FROME club runner Graham Farley (MV50) made his way to the coast on Saturday 28th October, for one the biggest off-road marathons in the UK, the Beachy Head Marathon. He completed the challenging route in 06:29:37.
The following day, Frome fielded a much larger contingent for the 10K Calne Clock Challenge, testing athletes timekeeping skills on the day the clocks went back. This was also the last fixture in the Wiltshire Road Race League and so there were plenty of points up for grabs.
Joseph Donworth (MSEN) finished first for Frome in 00:35:03, earning himself third position in category and third position overall. Katherine Uphill (FSEN) posted a time of 00:41:13, making her the first woman to finish overall. Her success throughout the season also meant that Katherine was the top scoring female in the league with a total of 800 points.
Andrew Smallbone (MV50) finished next in 00:41:50, followed by Peter Reed (MV40) in 00:44:56, Shane Ford (MSEN) in 00:45:14, Zoe Daly (FSEN) in 00:48:06, Sarah Smallbone (FV40) in 00:50:14, Sally Brooker (FV40) in 00:56:23 and Anne Porter (FV50) in 00:57:31. Over in Dorset, two more Frome stalwarts lined up for the Stickler, a 10-mile, off-road race with over 1500 feet of ascent. Ian Holmes (MV40) crossed the line in 01:29:50, followed by Martin Taylor (MV60) in 01:34:38. On the same day, Ted Sprules (MV60) took to the highways and by-ways of Shepton Mallet for the Shepton 10K. His time of 00:42:43 earned him first position in category.
November certainly started with a bang for Frome runners, with the club fielding a large contingent for Over the Hills, a 12K multi-terrain race around the Avon Valley near Bradford On Avon.
Martin Taylor (MV60) was on top form again, leading the Frome pack with a time of 01:03:23. He was followed by Victoria Penman (FV40) in 01:07:51, Michelle Caines (FV40) in 01:13:04, Lynn Brand (FV55) in 01:14:27 and Becky Horsfall (FSEN) in 01:14:57. Catharine Dowling (FSEN) posted a time of 01:22:14, followed by Sara Elliott (FV55) in 01:22:14, Becky Webb (FSEN) in 01:24:49, Laura Francis (FV40) in 01:26:26, Peter Lee (MV70) in 01:28:34, Felicity Young (FV50) in 01:28:42 and Clare Dunning (FSEN) in 01:33:00.
Frome Running Club offers both on and off-road training and welcomes new members, whatever the ability. For more details, visit www.fromerunning club.co.uk.
