Nice quiet weekend this weekend. Well done Peter Tucker and David Goodman for flying the GVH flag today.
Most people don’t get round to running a marathon in their entire lives, and most don’t run races virtually every weekend, but Gade Valley Harriers’ Peter Tucker and Dave Goodman aren’t most people. Tucker travelled just a few miles across the county on Sunday to take part in his 35th 26.2 mile race, while Goodman was in West London for his second 10km race in successive weekends, to continue his recent form of being in race action for the majority of weekends this year.
Tucker’s event was the self-navigated Fairland’s Valley Challenge which gave runners a host of different race distances and the chance to prove themselves against the hills and terrain of Hertfordshire’s countryside, in an event the organisers claim is an individual challenge in a friendly non-competitive environment. After setting off from Stevenage’s biggest park – Fairland’s Valley Park – and heading through local villages, across fields, through woods and along the banks of the River Beane, the route then heads back into the town to end in the park.
A few navigation errors meant Tucker actually clocked 31 miles, which included five well-stocked check-points, giving runners an opportunity to refuel and rehydrate. He completed the course in 8:04:40.
Meanwhile, Goodman completed the Gunnersbury Park 10km – a four lap course on the tree-lined, uneven paths through Ealing’s park. He continued his fine form of recent months by finishing as first Male Vet 40+, and fifth overall, crossing the line in 39:53.
