STRATFORD AC enjoyed a stellar week which saw the club win multiple medals in a variety of events including international bronze in duathlon and five gold medals in track and field.
And the club also secured four top-10 finishes in a Warwickshire Road Race League event as well as a strong showing in a tough 10k race.
Stratford athlete Fern Hordern travelled to Transylvania, Romania to compete in the Standard Distance Duathlon, as part of the Multisport World Championships.
And after the first run of 10km, the 38km bike section included a leg burning hill endured five times before the final 5km run.
Hordern ran the final leg in 23 minutes and 2 seconds to record her second quickest time over the distance and secure third place in the 50 to 54 age category with an overall time of 2 hours 19 mins and 24 secs.
This was less than two minutes behind silver medallist Erica Ruge of the USA whilst fellow GB duathlete Karen Murphy took gold.
Closer to home, Paula Williams and Dave Wilson represented the club at the British Masters Athletics
Championships at Moorways Athletics track in Derby.
Williams won a staggering five gold medals whilst Wilson set a new M50 club record over 400m.
And Williams’ first gold came in the 80m hurdles as she ran a time of 13.98 secs before jumping 4.55m in the long jump to claim her second gold of the day.
Further gold medals followed in the shot put (11.93m), triple jump (9.10m) and javelin (33.94m) with the latter throw some nine metres further than second place.
Williams also took silver in the 100m with a season’s best time of 13.62 secs to claim her 13th medal in just eight days having won seven gold’s in Nuneaton last week.
And Wilson’s 400m time of 60.04 secs smashed his previous personal best (60.98 secs) set the previous week in Nuneaton.
He also performed well in the 200m as he achieved his third fastest time of the year despite a tough finishing straight into a strong headwind.
Stratford also impressed in the third Warwickshire Road Race League fixture of the season – the Sphinx Summer 5 hosted by Sphinx Athletic Club at Coventry War Memorial Park.
Some 25 Stratford vests lined up at the start and by the finish the men’s team had secured first place to add valuable points to their position in the league.
Stratford’s Ben Kruze won the race in a time of 25 mins 27 secs, taking almost one minute off the fastest
known time for the five-mile course set back in 2019.
Stratford secured three more top-10 finishes with Matt Burdus-Cook fourth in 27 mins 22 secs, Richard Liggatt seventh in 27 mins 52 secs and Jamie Hall 10th in 28 mins 17 secs which included a new 5k personal best.
Completing the Stratford contingent and placing in the top-100 were: Adam Evans (16th 29.20), Adrian Mason (25th 30.02), Tim Hutchinson (28th 30.19), Adam Linforth (31st 30.39), Richard Dobedoe (35th 31.00), Max Ross (37th 31.18), Joe Lee (42nd 31.38), Drew Sambridge (44th 31.51), Huw Crossweller (49th 32.13) and Fin Hutchinson (53rd 32.34).
Other Stratford athletes to finish outside of the top-100 were: Stuart Griffiths (125th 35.36), Graham Hill (128th 35.48), Clare Goodwin (191st 38.34), Pete Wharton (196th 38.47), Susan Hunt (205th 39.16), Stuart Evans (218th 39.49), Sarah Odell (234th 40.39), David Maundrell (273rd 43.36), Jan McLure (305th 45.30), Kate Sergent (313th 46.38) and John Butler (355th 54.53).
And Stratford members also took on the challenging Tysoe Windmill 10k course – a picturesque but tough race that peaks at the landmark windmill before steeply descending to the village.
Huw Crossweller was the first Stratford runner over the line as he took 2 mins 30 secs off his previous best to record a time of 43 mins 18 secs.
Next home for Stratford was Robin Langhorne in 15th place in a time of 48 mins 48 secs with Suzanne and Max Ross in 21st and 22nd place respectively in the same time of 51 mins 15 secs.
Fellow Stratford members who took part were: Lesley Kirk (57 mins 20 secs), Suzi Graham (59 mins 55 secs), Kate Sergent (1 hr 6 mins 41 secs) and Lindsey Anderson (1 hr 17 mins 54 secs).
