsh (3:24:05), Matt Sinott (3:26:23) and Alison Attard with a comfortable 4:18:21.

October 30th - Chiltern League Cross Country - Oxford

Maidenhead AC came out top in Round 2 of the Chiltern League Cross Country Division 2, further strengthening their overall lead position. The senior and vet women had an excellent result ensuring overall female team first position. The team was led home by Joy Noad in third place, with young new comer Steph James having a great first cross country to end in 5th. She was closely followed by Alison Brownhill in 7th and Louise Edwards in 9th. Sue McEwen and Lesley Kernaghan scored well for the vet team ending 5th and 11th in the V45 category. They were well supported by Linda Vinton, Kate Durham and Yvonnne Formanski. The men had a strong turnout with 15 in the team, coming third overall and second and in the vets. Paul Hartland was first to finish in 9th position, followed by newcomer Andy Hearne in 17th. Miles Bennett continued his strong comeback to come 19th, with Jim Tarrant and Romano D'Aversa coming 22nd and 23rd. Next were Paul Mee, Richard Boardman and Chris Donald. Other good runs from Clydde Mccrabbe, Simon Elmsley, David Hearne, number 430 ( Darrell Bressington - debut event), Tim Long, Peter Conduct and John Smith. The seniors were well supported by the junior team who provide vital points. Ollie Jones had an excellent run to end 4th in the under 17 mens, Jos Knight came 10th in the under 15 boys, G Smith 13th and A Barrett 18. Cameron Donald had a great run in the under 13 boys, coming 19th. In the girls races E Sherwood came 10th in the under 15s and R Brugge 13th. E Brugge came 25th in the under 13s.

November 20th - BB&O Annual Cross Country Championships

Last Saturday the BB&O Annual Cross Country Championships took place at Burchetts Green in the grounds of the Agricultural College. Despite the freezing weather conditions there was a good turnout. Windsor Slough Eton and Hounslow Athletic Club swept nearly all the first prizes, winning the team prizes for the Girls U15, Boys U15, Girls U17, senior men and ladies. Reading Athletic Club won the boys under 13 race, the girls under 13 was won by Wycombe Phoenix Harriers and the U17 men was won by Bracknell. Maidenhead AC came third in the boys U15 Race, with Jos Knight coming 13th, Greg Smith 20th and J Tinson 21st. In the girls u13 K Leigh ran well to come 17th, and in the girls u15 R Brugge braved the sleet to come 31st. In the senior ladies race R Taylor and L Vincent took 1st and 2nd, with Claire Pusey from Burnham Joggers coming third. The MAC team of Steph James, Alison Brownhill and Janette Picton took 11th, 12th and 13th place respectively and ended up in 4th place. Alison was also 3rd vet. The MAC senior mens team came 7th and fielded a strong team of 8. Jon Kew was first man coming 27th over the 10k course in 35mins47 seconds. He was followed by Simon Allison in 45th returning from injury and Andy Hearne in 48th and Paul Hartland in 53rd. Next was Jim Tarrant in 60th and Chris Donald in 70th, Tim Long in 84th and David Hearne in 86th.

November 28th - Eynsham 10K

There were a sprinkling of personal bests at the Eynsham 10k on Sunday for Maidenhead A C Runners. First acroos the finish line for MAC was Jon Kew in a PB of 35 mins 44 secs. Just behind him was Simon Allison in 35:45, being caught after leading Jon at half-way. First lady for the club was Joy Noad in 39:44 and was alo the second lady over 45, with Alison Brownhill next with a PB of 40:39. Dave Rosewell had a good run with 42:32, while Danouta Tinn (44:15) and Sue McEwen (44:20) were also impressive. Alison Attard was the next PB with 52:12, as did Helen Sutton (54:01), with Adrian Sutton also recording 54:01. Hayley Jewell recorded 54:16. Gill Evans was next in 55:14, while Cathy Ison and Bruce McEwen finished the MAC contingent with 61:19.

January 9th - Woodcote 10K Road Race

Last Sunday found good conditions for the Woodcote 10K Road Race near Reading. First home for Maidenhead was Clyde McCrabbe in a time of 44 mins 48 secs, ahead of Dave Rosewell, who clocked 45:30. Next in was Peter Hitching in his first race for two years, as he completed the run in 54:46. Alison Attard ran a comfortable 55:09 and Cathy Ison 64:34.

January 8th - Chiltern League Cross Country at Watford

Maidenhead maintained their position at the top of the league with another fine performance at Cassiobury Park, Watford, and are in a fine situation with one event to go at Wing. The ladies once again performed admirably, with Claire Donald, Joy Noad, Louise Edwards and Jeanette Piction taking 4th, 5th, 6th & seventh places respectively. Sue McEwan placed 16th and Glenis Greenough 25th. The men's team fielded a bumper twenty runners, with Andy Hearne 5th, Paul Hartland 11th and Mike Walker 12th. These three were backed up by equally good runs from Miles Bennett (16th), Romano D'Aversa 19th, Jim Tarrant 27th, Chris Donald 30th and Paul Mee in 42nd place. Maidenhead also fielded Billy Wilson, Richard Boardman, Keith Greenough, Clive McCrabbe, Dave Rosewell, Gerry Killen, David Hearne, Darrel Bressington, Simon Emsley, Will Smith, Alan Church & John Smith. Chris Donald, standing in as Captain in the absense of Alison Brownhill said, 'We were also short of a couple of our top lady runners, but still came out on top. Promotion to Division one now seems a strong possibility.' In addition, junior runners Olly Jones, J.Knight, G.Smith, J.Tinson and Cameron Donald added valuable team points for the boys. For the girls Rowena and Edwina Brugge also contributed what could be vital points in the final count.

February 6th – Watford Half Marathon

Neil Scott ran the Watford Half Marathon in 1:57:02.

February 12th - MAC are Chiltern Cross Country League Division 2 Champions

Maidenhead Athletic Club won the Chiltern Cross Country League Division 2 last Saturday. The team again performed superbly at the final meeting at Wing in freezing and very muddy conditions. The Club will now be promoted to Division 1 for the first time. At the awards ceremony MAC had an almost clean sweep of the team awards taking first in the women overall, vet women and men overall competition. The men's vet team picked up silver. The juniors took bronze in the under 15 boys team competition. The strength of the women's team was demonstrated by the individual prizes awarded. Joy Noad won first vet 45 and second lady overall. Alison Brownhill and Janette Picton won silver and bronze respectively in the vet 35 category and Louise Edwards picked up a bronze medal in the senior women's category. Paul Hartland just missed out on a medal, ending fourth in the vet men's team competition.

