Athlete of the Month

The AotM is presented monthly to one male and one female athlete who has been nominated by their fellow club members and deemed to have performed exceptionally during the month in question and is deserving of recognition for their hard work & determination.

If you know any club member who you think deserves to be recognised for their training or racing, recommend them here.

February 2022

Steve Pursey

This runner always has a smile on his face and enters his fair share of races. In February he ran the Bristol Winter Warmer 10k getting a good time and second in his age category. The Bath 2 tunnels 10k followed swiftly afterwards! Athlete of the Month for February goes to Steve Pursey.

Sharon Coultart

This lady has had a brilliant month of running! She ran the Wiltshire 10 miler in not very nice conditions in 1:20:57 and has topped the Female age graded time trial leader board! She's consistently training, taking part in the time trials and is always a great support to other club members. Feb athlete of the month goes to Sharon Coultart!

January 2022

Bryan Stadden

This athlete is a great advert of the club and a strong runner. He has been entering races and competing well noticeably catching my attention over the last few months with the times he has posted. A quick look at social media highlights that it's not just running races that he partakes in and excels, he is also an active cyclist and swimmer but, we are after all Bitton Road Runners and should focus on his races... He achieved great results through January in the Slaughterford 9 as well as the Doynton Hard Half coming second in his age category for both. Congratulations to Bryan Stadden for achieving Mens Athlete of the Month for January.

Lynette Porter

Lynette has had a great January, coming 1st FV50 in both Slaughterford 9 and Doynton Hard Half as well as some cracking times last month too! She's always zooming around the roads of Keynsham and leading Intervals at club on Thursdays showing no signs of slowing down! Congrats Lynette!

December 2021

Dave Britton

This athlete has quietly got himself back in shape having injured himself some time ago. The change in his appearance has been as dramatic as his improvement in running. I had the pleasure of running with this athlete at the recent Christmas Cracker in Weston where his grit and determination shone through achieving a fantastic result and even having time to smile for the camera!! He is an integral part of the club, getting himself back into his coaching role, a true inspiration... It gives me great pleasure to award Men's Athlete of the Month to Dave Britton.

Helen Grist

This lady has been working exceptionally hard not just in December but this was an especially great month for her. She has set herself a challenge of running 70 different park runs before she turns 70 and in December she made it to Eastville Park, Bath Skyline and Chippenham on Christmas Day and came either 1st or 2nd in her age category at all of them!
She also raced the Christmas Cracker and ran it 10 minutes faster than she did in 2019 and knocked 2 minutes off her 10K PB!

Great achievements, well done Helen!

November 2021

Gareth Clements

This Athlete joined the club about a year ago and his dedication, along with his natural talent for running has seen him create PBs on a regular basis. He is regularly first in his age category in most of the races he enters and is a great ambassador for Bitton Road Runners. During a long run he has been known to suspend it, enter a park run, compete at the top end and then continue with his run. This was all before he actually subscribed to Park Runs and now that he has, he officially races and often wins them. A sub 5 minute mile runner, sub 18 minute 5k runner and sub 29 minute 5 mile runner... his longer runs are equally impressive and I expect him to better these results as we go forward. Congratulations Gareth Clements.

Helen Clark

This athlete is considered a long distanced athlete but she has proved in recent months that the shorter distances are equally in her arsenal. She runs an impressive sub 7 minute mile, sub 22 minute 5k and around about a 33 minute 5 mile race. Averaging out 45 miles per week!!! She recently achieved a course PB in the Weston Prom in near freezing conditions and recently smashed the Sodbury Slog! Congratulations Helen Clark!

October 2021

Brian Benjamin

October has seen this athlete achieving PBs for the 10k and the marathon and in doing so he created club records in his age category to go along with the 5k, 5 mile and 20 mile races. An outstanding runner, a shining example of how strength, determination and youthfulness blends perfectly with maturity, Athlete of the Month goes to Brian Benjamin.

Rachel Stowell

Congratulations to Rachel Stowell, Athlete of the Month for October. An amazing London Marathon time with incredible 5km splits. Always inspirational and a fantastic advertisement for Bitton Road Runners.

September 2021

Terry Kirby

The long-awaited Athlete of the Month is back! To kickstart it once again we thought it would need an explosive entry who epitomises the clubs ethos of run faster, run further, run with a smile. The pandemic kept us locked away from club runs. I think we can all agree the club suffered but we were kept entertained with various activities outside of the normal running programme by this man with an upbeat spirit. Once we got back into running again, quality direction and advice was provided ensuring club members felt included and valued. As a motivator whether before, during or after a club run or further afield in organised races he provides high levels of encouragement making sure the fun element of running remains paramount. Last month he achieved PBs in both the half marathon and 5k races. A key figure within Bitton Road Runners, head coach, a credit and valued member of the club, without further delay Athlete of the Month for September and further back for the men goes to Tez Kirby!

Chloe Parsons

This lady has been a shining star ever since she joined Bitton just a few years ago. Within a year of coming to club and track sessions she smashed all her race times and cut her half marathon time by 20 minutes!
Then lockdown hit and I constantly saw this lady running around the roads of the local area all on her own, always looking so strong and this dedication has clearly shown because since we’ve been back to club she has absolutely smashed her leg of the Cotswold Relay, raced both Bitton 5K’s which I believe she got a PB of 22.49 in race 1 and got a PB of 37.14 at Weston Prom. She always diversifies her speed training, taking part in both Steve and Tez’s sessions regularly and she’s always willing to help out at club events, most recently spending her day promoting the club at the Bitton Fete.

February 2020

Kev Mowat

Athlete of the Month for February goes to Kev Mowat. In the last 6 months Kev has completed another 7 Marathons and in February he clocked up his 100th Marathon at the Charles Darwin Day Marathon. A truly amazing feat of endurance, as anyone who has completed a Marathon can attest to. One of the remarkable things is that Kev regularly knocks out these Marathons in around the 3:30 mark, times many people can only dream of and sometimes within the space of two weeks between them – Absolutely incredible! It’s fair to say that he is an inspiration to many of us and a club legend, well done Kev.

Chloe Parsons

This lady has been working so hard over the past few months and it has really shown particularly over her last few races. She has been a regular attender at track on a Tuesday and I also know that she secret trains in the gym!! She barely misses a Thursday night at club and regularly joins in with long group runs on a Sunday. At the Chilly 10K she ran a PB of 44:54 even though we were in the middle of Storm Dennis at the time! Then at Brighton half marathon she PB’d in 1:40:25 and then she got another PB at the Pomphrey 5K in 21:39 and this was all within the space of 2 weeks! Amazing! Ladies February athlete of the months goes to…. Chloe Parsons!!

January 2020

Steve Pursey

Athlete of the month for January goes to a member who spent the month racing over a complete range of distances and terrains. He started the month by racing the Kelston 10k where he finished 3rd in his age category. A couple of weeks later he then took on the Doynton Hard Half Marathon and then finished the month by racing at the complete opposite end of the spectrum, the Pomphrey 5K. In between all these races though, his best performance came at the Weston Prom 5 Mile where he set a new PB.
This member was also instrumental last year in ensuring we fielded a complete Men’s team across the Cross Country series for the first time in many years. Athlete of the Month for January goes to Steve Pursey

Jo Harris

This time the athlete of the month was an absolute no-brainer, along with an overwhelming number of nominations from fellow club members for this one lady!
This lady has had a string of incredible performances recently – at the Celtic Trail 20 miler in December she was 1st FV50 overall in 4:07:10 then finished the year off on a high by getting a PB at the Gloucester 10 in 1:16:52 which was over 6 minutes quicker than in 2018 not to mention she was also 2nd FV50.
She started off January by coming 1st FV50 and 4th overall at the Bath Skyline 5K Night Race, then did another PB at the Gloucester Half Marathon in 1:42:15 (Gloucester seems to be lucky for her!), then 1st FV50 at Warmley Forest 10K and ended January with a stonking PB at Pomphrey 5K in 22.35!!
So January AotM goes to the super deserving Jo Harris!!

December 2019

Curtis Gore

December’s award goes to Curtis Gore, a relatively newcomer to the club who possesses a natural talent for running but since joining the club has been completely focused on getting faster and achieving the goals he has set himself. He recently set a new Pb at Sutton Benger 5M in 29:13 and then followed up by finishing in 8th place at the Christmas Cracker in extremely challenging conditions.
His best performance though came at the end of the month. Instead of indulging over the festive period he had set himself the goal of running a sub-60 10-mile race having come close on two previous occasions at Oldbury and Brecon. His hard work and dedication paid off, executing his race plan to perfection and running 59:06. He has already set himself some high goals for 2020 and with his attitude I have no doubt whatsoever that he will achieve them. Well done Curtis.

Tina Dury

This athlete has been a member of Bitton for several years now and improved massively when she first joined…then hit a plateau like we all do.
She has tried all distances and terrains and now seems to have found the winning formula again!
She has been improving steadily this year and started achieving P.B.’s again in November with a Park Run P.B. at Chipping Sodbury and another at the end of November at Park Bryn Bach. Just to top off November she also achieved a P.B. at Sutton Benfer 5mile race in 53:43.
This athlete is athlete of the month for December as not content with her improvement in November she has continued working hard and racing continuously (as well as marshalling whenever she can). She took part in the Clevedon Boxing Day Run on Boxing Day and completed this in 44:32 ….which is a massive 7 minute p.b.! Enough said…AOTM for December is Tina Dury

November 2019

Shane Garrett

November Athlete of the Month goes to Shane Garrett, for putting in a string of PBs over a number of months and putting in
consistently hard training which has been commented on by the coaches leading the sessions he has taken part in. His hard work
has led to new PBs at the Chippenham Half Marathon in 1:41, the Keynsham 10K in 47:20 and then the Snowdonia Marathon in 4:03,
no mean feat on an extremely tough course. Unfortunately, Shane picked up an injury during the Over the Hills race but has steadily
been working his way back to fitness. I am sure that with his positive attitude and once he regains full fitness there will even
more PBs to follow in the future. Well done Shane.

Liz Sanigar

This athlete is one of the faster ladies in the Club and has achieved some exceptional results since joining Bitton. When you are running at the level she is it is
extremely hard to gain those extra seconds and to improve significantly. This athlete had her nemesis to beat - the 10k. Although we all knew she was capable she
hadn’t achieved that magic time of sub 40 minutes. A couple of false starts and not only did she break the elusive 40 minutes she smashed it finishing the Calne Clock
Change Challenge 10k in 39:39 at the end of October. Not content with this she then pulled another P.B. out of the bag at the Sutton Benger 5 mile race and was first lady
home overall. To finish off November and to leave no doubt as to AOTM for November she gained another p.b. at Pomphrey Hill finishing this in 19.04,
AOTM for November Liz Sanigar.

October 2019

George Trevellian

October Athlete of the Month is George Trevellian. George has been training consistently hard throughout the summer, regularly attending the Tuesday speed sessions and Thursday hill sessions. During this time he has produced a number of PBs over different distances and has raised his age graded performance percentage by around 10% and is now hitting just short of 70%, an incredible improvement. His most recent PBs have been included 1:37 at the Bristol Half Marathon and 41:46 at the Grittleton 10K. With his attitude to training I’m sure there will be even more PBs to come in the future.

Denise Axelsen

October athlete of the month goes to a well deserving Denise Axelsen!Denise has been absolutely on FIRE the last few weeks, training so hard for her first ever marathon at Abingdon. At the start of the month she was 3rd lady home for the club at Keynsham 10K with a PB of 47:44 and then scored an awesome time of 3:44:16 at Abingdon! Your hard work has paid off Denise – well done!!

September 2019

Ian Hoare

Athlete of the month for September is Ian Hoare. Ian has spent much of the year training for his attempt at the Cotswold Way Century, a 102 mile race that follows the Cotswold Way Footpath from Chipping Camden into Bath. In preparation Ian has completed a number of off-road ultras including the Lulworth Cove Ultra, the East Devon Round and The EDDUM, as well as numerous recces of the route. On race day, the weather decided to give all 4 seasons in one day from blazing sunshine to monsoon rain. However, the hard work and training paid off with Ian finishing in 26 hours and 28 minutes. Well done Ian.

Anna Avery

September’s athlete of the month goes to the lovely Anna Avery! Anna has had some absolutely
smashing races this month including Oldbury 10 and Worcester City Half Marathon where she got some awesome PBs! She consistently trains in Speed Endurance at club on a Tuesday and is always out and about on her own, whether it’s a long run, a tempo effort or on one of her instaworthy ‘runches’ in her lunch break at work. Anna is always working hard on her strength and conditioning and you’ll usually find her smiley face at one of the local Parkruns on a Saturday morning whether running or volunteering!

August 2019

Richard Kershaw

AOM for August goes to Richard Kershaw. Richard has had an extremely productive summer combining races with his marathon training. Going all the way back to the end of July Rich ran the Exmoor Seaview, the following Friday
he ran the Westonbirt House Summer 10k. The week after he put in an impressive performance at the Sailsbury 5-4-3-2-1 50k race. He finished in a time of 5hours and 3 minutes. Just a week later he took part in ‘The Last One
Running’. This is a race where you have to finish each lap in a progressively faster time. Richard Finished 4th covering 22.39 miles.

Keeping up his streak of weekend races he finished the Avon Mob Match 5k in 20.03. The weekend after he ran the Oldbury 10, here his hard work during August paid
off, he earned himself a new Personal Best 66:28. Whilst doing all of this Richard still finds time to update the website and actively encourage club members for team
events. I wish him the best of luck for the final month of Marathon training and race day at the Dublin Marathon. Well done Rich.

