Herne Hill Harriers’ athletes stormed to individual successes across England on a wet and windy weekend.The club’s star performer was Jonathan Ratcliffe who finished 3rd in the Portsmouth Coastal Marathon. The prolific marathoner completed the course in two hours, 53 minutes, 8 seconds.
Ratcliffe’s latest effort caps a remarkable year for the 45-year-old, with his time of 2.41.33 at the Frankfurt Marathon in October placing him 14th nationally in his V45 age category over the 26.2-mile distance.
Not content with a marathon, ultra-runner Robin Sanderson took on an even more arduous undertaking at the 38-mile Tour de Helvellyn in the Lake District. Sanderson completed the demanding circuit of England’s third highest mountain in 8.09.26 to finish 30th in a top-class field of fell and endurance runners. A little further south, Jonny Muir ran 29.50 for 5th place at the Rudolf’s Red Nose five-mile race in Blackpool.
Closer to home, Mohammed Ismail was 2nd in the Dulwich 5km parkrun in 16.23, while 18-year-old club mate Katie Snowden was first woman in 18.46. Across south London, Ben Hallifax ran a time of 20.20 to secure 8th in the Crystal Palace parkrun. Meanwhile, Simon Coombes ran a season’s best time of 16.22, winning the Poole parkrun by more than one minute.
Jonny Muir.