February 13th - Wokingham Half Marathon

Well over 20 Maidenhead A C runners took part in the recent Wokingham Half Marathon, which saw a field of over 2,000 runners. In his last run for Maidenhead Simon Newton ran 1 hr 19 mins 30 secs. Next in with a personal best was Paul Hartland, returning to form with 1:24:46. There were plenty of PB's (PB), but next in was Andy Hearne in 1:26:53, Keith Greenough with 1:28:10 and Alison Brownhill in 1:30:35. The next two finishers had PB's, Matt Sinott 1:32:14 and Chris Owen 1:34:50. They were quickly followed by Clyde McCrabbe (1:34:25), Louise Edwards (PB - 1:35:06) and Dave Rosewell in 1:35:40. There was a PB for Stephanie James (1:36:00), then came Joanne Morgan in 1:37:12 and another PB for Darrell Bressington (1:37:52). There were very respectable times from Gerry Killen (1:40:54), Glynne Greenough (1:41:42), David Hearne (1:42:05), Dave Waterman (1:46:20) and Brian Roles in 1:48:38. Neil Scott, Simon Emsley, Dawn Wrigley and Linda Vinton posted times of 1:51:08, 1:50:52, 1:52:53 & 1:53:53 respectively. There was then another PB for Alison Attard (1:57:43). Linda Davies with 2:01:20, Bruce McArthur 2:04:46, Helen Sutton 2:08:24 and Anushka Howell 2:08:24 completed the team.

February 13th - Meon Valley Plod

On the same day four hardy souls tackled the 20 mile cross-country Meon Valley Plod. Times were Greg Marsh 3:03:57, David Ross 3:14:56, Carolyn Lockett 3:19:07 and Jeremy Lockett 3:22:00. At the Chessington Valentines 10K Sue McEwen ran 44:55, and together Cathy Ison, Judi Jeffries and Bruce McEwen ran 61:37.

March 5th - Inter-Counties Cross Country

Three Maidenhead ladies ran for Berkshire in the Inter-Counties Cross Country event, the trio consisting of Alison Brownhill, Stephanie James and Louise Edwards.

March 6th – Reading Half Marathon

There was another good entry from Maidenhead A C at the recent Reading Half Marathon, with a sprinkling of personal best times. First to cross the line for MAC once again was Andy Hearne in a time of 1 hr 19 mins 31 secs. Claire Donald was next in 1:24:06, finishing as first lady over 45. Richard Boardman put in a fine run of 1:29:30, as did Joy Noad (1:32:27), and Gerry Killen, first of the PBs with 1:33:55. Michael Hensman ran 1:36:35, a PB for Sue McEwen (1:36:15) and Louise Edwards ran 1:38:17. Following in were Myles Gray (1:37:28), Liam Mifsud (1:38:22), David Hearne (1:41:29) and John Smith (1:51:02). Dominic Parkes was next in 1:51:50, with Linda Vinton 1:52:07 and Emma Burgess 2:01:06. Linda Fox achieved a PB with 2:01:31, as did Helen Sutton in 2:06:15. Completing the club's performances were Samantha Turner (2:08:33), Colin Wells (2:11:22), Sarah Strachan (2:17:42) and Jayne Holt (2:23:28).

March 6th – Bideford Half Marathon

Darrell Bressington took the rather longer journey down to Bideford, and in his half-marathon achieved a PB of 1:35:18.

March 20th – Fleet Half Marathon

The Fleet Half Marathon saw three personnel bests for Maidenhead runners, despite there being only five taking part! Mark Hollands proved he is ready for the Maidenhead Ten, knocking over eight minutes off his previous best time, coming home in 1 hr 19 mins 20 secs. There were also best times for Stephanie James (1:32:03) and Tom Quigley (1:40:46).In addition there were excellent times posted by David Ross (1:33:12) as he finished just ahead of Dave Rosewell, who clocked 1:33:52.

March 20th – Milton Keynes Half Marathon

At Milton Keynes Half Marathon Alison Attard was the lone Maidenhead representative, but she impressed with another personal best of 1:55:39, knocking two minutes off her previous PB.

March 25th – 52nd Maidenhead Easter 10

It was another day of records at the Maidenhead Easter Ten ten mile road race on Good Friday. Phil Wicks was the star of the day, winning the mens race for the second consecutive year and in the process breaking the course record. Ladies winner Liz Hartney of Reading Roadrunners continued a purple patch of form, although only seven seconds ahead of team-mate Lesley Whiley at the finish. Reading Roadrunners also picked up both team prizes, although Maidenhead’s own runners gave them a run for their money with strong performances in both categories.

As early as eight o’clock cars were streaming in a procession off the Bath Road towards Woolley Hall and the overflow car parks at Nortel. Race organiser Mick Fursedon celebrated his fifth and final ‘10’ as race director with a record entry of 1220 runners. In his own inimitable way Mayor Emrys Richards set the large field on their way against the backdrop of Woolley Hall. He also stayed behind to watch the finish of the race, taking a keen interest in the finish ‘funnel’.

Conditions were almost perfect for fast running and winner Wicks was aiming for a sub-fifty minute run and he was on target at halfway. He had opened up a large lead even at two miles and he was to increase this gap to over four minutes at the finish. At the prize-giving ceremony he praised the race organisation and indicated he would return next year to try for a hat-trick of wins.

The veterans were to the fore in both the men’s and ladies races, with 50-year old Paul Gregory from Vale of Aylesbury second behind Wicks, who was a mere 29 years younger than him! Local ‘Datchet Dasher’ Chris Bradfield was third, having just completed a tough training week abroad. Their were familier names on the prize list roll of honour, with the likes of Colin Steptoe and John Exley once again featuring.

In the ladies section the veteran ladies ran so well it was difficult for race results organiser Cathy Ison to sort the conundrum out, as both first and second ladies were ‘veterans’. Again, there were some very familiar names, with Claire Pusey of Burnham Joggers taking third spot in the ladies senior category. Jane Laws from Barnet & District took the over 45 title, just ahead of Maidenhead’s own Claire Donald, who is having an excellent year. In addition, there were prizes for ‘regulars’ Irene Smith, Margaret Moody and Jackie Jeffrey.