Helen Clark

Ladies Athlete of the Month for August goes to Helen Clark who has put in a number of fantastic performances whilst training hard for the Berlin Marathon.
Helen went down to Minehead to run Seaview 17 where she finished as first Lady and has since followed that with a new PB at the Bitton 5K and
was also 1st Lady at the Warmley Forest 5K. During the month she has also put in consistent performances at the Salisbury 54321 33K, the Two
Tunnels Half Marathon and was a member of the team at the Avon Road Relays that finished as 3rd Senior Ladies Team in the Avon Championships.
Then on the final day of the month she bagged yet another prize by being 1st FV40 at the Flying Monk 10K. With such a string of fantastic
performances she is sure to do well when she runs the Berlin Marathon next month. Best of luck Helen.

July 2019

Mike Blackmore

July’s Athlete of the month goes to Mike Blackmore. Mike has put in 3 strong performances for the club in the recent team events and represented the club well at the Midlands Relay in March and also the Gloucestershire Cross County League. Mike coaches the tough but loved Kenyan Hill session on a Thursday and is always there to give advice on training. At the Welsh Castles Relay Mike finished 8th on Leg 1, at the Cotswold Relay, in extreme heat, he finished in a very impressive 5th. Then at the Mob Match Mike was 21st overall finishing in a time of 37:07. Mike always represents the club in excellent fashion and is a well-deserved Aotm.

Victoria Thomas

Athlete of the Month for July goes to a relatively new member to the club who has shown consistent improvement during the last few months and has brought a great deal of enthusiasm and energy with her.
During the last few months she has set numerous PBs, lowering her 10K time down from 56:41 to 53:20, her 5K time down from 27:02 to 24:59 and has also set a 5 Mile PB of 43:47. She has also been keen to represent the club at team events, taking part in both the 5K Mob Match at Pomphrey and the GWR Mob Match 10K, just 2 days before her 5 Mile PB!!
Always a friendly person at the club and with a bright running future ahead, athlete of the month for July goes to Victoria Thomas.

June 2019

Ash Tuck

This, for all the right reasons, was a very tricky month to decide who AoM would be. Ash Tuck is our winner. Ash wins the award for many reasons. Training smart, racing well and helping many club members work towards and achieve their goals. Ash started June by finishing 5th at the Bitton 5K in a Personal Best of 18.19. He then went above and beyond for the club at Castles, having already entered the 22 mile Man V Horse race, he volunteered for a Sunday leg and put in a fantastic performance on leg 17 finishing 13th , on what must have been very tired legs. Then at the Cotswold’s Way Relay, Ash on a tough leg 6 finished in 6th position. Ash has also contributed to all our runners by offering a foam roller technique workshop.

Chloe Parsons

Athlete of the Month for June goes to Chloe Parsons, a relatively new member who has put in a number of good performances and PBs over the last couple of months. Chloe joined the club to help with her training for the London Marathon. Her hard work and determination was rewarded when she recorded a time of 4:00:00! (Can’t imagine many people have a Marathon time to the second like that!) Following this, the very next week she ran a new 10K PB of 49:59 at the Bristol 10K and then lowered this mark further at Hogweed Trot at the end of the month. She has competed in a number of other races representing the club including taking part in the Welsh Castles Relay, helping our Ladies team to their first full team in a number of years. Always friendly and with a smile on her face, a well-deserved award for someone with a bright future at the club. Well done Chloe.

May 2019

Matt Wood

Matt Wood is May’s AoM. Matt has been in fantastic form and since April he has earned personal bests at 3 different distances. Matt's great winter training paid off with a PB at the London Marathon where he finished in a time of 4 hours and 8 minutes. The very next week he PB’d at the Bristol 10K in 45.20. Then on the Wednesday another PB! This time at the Bitton 5K running in a time of 21.36. Matt carried this good form over into June where he improved on his Bitton 5K time at the Pomphrey 5k Mob Match 21.18. Also in June Matt took on one of the toughest Cotswold legs, leg two and finished in 2.01.18. No easy feat. We are sure Matt will continue to improve upon his times and we look forward to seeing him racing in more Bitton team events.

Lola Whiting

Lola-Michelle Whiting is May’s AoM. Lola is a very vibrant and committed member of Bitton Road Runners and has recently ran her PB at Manchester Marathon in 4.13.42 and a PB at Bristol 10k in 50.15. Lola’s performance has improved dramatically in such a short space of time and she is a real team player – working hard and thriving on tackling the hardest of efforts. She threw herself head-on into the Welsh Castles relay with a tough 9.5 mile leg ran in 1.18.35. AoM for May goes to Lola!

April 2019

Chris Palmer

Athlete of the month for April goes towards somebody who had a bit of a bump in the early months of last year, but has since fought back to full fitness whilst putting in some impressive times on the road. The athlete has worked very hard in training making sure he got in all his long runs plus the speed workouts. This was especially apparent once his marathon training kicked in. A 1.10.57 at Wiltshire 10 was followed up by a fast Bath Half time of 1.31.08. The very next week he was part of the men’s team at Midlands, running a 20.53 5k.Showing he is back to full fitness he ran a marathon personal best at Brighton in a time of 3.28.24. AOM for April Is Chris Palmer. His reward is Drovers at Castles!l

Lauren Price

Athlete of the Month for April goes to Lauren Price. Lauren has trained incredibly hard throughout the winter months with the aim of setting a new PB at the London Marathon. She is a regular at the Track sessions where it is clear to see the effort she puts in and some of the sessions she has recorded on Strava during her Marathon training are exhausting just to look at.
Throughout her training she has also clocked some impressive race performances including 1:07 at the Wiltshire 10M where she was also part of the winning Ladies team, 2:24 at the Fission 20 where she was 3rd Lady, 19:56 at the Clock Change 5K and was the anchor leg at the Midland Relays, helping our Ladies to their first finishing position in years.
Her hard work and dedication paid off as she then achieved her new Marathon PB of 3:11 at London. Well done Lauren.

March 2019

Will Ganley

Athlete of the Month for March goes to a person not only for his running performance, but also the work he does in his coaching role, Will Ganley. Will has had injury problems during the last year but despite this he has continued
with his excellent coaching at the track sessions, providing enthusiastic advice and expertise to those attending. The injury problem has abated over recent months and he has put in some fantastic race performances. Prior to March, he was a regular
fixture at all the X Country races throughout the winter and in February he ran 1:03 at the Wiltshire 10. It is his March performances though that stand out, firstly his 1:20:35 at Bath Half which was 7 minutes quicker than his previous best. His
performance at the Midlands Road Relays the following week was equally impressive. Although not easily quantifiable, for anyone who was there it was clear to see the absolute dedication and effort he put into his leg and also to the support he gave to
all the other runners after he had finished. An absolute credit to the club, well done Will.

Rachel Stowell

March Athlete of the Month goes to Rachel Stowell for a couple of incredible race performances as part of her preparation for the London Marathon. At the Newport Half Marathon she set a new PB of 1:29:55 which will now qualify her for a Championship Start place at next years London Marathon. She then followed this up 2 weeks later at the Fission 20 Miles where she ran 2:26 in tough conditions and was also part of the Ladies winning team. Well done Rachel and good luck for London.

February 2019

Jake Hayes

Athlete of the month for February goes to Jake Hayes. Jake has had some stand out performances across the year most notably his Ultra Trail Mont Blanc performance back in the summer where he finished 335th against some of the top ultra-runners in the world. Most recently Jake has been on a Championship Point charge starting in February where he won the Cardiff Winter Warmer in a time of 35.56, next was the Wiltshire 10 where he was part of the Bitton men’s team that finished second. Jake finished in 7th position (2nd mv40) in a time of 58.55, narrowly missing out on Phil Westlake’s record 10 mile time for mv 45s (58.48). In March Jake raced at the Surrey Spitfire Half finishing in 1.18.53 2nd mv45 and finally on the last day of the championship year he raced the Wickham 20 in a time of 2.06.14 resulting in Jake going from 9th to 2nd in the championship table. Fantastic running, Well done Jake

Liz Sanigar

February Athlete of the Month goes to Liz Sanigar. Liz has been training incredibly hard for her debut Marathon at London and has achieved two PBs in the month. First up was a new 10 mile PB of 1:07:03 at Wiltshire. She then followed that 7 days later by running 2:24:42 at the Bramley 20. With the dedication she has shown she is sure to put in a performance she will be proud of at London.

January 2019

Jonathan Wright

Athlete of the month for January goes to one of the only two men to have got a PB in January, Jonathon Wright. Jonathon took his half marathon pb down to 1.48.20 at the Gloucester half marathon. He is a regular fixture at club usually to be found running in one of the coach led groups. Jonathon has represented the club at cross country helping us to achieve a team position and at the time of writing is racing regularly throughout February. With his hard work and dedication I am sure those times will keep on coming down. Well done!

December 2018

Kev Mowat

AOM for December goes to our resident Jet- Setter and marathon man Kevin Mowat. Kev began his recent marathon exploits back in September finishing the Dartmoor Marathon in 30th position in a time of 5hrs33 and followed this with a 3hr33 at the Hull Marathon. In October Kev made his first foray off of the mainland to compete in the Jersey Marathon. Mr Consistent ran a time of 3hrs35. In November he hopped across the Atlantic to run the Philadelphia Half Marathon in a time of 1hr38 and then ran the marathon the next day in 3hrs39. (this man is 60!). In December another marathon, Lanzarote in 3hrs44. And finally in January he ran the Mumbai marathon in 3hrs59. An incredible set of results, well done Kev Mowat!

Jo Harris

Athlete of the Month for December goes to a lady who has been knocking on the door virtually every month throughout the last 6 months after setting PB’s at all distances. More at home in the countryside with her dog Dilbert rather than on the road yet she has managed to set PB’s at the Chippenham Half Marathon in 1:57:31, the Foxtrot 5 Mile in 40:57, the Grittleton 10K in 50:22, which she then beat 2 weeks later at the Calne Clock Change in 49:52. She finished off the year at the Gloucester 10 Mile with a PB in 1:23:04. Always running with a smile on her face, Aotm for December goes to Jo Harris.

November 2018

Ash Tuck

AOM for November is Ash Tuck. Ash has been working very hard to improve his own performances and is getting the results by running quick times and placing high. Ash is a personal trainer and his enthusiasm to fitness is infectious and he is always happy to talk about training or give injury advice. Ash came 18th at the Doynton Hard Hilly half, 3rd at the seven sins ran a time of 40.55 at the Christmas Cracker and was 3rd at the Keynsham Dandy. Well done Ash Tuck.

Sharon Coultart

Sharon Coultart is November’s Athlete of the Month for a string of great performances throughout November. She started off the month at the Gilly Hilly 7.5 where she helped contribute to the Ladies winning the team prize. The following week, after the torture of the hills still in her legs, she followed up by running the Sodbury Slog. This combination clearly works as over the subsequent two weekends she set PB’s at the Sutton Benger 5 Mile in a time of 38:04 and then the Wiltshire Half Marathon in 1:46:07 where she was also 2nd Female Vet 50. She has now set about training hard for the London Marathon where I have no doubt that she will achieve a great time.

October 2018

Brian Benjamin

Brian Benjamin has had a fantastic year getting pb after pb at all distances as well as helping to lead our beginner running groups. Brain has also found the time to compete in the race of 8 and is regular face at most of the races. Brian set a new mv70 record finishing in a time of 5hours and 3 minutes. He set his new half marathonpb at Bristol half and it now stands at 2 hours 16 taking 3 minutes off his previous time set just a few weeks earlier at Severn Bridge. Great work Brian well done!

Tabi Collins

This athlete was close to getting aotm several times last year and then was injured. At the time her improvement had been phenomenal and the injury couldn't have come at a worse time. But she was sensible and once the injury had gone, set about training consistently. This has now paid off and she is now running even better. This was shown by her achieving a new PB at Cardiff Half Marathon in a time of 1:40:58.

September 2018

Andy Mining

Septembers AOM goes to Andy Mining. Andy Mining set a new PB at the Severn Bridge half marathon in a time of 1.37.45 then bettered this at the Bristol half taking his time down to 1.36.05. Andy had a number of nominations and I think this one says it all ‘Andy has been smashing his half marathons! He’s always at track and club, training so well and he will always make time to talk to anyone.’

Dani Fulgoni

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August 2018

Terry Kirby

Athlete of the Month for August goes to Head coach Terry Kirby. Terry consistently trains hard whilst coaching on a Tuesday and Thursday night. This hard work was rewarded with two Personal Bests in August. Terry ran 20:40 at the Bitton 5k and then ran 01:38:39 at Severn Bridge Half marathon. Terry ran this in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support and was a delayed PB after Bath Half was cancelled earlier on in the year. Terry is the first to help or offer advice to anyone at the club looking to improve so it was great to see him get the PBs he deserved! Well done Terry

Vanessa Hawkins

This athlete had been concentrating on cycling for the early part of the year as she along with other members of Bitton cycled from Lands End to John O'Groats to raise money for charity. Once the cycle was out of the way there was no stopping her and in August she broke the Vet 60 club record for 10K in 46:52. She has since gone on to break further club records in September, October and November. Well done Vanessa.

