Marc Scott on Hill & Country

Marc Scott

Richmond and Zetland Harriers junior member, Marc Scott, has been busy over the Easter period, taking part in off-road races and achieving some fantastic results on his travels. On Tuesday 10th April he made the journey over to Haworth, near Keighley to compete in the aptly named “Bunny Run” which was the second in a series of four races. The course is classed as a fell run, with quite a sharp ascent of 300 feet and takes in a 3-mile circuit of Pennistone Hill en-route. Marc finished 36th overall from a field of 199 runners and took the prize for the first Under 14 Boy in a brilliant time of 18.09. Four days later he was in action again, this time at the Meanwood Valley Trail Race, near Leeds, which is organised by Valley Striders. This is a 2-mile race over trails and footpaths, where Marc took full honours and won the 11-16 year olds race outright from 45 other competitors, being first across the line in a fabulous time of 10.44, over 9 seconds ahead of his closest rival and claiming another well-deserved first prize in his age group.

London Marathon line-up 2007

The long-awaited London Marathon also takes place this Sunday, the 22nd April and five Harriers will be on the start line in Greenwich Park, following several months of high-mileage training. They are now nearing the end of their final taper week, allowing them to recover from the rigours of training before running the full 26.2 miles across central London. Front runners for the club this year come in the form of Jon Orange and Shaun Purkiss, who will both be at the sharp end once again and aiming to run as close to 2.30 and 2.45 as is possible on the day. Jon will take his place at blue start, as part of the men’s elite AAA Championship race. Shaun has been running extremely well in training and hopes to go better than last year’s time, in this, his 9th marathon.

Tony Hewson will be the last Harrier to arrive in London on Saturday, due to commitments at his Middleham Hotel, but will then firmly concentrate on his target of 3.20 on Sunday, after some solid training over the winter months. Sarah Gregory will be flying the flag for the ladies this year and has managed to escape with only one week of injury. As a result, she is feeling stronger this year going into the marathon, having more mileage and speed work under her belt. She would be ecstatic to run a sub 3.30 time, but should that prove just beyond her capabilities this year, then she will go all out to nail it for definite next year. Ian Hepworth has also accrued some solid training this year, adding in some long off-road runs to appease his knees during the high mileage weeks. He may well make a welcome return as Fred Flintstone, entertaining the crowds on his way around the 26-mile course and is aiming to beat last year’s time of 3.55.

Darren Cox has unfortunately had to withdraw at the eleventh hour due to an ankle injury. After weeks of training, he twisted his ankle twice in quick succession and as a result, has decided to defer his entry until next year, when he feels he can really do himself justice, following a proper recovery. Wishing all runners, serious and not so serious, an enjoyable race in London on Sunday.