Junior GP6 Summary Mar 2011

Junior Grand Prix 24th March 2011

Summary of race and series

The final race of the series was held in far better weather conditions than some of the previous races and as a result there were many runners achieving personal best times.

The race itself was won by newcomer Emily Gray who, at just 11 years of age, returned a remarkable winning net time of 8 mins 53 secs. Emily held off 2 fast finishing 14-year-old boys, Michael Hepple and newcomer Peter Elliott. Michael was rewarded with a personal best time and has shown what he is capable of.

The race however belonged to only one runner: Brad Monroe. 16-year-old Brad, an unassuming, consistent and popular member of the group, ran his heart out to decimate his previous personal best time. In turn he equalled the fastest time of the night and triumphed in the overall series.

Equalling the fastest time of the night was 15-year-old Alex Haigh, who also ran a personal best time. Second fastest boy of the evening was 15-year-old Daniel Taylor, also with a PB, and a sparkling run by 13-year-old Andrew Mather not only gave him a PB but also placed him in 3^rd fastest position out of the boys.

Second fastest girl was 14-year-old Sarah Pearce and 3^rd fastest girl was 15-year-old Vicki Tanner, who has been battling to get back to her usual form despite on-going injury.

Other runners returning personal bests on the night and rightly deserving of a mention were: Kirsty Jones, Holly Dawson, Joe Donkin, Lucas Sutherland, Matthew Morley and Ella Pike. Well done to all of those runners.

The series itself could have gone either way, with Brad and 9-year-old Lucas Sutherland both in with a chance of winning the overall title. Brad did triumph on the night amassing 48 points from the 5 races with Lucas finishing second on 62 points. Another popular member of the group, 14-year-old Kirsty Jones, quietly got on with the task of securing 3^rd place in the series with a well earned 6^th position on the night giving her a total of 66 points as well as a personal best time.

The Grand Prix records, held by Anthony and Gemma Wallett, remain intact after this series, although Alex Haigh did come within 11 seconds of Gemma’s best. Final results are as below and awards will go to the top 3 in the series as well as three fastest boys and girls of the series.

Many thanks however must go to Ian Woodward and Bernard Johnson for their help in timing, a task made much harder by the excellent handicapping. Thanks so much to Jane Gerono for organising the races and taking over the handicapping in my absence, and to Vikki, Vikki, Dean, Harry, Steve, Kath, George and several other parents and runners who helped with the smooth running of the series. Sorry if I’ve missed your name! Any helpful suggestions for improving the series next year would be most welcome: and comments please to Paula, Jane, Vikki Stephenson, Ian or George, or just leave a message pinned to the junior’s notice board. Let’s hope that the series will continue to flourish and increase the enjoyment for the junior middle-distance section of the club.

Fastest Times on the night:

Boys: Girls:

1^st: Brad Monroe 7 mins 22 secs 1^st: Alex Haigh 7 mins 22 secs

2^nd: Daniel Taylor 7 mins 28 secs 2^nd: Sarah Pearce 7 mins 48 secs

3^rd: Andrew Mather 7 mins 34secs 3^rd: Vicki Tanner 8 mins 18 secs

Series Results:

1^st: Brad Monroe 48 points

2^nd: Lucas Sutherland 62 points

3^rd: Kirsty Jones 66 points

Fastest times of series:

Boys: Girls:

1^st: Adam Mann 7 mins 09 secs 1^st: Alex Haigh 7 mins 22 secs

2^nd: Brad Monroe 7 mins 22 secs 2^nd: Sarah Pearce 7 mins 43 secs

3^rd Daniel Taylor 7 mins 28 secs 3^rd: Vicki Tanner 8 mins 00secs

Course Records:

Boy: Anthony Wallett (U15): 06:35 (25/03/10)

Girl: Gemma Wallett (U17): 07:11 (25/03/10)

Well done to all runners. Keep training and it could be your name up there next year.

Paula Adamson

North Shields Polytechnic Club