Trio of home successes for Kenilworth Runners at their Festival of Running

The Kenilworth Runners-hosted Festival of Running on Bank Holiday Monday saw more than 500 runners take on a testing, hilly cross-country course around Abbey Fields.
Clare Hinton, Laura Pettifer and Saffia Del Torre show of their awards from the Kenilworth Festival of Running. Picture submittedClare Hinton, Laura Pettifer and Saffia Del Torre show of their awards from the Kenilworth Festival of Running. Picture submitted
Clare Hinton, Laura Pettifer and Saffia Del Torre show of their awards from the Kenilworth Festival of Running. Picture submitted

The day’s events included a 10k and 10k relay (3 legs), a one-mile family fun run and a one-mile Schools Challenge for years 5 and 6.

The 10k was run over three laps, with Kenilworth Runners’ Connor Carson pulling clear of Steve Hanly (Mercia Fell Club) on the second lap to win the race in 37min 35sec.

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Hanly was 27 seconds back in second, with host club runners Vassilis Andreoulakis and Stanley Doxey third and fourth in 40:14 and 40:52, respectively.

In the ladies’ race it was a home win for Laura Pettifer who recorded her first-ever race victory in a time of 46:32.

Pettifer also did the damage on the second lap, pulling away from Saffia Del Torre (unaffiliated) and Clare Hinton of Spa Striders.

Del Torre was second in 48:13, with Hinton 11 seconds further back in third.

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In the relay race, the Kenilworth Runners youth trio of Oliver Flippance, Oliver Lunn and Felix Lunn were first home in 40:46, six seconds ahead of the Chahal trio of Daniel, Kieran and Angela.

Crackley Hall were triumphant for the third year running in the Schools Challenge.

Selected others (Kenilworth Runners unless stated): 5, Jason Hill (41:07); 13, Colin Bailey (45:48); 20, Barry Elkington (47:55); 30, Andrew Marsh (49:23); 34, Stuart Lee (Spa Striders, 49:45); 40, Shanika Samarasekera (50:29); 46, Spina Ranieiri (Spa Striders, 51:13); 47, Rachel Miller (51:15); 55, Tom Williams (53:19); 57, Ryan Baker (54:12); 66, Rupe Chahal (Leamington C&AC, 56:55); 68, Suzi Graham (Spa Striders, 57:10).

Kenilworth Runners’ Sally Hicks finished the 53 miles of the West Highland Way Ultra “Highland Fling Race” in Scotland in a time of 12:34:33.

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The annual race is a multi-terrain ultra along the West Highland Way from Milngavie ending at Tyndrum, run almost entirely off road, with some varied terrain and stunning scenery.

Kenilworth Runners’ Darren Pettifer finished 138th in the Birmingham Great 10k in 43:22, his best time for a few years.

Pettifer was followed home by clubmates Clive Pearce (228th in 43:41) and Jon Radley (844th in 49:11) who was hampered by having to pass slower runners.