July 2018

Lee Vollero

July’s Athlete of the Month goes to a man who is one of the friendliest members you will find at the club and has put in an incredible amount of hard work over the summer months in an attempt to run a sub 60 10K. After numerous near misses at Frenchay, Bristol, Corsham and Hogweed he decided to alter his training and started to attend the weekly track sessions at Whitehall, putting in the hard work and dedication and refusing to stop until he had completed each session in full. All of this hard work came to fruition at the Magor 10K at the end of July when he clocked a new PB time of 59:42. Not to rest on his laurels, he was back training at the track 10 days later and has already set himself a new target of a sub 2-hourHalf Marathon. With the dedication he has already shown I have no doubt whatsoever that he will be celebrating that achievement in the near future. Athlete of the Month for July goes to Lee Vollero.

Anneli Hendy

I am constantly telling this athlete off for giving up her own race for others. It is commendable that she is always helping others who lack confidence by running with them instead of racing for herself but I wanted to see what she could achieve if she pushed herself. This month she has definitely been pulling it out of the bag with numerous p.b.s and some great placings at races. There is a lot more to come and hopefully she will continue to do her own race at least some of time. AOTM for July is Anneli Hendy.

June 2018

Alistair Felton

June’s AOM goes to a new member who only joined the club in spring but has taken to club life so easily. Being a regular at club nights and races. Since May this member has raced in 10 races, improving his times at each race across 5k and 10k. He has represented the club at Cotswolds and the Mob Match. This member had lots of recommendations for AOM for his determination and consistent performances. A very well-deserved athlete of the month goes to Alistair Felton

Tracy Ward

This athlete has come back from injury with a bang. Rather than take it easy and get back into racing gently she has raced her heart out even taking up the Challenge of being a member of the Bitton Ladies Castles Relay team. It is always hard coming back from injury as you can doubt yourself and feel you have lost your fitness and won’t do yourself justice…so it does take a lot of guts to just get out there and take part. Well done Tracy Ward.

May 2018

Darren Scammell

May athlete of the month goes to Darren Scammell. Darren had a very busy May fitting in 6 races. He started May by running Run the River 15k in 1hr29 in very hot conditions, next up was the Bitton 5k 22.08, Jack N Jill challenge in 57.23, the Dilton Dash in 52.30. All these races led to a PB at the Hogweed Trot 10k, 48.59. Darren’s AOM was decide at end of May (footprint editor has the proof!) but it is great to add in that he raced leg 10 of the Cotswold Way Relays finishing with a fantastic sprint finish to Bath Abbey and then followed that up with Monmouth Aquathon. Well done Darren

Kaisha Thatcher

This young lady has had an amazing month and I have lost count of the numbers of races she did!! She is getting faster and faster and always has a smile on her face! She works hard with her training and always gives 100%. During May she achieved a p.b. at the Prom 5 miler achieving a time of 34:50 and completed the Bitton 5k in a time of 20:51. She then went on to compete in the Run The River 15k multi terrain race and was 2nd lady! A good all-rounder!

April 2018

Mike Gibbs

April AOM goes to long standing, quick running and Mr Consistent Mike Gibbs. Since January Mike has been putting in top performances in his races and he always works hard during training. He is always at the top of the list when deciding AOM.
Mike is equally at home running on the road or off of it. Since January he has ran and finished high at the following races; Riverbank Rollick, Slaughterford 9, Humdinger Half (1st MV50), Rodway, Yeovil Half (1.31.29) Corsham 10k (39.56), Whitebrook Wind-Up HM (7th), Bristol 10k (38.43 and 4th mv50) and finally Dauntsey 10k (39.09) .
Running we can we all aspire to! Well done Mike.

Tracey Edwards

Tracy always runs with a smile on her face doing Sped Endurance sessions and hills every week. She was aiming for a sub-4 hour at London and got 3:46 – absolutely amazing!

March 2018

Rob Farley

Rob Farley is still on storming form placing high in each of his races; Rob with his fantastic and consistent races has earned himself AOM for March.

Anna Avery

March’s athlete of the month has won the award this month for two reasons. Firstly she has raced brilliantly during March gaining a p.b. at the Westonbirt 10k in 48:21 and then went on to record a time of 3:09:36 at her first 20 mile road race. The Gloucester 20 is a tough course but she even seemed to enjoy it?? Secondly her running confidence has grown massively over the past year. This time last year she had little confidence in her ability and was worried about competing in the Castles Relay as she didn’t think she was good enough. This year she is planning on running her first marathon and has grown massively in confidence and speed. Hopefully she will be joining us for the Castles again this year!

February 2018

Brad Cox

This month’s award goes to Brad Cox. Brad joined us towards the end of 2017 and seems to be a short distance specialist often placing very high. Brad has been a consistent racer since December but at end of February he was 16th at the Weston Prom in a time of 29.42 managed 37.42 at the Castle Coombe 10k. In March he was 10th at Rodway, 1st on the Killer Hiller, 2nd at the very hilly Walcot Whopper 10k and 3rd at the Westonbirt 10k. And then on his day off in April just for the fun of it he decided to see if he could manage an IronMAN…which he did! Great running Brad keep it up!

Liz Sanigar

After having an awesome year last year this athlete took a while to make her mark in the current year. She trained steadily throughout the year gradually improving as the months went on. She pulled out all of the stops in February and gained 3 p.b.s. Weston Prom 5 mile 32.02, Two Tunnels 10k 40:16 (1st lady) and Wiltshire 10m 1:07:14. Along with a 5k time of 19:50 at Calne she just managed to get in her 5 distances by the end of March to come 2nd in the Ladies Club Championship.

January 2018

Paul Bennett

January’s AOM goes to Paul Bennet. Paul started January by finishing 12th at the Warmly Forest 10k in a time of 50.12. Paul trained consistently well through January to reach his future targets and his hard work paid off during February. He finished 5th at the Avon Valley 10k and finally cracked the 40minute barrier at the Castle Coombe 10k racing to a time of 39.47. Paul has also put himself forward to represent Bitton at up and coming team events and his enthusiasm for running shows on training nights! Well done Paul!!

Jane Rogers

This month’s AOTM has been a Bitton Road Runner for several years but unfortunately cannot make it to club very often…but she has been known to make the odd track session She has probably been one of our most prolific racers over the past few months and seems to be competing in any off road 10k in the area she can find. Racing herself fit seems to be working for her and her performances have been improving every race culminating in being placed 3rd lady at the recent River Avon Trail 10k. Although this was in February all the hard work was put in during January - so January’s AOTM is Jane Rogers

December 2017

Hugh Burchard

Athlete of the month for December goes to Hugh Burchard. Hugh had lots of nominations in November and December for both his own running and the excellent coaching he provides to groups and to individuals. Hugh was the sole runner for Bitton at the Tri-County championships when snow put the rest of the team off! His decision to brave the conditions paid off as he collected 2nd place in MV50 category. Hugh then went to the prom run and finished in 35.13, at Clevedon Boxing Day 4 he ran a time of 27.28. Congratulations Hugh!

Anneli Hendy

Over December this lady has been consistently helping out others at the club to complete recces and long runs. She is always supporting other runners in achieving their goals and helping them to generally enjoy their running. As well as this she completed Bovington Marathon in a time of 5:34.36. December’s athlete of the month for the ladies is Anneli Hendy.

November 2017

Steve Brown

Novembers athlete is unable to get to club nights every week, but has been able to put in some very strong performances in several races throughout this year representing Bitton, competing as an individual and as part of the team.

At castles relays he ran the notoriously tough Drovers leg.
Then followed this with 8th position on leg 3 of the Cotswold Way Relays.
The following week he ran at the extremely challenging Fan Dance over the Brecon Beacons.

September saw him tackle Man V Mountain on Snowdonia.
Then at the Bristol half marathon he finished in one hour 28!

This month he first competed at the very tough Bath hilly half multi-terrain race, finishing 18th overall in 1.47.04.
The following week was the Sutton Benger 5 mile race in which he finished 21st overall in 31.05.
Then the week after that he ran his 2nd half marathon of the month, achieving a result of 1.27.51 and 32nd place at the AVR Wiltshire half.

With these three fantastic performances this month alone, the aotm for November is awarded to Steven Brown.

Dani Fulgoni

This athlete has been training consistently throughout 2017 and consequently has been achieving good results throughout the year.
She doesn’t race often but is currently very highly placed in the Race of 8 and Club Championship. She achieved a p.b. at Chippenham half this year (1:43:49) and has regularly been in the top 3 Bitton ladies in races.
Her performance at the Wiltshire Half in November was one of her best yet.
It wasn’t a p.b. but the conditions and course were tough and she completed the course in a very respectable time of 1:47:27.
This athlete also holds the title of best gluten free cake baker.
AOM Dani Fulgoni

October 2017

Richard Kershaw

Athlete of the month for October goes to a highly motivated member of Bitton Road Runners. This man encourages all runners and supports the club in as many different ways as he can, he is as enthusiastic of the club as he is his own running. October was a month to remember in more ways than one although he may not remember the start! The individual in question had trained hard all summer building up to what he had hoped would be fast half marathon in Cardiff. Unfortunately in the week beforehand he was concussed by a falling vase at home! Undeterred he made the start line and got his first pb of the month in a time of 1hr36.32. Next up was the Grittleton 10k where another pb followed 41.26. The following Sunday another half marathon pb was gained at at Stroud ..taking 5 minutes off his Cardiff time to get a pb of 1.31.02. His final race of the month was hilly shepton mallet 10k finishing in 25th position! However on the Thursday before he went to Weston to run the prom race and raced to a 5 mile pb in a time of 32.30! With 4 pbs in a month Richard Kershaw is the Men’s Athlete of the month for October.

Kaisha Thatcher

This athlete has only recently joined the club and has been regularly taking part in Terry's sessions and running some of the club routes on her own. She is a very determined runner and is clearly motivated. She ran Bristol half marathon in September, this was her first half marathon which she completed in 1:46.13. In October she took part in the Warmley Forest Park 5k in a time of 24:23 and was 1st lady overall. After these achievements after being at the club for a short amount of time there is definitely a lot more to come!

September 2017

Mike Duggan

Octobers winner has consistently been putting in lots of strong performances this year.

Back in June the Men's Captains were especially grateful when he agreed to fill a gap in the team at Welsh Castle relays at very short notice.Tackling the challenge of the very tough, 13 mile mountain leg 10 brilliantly.

In September he ran three consecutive Sundays with three consecutive great results.-First up was the Oldbury 10, finished in 1hr 9 minutes.The following week was the Chippenham Half, completed in 1.33.32. Finally he did the Bristol Half just seven days later and achieved an even faster time of 1.32.08!

We hope he continues to keep up the great work and keeps on running with a smile on his face. Aotm is Mike Duggan.

Lynette Porter

Over the last month this lady has performed exceptionally well, starting at
Oldbury 10 where she ran a club record and was second lady overall in a time
of 1:06.29. Next she ran Chippenham Half, she completed this in a time of
1:27.41. At Melksham 10k she equalled her own 3 year old female v50 10k
record in a time of 39.58. She was also 2nd lady overall at this race. Having this
build up of amazing results and being the strong runner that she is made me
feel very positive that she was going to pull something amazing out of the bag
at Berlin Marathon too. She didn't fail to amaze everyone finishing in a time of
3:03.36, not only that, but she was 2nd female v50 and got yet another club
record. All of the races she has taken part in this month have also been 90%
age graded performances! September's athlete of the month goes to Lynette
Porter.

August 2017

Rob Farley

Men’s Athlete of the month for August is Rob Farley. Rob has been working fantastically hard in training. On a Tuesday night at Whitehall, his hard work and determination is clear to see. In August he won the Old Down Estate 10k, came 3rd at the Trowbridge 10k, 2nd at the mile trial breaking the 5 minute mark and 5th at the Battle of Sedgemore, with a time of 35.39. This was Rob’s quickest time in two years and he is working hard to lower his times to his previous bests. Well done Rob!

Michelle Jefferies

I don’t know this Bitton lady but I have been following her progress on Facebook after she was nominated for athlete of the month a couple of months ago.
In August, this athlete absolutely Smashed her 10k p.b. by 6 minutes and broke the elusive 1-hour barrier!
She did the 2 tunnels 10k in July in 1:01:31 and then did the same course again in 55:30.
She is fast catching up with her hubby so he’d better watch out! (A fact I was unaware of is that previous to this her last 10k had been in 2015 in a time of 1:25:04.)

July 2017

Simon Fear

July's athlete of the month joined Bitton only a couple of months ago and has shown great improvement and enthusiasm in the short time he has run with us.

He joined the club with the main goal of running sub 60 minutes at Bristol 10K in 2018!

When he joined Bitton his PB was 1.08.30 gained back in 2014. Since then he has destroyed his PB at Bristol 10K with a 1.02.45 and then incredibly smashed it a by a further 5 minutes at the mob match finishing in 57 minutes 30 seconds.

He regularly attends Speed Endurance and hill sessions and recently smashed an Interval session where he frequently hit a 6 minute mile pace.

We can't wait to see what he is going to achieve at the mile trial!

Athlete of the month for July is Simon Fear.

Tabi Collins

This lady has been regularly chipping away at her PB's,
most recently her 10k time of 43.01.
As well as this, she has worked hard at the track and on the weekends to go under the 20 minutes for a 5k, she achieved this at the July Bitton 5k in a time of 19.45.
Leading up to this she took on some of the toughest legs at the Castles and Cotswolds relays with a smile on her face, also achieving great results.

June 2017

Matt Spear

This month’s AOTM is Matt Spear. Matt produced two fantastic performances at the Castles and Cotswolds relays. At Castles Matt finished in 7th position on leg 19 in a time of 49.40 over 7.7 miles. And at Cotswolds he again competed well, finishing leg2 (easily one of the hardest legs) in a time of 1hr42 and in 30th position. We hope to see Matt competing in more club competitions and delivering more quick performances.