Claire Donald headed up a strong Maidenhead ladies team, with Stephanie James & Louise Edwards making their debuts in the event and running superbly well. Alison Brownhill added the right amount of experience to help the team grab second spot. There were Berkshire medals for Claire (bronze), Steph (silver) and Louise (bronze) in their respective categories.

The mens team also featured newcomers Andy Hearne, Mark Hollands, Laurence Miles and Jim Tarrant. Laurence was able to take 11th spot, with the fast improving Mark home in 25th place. Jon Kew was next to score with a fine run in 39th spot. The whole team together performed really well, giving them a great result in the team event.

Maidenhead Athletic Club would like to say thanks to those who helped with the race, including around 100 Club and family helpers on the day. Thanks also to Apex Sports, Nike, JAND Results and Dick Hughes of Running Imp who brought the race alive with his super commentary. But a very special thanks must go to Scottish & Southern Electricity for use of their beautiful site at Woolley Hall for use as race HQ.

March 13th - Hastings Half Marathon

As preparation for Maidenhead's Good Friday Easter 10 Alison Brownhill and Laurence Miles tackled the tough but very popular Hastings Half Marathon, one of the largest 'halfs' in the South. Laurence ran extremely strongly to record 1hr 18 mins 17 secs to take 60th spot out of a finishing field of over 3,500 runners. Equally impressive was Alison's run and she crossed the line on the seafront in 1:28:12, missing her personal best time by just 3 secs. However, she was compensated by a prize as 2nd lady veteran over 40.

April 10th – Rotterdam Marathon and Paris Marathon

The week before London saw Dave Rosewell run 3:21:14 at the Rotterdam Marathon and Gerry Killen record 3:28:11 in Paris.

April 17th – Flora London Marathon

Maidenhead A C fielded plenty of runners for the recent London Marathon, although they were a bit depleted because of illness and injuries. Making his mark at the top of the list was Laurence Miles, putting in another fine run to record 2hrs 45 mins 19 secs, just about matching his time in Dublin last Autumn, and good enough for 301st spot. Simon Newton, now living in Leeds, also performed strongly, recording 2:51:26 and in 555th place. Joanne Morgan proved she has lost none of her speed since becoming a mum by running a superb 3:23:52. Next in was David Ross, the new race director for the Maidenhead Ten, and celebrating with a personal best of 3:41:53. Dave Waterman, acting as a 'pacemaker' for another MAC runner was 'comfortable' with his time of 3:59:52. Linda Vinton, who managed to stay with Dave most of the way, ran 4:10:53. Ahead of Linda was a London 'debutant', John Hardick, who was delighted with his run of 4:10:45. Wife Sally was running with friend and training partner Sandra Briggs also ran their first 'London', both coming home in 5:20:30 .Running into trouble at around 16 miles was Romano D'Aversa, as he started to suffer pain through sciatica, but still managed to finish in 4:02:28. Simon Emsley warmed up for the Big Sur Marathon in California with a solid run of 4:11:43. Running his first London Tom Quigley performed extremely well to cross the line in The Mall in 4:21:09. Sayeed Islam's Sunday training runs from Braywick paid off as he completed his first marathon in 4:46:47. Neil Scott admitted he hadn't put the training in, so after starting like an express train he ran more sedately to record 4:54:37. Harriet Roache ran 4:57.

April 24th - Bracknell Half Marathon

Maidenhead A C runners had another great day out as they took seven awards and four personal bests away from the Bracknell Half Marathon. Mark Hollands once again led the way for the men as he produced a personal best to pick up a Berkshire Championship Bronze medal with a time of 1hr 18 mins 25 secs. The ladies were led in by Stephanie James (PB - 1:29:24), third in the ladies senior race but picking up a Gold medal in the Berks Champs. Jon Kew just missed out on a medal, but was only just edged out with a great run of 1:21:09. Jim Tarrant ran another strong ‘half’ in 1:30:00, ahead of Louise Edwards (PB – 1:34:36), delighted with her Silver medal placing. Darrell Bressington continued his good sequence of runs with 1:43:07, followed by another medal winner in Dave Waterman, winning a Bronze in the over 60’s with 1:43:24. The performances of the Maidenhead teams were good enough for Second prize in the Ladies Team award and a Third for the men’s team. Not to be outdone, Jackie Cadman (2:00:09) picked up a Bronze in the ladies veteran section. Then there was a PB for Sarah Strachan, with an excellent run of 1:57:04. Alison Attard was next in 1:57:47, Elaine Doga ran 2:00:18 and Linda Fox 2:03:45. Completing the Maidenhead runners were Anushka Howell in 2:08:08 and Jayne Holt with 2:13:00.

April 24th - Big Sur Marathon

Meanwhile, over in California, there was the little matter of the Big Sur Marathon. This is a point to point run, moderately difficult, with rolling hills, winding through Redwoods, paralleling ranches and offering stunning views of the Pacific Ocean. Trying not to be too distracted were three Maidenhead runners, passing through such points of interest as Pfeiffer State Park, Point Sur, Hurricane Point, Yankee Point, and finishing at the Rio Road in Carmel. Just a week after running the London Marathon Simon Emsley superbly to finish in 4 hrs 08 mins 03 secs. Dawn Wrigley was next in 4:08:59, a great run after a break from marathon running. Lesley Kernaghan battled with a recent injury to bravely finish in 4:51:01

April 24th - Shakespeare Marathon

At the Shakespeare Marathon in Stratford–on–Avon David Ridley ran an excellent 3 hrs 32 mins. Helen Sutton, who has only been running since last September did really well to make it around in 5:01.

May 2nd - Shinfield 10k

There were personal best times galore for Maidenhead A C runners in two recent races. The club fielded 15 runners at the Shinfield 10k on Bank Holiday Monday and nine of them ran personal bests. First across the line for MAC was Jon Kew, running a superb 35 mins. 43 secs. Next in was Andy Hearne in 37:31, followed by Keith Greenough, with a PB of 39:18. Chris Owen ran a very good 44:30, and then came Tim Long with PB number two. Glennis Greenough ran another PB with 45:13, and then Tom Quigley ran his PB of 47:10. Katie Worth was delighted her run of 48:51 (PB), and David Hearne rang strongly for 50:52. Then came 3 PB’s in a row from Linda Vinton (51:24), Sarah Strachan (51:49) and Alison Attard (51:50). Pete Ison marked a return to some sort of form in 51:52, and Linda Fox showed good strength to clock a PB of 54:46. Cathy Ison completed the Club’s line-up with 63:25.

