Club best for Matt Gunby in Great North Run

Matt Gunby today set a new club best for the half-marathon distance in the Great North Run. He ran a time of 65.04, which knocks 10 seconds off Dave Wardle's 65.14 set at Bath in 2010. It was good enough to put Matt 12th overall out of some 55,000 and make Matt 3rd British man, behind Mo Farah (60.10) and Liverpool Harriers' international track athlete Jonny Mellor (64.58). It follows a quick 10 miler which Matt won in Ireland, the Frank Duffy 10, in 49.29, on 24th August. Matt said he was "pleased" with his run. Matt is now 9th on the UK half-marathon ranking and 2nd on the 10 mile ranking.

Sara Bird also ran very well, clocking 77.23, which puts her amongst the top 25 in the UK this year. She finished 15th woman overall, and 5th British woman. Sara ran 2hrs46mins in the London Marathon in April.

In the Bristol Half Marathon, also a very large race, Lauren Stewart was 10th woman in 79.04, a time which ranks her in the top 50 in the UK.

In Birmingham, Bernadine Pritchett excelled in the British Masters track championships, winning gold in the W45 category in both the 1500m (4mins 54.93secs) and 5000m (18mins 59.05secs), and silver in the 800m (2mins 28.38secs).

Life member Tony Pamphilon won a bronze medal in the M55 5000m, running 17.22. The race was run in wet, cool and windy conditions and the M55 athletes were only given 20 minutes notice of a change of start time, so few warmed up properly. Tony arrived at the bell locked with Chelmsford's masters CC international Mike Bridgeland, who he had beaten 2 years ago in the Essex Vets CC, and he managed to do so again with his renowned strong last lap. Tony will be hoping to be selected for England in the November Home Countries International CC in Cardiff.

In addition, some belated news of last Sunday's (8th September) Greenwich Half Marathon ('Run to the Beat') where HCA member Ryan McKinlay was first home, winning in 72.12 and Lorcan Murphy gave further indication that he is developing a taste for longer events with a creditable 8th (77.24).  Former member Amelia Holford , running her second half-marathon was 3316th (1:55.27) of the 12,399 finishers.