Katie Ireland

This athlete has been a member of the club for a few years but due to other commitments is currently only able to attend training sessions sporadically so we don’t see her around often. She was asked if she would like to be a member of the Castles Relay team and jumped at the opportunity! She was given a leg which she felt was within her capabilities and then set about training hard to ensure that she met the cut off time and did her best for the club. Due to injuries the ladies team was a ‘lady’ down at the last minute and we needed someone to fill an early more challenging leg on day 2. This lady stepped in even though she was totally out of her comfort zone. She performed brilliantly on the day, which made me feel so proud, she also ensured that Bitton Ladies fielded a full team.

May 2017

Sam Jefferies

Mays athlete of the month is a man who has been working extremely hard to improve his race times and overall fitness in the last year, this hard work has reaped its rewards this month.
First, he completed the Bristol 10k with a massive new personal best time of 53.25. This result was an amazing four minutes quicker than his previous pb!
Then the following week he took over another minute off this pb at Bath two tunnels 10k, finishing the race in 52.12.
He has now joined in with the 9-minute mile group at club nights and clearly shows his determination to advance further. Full of enthusiasm and with a very positive attitude this month’s winner is Sam Jefferies.

Anna Avery

Before this she was struggling with a hip injury, a few health issues and lacked the motivation and confidence to run. However, recently she has worked hard to get back in to enjoying her running, upping her distance on her own and taking part in more races. At Bristol 10k she achieved a PB of 50:50 followed by a PB at Chipping Sodbury parkrun of 23:24. We are looking forward to seeing how much this lady improves in the future. This months AOM goes to Anna Avery.

April 2017

Brian Robb

A difficult month to select AOM as there were so many great performances from the men of Bitton Road Runners.
However Brian Robb has been the outstanding performer gaining PB’s at 5 miles and 5k.
Brian started the month by finishing 4th on a 24hr track Ultra in Crawley, completing a distance of 116 miles!

Brian’s performances this month show that he is an athlete capable of competing to a high club standard at long distances and short distances. Well done Brian, your results say everything needed!

Crawley 24 Hour Track Race Saturday 01 April 2017
4th 24:00:00 SM 3rd Male & 116 Miles
Spring Mile Trial Tuesday 11 April 2017
6th 00:05:23 SM
Weston prom run Thursday 20 April 2017
9th 00:28:45 SM PB
Aztec West 5K Tuesday 25 April 2017
34th 00:17:34 SM PB

Lucy Wallace

April’s ladies athlete of the month is a relatively new member of Bitton Road Runners but she has quickly elevated herself to the position of the fastest lady in the club. Not only is she super quick she is also really supportive and encouraging to other members especially at the track sessions on Tuesday evenings.

When you are a faster runner it is much more difficult to improve. You have invariably hit your peak at some point and then are constantly trying to get back there and chip seconds off your time. This lady has not only gained a p.b. (31.19) at the April Weston Prom run but she also knocked over a minute off her time for the previous month. Amazing! She was also first senior lady in the Frenchay 10k and first back for the club.

March 2017

Mike Barry

This month AotM has been a member of BRR for 30 years. Over the years he has run and raced most distances, including marathons.
2 years ago he had major heart surgery and thought his running days were over. However he has returned and is running well.
He regularly supports Sue’s 10 min coaching group – he runs double the miles as he runs from front to back looking out for everyone, encouraging and attempting to charm everyone with his funny stories.
He has a big birthday in April and will be running in a new age category. He really deserves Athlete of the month.

Toni Britton

This lady is an inspiration to us all, a long standing and highly respected member of Bitton Road Runners, this month's AotM really pulled it out of the bag this month.

She started the month by completing the Green Boy Ultra in a time of 7 hours 35 minutes and then followed this up with an incredible effort at the Gloucester 20 finishing in the top 400 in 3 hours 29.

February 2017

Nick Brain

February's Athlete of the month for the men goes to a very determined member of Bitton Road Runners.

He always runs with a smile and is always very encouraging to other runners.

He is a regular to Speed Endurance on a Tuesday and has been representing Bitton at the Glos cross country with his usual enthusiasm.

All his hard work at Speed Endurance is obviously paying off, after gaining a 10K PB at the Bath Two Tunnels, in a time of 47 minutes 41 seconds.

Alice Perryman

This months Athlete of the Month is awarded to someone who has fought her way back from injury to regain her love of running and is now setting her sights on new goals.

After a cycle of injury, recovery and injury, with all the uncertainty that brings, our athlete decided to embark on a gradual process of slowly building herself up. Displaying remarkable patience, she has eased herself back into running using the benefits of recovery to underpin her gradually increasing length of runs.

She has also used her experience to design her own training plan, integrating running with other sports.

The culmination of her plan was a debut 10 mile road race (The Wiltshire 10) that she completed confidently with a sprint finish.

With her new-found confidence, this lady can look forward to enjoying a wide range of road and off-road events.

January 2017

Richard Kershaw

This month’s award goes to a man who has put in a massive amount of work to improve his running and his race times at the club and at the track.
He is currently training very hard with the aim of getting an incredible time at his debut marathon in Manchester.
In January he also entered the Weston prom 5 miler and achieved a new PB of 34.32.
This was a truly amazing PB, being 4 minutes quicker than at the same race a few months previously!
Then on January 31st he achieved another PB of 20.39 at Aztec west 5k. The sub 20 min 5k is now looking increasingly achievable for this athlete judging on this month’s performances.

Lynette Porter

This month’s ladies award goes to a long-time member who has returned to train very hard and race with a vengeance after taking some time out last year. In the last month her achievements have been exceptional.
She was the winning Lady overall at the Riverbank Rollick 9 mile multi-terrain race.
Then, a few days later she took on the Weston Prom 5 mile and broke the club record, finishing with a new V50 record time of 32.37.
At the end of the month she also took on Slaughterford 9 and was 1st vet 45 and anchored BRR to the 2nd team place.
A stunning return to form for a lady who is already a club legend.

December 2016

Wayne Ellis

AotM for the men this month goes to a long standing member of Bitton. He has recently devoted a huge amount of time to the club, organising races, footprint and also coaching at the track every Tuesday. In November he did the Wellsway 12K in 57min 48sec and the Sutton Benger 5M in 33:49. Then in December he was back in form at the Christmas Cracker finishing in a great time of 42.40.

AotM for December is Wayne Ellis

Tina Dury

This lady a year ago, was lacking in confidence, struggling with her running to the point of giving up several times.

She has come back with a vengeance! Running every step of the way at the Cracker and smashing her 5k time by over 6 minutes at Brean Down.

Her confidence is now soaring, she is working hard at the Sunday Hill sessions, and has even joined the Tuesday group and is improving weekly!

She truly deserves to be AOTM.

AotM for the ladies is Tina Dury

November 2016

Sam West

Novembers AOTM has been a club member for a long time although we don't see of much of him as we would like as it's difficult for him to get to club nights.
He is one of the most respected in the club and fiercely competitive, as shown by his 4th overall and 1st MV40 at the Sutton Benger 5 mile race in a time of 30:14 and also at Aztec West 5k in 18.04, both results have age graded scores of 75% or more.

Katy Shoesmith

It seems like this lady races more than anyone else in the club and most of her race pics show her covered in mud or hanging from monkey bars.
She recently did a race with over 9000 feet of ascent over 42 miles in the Brecon Beacons and came third lady in 10:33:25.
The race was called "may contain nuts" and that says it all.

October 2016

Kevin Mowat

This athlete recently completed his 70th Marathon in Palma in a time of 03:38:12 - an age adjusted time of 03:01:27 and also this season he has done 42:21 at Hogweed Trot 10k - an age adjusted time of 34:40, proving he's quick over both the longer distances and shorter distances. October Male Athlete of the Month is Kevin Mowat.

Sharon Coultart

This lady has been busy with marathon training so she included a few warm up races in her schedule, in September she ran the Chippenham half in 1.45.36 and the following week the Oldbury 10 miler in 1.19.03, impressive times for someone in the later stages of marathon training. She has now completed her marathon at Bournemouth with a very creditable 3.49.57 so good she qualifies for an elusive London good for age place. Athlete of the month is Sharon Coultart.

September 2016

Terry Davis

AotM for September is a long-standing and well-loved member of Bitton Road Runner's.
He has achieved many things over the summer of 2016, beating his previous triathlon PB in August by 5 minutes and then lowering his PB best time at the final Bitton 5K.
His determination in every situation was highlighted at the Rat Race this month, where he spear-headed Team GB throughout, blasting his way up the final travellator, ensuring Team GB gained a 4 minute PB.
This man is the number one example of what Positive Mental Attitude really means!

Tabi Collins

This person has shown all the attributes of a thoughtful and developing athlete... and there is undoubtedly more to come.

She has expanded the range of her racing from 10k to half marathon and achieved a very credible 1:55 on her first outing at the distance.

This athlete is also discovering how quickly she can run. When it was suggested that 6'15 might be a target for the recent Mile Trial, she thought that might be too ambitious and went on to clock 6:11.

A strong supporter of quality sessions and someone who will provide a vision of what can be achieved through thoughtful hard work, this months female athlete of the month is Tabi Collins.

August 2016

Joe Peake

This man is part of the three Peake's family. They all made fine debuts at the Welsh Castles Relay, marshalled the event on behalf the club and when on holiday in Australia, wore their club vests with distinction.
This month's AotM finished 20th in the Adelaide half marathon in a time of 1'22'44 which was an improvement of approx. 10 mins faster than his previous best.
He is also a fine athlete whose presence has been welcomed in the speed endurance group.
August's male AotM goes to Joe Peake.

Jackie Riley

After a long absence, this lady recently returned to attending club nights and competing in races, obviously enjoying her running she took part in the Welsh castles and Cotswold way relays.
Then came the Frome half, where she was 3rd lady in 1hr 37. She also stepped up to be the tail runner for our beach buster race at short notice and then this month she ran the foxtrot 5 miler in 32 min 54 seconds to be 3rd lady, 2nd FV50 and set a new FV50 club record.
Even more impressive however was her wava percentage at foxtrot 5, 90.89 % is simply astonishing and we can’t remember anyone ever doing higher at Bitton. She followed this up by winning her category at the battle of Sedgemoor 10k and was one of our winning ladies team.
September’s lady athlete of the month is Jackie Riley.

July 2016

Andy Brindle

This chap started running with Dave and Alyson towards the end of last year but has had problems with shin splints, he then resumed running with them at the beginning of the year and has just achieved an amazing PB at the Magor Marsh of 52.08 following his Bristol 10k time in May being 58.19! He joins in lots of runs at Bitton even though his favourite running companion is Strava!

July's male AotM goes to Andy Brindle.

Pat Harley

July's lady AotM has so wanted to complete a 10k in under an hour that she has spent the past 2 months training to achieve this goal. She has done various speed sessions and even 7am runs. This lady has such amazing determination and stamina, that even after a hot and difficult run at the Magor 10K, she was still able to sprint over the finish line. She finished in just over 60 mins and achieved 1st FV65. She has recently started training again and wants to crack the 60 mins. She is an inspiration to everyone at Bitton and proves no matter your age, if you're determined, you can achieve whatever you want.

July's lady AotM goes to Pat Harley.

June 2016

Trev Twinem

This runner has ran a series of 10K races lately, achieving good results and winning their age category.

In May, he ran Bristol 10K in 00:44:41. Followed the next day by Hogweed Trot 10K in 00:45:32 and then the Avon Valley Railway 10K in 00:47:49 for 1st MV60.

He also finished strong in Bradley Stoke 10K in 00:44:59 for 2nd MV60 in June.

June’s AotM for the men is Trev Twinem.

Jodie Atkinson

Over the last few months, this lady has shown how much of an improving athlete she is. Not only have her performances at Bath Half, Bitton 5k and the mile trial produced terrific times but she has shown great character when taking on the first stage of the Welsh Castles Relay. She always runs with a smile on her face and it is the mark of a valuable club member that she can combine talent, determination and good humour.
There are undoubtedly greater achievements to come but we are sure that she's enjoying her success so far.

June’s AotM for the ladies is Jodie Atkinson.

May 2016

Sam Jefferies

This runner had now started doing more and more races, with results improving each time so far. In May he ran the Bath two tunnels 10k in a time of 1.00.08 on a hot and sunny day, very narrowly missing out on the hour. Then a week later at Bristol 10k he went well under the hour and achieved a new pb of 57.16.
We are sure he will continue to get lots more personal best times this year.
Mens athlete of the month is Sam Jefferies.

Tracy Ward

This athlete has greatly increased her training lately. She has gone from running about 30 miles a month last year to progressively doing more and more miles each month.
In May she clocked over 100 miles. She has also done a 20 mile training run (her longest ever) which had approximately 1000 feet of climbing.
We look forward to seeing how she does at the marathon distance.
Ladies athlete of the month is Tracy Ward.

April 2016

Ian Hoare

This months male athlete is a regular at club nights and always gets great results in the races he enters.
He finished in 13th place in the Fission 20mile race in a time of 2:17:47.
He was also 2nd male vet 50 at the Taunton half marathon in a time of 1:25:56.
And finally he completed the London marathon in a time of 3:03:50.
April athlete of the month is Ian Hoare.

Vanessa Hawkins

This lady was first home for the club in every race she did this month.
She was 11th lady in the Green man 45 mile ultra.
She then ran marathons along the Jurrasic coast in 5 to 7 hours each day for three days.
After that she did Breandown 10k in 52:37 securing the 3rd lady position.
Then she ran the Neolithic marathon, finishing 37th, 3rd female vet and 6th lady in 3:56:46.
April athlete of the month Vanessa Hawkins.