May 8th - Marlow 5

At the Marlow 5-miler there was a record field, and Maidenhead had 26 runners taking part, and here there was a huge haul of 15 personal bests. Laurence Miles led MAC home with a superb time of 27 mins 44 secs, leading home Mark Hollands (PB) in 28:31 and Jon Kew, just pipped on the line by Mark in 28:32. Jim Tarrant (31:50) came in next, in front of Matt Sinott (33:20), and Clyde McCrabbe (33:30). First of the Maidenhead ladies to a PB was Louise Edwards in 33:44, followed by Joy Noad in 34:30 who was second in the over 40 category. Steve Humphreys (34:40) squeezed in between Joy and Sue McEwen, who had a PB of 35:02 and was second lady over 50 . Tom Quigley bagged another PB with 36:54, as did Sarah Strachan, who stormed home nine minutes quicker than her previous time in 40:52. Then two more ladies produced personal bests, as Linda Vinton crossed the line in 41:10 and Alison Attard in 41:35. Pete Ison completed the course in 42:11, ahead of two more fastest times, Helen Sutton recording 43:20, and Linda Fox 44:01. Dave Challis had only returned from Romania the evening before, but he ran well for 46:10. Then came six PB’s in a row starting with Garry Jeffries in 45:50, Sarah McKay (49:10), Jill Smith (49:18), Judi Jeffries (50:01), Zaf Alam (51:18) and Val Toeman (51:20). The men's team placed third and the ladies 4th.

May 15th - Helpers Handicap

Maidenhead runners took part in the Annual Helpers Ten Handicap, which follows on from the big Maidenhead 10 Good Friday run. It's an opportunity for all those who helped with the main event to compete in a race over ten miles, where starts times are adjusted by current race times, and age. Coming out on top this year were Anushka Howell in the ladies event and Tom Quigley for the men. Anushka has a background of long distance walking as well as running and Tom, a relative newcomer to the club, recently completed the London Marathon. Fastest runners outside the handicap race were for the men Simon Allison in 66 mins 23secs, and the ladies frontrunner was Danuta Tinn in 78:53. Following Danuta were Carolyn Lockett and Sue McEwen. In the mens event Clyde McCrabbe was second man home and Dave Ross third. In the handicap race Linda Fox came second and Linda Vinton third. Also taking part were Jayne Holt (4), Alison Attard (5), Linda Davies (8), Val Toeman (9), Judi Jeffries (10), and Gill Evans (11). For the men Will Smith had a fine run to finish second, with Clyde McCrabbe third. Also taking part for the men were Simon Emsley (6), David Ridley (7), Alan Church (8), Jeremy Lockett (9), John Davies (10), Brian Roles (11)John Shepherd (12) and last years winner Mick Fursedon in unlucky thirteenth place. Not competing in the handicap was Bruce McEwen, in his first ten mile run and clocking an excellent 85:43.

May 1st - Three Forts Marathon

Maidenhead A C runners are keeping themselves busy with a series of races of varying shades of difficulty. Recently three of them tackled the daunting three forts marathon , a tough hilly route over the South Downs. In 18th place came Nick Browning in 4 hrs 20 mins. Carolyn Lockett took 41st spot in 4:30 and Dave Waterman 118th in 5:08. Dave was using it as a training run for the mega 155km Ultra Tour Du-Mont Blanc Race. Jackie Cadman took on the slightly more comfortable half marathon course and ran an excellent 2:15.

May 28th - Grand Union Canal Run

Also taking on a big challenge is Martin Ilott, who is running the Grand Union Canal Run, a mere 142 miles. It's not the first big challenge he's taken on, as a few years ago he ran from John O'Groats to Lands End. With his late Dad Don in back-up car he did the equivalent of a marathon each day.

May 22nd - Staines 10k

A more gentle time was had at the Staines 10k last Sunday where Chris Donald ran 40 mins 10 secs, and keeping up her recent good form Sue McEwen clocked 44:30 and was first lady over 45.

May 22nd - Aberdeen City 10k

At the Aberdeen City 10k on Sunday, in his hometown event, Laurence Miles ran a superb 34 mins 11 secs to finish in an excellent 6th place. Needless to say he was extremely pleased with his performance.

May 28-30th - Chiltern Landmarks 100

It seems marathons are for mere mortal runners as Dave Waterman prepares for his 'assault' on the Mount Blanc Massif race. Just as a warm-up Dave competed in the Chiltern Landmarks 100, a 100 mile event around the Chiltern Hills. Dave, a veteran of three London to Brighton runs and four 'Comrades' ultra races in South Africa, flies out in August to face his biggest challenge yet. At the Chiltern race he completed the event in 29 hrs 27 mins, to finish 54th out of 407 starters. The race in August is one of the touighest ultra races in Europe. Competitors will have to run 155 kms, a distance which includes a 8500m ascent of the Mont Blanc Massif.

June 1st - Yately 10k evening series

In more familiar surroundings two Maidenhead runners took part in the first of the Yately 10k evening series races. Mark Holland continued his impressive recent form with another personal best of 34 mins 28 secs, to finish in 9th spot. It was however a very tight finish and Mark was only six seconds adrift of 5th spot. Joy Noad continues to run consistently, recording 41:51, and placing 3rd in the Ladies over 45 category.

June 5th - Oslo Marathon

The Ilott family have been out in force recently in various events, and with some success. Martin Ilott took on the major challenge of the 142 mile run along the Grand Union Canal, which took him a mere 36 hours!! Then as a ‘warm-down’ a week later he ran the Oslo Marathon in 3 hrs 30 mins.

