Barking Road Runners defy wintry weekend weather to impress at latest challenges

PUBLISHED: 12:00 12 December 2017

Barking Road Runners' Charlotte Marie and Steph Smartie at the Olympic Park Run Through 10k

Archant

Barking Road Runners' Vicki and Chris Groves after training in Hainault Forest

Three hardy members took on the Olympic Park Christmas Run Through event at Stratford, despite particularly adverse conditions on Sunday.

And Charlotte Marie and Steph Smartie took on the 10k distance, while Trevor Parkin covered the 5k route in a time of 49 minutes 23 seconds.

Other members managed to get out for some training, despite the snow, and some ran in Hainault Forest, while others took on a free run in Barking Park.

Andrew Gwilliam took the chance to compete in the Ware Cup in Loughton, which is not on the club’s main calendar, and was completed the three-lap, five-mile, off-road course in 49.20.

Barking Road Runners' Vicky Cooper at the Mosman parkrun in Australia

Diarmuid Mac Donnell was also in action, for second-claim club Ilford, and romped around the flat course to cross the finish line in an impressive 33.35.

Philip Ellul was first member to finish at the latest Barking parkrun in 18.40, with Trevor Cooper (23.43), Andrew Hiller (24.10), Wayne McAllister (24.26) and Barry Culling (24.52) coming home in quick succession.

Cristina Cooper clocked 26.20 and was followed home by Alain Cooper (28.16), Alison Fryatt (29.27), Sally Bridge (30.58), Lisa Maughan (40.47) and Alan Murphy (47.46).

A group of six Barking club members took on the Valentines parkrun, led by Paul Withyman (20.45) and Antony Leckerman (21.55).

Tom Barton (25.50), Vicki Groves (28.19), Gillian Barton (34.40) and Chris Groves (52.04) completed their line-up.

Rory Burr clocked 22.25 at Harrow Lodge, while Clare Forman finished Brentwood in 25.49 and Andrew Gwilliam ran Roding Valley in 29.45.

Kresh Veerasamy (30.24) and Ray Taylor (37.13) took on the Greenwich and Raphael parkruns, while Vicky Cooper was in action some 12,000 miles away in Australia!

Tourist Cooper completed the Mosman parkrun in a fine time of 21.56, which was good enough to see her finish as the second female on the day.

Most other members have been winding down their schedules in the lead-up to Christmas, with the club holding their annual festive jumper party at the Brewers Fayre in Dagenham – where the tradition of singing carols bemused other diners!