March 2016

Jake Hayes

This athlete has built upon a good result at the Staverton 10M in 00:59:12 where he was 4th male vet 40 in January by winning the Fission 20M race in 01:59:09 and set a new male vet 45 record for the distance in March.

This also made him the fastest male vet 45 in the entire country for 20 miles.

Shelley Stiff

This lady has been with Bitton for several years. Completing in several races including the severn bridge half marathon in 2015 in 02:05:48. In the last six months she has progressed in training runs and races, completing the Longlet 10k in just over the hour and has recently earned herself a pb in the bath half marathon completing it in 01:58:07.

February 2016

Des Clements

This months award is being given to this gentleman for his continued hard work and dedication to his training.
He has been a near ever present fixture at Tuesday track sessions and Thursday hill sessions throughout the winter and can always be guaranteed to put everything into his training whilst still keeping a smile on his face, in-between sets that is!
It has paid off with obvious improvements being seen in his speed and running in general in the months so far this year.
February male athlete of the month is Des Clements.

Cath Rose

This lady has been a long associated member of BRR. If fact there has been a bit of a family tradition you may say. This person had a good reputation when racing far and wide. She has not run competitively for quite a while but has remained running with the club. Injury took hold late 2015 and she thought she would have to admit at last that her running days were over. A talk with Sue Hewitt, and a back to basics, she started running again in Jan 2016 after a long layoff. This lady is now regularly running 3 times week and doing very well. AOTM for the ladies is Cath Rose.

January 2016

Mike Duggan

This month man is a long time club member who has recently concentrated more on off road events, and has excelled in them with fantastic results.
In January he was 1st man home for the club at the very muddy and wet Kelston 10k in 59.04.
The following week he entered the extremely tough "multi terrain" Riverbank rollick and was 1st home for the club again in 1.17.12.
Then to top it off put in another very strong performance at the Doynton "very"hard half in 2.10.11.
Januarys athlete of the month is Mike Duggan.

Liz Sanigar

This lady is quite a new member to the club but clearly has massive enthusiasm and a general love for running,
She has put in some brilliant performances in races this month.
On the first Sunday of this year she was first home for the club at the Kelston 10k m/t in a time of 57.58.
She then followed it up at the end of the month to be 1st lady home at the Warmley forest 10k m/t in 53.11.
There will surely be more accolades to follow this year.
January ladies athlete of the month is Liz Sanigar.

December 2015

Rob Farley

AotM for the men this month goes to a chap who goes under the radar even though his times at races are excellent.
He always performs to a high level, having came 2nd in Bath Hilly Half in 01:29:59 in November which is a tough offroad half marathon. He then in December ran the Clevedon four-mile road race in 22:41, finishing quick enough for Terry to see him walking in the opposite direction while Terry was still running at mile 3 of the race.

December AotM for the men goes to Rob Farley.

Sandra Mylchreest

Decembers AotM for the ladies, has been showing great improvement over the last two months. In November she did a PB at Wiltshire Half Marathon in a time of 01:42:03. In December, even though she insisted she wouldn’t run well at the Christmas Cracker she actually gained another PB and 1st FV50, finishing in a time of 47:45.
December AotM for the ladies goes to Sandra Mylchreest.

November 2015

Steve Cox

This chap completed the mile trial back in September in a time of 6.59 after expecting to finish in sub 8 minutes.

He broke his half marathon PB at Severn Bridge with a time of 1.58.27 and then broke it again at the Oktoberun in America, shaving off another second. He was the first MV60 which is no mean feat in America.

Early in November he ran the mentally cruel Gordano "marathon" in hurricane wind and rain finishing 2nd MV60 in a time of 7hrs and 53 seconds. Male AotM for November is Steve Cox.

Amey Atkinson

November's AotM for the ladies, completed the Bristol 10k back in May in a time of 56.31, then finished the Bristol half in 2 hrs 8 seconds. At the beginning of the month she completed the Avon Valley 10K in just over an hour making her the first FU20.

Recently she has shown great improvement and determination in both Speed Endurance and hill sessions, in fact it has been noted that she is often the first one to pass the bollards at the top, and because of this the female AotM for November is Amey Atkinson.

October 2015

Sam West

This athlete has been competing and training at a consistently high level with Bitton for a very long time.
In October his continued hard work has paid off with him gaining two new personal bests at different distances.
The first was at the Grittleton 10k on October 18th where he finished in 11th place in 37.55. He then competed at the Worksop half marathon the following Sunday where he achieved his second pb of the month in a time of 1.22.10.
Octobers male athlete of the month is Sam West.

Toni Britton

This lady has broken two long standing club records in recent weeks.
In September she ran the Bristol half marathon in 2.02.32 to set a new female vet 60 half marathon record.
Then this month at Oldbury she set a new age category record for 10 miles too in a time of 1.30.15.
She also found time to venture over to Spain to compete in another half marathon in Palma on October 18th and to regularly join in with other club members on their long marathon training runs.
Octobers female athlete of the month is Toni Britton.

September 2015

Joe Bowditch

This athlete is really back on top form, with impressive results at several different distances this month.
He ran a swift 05:28 at the club mile trial then five days later sped round the Bristol half marathon course in 1:25:13.
He followed that up with a new pb at the Melksham 10k the following week, finishing in 9th place in 37:59.
Just four days after that he went to the Weston prom and recorded 30:16 for five miles too.
Athlete of the month for September is Joe Bowditch.

Anne Seymour

This lady raced twice this month. One 20 minute PB in the half marathon at Chippenham half marathon in 02:09:39 and one in the Watermore 10K she attended as part of a hen do, where she finished at exactly the same time.

August 2015

Neil Evans

Athlete of the month for August is a man who has been running well recently and the results are reflecting this, following good runs in July’s mob match and the Blaise blazer he ran August’s Bitton 5k in a respectable 22.05 and the Severn bridge half in 1.51.31. Always enthusiastic and first to volunteer when needed, athlete of the month of August is Neil Evans.

Tabi Collins

This month’s athlete of the month has made great progress since joining the club in December. Ever since becoming head of the Tigers team on games night in June, she has shown real motivation and improvement.

In July she ran the Dyrham Park 10K in a PB time of 1 hr 3 mins 8 secs. Then in August she got her 5K PB at the Bitton 5K in 24 mins 21 secs.

Congratulations to Tabi Collins.

July 2015

Brian Robb

This athlete has long been known for his incredible endurance training and very long distance races, normally averaging 100 miles of running a week!
In July he has also stepped up a gear on shorter distance races and in his speed work at track training too.
He recorded 40:09 at the Towpath 10k on July 3rd, then raced the same course 2 weeks later at the mob match and was a whole 2 minutes quicker, recording a new 10k pb of 38:13.
To prove his ability as an all rounder, a week after that he ran the slightly longer (for him!) and very tough Bath festival marathon and finished an amazing 2nd overall in a time of 03:58:17. July's athlete of the month is Brian Robb.

Katy Shoesmith

She has been entering race after race with continuous progress until the last month where her performance has massively improved. During a 5 minute negative split effort she gave Tez a run for his money by sprinting the last minute like I’ve never seen her do before. Last Saturday she completed the Wild Vision obstacle course race where she came 4th in her category which now means that she has a place in the UK obstacle course championships in November.

June 2015

Andy Blacker

Over the last couple of months, his running has improved immensely. He has been working very hard to get a better position this year within the race of 8. He then ran the Liverpool half in a PB time of 1.44. That’s five minutes faster than his PB. He then completed the Cotswold Relay leg 6 in a time of 1.28.29.

Lisa Hall

This lady came to Bitton over 2 years ago and initially started in the walk/run group. In the last 6 months she has progressed to more running than walking and regularly runs on club nights. She enjoys hill sessions on a Sunday morning and her running and confidence has improved. She recently ran her first club run at the 'Pomphrey hill Parkrun' with a time of 33.29 surprising herself. She is also a great supporter of Bitton regularly taking her sister, niece and friends to races, more recently driving to Wales to support the Welsh Castles Relays. We think athlete of the month should be awarded to Lisa Hall.

May 2015

Nick Hughes

This athlete has taken on a few 10K races lately and has been showing improvements due to racing and training well. He did Pensford 10K in 00:43:36, followed by a PB at Wells 10K in 00:40:59 and then another PB a week later at the Bristol 10K in 00:40:19. I'd be surprised if he didn't get sub 40 minute at his next attempt.

Anneli Hendy

This lady runs with Terry's speed endurance group and in April she ran 00:06:34 for Terry's mile trial and then 00:49:55 at the Corsham 10K. She followed this up in May with 00:49:24 at the Avon Valley Railway 10K and then she entered the Hogweed Trot 10K thinking it was a 5K race but ran it well regardless because she was first female vet 40 in a PB time of 00:47:41.

April 2015

Will Ganley

He joined Bitton last December with his girlfriend and one of the first things he declared was that he wasn’t able to run much distance.
He has a unique running technique which shouldn’t work, but it obviously doesn’t hinder!
He made an instant impression with the speedsters on the hill throughout the winter, even able to power walk faster than the rest!
After joining the Saturday morning runs for a few weeks he then decided to run the Pomphrey Park run 5k, and cruised round in a time of 16.38.
There was a lot of pressure on him at Tez’s mile trial this April, everyone expecting him to beat Olly Webb’s course record time of 5.01.
He actually recorded the fastest time for that course on Strava, Garmin Connect and also broke the clubs mile record by completing it in a time of 4 minutes 41 seconds.

Alice Perryman

This lady did well at the Rodway easy runner 10k multi terrain race, then achieved a new pb at the Chilly 10k in the second half of March. She has continued her good form through April, running under 8 minutes at Tez's spring mile trial and then had another very good race at Frenchay 10k. She is putting in lots of training to improve further, emphasised by her continued efforts at speed work and her willingness to also join in with Kenyan hill training.

March 2015

Ian Nash

He took part in a tough 20 mile off-road race in the The Grizzly ( Dash to Delirium) (MT) - then a week later did a 20 mile PB on the Gloucester 20 mile road race in 02:41:44. Then a week later raced another off road event in the Longleat Half Marathon. All this whilst taking on the race director role of the Hanham Horror in early April.

Jane Phillips

In March this lady ran two twenty mile races. The Berkeley 20M race in 03:08:28 and the Gloucester 20M race in a PB time of 02:51:48 which is 71.17% for the age graded championship - which ranks her as 3rd in the running club for twenty miles. Whatever she is currently doing it must also be rubbing off on the rest of her family since Gary & Katie also got PBs at Gloucester 20 this month.

February 2015

Phil Dean

He has been running with the club for over a year now and has been working hard on his technique.
Last year after a big battle he completed bath in a time of 1:49:53 This year even with his new baby he has trained really hard, even dragging himself out two days after Christmas to do his long run with Tez!
He has just completed Bath Half 2015 and smashed 2 minutes off his PB, finishing in a time 1:47:50!

Jane Rogers

This lady struggles to be at club nights very often due to her family and work commitments.
She has still managed to train very hard throughout January and February including running at several Pomphrey hill park runs.
She was rewarded for all her hard work by achieving an amazing 7 minute pb at the Bath half marathon in 1.42.05, running for her chosen charity and proudly wearing her Bitton vest.

January 2015

Dave Britton

This athlete seems to mainly take part in local offroad events such as the Wyvern Christmas Cracker 00:55:27 and Bath Skyline 01:19:00. He's a regular at parkrun where he runs roughly twice a month and his stats are pretty consistant. In January he ran the Promphey Hill parkrun three times at an average of 28 minutes or roughly 9 minutes per mile on an offroad-muddy course.

December 2014

Bryan Stadden

You don't really see this person at club nights. Probably because he's too busy running in mountains but however he's training he's running well at the moment with a 1st Vet result in the 43 mile Breacon Beacons race (09:46:00) and then he proved that he's quick over short distances aswell this month with good times at the Clevedon Boxing Day 4 mile race (00:28:00) followed two days later by being first home for the club and 1st MV50 at the Tor Dash 4 mile (00:34:17).

Leah West

Over the last year Leah's running has come on leaps and bounds. Leah has managed to crack the sub 2 hour half marathon and has continued to get faster with her pb now at 1:52. She has worked really hard to improve her running. She has turned up at track on a Tuesday at Whitehall on a regular basis come rain, shine, sleet or snow. She has shown real grit and determination and has shown continual improvement with PB's in her half marathon and 10k times. This culminated with her running a PB at the Christmas Cracker 10k (00:51:25) on a very windy day.

November 2014

Ray Betterton

Ray Betterton has made a very successful comeback since re-joining the club last year. In November he was 1st MV60 at Bath Skyline and 2nd male vet 65 at the Gloucester cross country.
He has continued to build on these successes throughout the winter months with many more prizes and on March 7th completed the grueling green man challenge in 10 hours 48 minutes.

Sarah Wright

She had taken part as much as she could in the race of eight competition this year and she always seems so happy after the race has finished. She took part in a brutal 8 mile fell race in the Shropshire Hills and then a week later it must have paid off because she got a PB at Wiltshire Half Marathon (01:45:38).

October 2014

Wayne Ellis

Nominated basically for getting back to form after a bad (for him anyway) summer of races.
He was still third in the series for the Bitton 5k despite having those bad races.
00:39:28 at Swindon 10k and 01:27:12 at Wiltshire Half Marathon.

Sue Mowat

Recommended for AotM based on what was said about her regarding her training for the Christmas Cracker race. "I'm taking Sue Mowat out tonight for a run of about 4.5 miles and I'm running with her Saturday morning 6.5 miles plus. She'll be fine she has trained so well and is flying up hills - no stopping and managing to chat on the way round. She deserves lots of praise."