June 12th - Wargrave 10K

It was a short trip up the road, but a very lucrative one for Maidenhead A C runners, as 34 tackled the tough local Wargrave 10k. The ladies picked up six awards, but the men had to be contented with some good runs. Mark Hollands placed 7th in a time of 34 mins 37 secs, while Jon Kew ran 35:50 for 13th spot. Backing them up was Simon Allison, returning to form with an impressive 37:25 and 20th position. The girls reaped the reward of some fine running, with Sue McEwen picking up two prizes. She was first Supervet home in the main race (45:05) and picked up a gold medal in the Berkshire Championship over 50s category. Also picking up gold was Stephanie James (41:55) in the Senior Ladies category, along with Louise Edwards (44:49) who claimed silver. In the Berks over 35 category Claire Donald (39:05 – also 4th lady home) claimed a silver and Alison Brownhill (40:48) a bronze. Also of note was Ken Cooper’s run of 62:19, not bad for a man who will be 84 in November. Also taking part were Jim Tarrant (39:04), Ken Fox (39:22), Chris Donald (40:34), Matt Sinott (41:11),and Nigel Patterson (41:48). Clyde McCrabbe ran 42:33, Gerry Killen 43:01, Cavan Butler 44:27, David Ross 44:45, Tim Long 45:36. Backing these up were Tom Quigley in 45:43, Will Smith 45:45, Richard Coleman 46:36, Dave Waterman 46:41, John Skaife 47:46, Bill Roache 49:40 and Bruce McEwen, a personal best of 50:11. Completing the impressive turnout for Maidenhead were Alan Kirby in 50:50, Darrell Bressington 52:22, Jackie Cadman 52:42, Alison Attard 53:03, Linda Vinton 53:49, Helen Sutton 54:06, Pete Ison 54:29, and Dave Dando 59:05.

June 19th - Windsor Triathlon

The Windsor Triathlon proved a big enough pull for six Maidenhead A C runners to take part, on a very hot day they took on the challenge of the swim, bike, run. Keith Greenough triumphed in the mens 55 plus event, finishing in first place in an overall time of 2 hrs 21 mins 01 secs. Wife Glynne finished third in her category (50+) in an equally impressive 2:41:52. Both recently took part in a qualifying event at Ellesmere, and will be representaing Great Britain in the World Triathlon Championships in October in Hawaii. Before that there is the little matter of another triathlon at Rutland Water, and then one at Lake Placid. Backing up these two was Louise Edwards, who was an impressive fifth in the 20 – 24 category with 2:45:11. Laurence Miles also impressed with 19th spot in the 35-39 category, completing the three disciplines in 2:19:30. Matt Sinott (40-45) was happy enough with 95th place in 2:35:12. Chris Donald (35-39) suffered a bit more in the heat (3:03:48) with a placing of 278th.

June 12th - Edinburgh Marathon

Meanwhile, Simon Emsley was taking part in his third marathon in eight weeks, tackling the Edinburgh Marathon. His time in the rain, sun and then rain again, was 3:48:57.

July 2nd - Dorney Dash

Maidenhead ladies team scooped first prize at the Dorney Dash last Saturday with strong performances all round. Leading the team was Claire Donald, crossing the line in 38 mins 38secs to also take second place in the over 45 section, just five seconds behind Lesley Whiley of Reading Roadrunners. Second team member home was Alison Brownhill in 40:41, taking 6th prize in the over 35’s category. Completing the peize winning team was team captain Louise Edwards in 43:16. Stephanie James also ran extremely well to take 6th place in the senior ladies event with 41:14. Maidenheads’ men also fared well, with third spot behind strong teams from Watford Harriers and Reading Roadrunners. Overall Laurence Miles (34:32) was 9th and Mark Hollands (36:16) 21st. Jim Tarrant clocked a strong 39:51 and Nigel Patterson ran a promising 41:32. Mark Ashworth ran around in 42:10, Clydde McCrabbe 43:00 and Liam Mifsud 43:29. Gerry Killen was next in 43:46, while Richard Coleman ran 46:30. Ron Stewart, preparing for the Windsor Half Marathon, was next in 47:45, ahead of John Scaife (47:49), Simon Emsley (49:16), Katie Worth (49:41) and Sayeed Islam (49:46). Then four ladies completed the Maidenhead entry, led home by Linda Vinton in 52:48, Helen Sutton (54:29) Harriet Roach (64:22) and Rosie Pompermaier (67:26).

July 6th - Yately 10k evening series

Four Maidenhead Athletic Club runners tackled the second of three midweek 10k races at Yateley last Wednesday in breezy but otherwise ideal conditions. First home for the club was Mark Hollands, 18th overall in 35:23, nearly a minute quicker than his disappointing performance at Dorney 4 days earlier. Joy Noad was Maidenhead's second finisher in 40:57 taking 54 seconds off her performance on the same course in June, and finishing second in her age category. Next home was Sue McEwen (43:24) and fifth in the same category as Noad, with husband Bruce completing the quartet in 49:16. Wednesday's results leave Hollands and Noad in 7th and 2nd= respectively for the series as a whole in their particular categories with one race left to come.

July 10th - Wycombe Half Marathon

Apart from a superb win for the ladies team at the recent Wycombe Half Marathon, there were also some other notable runs. Cavan Butler picked up third place in the over 60's category as he ran an excellent 1:46:21. Just behind Cavan was Dave Ross, who completed the event in 1:46:24.In before these two was Nigel Patterson in a strong 1:37:49 and club chairman Chris Donald with 1:43:35. Dave Waterman ran 1:47 exactly, ahead of Tim Long in a solid 1:59:39. Linda Vinton, midway through her marathon preparation, ran 2:04:56, on a course with a reputation for being tough. Finishing the Maidenhead list was Darrell Bressington, who despite badly injuring his knee ran a very gutsy 2:08:41.

July 24th - Milton Keynes Half Marathon

The Milton Keynes Half Marathon attracted six runners from Maidenhead and the Club's Men's Team Captain Laurence Miles ran a personal best of 1 hr 17 mins 32 secs finishing 14th. Next in was Mark Hollands in 18th place, who was up with Laurence until seven miles, and finished in 1:18:43. Alison Brownhill provided another great performance and her run of 1:29:57 took third place in the ladies veteran sectionand was 11th lady overall. Stephanie James also ran strongly to record 1:32:10, ahead of Gerry Killen, battling through the very wet conditions in 1:34:15. Clyde McCrabbe was heading for a big personal best until eleven miles, when he unfortunately faded to finish in 1:43:12.

August 3rd - Yateley 10K series

Results were finally through for the Yateley 10K series, run on Wednesday evenings through the summer. Mark Hollands was first home for Maidenhead in 15th place in the third race, and with a time of 34 mins 32 secs, just 4 seconds off his personal best. This was enough to bring him fifth place for the race series. Joy Noad was overall third in her age category, just one point behind the second placed athlete. She ran a fine time of 42:03, and was third in her age group on the night as well. David Ridley had reason to be pleased, as her set a new PB of 44:28. Last for the club, but no means least, was Rosie Pompamaier, completing the route in 62:40.

