Alexander in scorching form as he swaps snow for sand

Avoiding the freezing weather of the UK, Kenilworth Runners' Stan Alexander went to Spain to take part in the inaugural Benidorm Half Marathon last Saturday.
Kenilworth Runners' Richard Zanetti and Anne Thomas at the Big Half.Kenilworth Runners' Richard Zanetti and Anne Thomas at the Big Half.
Kenilworth Runners' Richard Zanetti and Anne Thomas at the Big Half.

Alexander had an excellent run, finishing first V65 and 173rd overall out of 1,100 entrants in a time of 1hr 35min 5sec.

Conditions on the day were a relatively cool 13 degrees and wet, making it ideal for running along the seafront and old town of Benidorm.

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Three Kenilworth runners and one Spa Strider left the snowbound Midlands for sunny London to take part in the Vitality Big Half which incorporated the British Championships.

The route started at Tower Bridge, headed out to do a loop around Canary Wharf and back over Tower Bridge, finishing at Cutty Sark.

Striders’ Adam Notley was targeting a sub 1:20 on the back of his recent marathon training and smashed it with a new PB of 1:19:18.

Ros Brooks was pleased to be back in the green of Kenilworth, clocking 1:53:19, while Anne Thomas, running with Richard Zanetti smashed her personal best by almost 20 minutes to finish in 2:17:04.

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Zanetti was a further second back on his comeback from injury.

The race was won by Mo Farah in 61:40.

The final race of the 2017/18 Gloucester Cross-Country League at Wootton under Edge was cancelled due to the weather conditions.

Therefore the final positions for the league were calculated on the previous three events.

Leamington C&AC’s Jenny Jeeves gained a silver medal in the FV50 category and had further cause for celebration when she was called up to run for Warwickshire at the weekend’s Inter-Counties in Loughborough.

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Fellow Leamington runner Steve Howes was also celebrating a second place in the MV55 category, with Kenilworth Runners’ Roger Homes finishing third and Steve Roberts (Leamington C&AC) sixth.

Kenilworth Runners’ Stef Shillington was second MV70 for the series, while clubmates Wayne Briggs and Tom Dable were fourth MV40 and sixth MV65, respectively.

In the youth races, Kenilworth Runners’ Jacob Watson finished seventh under-15.

Spa Striders’ Anne Hurrell and Dave Lithgow took on the Cambridge Half Marathon where Hurrell achieved her sub 1:40 attempt with ease, recording 1:38:12 and a three-minute PB.

Lithgow, fighting off a chest infection, ran a strong 1:52:25 as part of his Manchester Marathon preparation.