SEVERAL quartets from Stratford Athletic Club came together for the annual Tempo Run for Beer Relay on the recreation ground opposite the RSC Theatre.
More than 100 teams took part in this relay race in which teams of four each run individual legs of two miles. Every runner receives a bottle of beer – or a soft drink – on completing their two-mile leg.
While a handful of running club teams battle it out at the front, there are prizes for best fancy dress team, fastest pub team, veteran team, super veterans team and several others.
The winning team was Chariots of Fire who completed the eight miles in a time of 43:25, at an average of 5:25 per mile. Clearly they were taking it seriously as Ben Taylor of Judas AC ran the quickest leg in 10:06.
SAC’s top squad was Three Men and a Girl, comprising four of the club’’ best juniors – Georgie Campbell, Cameron Black, Josh Dobedoe and Fin Hutchinson – with a total combined age of just 60 years.
They completed the race in 48:52 – a fraction outside six-minute-mile pace – and won the junior team award as they placed tenth overall.
Two-and-a-half minutes behind them in 15th place with a time of 51:15 were The Smokey Sausages consisting of club members Matt Simms, Pete Sugden, Emily Adams and Seth Turner.
Also worthy of mention was a team consisting of eight-year-old Toby Spriggs, running with his mother Hannah, together with brother and sister Caleb and Maisie Joy. They finished in 40th place with a time of 56:52.
At the other end of the age spectrum to Three Men and a Girl were club members Kate Sergent, Ruth Calderbank, Phil Brennan and David Jones with a combined age of 280 years. They finished the race in a pretty respectable time of 63:09 at just under eight-minute-mile pace.
There are two similar upcoming races – the Run For Gin Relay held in Cheltenham on June 21 and the Run For Cider Relay held in Worcester on July 19.