August 14th - Bearbrook 10k

Winning is a very pleasant habit and for Maidenhead Athletic Club’s ladies the sweet smell of success was in the air last Sunday at the Bearbrook 10k near Aylesbury. The ladies took the team prize with fine runs from Claire Donald, Stephanie James, Sue McEwen and newcomer Lucy Gilbert. Claire was first in with a time of 39 mins 25 secs to be 3rd overall and second lady vet over 45. Steph James then clocked 41:26 and Sue McEwen 44:40 for third over 45. In her first race for the club Lucy ran a very creditable 50:45. They were strongly supported by Jackie Cadman, preparing for the New York Marathon with 51:03. Dave Waterman is about to take on an ultra –race challenge around Mont Blanc, and he is on track with a time of 46:15. First in for the men was Jon Kew in a swift 36:30, followed by Gerry Killen in 43:45 and Cavan Butler 44:20 who was the first over 60. The twins, Phil and Tim Long completed the club’s efforts with 44:50 and 45:01 respectively.

August 26th - Tour du Mont Blanc

Some members of Maidenhead A C can’t resist a challenge as two recent events prove. Dave Waterman last weekend completed a gruelling run around Mont Blanc which included the 155 km run with 8,550 metres of uphill sections involved. He started on a Friday evening and finished on Sunday, having kept going through two nights and more than one complete day. His time of 42 hrs 34 mins was pretty good for the sixty year old from Woodlands Park. Out of the 2,000 starters only around 650 actually finished.

August 7th - London Triathlon

Glynne and Keith Greenough, the husband and wife ‘team’ of MAC, won age-category silver medals in the recent London Triathlon. An event of 1500m swim, 40k bike ride and 10k run takes in the Old Royal Docks, and attracts around 10,00 competitors. Both in their 50s, Glynne and Keith have taken part in many such events around the world. Keith reckons their running with the club has given them the edge in the last phase of these events. Keith’s total time was 2 hrs 20 mins, while Glynnes’ was a great 2:40.Glynne did a personal best for the run and Keith dipped under 40 minutes for his run.

September 4th - Oracle 2 Oracle 10k

The Oracle 2 Oracle 10k race at Reading ran for the first time in 2004, but it has already become popular with local runners. For two Maidenhead AC runners it was a good day, as Gerry Killen and Clyde McCrabbe matched stride for stride to produce personal bests and identical times of 42 mins 17 secs. David Ridley had an equally good run in 43:40, while Maidenheads' first lady was Sue McEwen with 46:55. Then it was ladies all the way, with Jeanette Sanderson in 50:58 and Alison Attard crossing the line in 54:04. Samantha Turner is now getting into race mode, and she finished in 62:15, just a bit ahead of Jackie Hearne, whose time was 62:33.

September 11th - World Triathlon Corporation Ironman 70.3

On Sunday, Maidenhead Athletic Club members Keith Greenough, Glynne Greenough and Laurence Miles completed the first World Triathlon Corporation Ironman 70.3 Race. Dubbed 70.3, the swim, bike and run race covers at least 70.3 miles – half of the full Ironman triathlon distance. The beautiful Longleat Estate in Wiltshire hosted this very first qualifying race in the new Ironman 70.3 series, which leads up to the WTC Ironman 70.3 Championship in Florida in November 2006. Fortunately for the Maidenhead trio, the famous Longleat lions were nowhere to be seen!

It was success all round for the three MAC members, despite a long, tough course and cold, wet, windy conditions. Sponsored by triathlon retailers TRIUK, Glynne won her Age Group (Women 50-54) in 6 hours 35 minutes, finishing with a 1:53 half marathon on a seriously hilly course. Also racing for TRIUK, Keith was second in his Age Group (Men 55-59) in 5 hours 45 minutes, including an excellent bike time of 3 hours 15 minutes for nearly 100 kilometres. In the very competitive Men 35-39 Age Group, Laurence’s stunning overall time of 5 hours 20 minutes earned him a coveted place in the WTC Ironman 70.3 Championships next November.

September 18th - Amersham 5

There was success for Kaitlin-Rose Adams at the Amersham 5 last Sunday, as she carried off the first prize in the under-20s category in her first Senior race for the Club. Kaitlin crossed the line in 40mins 30 secs, to help Maidenhead Ladies into 3rd spot in the team event. The morning started cool with a slight drizzle, with conditions becoming excellent for good times on the 8K course. John Kew was in sparkling form as he finished 10th with a fine time of 29:.15. Next in was Simon Allison, with an equally impressive 30:13 and 14th place. For the Ladies Louise Walker led the way with 5th spot in 35:00, ahead of Sue McEwen (9th) in 37:00. Will Smith placed 84th with 38:15, as the men finished as 4th team.John Rickman ran well for 42:49 (123) and Pete Ison was pleased with his 44:43 (133rd). The course, part road and part cross country made a nice warm-up for the coming Cross Country season. There was a Junior race over 4K and two Maidenhead Juniors did rather well. Greg Smith ran a super 16:25 and Ben Peppiatt was not to be outdone, following closely in 16:42.

September 18th - Grunty Fen Half Marathon

At the Grunty Fen Half Marathon there was success for Claire Donald in the race held near Ely in Cambridgeshire. The conditions were windy, but Claire managed a great run of 1 hr 23 mins 18 secs for first spot, beating her nearest rival by nearly two minutes. This will give her heart when she tackles the Abingdon Marathon on 16th October.

September 18th - Great North Run

At the Great North run there were plenty of Maidonians in the 38,000 finishers. At the head of the queue were a trio of Gerry Killen, Dave Rosewell and Clyde Mcrabbe, all posting times of 1:39:13. Mick Fursedon was next in 1:44:37, right on his target time. Then came the ladies in the shape of Val Toeman (2:34:28), Jill Smith (2:36:39) in her first ‘half’ and Judi Jeffries (2:56:22). Derek Clarke ran a solid 1:59:42 and despite little training because of injury, Grant Oliver in 2:59:41.

September 18th - New Forest Half Marathon

Darrell Bressington tackled the New Forest Half Marathon, run over a challenging course in warm weather and a strong run of 1:43.23.