September 2014

Paul Westaway

Paul Westaway has achieved several PBs in recent months at different distances including Bristol Half marathon, Weston Prom run and last week Swindon 10k to name but 3 of many.
He has also made big improvements in speedwork through determined efforts at the track sessions with fellow new running friends.

August 2014

Dawn Drake

August A.O.M goes to a lady who spent most of last winter struggling with injury. Once back running she trained incredibly hard and went from strength to strength. Determined to crack her 5K PB and to run under 21 minutes she took part in every Bitton 5K and finally achieved her aim in a time of 20:53 at the August race.

She also competed in the Cheddar Gorge mini challenge, consisting of multi terrain races of 5K, 10K and a half marathon, she finished 1st lady in the overall standings. Then to cap a busy summer she beat her half marathon PB by more than 2 minutes at the Lake Vyrnwy half marathon in a time of 1:34:08.

As an all-round Bitton club member she has also taken on the job of membership secretary.

August Athlete of the month goes to Dawn Drake.

July 2014

Helen Seymour

July’s athlete of the month has been running with the club a number of years, initially running with Steve Herrings 10 m/m group.

She has continuously improved over the last year with a pb at the Bath half and had a good run at the Welsh castle relays.

She then decided step up her training by seeking out runners who would push her on to the next level.

Working hard just to keep up at first she quickly improved, despite her busy life restricting her running to just a couple of days each week .

In July came the easy runner 5k ran in 22:59, an astonishing four minutes off her pb, then just two days later she ran the GWR mob match on a warm Friday evening and ran 48:40 for another pb,

A keen supporter of the clubs social activities and 1st at the post run sherry, her bubbly character and endless enthusiasm hide a strong competitive side which should lead to many more pbs.

June 2014

Mike Gibbs

You can’t teach an old dog new tricks! Or perhaps you can. It appears this old dog has learnt how to win his age category.
This athlete won the Male Vet 50 category with a brilliant 40:25 at Chew Valley 10k (BIG hill in the middle!) and followed this up with another good result at the last ever Pomphrey Sports 5k... (He was also one of the great marathon results from April.)

Pauline Purnell

Athlete of the month for June will be a popular choice, she received many nominations with the word determined featuring often, also the fact that she can always raise a smile no matter how tough it gets.

At this year’s castles relays she was given a tough mountain leg, it was a bit of a risk but she said she likes a challenge so it was decided to take a chance, her performance on that day has been said by many to have been the highlight of the weekend, and that says it all when so many performed so well, this ladies never give up attitude won everyone’s admiration.

Since then, as one of the gazelles trio, she has stepped up her training, determined to get faster yet obviously enjoying her running, she is a pleasure to run with and an example to us all.

June athlete of the month is Pauline Purnell

May 2014

Ross Hale

This no-nonsense athlete brings an odd credibility to us all, having competed as a top level sportsman when he was a younger. He has lost none of his Fighting Spirit and can always be relied upon to perform well in Bitton colours, recently at the Burrington Blaster (MT) 10k he ran 44:07. Then in at his target race he added a few more miles, and ran the Ox Ultra marathon which was 36 miles (or more) and he finished 28th in just under 7 hours. You can be sure he’s determined to do better still, as he is now fully focused on these Ultra events (WHY?)

Mandy Brown

This lady took her first faltering steps in the beginners group less than two years ago, she found it hard and thought she would never be able to move on. Last year she was encouraged to try a 10k race, and from that day she has never looked back, completing several 10ks and Bath and Bristol Half Marathons. After a heavy training schedule , running in all winds and weathers, often suffering with sciatica she completed the Edinburg Marathon in just over 5hours. This amazing lady is Mandy Brown

April 2014

Chris Brown

So many excellent performances at the Big seasonal Marathons...
From experienced marathoners to first timers, old and young.
Congratulations to you all.
One athlete stood out, receiving several nominations from club colleagues.
This athlete headed north on holiday, whilst away he also, ran a marathon. Proof of a sound training schedule was an exceptional time of 3 hours 4 minutes at the Lochaber Scottish Marathon. Achieving a marathon PB and a London marathon good for age time to boot.

Lynette Porter

Sometimes choosing athlete of the month can be difficult, especially in april with so many doing amazing marathon times, i could rattle off a list of impressive results from this lady this year that would qualify her as athlete of the month. what made it an easy decision was an incredible new club fv50 marathon record of 3.13.08 at brighton, beating the previous record by over 4 minutes, Aprils athlete of the month is Lynette Porter.

March 2014

Jacob Hayes

As we approached the close of our Club year, this athlete was keen to ensure he stayed at the top of the Club Championship table – and so he did, making it appear easy he just went off in March and did HBA 20 mile in 02:04:16 and Salisbury 10 mile in 01:03:58, no doubt actually all part of his London Marathon preparation, where he again excelled himself running the 26.2 miles in well under three hours actually in 02:44:26.

Kerrie Reed

Ultra competitive when in the mood and determined to improve through hard work, Februarys athlete of the month started with an impresive pb at the bath half marathon of 1.46.51, mid month was the weston prom 5 mile race, completed in a swift 38.51, not content with that she finished with the challenging forest of dean half marathon in 1.51.30. athlete of the month for march is Kerrie Reed.

February 2014

Craig Webber

This person received several nominations for February AotM, with the report that:-
After fighting through a calf injury obtained from football he has bounced back with vengeance!
He is very committed to following the schedule, speed endurance every Tuesday and hills every Thursday.
Last week during the Saturday morning training run he gained a 5 minute 10K PB time and then completed the half marathon distance 12 minutes faster than his PB he set last year!
As we are in relatively quiet part of the season this AotM has been award for sticking to the task during the winter.
AotM for February Craig Webber

Vanessa Hawkins

In what is generally a quite time for races Februarys aotm had a busy month, she ran the longleat 10k in a very respectable 47.45, the folowing weekend the bramley 20miles was dispatched in 2,41 40, not finished there another sunday another race, the fordingbridge half marathon saw a 1,47 00 finish, presumably she couldnt find a race for the following week, Februarys athlete of the month is Vanessa Hawkins.

January 2014

Brian Robb

This club member like so many of us, has had his running career interfered with by injury or illness, although he did not accept this easily. This person has worked back to somewhere close to his previous form, and is now again able to run and participate in races as he so desires. The AotM award is in recognition of this fight back to somewhere near previous fitness and for one phenomenal week in January when he ran upwards of 100m in races and training.
AotM “The Webmaster” Brian Robb
Update this has been superseded now, Brian recently ran 7 marathons in 7 days (Why?) (Crazzzy man).

Andrea Hall

After being part of a winning ladies team at the wiltshire half in november and 2nd fv45 at the cracker, Januarys aotm started the year in good form, so it was no surprise to see a 33.51 pb at the weston prom 5 mile race this month. Always working hard to improve , 2014 promises many more pbs, Januarys athlete of the month is Andrea Hall.

December 2013

Terry Kirby

I decide I would take the Christmas cracker as my AotM race in December (Not much else happening and it was an Ro8)
The December AotM will be popular with all, as that is exactly what this person is. Since joining the club (Oh, I’m not sure) sometime ago, he has always been a very extrovert individual, and no one can question his enthusiasm to help other members with their running. With the changes in positions at the club, this person now holds a position of great responsibility within the club.
I hesitate to talk about this man’s performance!!, But whilst assisting many other with their own running. He has shown a Gradual (slow), but persistent improvement, the highlight to me being a 45.29 PB at the Christmas cracker (“you were a bit too close for my own comfort”)
AotM for December, Our own, the one and only!! Terry Kirby. Congratulations.

Rachel Woodman

AOTM for December goes to a lady who had some doubts about running but agreed to run the Rat Race and although she told everyone she would struggle she went on to... hurl herself over hay bales, care for other runners before flying through the inflatable zone.
After that her new found confidence saw her start hill sessions in October working hard and improving each week. Running the Slog, with team GB made her realize how much she enjoys her running. She has encouraged others and helped fellow runners back from injury.
Decembe she ran the Christmas Cracker fighting her way through the gales with a smile.
We have all felt like giving up at times. But this lady battled on and has proved she can do it.
A big well done to Rachel Woodman.

November 2013

Dan Haggett

This runner returned to the club in the spring after a period of illness.
He currently runs with Steve’s 10 min mile group on Thursdays and is now running the track sessions on Tuesdays.
Following a PB in the Portishead Half at the end of October he ran the Slog at the beginning of November then the following week he knocked 3mins 25sec of his half time running 1hr 45:19 in the challenging AVR Wiltshire half. The following Sunday he achieved a PB the Castle Combe 10k and 3 days later ran a 5k PB in the Pomphrey Sports 5K.
Achieving 3 x PB’s in 10 days at the end November over 3 different distances Male Athlete of the month for November is Dan Haggett.

Abbey Smart

Novembers Athlete of the month is fondly known as Bambi. She shot into my heart when she agreed to run in the Castle Relay in June. Unfortunately the ladies team had a runner down and I couldn't get anyone to run. She rang me at 5pm to say she would run the next day. It was a baptism of fire as she had only ever run 5 and a half miles and she had over 8 miles to do. Amazingly she did it. She began to train with Terry doing technique workshop, speed endurance and now the hill sessions. Working her way through her own battles her determination has shone through. Now she feels she can do a race and so she recently ran the Bridge Inn 5k in 24.17. Not afraid of mud or distance she enjoyed the Sodbury Slog (she didn't swear at me as she ran past!) and now in November ran the Weston Prom in 40.53. Congratulations Abbey Smart.

October 2013

Steve Herring

October was easy, this athlete must be the second most popular man at Bitton Road Runners, he was nominated many times for October AOTM here’s what one member said
I would like to nominate this club member for athlete of the month.
Here's why:
1) He has been instrumental in the development of at least two recent AOTMs - Nicky and Pauline.
2) He organised the Two Tunnels run in the summer.
3) He takes the 10 min/mile group every Thursday, devoting time to helping others and he derives real joy when others succeed.
4) He was a legend on Sunday at Cardiff and at the Rat Race - concerned for the well-being and enjoyment of others and very supportive.
5) He is always welcoming, friendly and encouraging to new members.

He does a lot of the Club and it would be nice for him to get a little something back.
Oh! and a PB at Bristol Half at 1:50:14
AOTM for October 2013 Steve Hearing (2nd most popular man at BBR)
P.s.
You can argue between you who is “THE” most popular man at the club??

Janet Brown

Octobers Athlete of the Month goes to a lady who loves her running and looking back over the last few months makes me dizzy with the amount of races she has done. August saw her run the Blaze Blazer recording a time of 34.38, two days later at the Bitton 5k clocking 22.54. She ran the Battle of Sedgemoor 10k during August in 47.40 followed that with the Melksham 10k 2 weeks later and did 45.08. A week later she ran the Lake Vyrnwy Half Marathon finishing in 1.38. October has sheen her run in the Mendip Muddle a 20k multi terrain race in 2 hours 07. It's a tough run for those of you who don't know it but did she rest up? Not her! She was off to do the Devies half marathon the following week in a time of 1.46. Seems you just can't stop this lady. It gives me great pleasure to award October Athlete of the month to Janet Brown. Congratulations Janet.

September 2013

Terry Davis

Cometh the moment Cometh the Man. We can all talk the talk, but can we all, walk the run.
This athlete stepped up and became club chairman, when we need a volunteer to fill the position. Having received unwanted health news in August, he sucked it up, applied PMA and got on with things. In the week preceding the Bristol Half he had a significant medical procedure and at the Bristol Half Marathon only a few days later Ran a PB at 2:53:22
Our very own Super Hero, Terry Davis

Joan Gibson

Septembers Athlete of the month goes to a lady who has shown just what can be achieved when you put your mind to something. A well known member, who, this year with a lot of determination has certainly made some big changes. Training nearly every day which includes Body pump, Body balance, Spin and working alongside her personal trainer, she clocks up about 25 miles a week. She took part in our Two Tunnels Run in August using it as a training run towards her target race. Her words to me at the end were "I'm going to do that again but next time go further." Her target race was the Great North Run. A race she had done many times and enjoys. This September she did her best for many years recording a time of 2 hours 30. All her training has come with the added bonus, (and I'm sure she won't mind me telling you) of loosing well over 3 stone! Congratulations Joan Gibson.

August 2013

Dave Waters

Despite his surname there is nothing WET about this bloke, he may get to club infrequently but that doesn’t stop him making a SPLASH when he races, always up near the front, always running good times and always in a Bitton shirt. It’s not only TAP’S that run this bloke can too. AOTM for August 2013 Dave WATERS. Dave’s finishing position in recent races 10th, 8th, 10th, 9th, 7th Very impressive, Well done Dave.

Nicola Joy Smith

This lady has only been with the club a short while. She started with the beginners and then moved into the main club. Encouraged by Steve Herring her running has improved as demonstrated in the mile trial. Hard work and determination has improved running and brought her time down from 7.26 to 6.53. This lady made the biggest improvement out of everyone who took part. Not to be daunted by distance she built enough miles to enjoy running the two tunnels run and is looking forward to a good run at Bristol Half Marathon.

July 2013

Trevor Twinem

I hope This athlete won’t mind me saying that he is one of the old school, not in age or approach but he been at the club longer than I have, and that’s about 10 years or so. Like many of us he has previously had to cope with injury and has had to adjust his running expectations, but with that said. he now picks the race he likes and enjoys, and still puts in some very respectable times, 44:32 at Bradley Stoke 10k. AOTM for July 2013 Trevor Twinem.

