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Folksworth 15: Super Scott blows the course record away
Action from the Folksworth 15 Road Race on Sunday. Photo: Alan Storer/Peterborough ET (METP-22-01-12AS045)
STAMFORD speedster Aaron Scott battered the course record in Sunday’s Folksworth 15 just a day after taking a battering of his own.
The England international took 50 seconds off the course record after abandoning plans to use the race as a training run.
Neil Renault was certainly motoring when he won in 1.19.57 six years ago but his record was demolished as Scott left the winners of the past three years - ex-Great Eastern Run victor Neil Addison (the 2009 victor), England veteran international John Herbert (2010) and Welsh marathon champion Paul Halford (2011) trailing in his wake.
Scott had talked of trying to pace either the male or female Cambs Road League champions Michael Moore and Philippa Taylor, who are both training partners, rather than going flat out and given the strong winds he could have been forgiven for doing so. But after being battered by the wind during a speed session the previous day, Scott decided to take his frustrations out on the course record.
He said: “I didn’t manage to do my intended session at Burghley on Saturday because of the wind. I had to stop in mid-session because the wind was unbelievable so I wanted to do something decent on Sunday.
“The wind was very tough for the first three miles of each lap but it was going the right sort of way for the rest. I’d intended taking it easy because I’m aiming for the top five at the Midland Cross-Country Championships this Saturday but I couldn’t resist having a go at the record.”
Scott returned to the UK from university in America little more than a year ago and is certainly making a big impact on the local running scene, both in terms of raising the bar others have to reach to beat him in races but also proving an excellent training partner for the next five runners who followed him home on Sunday as well as female winner Taylor.
Addison, despite the wind, ran 43 seconds quicker than when he won three years ago while Herbert was just 39 seconds slower than his 2010 winning time - and he went on add to 24 more wins that year.
Both missed most of 2011 - Addison because of a foot injury and Herbert due to a combination of injury niggles, work commitments and a lack of motivation - but they have quickly found their form again and if they can avoid injuries in 2012 they should both enjoy excellent years.
Scott, Herbert and Moore - who ran more than six minutes quicker than last year, when he went on to enjoy an excellent campaign - helped Nene Valley to the team prize.
However, Scott is only a second-claim member of Nene Valley and with this being an open race he should really have entered as a member of first-claim club Notts Athletic Club. With Paul Lunn in 12th though Nene Valley would still have won.
Last year’s winner Halford and improving Stamford Strider Simon Fell, who also train with Scott, completed the top six.
Taylor led Nene Valley to the women’s team prize with runner-up Ruth Jones and Tanya Taylor (no relation to the victor) giving support.
The winner, like Jones, has a AAA championship entry for the London Marathon, and was delighted to repeat her victory of last year although the wind ruled out a fast time.
She said: “It was unbelievably windy so I just set out to have a good run without killing myself. I was a bit disappointed to be two minutes slower than last year but I still had a good work-out.
“I always enjoy the Folksworth 15. It’s a good course, has a very friendly atmosphere and is well organised. Despite the wind I enjoyed the race and it was nice to win it again.
“I’ve upped my mileage from last year and have already done two 70-mile training weeks and one of 80 so my training for London is going better than last year.”
n HUNTS Athletic Club’s Dave Connell took his tally of victories in the Cambridge ParkRun 5k into double figures when winning by five seconds on Saturday.
Connell won nine out of his 21 attempts in 2010 and chalked up win number 10 in his first outing in the weekly race this year.
Local results - 1 Dave Connell (Hunts, MV35) 17.03; 28 Geoff Brewster (Hunts, MV50) 20.24; 54 Andy Matson (BRJS, MV45) 21.52; 83 Phil Pearsons (BRJ, MV50) 23.09; 117 Roger Holliday (BRJ, MV45) 24.32; 142 Karen Cameron (Hunts, LV45) 25.38; 170 Deborah Rostant (BRJ, LV45) 27.00; 179 Frank Holmes (BRJ, MV40) 27.09; 195 Sarah Hall (BRJ, SL) 28.18; 196 Karl Taylor (BRJ, MV35) 28.19; 200 Wayne Dubose (Hunts, MV55) 28.32; 231 Esther Cotton (BRJ, LV65) 31.18; 293 Cameron Smith (BRJ, U15) 35.01; 294 Tony Goldsmith (BRJ, MV40) 35.01; 297 Linda Crook (BRJ, LV40) 35.32; 306 Lynn O’Callaghan (BRJ, LV55) 37.36; 313 Amie Smith (BRJ, U15B) 39.53; 314 Suzie Hall (BRJ, SL) 40.02.
n WERRINGTON’S Chris Dunn ran the fastest leg of the Sunderland Strollers team who finished 20th in the Durham Cathedral Cross-Country Relays, completing the opening stage in 9.53.
n BRJ’s Tony Cotton finished 34th in the five-mile Enfield Walking League, clocking 56.11.
n MARCH athlete Melissa Neal ran well to finish third female and first veteran at the Brass Monkey Half-marathon at York.
Neal clocked 84.20 to finish 89th overall, saying: “I was really pleased with my time as it was one of the worst conditions I’ve ever run in.”
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Weather for Peterborough
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
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