The British Masters Road relays returned to Mallory Park racing circuit in Leicestershire on May 25th.  Striders sent three teams down to compete this year in the F55, F65 and M55 age categories.

 

 

Mallory Park is an excellent venue for this event – a fast 3 mile course, rousing music (not to everyone’s taste apparently, but I loved it) and very spectator friendly. After a pancake flat first mile the course heads up a surprising steep hill (twice) before a thrilling dash down the pit lane just before the finish.  Appropriately for a motor racing circuit there were multiple switchback turns throughout the course.

The Striders women showed their tremendous strength with both the F55’s and F65’s finishing in 4th place.  Mandy Taylor brought the M55’s home in a fine fifth position on leg one.  Karen Clark then moved the team into fourth on leg two, and Kate Scott maintained that position to the end, clocking the fastest Striders time.  All the team are officially in the F60 category now so were mainly racing against younger opponents.

The F65’s were the closest of the Striders teams to the medals, finishing just 90 seconds behind 3rd place.  Carol Beattie put the team into fourth on leg one, a position maintained by Nicole Nield on leg two.  A fine effort from Louise Rowley saw her gain ground on Datchet Dashers in third but ultimately it proved too big a gap to cross.  Louise ran the fifth fastest time of the day in this age category.

The M55’s had a similar issue to the women as we are definitely now moving towards the top end of the 55-64 age group.  Mark Baines again joined Jed Turner and myself following our Rother Valley relays victory.  Jed finished 15th on leg one, a position maintained by Mark on leg two, and I moved up two places on the final leg to13th.

It would be great to get a few more teams out next year particularly in the younger age groups – 35 and upwards.  There is also talk of an ultra event being included at next years event.  Teams had travelled from Scotland, Wales, Kent and Devon to compete –  for us it is a quick hour jaunt down the motorway.

Striders results