Alyson James

This well deserved award goes to a lady who spends most of her time helping others. Every Thursday see's her coaching a beginners group. Encouraging them to improve and reach their goals. Saturdays she's training again encouraging others to do longer distances alongside herself. In July on a very hot day she ran the Frome half marathon. An undulating course (bloody hilly) narrowly missed out on breaking 2hr but won 2nd V50.

June 2013

Darren Way

Nailsea 10K, Pomphery Sports 5k, Humph’s Hilly Half, Clevedon 10k, Self Transcendence 3k, Bath Hilly 10m. I’m exhausted just typing it out!! AOTM for June 2013 Darren Way, Darren has been a member of the club since 2011 and is always racing, Darren has had some success and I’m sure he would admit some less than satisfactory results, But the only person who races more miles than Darren is our Ultra distance man Kev Mowet. I’m glad I don’t have to pay Daren’s race entries or buy his trainers.

Erin Rainey

Erin consistently works hard in training, always with a smile. She attends regularly and this month improved her 100m PB time by 29% setting a new time of 22.93.

May 2013

Matt Langdon

With only one Championship race onboard, the 2012 London Marathon, February 2013 was, by anyone’s standards, a little late in the season to consider having a tilt at winning a Club Championship trophy, but that’s exactly what this month’s athlete of the month did. On February 26th, in his first championship race of the year he recorded a time of 17:19 as he finished in 3rd place at the Pomphrey Sports/Bridge Inn 5K, then, just 5 days later, he completed the Bath Half Marathon in a PB time of 1:15:05. 14 days after that this athlete crossed the finish line of the Gloucester 20 in 2:00:07, then, remarkably, just 5 days later, and only 7 days before the end of the season, he completed the Weston Prom 5-mile race in a PB of 28:18 to secure second place in the club Championship. With all these solid times behind him it’s hardly a surprise that when he crossed the finishing line of the following months Virgin London Marathon, in a time of 2:41:31, it was to secure for himself yet another PB.

Pauline Purnell

She has steadily progressed from beginners to Steve Herrings transition group. Now she trains in Terry's speed sessions. Her improvement is huge as shown in he rmany PBs she has achieved over the last month.

April 2013

Anders Lewis

Aprils athlete of the month is one that has shown that hard work can bring about a good string of race results, including a few PB’s. Following in his father’s footsteps this athlete has proven that he is not afraid to mix on & off-road disciplines, recording times such as 49:33 in the Hanham Horror and 59:59 in the Ironwood Challenge (where he was the first home for Bitton) before recording PB’s ‘on-road’ with a time of 43:32 at the Corsham St Georges 10K and 34:47 at the 5 mile Weston Prom Race. He also found time to post a very respectable time of 5:55 at Terry’s recent Mile Time Trial. It won’t be surprising we don’t see a few more PB’s tumble over the coming months.

Fiona Cramp

Started the year by winning the cross country series. Went onto do an amazing time of 1.26 at Bath Half and in April had a fantastic run in the London Marathon. Recording a time of 3 hours 2 mins. She not only had a huge smile on her face she sets a new club record.

March 2013

Terry Davis

March’s Male Athlete of the Month goes to a club member who personifies the grit and determination needed to finish a race. Every week he shares his enthusiasm for running in beginners coaching sessions with those who choose to run in his group, whilst encouraging them to enjoy their training and achieve faster times than himself. This outlook on running was never more evident than in the recent Hanham Horror where, although he finished nearly an hour behind the winner, his sheer drive, determination, and enthusiasm shone through and the smile rarely left his face. Having recently been elected as Chairman of Bitton Road Runners, we can be assured that his enthusiasm and determination will be passed on to the rest of the club.

Lynette Porter

Already an outstanding runner but she excelled herself at the Green Man Ultra. A 46 mile race around Bristol. She was not only 1st lady but also set a new course record of 8 hr 3 mins. An incredible achievement.

February 2013

Chris Palmer

February's Athlete of the Month is a runner first started running with the club when he was training for the 2010 London Marathon which he finished in 4:13:41. Since then he has tackled the Abingdon Marathon on an annual basis, reducing his marathon PB on all occasions. Although he is entered for this years Abingdon Marathon, his eyes have been set firmly on London since he was awarded one of the Clubs ballot places. His training has been going well, as evidenced by his 2:28:01 PB at the Bramley Twenty and his 1:32:41 PB in this months Bath Half Marathon. Surely, with the London Marathon just a few short weeks away, another Personal Best is on the cards.

January 2013

Daniel Carr

Although this months winner is more at home on two wheels, it is his off road antics that have shone over the winter months. Way back in October he was the first Bitton Runner over the line in the Marshfield Mudlark, whilst in November he showed a great turn of speed on the tarmac to finish the Pomphrey Sports 5K in a time of 18:27. Returning to the off-road arena in December he finished 2nd overall in the Endurance Life Dorset 10K, then in January he not only finished 16th in the 10 mile Rough 'n' Tumble race, he also finished the Tough Guy race, a 15K obstacle course which involved crawling under barbwire, swimming through frozen water, & lots of mud... All this after knee surgery early on in 2012 and organising the early morning Salt 'n' Sham cycle rides means that we should be expecting more of the good results to continue over the summer months from Bittons very own Action Man...

Claire Warner

January's AOM goes to a lady who has made a huge improvement in the Speed Endurance sessions over the last month and her hard work has paid off with a fantastic time of 1:20:42 at Lliswerry 8. Not only this, but she is always welcoming to new runners at the speed endurance sessions.

December 2012

Richard McNeill

Decembers Athlete of the month is a popular choice and one that we have received many a nomination for. His cheery attitude, enthusiasm and encouragement towards other runners in the weekly quality sessions has helped many a runner tackle the last few ascents of the hill, and whilst being very supportive of other runners during the Sodbury Slog, he still had the sense of fun needed to slip and splash his way around the course himself whilst helping fellow Bitton Runners to climb in and out of the mud. Whilst his overall pace is improving, showing great potential in his own runningit is his team building skills that garner the most plaudits.

Lynne Pitts

AOM for December goes to a lady who has had a fantastic year in running and racing. She started 2012 with a half marathon PB at Bath Half, and went on to knock almost 8 minutes off this time for a new half marathon PB at the Bristol Half in September! She has also had PBs at both the 5M and 10K distances. Finally, in December she ran the Christmas Cracker in a time of 55:27 – knocking almost 3 minutes off her 2011 time on the same course!

November 2012

Matt Stephenson

The Athlete of the Month for November is a member who seems to have developed a love for racing in the mud. The speed work & stamina that he has built up by being a regular attendee at the Tuesday night Whitehall track sessions has paid dividends with a string of recent results. As well as becoming an integral part of Bittons presence in this seasons Gloucestershire Cross-Country League, he finished 32nd at the recent Marshfield Mudlark, 40th at the Portishead multi-terrain 10K, placed 18th at a very wet & muddy Brent Knoll fell race and then went on to record a PB of 20:08 at Novembers Pomphrey Sports 5K. Hopefully the string of good results will continue on into the new year.

Anna Britton

November's AOM goes to a young lady who is originally a swimmer by training, although she is gradually converting to this running malarky. She has found a way to combine both of her passions, and over the Summer she converted to the darkside-Triathlons! Most recently she has represented the club at both the October and November GAAA Cross-country races, putting in excellent performances both times.

October 2012

Eric Rayner

This runner has been a regular at the Club for over 12 months now and has shown consistent improvement in his running over that time. He recorded a highly respectable time of 1:08:04 at the Power Station 10 then followed up with a PB of 1:32:59 in the Bristol Half Marathon. He showed his mettle in the mud of Marshfield, crossing the line with a huge grin in a time of 57:14, then rounded off October with an excellent run in the sun at the Palma Half Marathon finishing with a time of 1:34:37.

Fiona Cramp

This month's AotM goes to a lady who has a fantastic (and busy) month of races. Following her awesome PB at Bristol Half at the end of September, with a 1:30 finish, she has raced almost every weekend in October - she started with a 1st FV35 finish at the first of the GAAA cross country races, where she must have caught the "off road" bug as she finished 1st female at the Marshfield Mudlark multi-terrain race the weekend after. The following Thursday, she somehow pulled a 5M PB out of the bag, with a time of 32:50 at the Weston Prom (and another top finish - 3rd FV35). She may possibly have taken a listtle rest after this, before storming through Bridge Inn 5k at the end of October with another 1st FV35 finish. Unstoppable.

September 2012

Joe Bowditch

This runner, although very young and still fairly new to the club, has endeared himself to his fellow runners with the infectious joy that he gets from running. He's been taken under the wing by several club members and has begun to show lots of potential and promise as a runner. Back in July he placed well in the GWR Towpath 10K with a time of 45:17; during the Bitton 5K series he reduced his 5K PB from 23:11 to 20:55 in the space of a month; finished the Oldbury Power Station Ten in 1:21:47 then followed that up just three weeks later completing the Bristol Half Marathon in the very respectable time of 1:41:40. Many more highly respectable finishing times can not be too far away...

Heather Davies

September's athlete othe month goes to a lady who does a lot of work with the beginners, always helping them and coming up with nice routes for them to follow. Not only this, but her running is going from strength to strength, and yet she will always wait for and encourage those runners slower than herself.

August 2012

Gordon Lewis

A face that shows up in many a race all year round, this MV60 runner has become almost an expected figure at many a race fixture, such as the Weston Prom, Blaise Blazer, GWR Towpath, & Bittons own 5K series Series'. Regardless of his finishing times, such as 00:59:00 in the Hangover 10K, 1:40:23 at the Riverbank Rollick, 55:29 at the Avon Mob Match he is quite often, but not always, the last man home for the club but he almost always finishes with a smile on his face and quite often the words "that was hard - but I enjoyed it".

Jackie Stott

Augusts athlete of the month goes to a lady who has become a bit of a record breaker of late. After breaking the club V50 record at the Bristol 10K in May with a time of 42:18, she has now gone on to set a new FV50 5 mile record on 1st August 2012 at Pewsey Vale RC Midweek 5 Mile with her time of 34:00, where she was also 2nd LV45.

July 2012

Andy Blackburn

This months winner is a man who simply likes to run, be it on road or trail, and can often, on nights when he's not running with the club, be seen out & about trying to out pace his dog. He completed the Bitton 5K in a time of 25:02, just missed the cut-off on the notoriously tough Stage Five of the Cotswold Way Relay with a time of 2:05:00, and completed the recent Oldbury Power Station Ten in a respectable time of 1:29:44.

Kerry Reed

Julys athlete of the month goes to a lady who has become a regular at club nights after joining last year. She has represented the club at both the big team events this year - the Welsh Castles Relay and the Cotswold Way Relay at the end of June, where she had fantastic runs. She followed this up with another strong performance representing the club at the CWR mobmatch 10k in a time of 49:06.

June 2012

Steve Herring

Words cannot convey just how highly respected this very popular member is, but the number of people who have put forward his name for Athlete of the Month does. Presently at the club he can be found coaching others, in particular leading out the 10 minute mile beginners group, patiently & quietly instilling confidence in others whilst maintaining above all that running can be fun, whilst coaching them towards a local half marathon goal. Away from his duties as a club coach however he has also been working away at his own running and the results that he has consistently recorded, and still continues to record, in the MV55 class throughout the past year bear witness to that including 1:30:06 in Januarys 'Riverbank Rollick' and a PB of 1:20:54 in Februarys Wiltshire 10. Many other Pbs have fallen since then & no doubt they will continue to do so.

Pauline Parnel

Junes Athlete of the month goes to a lady who enthusiastically agreed to run a leg of The Welsh Castles. Although never having taken part in this event before she agreed to give it a go and did Bitton proud. At the start of leg 17 she had a big smile on her face which stayed there throughout her brilliant run.

October 2011

Phil Westlake

Phil recently reached 50 but this hasn't meant he'll be hanging up his running shoes. He's successfully completed his 50 @ 50 birthday challenge, running from Minehead beach to Exmouth beach through the night arriving in Exmouth having run over 50 miles on his 50th birthday and raising over £3000 for charity in the process. He's run nearly 2000 miles in 2011 and set new club vet 50 records at 5k (17:05 at the Bridge Inn) and 5 mile (28:36 at the Weston Prom).

Anne Kinsman

Anne has progressed up through from the beginners to the main club and works hard at her training, and this is beginning to show as her racing times improve. In September she ran 1:57:56 at the Chippenham half marathon but lowered this by 4 minutes at Cardiff to 1:53:34.

September 2011

Kevin Wright

Kevin combines his talent as a musician with his new found passion for running. So you'll see him racing near wherever he has played a gig. He came 31st in the Crook Peak Cake Race, and completed the Magor Marsh 10k in 40;39. was 48th in Wolverhampton Half Marathon in 1:29:19. And he has represented Bitton in the both the North Somerset 5k Road Relays where he put in a solid time of 19:42 for the Mixed Mens Team, and the first two Gloucester League Cross Country races.

Andrea Hall

Andrea has been training regularly at the club for a while but has only recently had the confidence to start racing and then only up to 10k distance. However, during the summer she has increased her distance, worked hard on Kenyan Hills sessions which helped her to complete her first half marathon at Bristol in a good time of 1:48:52.

August 2011

Geoff Davey

Both a new member of Bitton and new to running, Geoff has taken to running with great enthusiasm, racing in a number of races with some success, finishing 14th in Barbury Castle Track n Trail 5, And completing the Bridge Inn 5k in 19:18 and Bristol Half in 1:32. He manages to fit in running when he's not marking homework. This teacher could go far with a few extra lessons.