September 25th - Windsor Half Marathon

At the Windsor Half there were some goods runs, with Jim Tarrant leading the way, Jim running 1:30:14. Cavan Butler continued a good years racing with a time of 1:40:39. Matt Sinott recorded 1:31:03, while Tim Long ran 1:41:53. Dave Ross (1:44:43), Tom Quigley (1:46:07) and Philip Long (1:46:33) followed these three in. Pete Green and Lucy Marsh ran in tandem to clock very useful identical times of 1:47:30. Alison Attard achieved a course best with 1:58:51 and Helen Sutton a commendable 2:05:07. Completing the runners from MAC were Bill Roach in 2:10:41 and Rosie Pompermaier with 2:31:20.

September 25th - Wimbledon 10K

Sue McEwen was the sole MAC representative at the Wimbledon 10K, but still picked up first prize in the over 50 category. Sue ran the course in 45 mins 07 secs, and managed the second half two minutes quicker that the first.

September 25th - Berlin Marathon

At the Berlin Marathon Alison Brownhill ran a superb 3 hrs 8mins 02 secs , becoming the 12th lady in her age category, The really good news is that this performance give Alison a place on the Elite ladies start line for next years London Marathon. Also running in Berlin were Linda Vinton in 4:11:59 and Clyde McCrabbe with 4:12:01. Linda Fox completed the line up with 4:38:12.

September 25th - Ladies 8k in Windsor

Sixteen year-old Kaitlyn-Rose Adams is quickly establishing herself as a frontrunner at Maidenhead, as she proved at the recent Ladies 8k in Windsor. Kaitlyn finished the distance in 37 mins. 58 seconds, over three minutes quicker than she had managed over the same distance a week before. This gave her a finishing position of 23rd out of a field of around 1,000 runners. Also competing for MAC was Justine Tooms (349th), whose time was a very respectable 49.37.

October 9th – Chicago Marathon

David Ross was in ‘his kinda town’ running the Chicago Marathon, his main target race of the year. He ran a fine 3 hours 47 mins despite being hampered by a tight hamstring muscle from around the 19 mile mark.

October 9th - Henley Half Marathon

Meanwhile, at the Henley half marathon there was ‘that hill’ to contend with. Greg Marsh, who has run every Henley Half Marathon, was first home for MAC in 1 hours 32 mins 02 secs. All the more satisfying then that Helen Sutton ran a personal best by two minutes with 2hrs 03 mins 15 secs. Husband Adrian just had to let her go at the end and his time was 2:03:45. Sayeed Islam ran a fine 1:49:10, while Alison Attard ran a course best time of 1:57:15.

October 16th – Abingdon Marathon

Maidenhead Athletic Club had several runners in action at the Abingdon Marathon on Sunday. Prime among these were Mark Hollands and Claire Donald who finished ninth and second respectively in their classes. Donald ran a very brave race to clock 3hrs 04 mins. Her time was good enough for second place in the women’s event, first place in the veterans category and first place in the Berkshire County Championship. Hollands clocked a superb time of 2:45:49, meaning he missed out on the elite runners qualifying time by less than a minute. Richard Boardman finished in 3:36:59 followed by Nigel Patterson in 3:50:56.

October 16th – Amsterdam Marathon

Clubmate Dave Rosewell ran the Amsterdam Marathon in 3:28:52, just short of his 50th birthday. Simon Emsley has fought back from injury to complete three races in quick succession. Eight weeks before the Amsterdam Marathon he could barely walk up and down stairs, but he managed the race in an excellant time of 4 hrs 06 mins 41 secs. In addition Simon ran the Great South 10-miler in 1:18:44 and at the Bristol Half Marathon he ran a years best time of 1:45:49.

October 16th – Cabbage Patch 10

Conditions were near perfect for running at the Cabbage Patch ten mile race at Twickenham, with bright sun and a cool breeze off the Thames. Despite a tough cross country for some on the Saturday there were some good performances and a very good quality field. Jim Tarrant paved the way for MAC with a sparkling 1 hr 6 mins 08 secs, and Stephanie James led the ladies home with a strong 1:06:10 and a personal best time. Cross country manager Alison Brownhill was next in 1:06:16, followed by Ken Fox, running a great 1:07:28. Louise Walker was in good form with 1:11:49, while Cavan Butler proved age is no barrier as the 60-year-old grandad ran a superb 1:12:51. Behind Cavan there were equally strong runs from Tim Long (1:13:33), Darrell Bressington,a personal best of 1:14:00, Phil Long (1:14:40) and a resurgent Pete Bark with 1:14:55. Sue McEwen shed her cross country shoes to run 1:15:27, with Pete Green (1:16:01) and John Scaife (1:16:50) not far behind. Completing the MAC line-up were Pete Ison (1:29:30) and, running together all the way Ravinder Sihera & John Rickman (1:38:40).

November 6th – Marlow Half Marathon

There was a bumper turn-out of Maidenhead runners at the Marlow Half Maraton on a wet and windy day, and plenty of success followed. The Maidenhead ladies walked away with the team prize and the men ran strongly to finish second team in the mens event. There was personal success for Alison Brownhill as she crossed the line as first veteran lady. She ran a time of 1 hr 35 mins 25 secs, despite having run cross-country the day before, like many other MAC runners. First home for the men was team captain Laurence Miles with 1:22:55, ahead of Jon Kew who ran 1:24:41. Behind Alison was Joy Noad with 1:36:47, Stephanie James in 1:39:02 and team captain Louise Walker in 1:45:06. Stuart Mannering returned with 1:31:53, Paul Bradley 1:34:57, Keith Greenough 1:37:13 and Jeremy Lockett 1:37:30. Carolyn Lockett ran 1:47:33 and Sue McEwen 1:49:42. Then there were a group of runners led by Liam Mifsud in 1:41:27, Nigel Patterson 1:42:18, Clyde McCrabbe 1:45:05, Gerry Killen 1:45:07, David Ross 1:46:33 and Darrell Bressington 1:49:44. Tim Holt ran 1:50:33, Chris Wharton 1:51:15, John Smith 1:52:27 and Ken Fox 1:52:42. Glynne Greenough (1:52:27) and Alison Fyffe (2:01:14) completed the ladies line-up for MAC. Others running were Simon Emsley in 1:53:37, Dave Waterman 1:57:48 and Chris Bincliffe 1:58:27.

November 20th – Gosport Half Marathon

Two Maidenhead runners made the journey to Gosport for the Half Marathon. Simon Emsley, a little leg weary from all his recent racing, managed a very creditable 1:46:24. However, Greg Marsh proved it can a be a fast course with a superb PB of 1:28:41.

