Race Date: November 14th, 2021
The penultimate race day of our 2021 Road Championship saw 20-odd Striders racing the Derby 10 Mile, with some spectacular results. For a proper account of the day, you’ll want to read the race report (pending), but please see below for an update on how the championship was affected, or The Spreadsheet for all the data.
With just one race weekend left, and three scores to count, you now need to have two scores on the board to be a contender, so the field of possible winners narrowed dramatically today. There are two race options on the final weekend: Doncaster 10k and Clowne Half Marathon. On November 28th, we’ll know who our 2021 Road Champions are.
Overall
Jim Rangeley’s reign at the top of the overall points table finally came to an end, with Sarah Percival deposing him. Sarah has three scores in the bag, but could still be overtaken by some of our big-hitters who have only raced twice so far. Richard Pearson and Kate Scott look best placed to do that, but Nick Booker, Jordan Moat, and Lucy Broom all have an outside chance too if they can score big on the final race weekend.
Points Table
| Pos | Name | Cat | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sarah Percival | F40-49 | 239.10 |
| 2 | Dot Kesterton | F60-69 | 217.18 |
| 3 | Stephen Slater | M40-49 | 202.34 |
| 4 | Neil Schofield | M50-59 | 191.54 |
| 8 | Richard Pearson | MSen | 165.65 |
| 10 | Kate Scott | F50-59 | 161.82 |
| 11 | Nick Booker | M50-59 | 158.67 |
| 12 | Jordan Moat | MSen | 158.24 |
| 13 | Lucy Broom | F40-49 | 156.94 |
Age-Graded Table
A magnificent performance from Dot Kesterton today (more on that to come elsewhere) has put her out of reach on the age-graded table. Dot’s 1:17:16 10 mile time scored her a 93.96% age-grade (remember, 90% up is considered a “world class” performance). For Dot to miss out now, someone like Nick Booker would have to annihilate the world record for his age group in his final race, in which case the Striders’ Road Champs would be the last thing on his mind. Well done Dot; utterly inspirational today, even more so than usual.
| Pos | Name | Cat | Age-Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dot Kesterton | F65 | 279.22 |
| 2 | Sarah Percival | F40 | 195.83 |
| 3 | John Walker | M55 | 179.70 |
| 4 | Neil Schofield | M50 | 177.26 |
| 5 | Stephen Slater | M40 | 175.15 |
Age Categories
Senior Men
There was plenty of action near the top of the Senior Men’s category, with Richard Pearson the fastest Strider in 57:49, Seth Kirby up there too in 1:02:59, and several others running good times. Jim Rangeley holds onto first place having run an extra race, but his lead looks unlikely to survive a final day showdown between Richard, Jordan Moat, and Seth.
| Pos | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jim Rangeley | 183.04 |
| 2 | Richard Pearson | 165.65 |
| 3 | Jordan Moat | 158.24 |
| 4 | Seth Kirby | 156.18 |
Senior Women
With three Senior Women on two races, this category will come down to who gets the races in. Harriet Davies is still in pole position, with Laura Rangeley and Maggie Vickers the other possible champions.
| Pos | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harriet Davies | 156.82 |
| 2 | Laura Rangeley | 130.85 |
| 3 | Maggie Vickers | 108.39 |
M40-49
Stephen Slater is in the M40 hot seat, but Tim Holt (who has sometimes been known to refer to himself in the third person, as here) could still overtake him with a decent run in Doncaster.
| Pos | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen Slater | 202.34 |
| 2 | Kevin Wong | 164.61 |
| 3 | Tim Holt | 147.31 |
| 4 | Robin Nelson | 130.25 |
| 5 | Matt Rimmer | 129.46 |
F40-49
On the F40 table, Sarah Percival looks very difficult to catch, with only Lucy Broom realistically able to challenge. Lucy ran an incredible 1:09:41 today, taking 11 seconds off Mary Picksley’s W45 club record, which has stood since 1999. Lucy will still need over 82 points from her final race, though, a big ask but not impossible, otherwise the title will be Sarah’s.
| Pos | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sarah Percival | 239.10 |
| 2 | Rachel Rea | 177.16 |
| 3 | Lucy Broom | 156.94 |
M50-59
Club captain Neil Schofield seized the M50 lead today, despite one of his scoring runs being a relaxing jog on pacing duty at the Sheffield Half. But with Nick Booker pinning his number to his vest and laying out his kit for Clowne, Neil may find himself knocked off top spot on the final day.
| Pos | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neil Schofield | 191.54 |
| 2 | John Walker | 165.78 |
| 3 | Nick Booker | 158.67 |
F50-59
Kate Scott is our only contender in the F50 category to have raced twice, but does still need to get another race in.
| Pos | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kate Scott | 161.82 |
M60-69
David Bownes edged into the M60 lead today in Derby, posting his third score of the competition. It’s now down to whether Paul Bentley, Richard Pegg, or Ian Blackburn put in a performance to pass him just as the series comes to a close.
| Pos | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Bownes | 133.81 |
| 2 | Paul Bentley | 133.18 |
| 3 | Richard Pegg | 119.40 |
| 4 | Ian Blackburn | 105.33 |
F60-69
Dot’s day out in Derby (see the age-graded section above) means she should be our winning F60. Stephanie Street and Carol Beattie also did good things, though, finishing as 3rd and 5th F65s in 1:24:01 and 1:31:34 respectively.
| Pos | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dot Kesterton | 217.18 |
| 2 | Stephanie Street | 138.73 |
| 3 | Carol Beattie | 128.03 |
| 4 | Jo Gleig | 110.73 |
M70+ & W70+
In this year’s short season crammed with races, it looks like our 70+ runners haven’t managed to get the races in; hopefully next year we’ll be able to give them a bit more time to sort out their calendars.
The Championship concludes on November 28th, with the option of either the Doncaster 10k or the Clowne Half Marathon. News on the 2022 Road Championship will be coming soon.