Bournville Harriers continued to make club history over the weekend with both Men’s and Ladies teams taking part in the Midland 6 & 4 stage road relay.  There were a record four BvH Men’s teams in the 6 stage road relay, a new club record for the men’s first team by over 4 minutes and 24 seconds as well as a convincing victory over local rivals.  There were also a number of personal best performances on the day and ‘first-time’ outings for the BvH team from James Gittins and Chris Harlan-Marks to make it a memorable Club day out.

The weather at Sutton Park was ideal for racing.  The Autumnal sun together with light winds made you appreciate what a fantastic venue for running Sutton Park can be.  The Club was well supported by many family and friends who made the trip to cheer both the Men and Ladies throughout the day.

The Men’s race got underway with Dean, Jason, Ollie and James all setting off on the 5.847km leg with over 106 teams from across the region.  1^st home for the club was Dean in 32^nd place running 19:35 which is the 2^nd fastest leg ever by and BvH runner!  Dean has had the best running year of his life which has been achieved by solid and consistent training mileage.  Jason Plant was next home for the B team in 75^th place in a time of 22:16.  Jason joined BvH in the spring of this year and has been a real asset to the club.  He has shown great promise both on the track and the road.  His summer running plans were sidelined with the birth of his son just 8 weeks ago.  Oliver Hindle, also a recent father with the birth of a daughter just 2 weeks ago, found the 1^st leg hard work for the 3^rd team running a minute slower than he has previously.   James Gittins made his BvH relay debut finishing in 101^st place with a respectable 26:18 and we all hope it has given him the taste for team competition.

Rob Andrew clocked 19:58 on leg 2 and moved the 1^st team up to 26^th.  Rob has also had a great first year for the club and has added a new dimension to BvH on the track, including a Great Britain vest with Jon Grix.  Danny Wilson ran 22:57 for team 2 in 71^st position and Terry Doherty ran a new personal best for the course of 23:37 to move the 3^rd team into 88th.  Chris Harlan-Marks ran his first race for the BvH team and gained 1 place for team 4 with 26:10.

Jamie Johnston took a break from off-road and fell racing to run 20:32 for team 1 on leg 3.  Although disappointed with his performance on the day his strength and fitness will mean he will be the one to watch in the cross country season.  Nigel Abraham also ran his debut for the event with 23:35.  Paul Dugmore achieved a new PB for the event with 24:49 to move the 3^rd team up to 84^th and Ed Hartley, in the middle of moving house, took time out to run a great time of 24:02 for team 4.

Leg 4 showed solid performances by Steve James (20:50), Mark Hobbs (21:08) and Mike Scotney (24:20).  Mark, fresh from his PB half marathon was delighted with his run and will surely give him confidence as he prepares for the Munich marathon (and we hope the XC season).  Mike Scotney kept the 3^rd team moving up the field into 81^st.

Leg 5 saw Andy Crawford (21:07), Andy Wheeler (23:02) and Geoff Meadows (24:40).  Geoff has recently got married and will be determined to get back to full fitness for the winter.  Andy Wheeler was a late arrival due to traffic and had to swap places with Mark Hobbs to run leg 5 with very little warm up.  Andy Crawford ran a good, measured performance for the 1^st team to maintain 27^th place, proving he is back to full form.

Despite a recent appendix operation, Sean Rose ran the last leg and made it look easy in 20:30, sprinting up to the finish to beat Stroud & District on the line and record his fastest time ever for the event, finishing in 27^th place.  Sean has been building his mileage and fitness with the London Marathon in his sights in April.  Mike Berry, who has been recovering from 2 broken ribs, ran 22:47 to bring the 2^nd team home in 59^th place in 2:15:45 which is the 4^th fastest time ever recorded by any BvH team at this event!  Bob Hockenhull crossed the line in 26:09 for the 3^rd team to finish in 76^th place in 2:27:20.

BvH 1^st  team was 19^th ‘A’ team on the day and more importantly 24^th A/B team to finish to almost certainly book our place in the National 6 Stage being held on the 18^th October at the same venue.  The 1^st team also scored a convincing victory over local rivals, Rowheath AC by 1 minute and 37 seconds!

It is also worth considering the number of BvH athletes not able to take part.  This suggests we have massive potential within the club to continue to improve.

This event also provided us with some promising information on our potential team rivals for the Birmingham XC League Div2 this winter.   The results showed we actually beat all of the division 2 clubs, who took part!  There were several key rival clubs and individuals who did not compete at the relay  and we will be fully tested this winter to hold our own in the XC League.   

Mark Lynock really needs your support for the Men’s cross country team for the winter.  Please make sure you have the Birmingham League dates in your diaries.

Team results/times (including age-graded ranking thanks to Sean Rose)

Leg	Team 1	Time (Pos)	Age Graded Rank
1	Dean Parker	19:35 (32)	3
2	Rob Andrew	19:58 (26)	1
3	Jamie Johnston	20:32 (28)	8
4	Steve James	20:50 (27)	2
5	Andy Crawford	21:07 (27)	4
6	Sean Rose	20:30 (27)	5
		2:02:32 (27)
	Team 2
1	Jason Plant	22:16 (75)	14
2	Danny Wilson	22:57 (71)	9
3	Nigel Abraham	23:35 (72)	15
4	Mark Hobbs	21:08 (63)	10
5	Andy Wheeler	23:02 (60)	11
6	Mike Berry	22:47 (59)	13
		2:15:45 (59)
	Team 3
1	Oliver Hindle	24:05 (92)	16
2	Terry Doherty	23:37 (88)	7
3	Paul Dugmore	24:29 (84)	12
4	Mike Scotney	24:20 (81)	17
5	Geoff Meadows	24:40 (75)	19
6	Bob Hockenhull	26:09 (76)	18
		2:27:20 (76)
	Team 4
1	James Gittins	26:18 (101)	20
2	Chris Harlan-Marks	26:10 (100)	21
3	Ed Hartley	24:02 (90)	6

Full reults here

BvH Club rankings for the event here

Brian Smith's images here