November 27th - Eynsham 10K

There was a clutch of PB’s at Eynsham for this popular local race run on a two-lap course around this Oxfordshire village. In addition Sue McEwen was first lady in the over 45 category. Leading the personal bests was Alison Brownhill, who took 1min 20 secs off her previous time with 39 mins 20 secs. Backing up this great performance were strong runs for PBs from Stephanie James (39:59), Darrell Bressington (44:34) and Helen Sutton , who running with husband Adrian ran 53:34. First home for Maidenhead was Jim Tarrant, consistent as ever with 39:12 and Paul Bradley in 40:11. Gerry Killen ran a strong 42:13, not far ahead of Clyde McCrabbe with 42:22. Louise Walker and Danuta Tinn were locked together for 43:53 and Sue McEwen ran a good 44:15. Pete Bark clocked 45:03, followed by the Long twins, Phil with 45:35 and Tim 48:14. Splitting the twins was Bruce McEwen, running well for 47:22. Pete Hitching ran a quicker second lap to finish in 54:26, with Pete Ison just behind in 54:37. Lorrayne Harris and John Shepherd took on the course together, as Lorraine just crossed the line first (60:42), with John just 5 secs behind. Kate Durham managed 61:24, while Zaf Alam was the 22nd Maidenhead runner to finish in 66:19.

November 19th - BB&O Cross Country

Maidenhead Athletic Club women had an excellent result at the Berks Buck and Oxon Cross Country Meeting on 19 November, winning the prize for third team. Ali Brownhill led the team, coming 8th in the race in 22:35. She also won the prize for third vet. Steph James was just behind in 22:50 and Claire Donald closely followed in 23:06. This was Claire's first race following her Berkshire win in the Abingdon marathon in October.

The senior men came 6th, with David Crossland leading the team in 30th position overall in 31:40. Mark Walker ran well coming 38th in 32:54. The team was supported with good runs by Gerry Killen 36:49, Dave Ross 37:37, David Ridley 37:57, Cavern Butler 38:14, Dave Waterman 42:13 and Simon Emsley 42:36.

December 3rd – Chiltern League Cross Country

In the 3rd Chiltern League Meeting at Luton on Saturday 3 December MAC fielded a large team. However they are fighting to remain in the first division, at the moment they sit at 13th out of 14 clubs. With only 2 more meetings the pressure is on. The women's team ended in 6th position overall with the veteran team in 4th position. Steph James had a good run ending in 14th position in 26:13. Ali Brownhill was next to score in 23rd position in 27:01. Louise Walker and Sue Mcwen came in well in 28:13 and 29:52. The vets team were well supported by Jackie Cadman in 33:22, only a month after running New York marathon, and Linda Vinton and Lesley Kernaghan.

The men's team came 12th in the race, but remain overall in 13th position. Laurence Miles had an excellent run, coming 41st in 35:22. Jon Kew ( 37:04) and Romano D'Aversa (38:59) followed. Miles Bennett (39:43) was also well up in the team in his first race of the season. Stuart Mannering is returning to form and completed in 40:00. with Greg Marsh close behind in 40:17. Other scorers were Billy Wilson, Paul Bradley Paul Mee and Gerry Killen. The team was well supported by Steve Humphries. Darrell Bressington, Cavan Butler, Pete Bark, Will Smith, Simon Emsley, Dave Waterman, John Smith and Alan Church.

The juniors had 4 runners who contributed to the overall team result. Leon Bark came 34th in the under 17s in 27:09. Joss Tinson ran well in the under 15s (16:08), and B Peppiatt in the under 13 boys in 12:21. In the under 15 girls E Franklin came 31st in 19:02.

December 4th – Grim Challenge

Six runners from Maidenhead A C tackled the Grim event at Aldershot last Sunday. Run on an assault course the event attracted upwards of 2,000 runners. These events used to be for the runners considered a little crazy, but have now become the norm. The Maidenhesd men, who named their team The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, came 4th, just missing out on a prize for third spot. Leading them home was Laurence Miles, who finished in a fantastic 8th place with a time of 55 mins 16 secs. Matt Sinnott wallowed in the conditions to finish 128th in 64:37 and Clyde McCrabbe 66:44 (174th). The course is used to test Army vehicles, so after a hill the runners descend into a water filled ravine. Then it's a puddly path leading to camouflage netting which the competitors have to crawl under. The more flexible girls may have been better suited to this. Naming their team the Pink Ladies, Stephanie James ran 67:45 to finish in 214th place as the girls finish as 6th ladies team. Louise Walker competed strongly as ever for 70:27 (338th) while Lucy Gilbert, much less experienced, ran 85:13 (1159th). Oh, and the rest of the course? Well, a few man made mounds to contend with, followed by some more nice big muddy puddles. Then a testing section which is very rocky underfoot, and then plenty more muddy water.

December 11th - Hogs Back

The Hogs Back near Guildford provides a tough test in this race, which has just managed to survive in recent years. The Maidenhead Ladies ran well to take second spot in the team event. Alison Brownhill continued her strong running with third spot in the veteran ladies category, with Claire Donald clocking an identical time of 53 mins 06 secs for fourth spot. Completing the ladies team was Louise Walker in 56:02. First home for MAC men was Laurence Miles, 11th in 45:30. Jon Kew recorded the next fastest time, 29th with 49:08. Stephanie James made it home in 59:57, Mark Walker clocked 61:23 and Dave Waterman 63:32. Not long after her New York Marathon effort Jackie Cadman ran 68:19. Completing the Maidenhead runners was Rosie Pompermaier in 92:12, proving that that uphill was tough!

January 8th - Woodcote 10K

There was a small turn-out from Maidenhead runners at the recent Woodcote 10k on a chilly morning in this small village. Mike Trees from Maidenhead was not bothered at all by the conditions as he followed up his victory at Cliveden with a comfortable win. His time of 34 mins 55secs kept him 30 seconds ahead of the second placed Craig Taylor. Clyde McCrabbe was next for MAC in 45:20, and Reiko Trees kept it in the family as first MAC lady in 46:10. Alison Attard was next in 56:31, while Pete Hitching clocked 57:10. Ken Ison, in his lone race of the year, ran a creditable 57:45, but son Stuart was a bit swifter in 48:38.

National 2005 rankings

As the National 2005 rankings came out there was good news for Claire Donald. Her marathon at Abingdon was good enough to place her second Nationally in her age group. Also, her half-marathon in the ‘Grunty Fen’ race in Cambridgeshire placed her 6th in the rankings over that distance.