Hosting a Mid Week Road Race 2019
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Harpenden Arrows hosts its first major race
Arrows in the news again! Another great story in the Herts Ad this week celebrating our first race!
Harpenden Arrows Running Club hosted the first major race event in its 10-year history this week, marking a big step forward in the club’s development.
A total of 440 runners from 14 clubs across Hertfordshire gathered at Harpenden Rugby Club for the opening round for Divisions 2 & 3 in the 2019 Scott’s Travel Midweek Road Race League series.
Starting and finishing at the Rugby Club, the largely rural 10km course skirted Harpenden Golf Club and went through West Common before going down Beesonend Lane, and then along and back up to the finish via Hammondsend Wood.
Over 80 Harpenden Arrows members were involved in supporting the event in roles ranging from organising and signposting the route, managing car parking, marshalling the event, and catering for all the runners afterwards.
There were also 26 Arrows runners, including Hannah Turner, Laura Hicks and Karen Wilkins who were the first three women finishers in the Division 3 league in times of 40:43, 42:35 and 44:02 respectively. This helped Arrows to win and take an early lead in the series in both the Women’s overall and veterans categories.
Arrows men were led home by Giles Horridge, who was fourth in the Division 3 league in a time of 36:33, and helped the men to be runners-up overall and win in the veterans category.
The overall race winner was Michael Waddington from Ware Joggers in a time of 33:33, which helped his team to win in the Division 3 men’s overall category.
Race Director and Harpenden Arrows Men’s Captain Simon Speirs said “I am immensely proud and humbled by the support of so many club members and friends of the club in making the race a huge success, especially from Stewart and Emma at Hammonds End Farm and from Harpenden Rugby Club. We’ve had some great feedback, and it is great experience for us for the future.”
The remaining races in the 2019 Scott’s Travel Midweek Road Race League series take place in Harlow (5 June), Watford (12 June), in Hitchin (26 June), and finishing with a presentation evening race in Welwyn (11 July).
Harpenden Arrows meets every Tuesday and Thursday at 7:30pm in the Sports Hall at St George’s School on Sun Lane.