Sarah Clark

Sarah has been ever present at races, supporting her other half, and giving loads of encouragement to all Bitton runners and keeping the photo gallery full with some brilliant pictures. However, she has now got into this running lark herself, and is beginning to race and put in some good performances recently setting a Pb of 53.49 at The Battle of Sedgemoor 10k.

July 2011

Terry Welch

Terry keeps putting in fantastic times for his age and regularly comes in the top 3 in the MV60 category. He races regularly and this year he ran 3:25 at London Marathon and 1:31 at the Bath Half Marathon. Not only that, he's prepared to represent Bitton against much younger opposition and ran stage 19 of the Welsh Castle relays in driving rain to finish a creditable 34th place.

Michelle Kerfoot

Michelle is an outstanding runner who has had her fair share of injuries over the last year but has been patient in getting back to full fitness and has come back stronger than ever. In July she has set two new club records. 18:36 at the Bitton 5k and 38:36 at the Mob Match 10k.

June 2011

Paul Sperrin

Paul is a long standing member of Bitton Road Runners, who is a regular at the track. He has made a successful come back from injury and he is coming back in to the form that made him a Bitton Club Record Holder. In April he ran 39:49 at the Easter Bunny 10k, following this up with 40:55 at the Frenchay 10k. In May he ran 32:19 at the Cardiff Bay 5 miles and 24:47 at the Japan Day 4 miles race. However it was June where he showed he is truly coming back to form where he came 8th on the 10.7 mile Leg 6 of the Welsh Castles Relay in 1:07:25 and then running 18:18 in the Bridge Inn 5k.

Jess Webb

Jess has moved up from the juniors to the main club and made fantastic progress. When asked if she would like to take part in the castles relays she grabbed the chance even though a lot of hard work was needed to move up to being able to run 10 miles. Week after week she trained hard, gradually increasing the distance until she was more than capable of completing her leg. The weather at the time she ran her Castles leg was appalling, torrential rain and freezing cold, but she ran strongly with a smile on her face, and finished well up the field. Waiting to greet her at the finish with a warm blanket to wrap her in was a very proud mum. In a few years time I can see her matching her mum and winning a Yellow Jersey!

May 2011

Darren Way

Darren is a new member to Bitton Road Runners who has been participating in local races over the last couple of years. He has been a regular at training nights and has been enjoying the Kenyan Hills sessions. He has stepped up his racing programme and has been consistently breaking his PBs over various distances. In May he has run the Plymouth Half Marathon in 1:33:16, the tough Black Death Run in 1:44:21, the Keynsham 10k in 45:09 and the following night the Hogweed Trot 10k in 41:36. He has also found time to run the Bitton 5k in 20:12 and the Bristol 10k in 42:05! Further PBs are just around the corner.

Susan Nosko

Although Susan is relatively new to the club she has become a very valued member. She has been helping out with the beginners on a regular basis and has recently completed a Leadership in Running course. She is always ready to help others and willingly volunteers for club activities and coaching. On top of that she has been training hard to improve her own fitness by attending the track sessions and entering races and has recently achieved a PB in the Bristol 10k with a time of 56.02.

April 2011

Brian Robb

Brian is a regular at club training nights and it is clear his training has been going well. He started the year off running 59:40 at the Lliswerry 8 and 1:16:33 at the Hestercombe Humdinger. In March he ran the Forest of Dean Half Marathon in 1:36:27. In April he continued his racing with 45:52 at the Frenchay 10k and 35:12 at the Avon 4 by 5 mile relay. The coming months are sure to bring some further good results.

Jo Webb

Jo has run consistently well for many years and is still pulling out PB’s. This is down to how hard she works in training and real determination when she is racing. In the London Marathon this year she achieved what she thoroughly deserved, a PB of 3:17:24 and a placing of 5th Vet 50.

March 2011

Rob Maynard

When Rob first joined the club, managed to get injured straight away, but he has managed to come back to full fitness. He does not race that often, but when he does, he produces excellent results. He ran 1:24:52 at the Bath Half Marathon and followed this up with a 31:07 leg in the Avon 4 by 5 mile relay. Hopefully we will see him don the Bitton colours more often.

Jane Phillips

Despite having recurring back problems and time out to have an operation last year Jane continues to combat the setbacks and get back into her training with enthusiasm and to set herself goals. She has trained exceptionally hard over the past few months, which has paid off giving her a recent PB in the Bideford Half Marathon of 1.47.19 and a fantastic time of 2.53.14 in the San Dominico 20 miler. A lovely person to run alongside who is always cheerful and friendly.

February 2011

Chris Leonard

Chris is a long standing member of the club, who is also a regular at training nights and club events. His running seems to be going very well and he must be enjoying his running, as his name seems to be appearing on the result lists on a regular basis!! He ran 30:39 at the Clevedon Boxing Day Road Race, 1:23:25 at the Gloucester 10, 1:35:53 at the Riverbank Rollick and he dipped under the hour mark at the Lliswerry 8, running 59:39.

In February his continued his busy schedule with running the Tough Ten in challenging conditions in 1:25:44, the Blackmore Vale Half in 1:50:30, running 46:12 at the Castle Coombe 10k and running the Hestecomber Humdinger in 1:20:33. However to demonstrate his running is going well, at the Weston Prom he improved from 37:56 in January to 35:59 in February.

Jenny Wills

Jenny is a lady who is prepared to give her time to help the beginners at the club. Every week on a Thursday she takes out a group at the beginner’s session and encourages and advises those runners that have stepped up from the first group and are seeing their running improve. The session is always paced perfectly to give each runner confidence in their ability, and they quickly start to improve more and are encouraged to enter races. With this lady’s encouragement and help many have progressed to running at the main club.

January 2011

Robert Farley

Rob is a new member to the club, but his talent was quickly evident on training runs and it wasn't long before he was putting in some excellent performances in the Bitton colours. In his first race for the club he came eleventh in the third GCC cross country. He followed this up with series of top ten finishes in January, starting off with seventh at the Hangover 10k in 35:58, victory in the Gloucester 10 in 58:07, third in the Riverbank Rollick in 59:15, seventh at the Weston Prom in 27:25, ninth at the Bridge Inn 5k in 16:32 and finishing off a busy month with sixth in the Lliswerry 8 in 43:55. Congratulations Rob.

Lynette Porter

Lynette continues to achieve and improve, even though she has been running for some time. Through sheer effort and continuous dedication she has won many races. In January she ran the Romsey 5 in 31.57, Hangover 10k in 41.19 and was 1st Vet 45 and 2nd lady overall, Riverbank Rollick in 1.08 and 1st Vet 45. She also competed in all the 4 cross country races and was 1st Vet 45 in every race. Congratulations to Lynette who is an outstanding athlete and is an inspiration to us all.

December 2010

Barrie Dunn

Barrie is a long time member of the club, who has put in many very good performances over the years. Some of his performances are even more remarkable considering the amount of time he spends injured. Having battled his way back to fitness, he has put in strong performances at the Guy Fawkes 5 where he ran 33:09 and at the Xmas Cracker 10k where he ran 41:51. He has participated in all 3 of the Gloucestershire Cross Country races and also ran the Clevedon Boxing Day race in 24:41. Congratulations to Barrie.

Alyson James

Alyson has been running at Bitton for a few years, competes in many races including marathons. She supports team events and has taken part in the Castles & Cotswold relays. She has also been very helpful at the beginners group taking groups out and helping people to come up through to the senior club. Her recent races were the Guy Fawkes 5 and the Christmas cracker, with her attention now turning to marathon training once again. Hopefully marathon training will go well and she will stay injury and illness free and with some kinder weather after last year's heat wave at Edinburgh will achieve a good time at London. Well done Alyson.

November 2010

Wayne Durston

Wayne always has a smile on his face and is known for his sprint finishes - at the end of training runs! He has managed to maintain a consistent period of training and he has been trying different types of racing. This was shown by his time of 1:32:55 at the Bristol Half Marathon, getting around the Sodbury Slog in 1:14:38, flying around at the Guy Fawkes 5 in 32:31 and battling around the Xmas Cracker 10k in 42:11. He has even found time to compete in 2 of the Gloucestershire Cross Country races! Congratulations Wayne.

Pat Harley

Pat entered her first ever Sodbury Slog in 2009 and had an awful experience, where she fell over, breaking her collar bone in the last mile. Despite the pain she managed to complete the race. She entered the Slog again in 2010 and finished in a faster time, despite the muddier conditions. Although she only began running a few years ago, she now leads one of our beginner groups and passes on her knowledge and enthusiasm to others. Well done Paty

October 2010

Wayne Ellis

Wayne has had an excellent year, with many fine performances over all distances, notably at the City of Salisbury 10, the Rhayader Round the Lakes 20 and the London Marathon. These led to good runs at the Welsh Castles and the Bridge Inn 5k. July brought a good run at the tough Wellington 10 and a PB at the Avon Mob Match 10k.

August saw a rare off road adventure at the Standish Woodland Chase, but September showed that this runner was running well with 1:21:27 at the Bristol Half Marathon, then running, the North Somerset Relays the following week! October saw this runner be the first runner home for the club at the Oldbury 10 and at the Stroud Half Marathon, where he just missed his PB when running 1:20:45.

Kim Pope

Kim has worked extremely hard over the last year and has gradually chipped away at her racing times. Following a change in her training routine, which has included strength and conditioning and speed work, she is now performing on a different level. She recently got PB's in two half marathons by an astonishing amount. She is always a pleasure to train alongside and is always cheerful and chatty.

September 2010

Chris Brown

Chris is a runner who has had another good year with plenty of PBs rewarding his training and hard work and dedication. Although training for a marathon at the start of the year, he still found time to chase points for the Race of Eight!

A PB a the Lochaber Marathon was sign of good things to come with a good run at the Welsh Castles and then another PB at the Avon Mob Match 10k. The hard work in training continued to pay off in September with PBs at the Bridge Inn 5k (19:23) and the Chippenham Half Marathon (1:32:44). Congratulation Chris.

Catharine Jones

Catharine has been running with Bitton for a couple of years and is now running strongly. She works hard and is always willing to take part in team events for Bitton, competing at the Castles, Cotswolds and mob match, always putting in good performances and supporting other people. Over the past year she has run PBs in the Taunton marathon, Foxtrot 5 and did the Chippenham half in a time of 1:39:01. Well done Catharine.

August 2010

Julian McCracken

Julian has been regular face at training nights for a number of years. Although not a regular racer, he has doubled his mileage of late in preparation for the Abingdon Marathon and there are sure signs that his training is going well when he just missed his PB at the Avon Mob Match, however he was to achieve a PB at the Chippenham Half Marathon when running 1:46:52. Congratulations to Julian.

Toni Britton

Toni is a long standing member of the Club and having overcome serious illness and injury problems, she has battled back to fitness this year and is gradually chipping away at her times in races. Showing that she still has the consistency and determination to compete, this year her running in the following events underlines her unwillingness to give up: The Dundry Thunder (10k off road), 01:05:06; Thornbury Carnival 10k 52:38; Magor Marsh 10k 52:30. Well done Toni.

July 2010

Mike Collier

Mike is a long standing member of Bitton Road Runners and is a regular at club training nights. He has at last been able to put his injury problems behind him and as a result he has been going very well in training. Although he doesn't race very frequently, he stepped in as a late reserve for the Welsh Castles Relay Men's Team, running very well to come 27th on Stage 16, a mountain stage, although he did manage to hurt himself gardening the day before racing!!!!! This form continued in to July where he ran a massive PB at the Avon Mob Match 10k in 39:15. Congratulations Mike.

Michelle Kerfoot

Michelle can be described in many ways: resilient, hardworking and very quick, just to name a few. She is an extremely valued member of the club. She has broken 4 club records in the vet 40 category, the latest being the 1 mile in a time of 5.25. The latest achievement was unbelievable as she has suffered with various injuries over the last year and because of this has had to take a considerable time out from running, but has come back as strong as ever. Well done Michelle.

June 2010

Mike Blackmore

Mike had a very solid start to the year and showed that his marathon training was going well with excellent runs at the Lliswerry 8 and the Bridge Inn 5K series. He was also a participant in the Gloucestershire Cross Country League. April showed that he was coming back to his best with excellent times at the Reading half Marathon and the Easter Bunny 10k and finally at the London Marathon. However, an enforced break through illness followed, but he was soon back running at his best with a cracking third place on Stage 6 of the Welsh Castles Relay and first place on Stage 5 of the Cotswold Way Relay. Well done Mike.

Kaisha Thatcher

Kaisha is a young athlete who has made the progression from the junior section through to the seniors. As well as a Tuesday night run she takes part in the speed sessions on a Thursday where she is a pleasure to train with. All this hard work is paying off and she has already, in a couple of months lowered her 5k time from 24:28 to 24:03 and her 10k time from 52:15 to 50:51. It was also nice to see that she had the confidence to take part in a team event at the Mob Match. She is already starting to beat her mum at 5 & 10k, (it's ok Donna I know what that feels like) and give her a year or two and her dad will be looking over his shoulder! Congratulations Kaisha.

May 2010

Pat Slavin

Pat has been a member of the club for many years and he has long been admired for his remarkable times, which many club members have aspired to and are all the more to be admired when you consider his age. He has shown that age is no barrier and his appetite for running has not waned with first category places at the Stroud Beer Race (7.2 miles) in 54:41 and the Berkeley 10K in 44:40, third places in a more junior age category in the Keynsham 10K in 47:02 and the Wells 10K in 47:09, while still finding time to run the Bridge Inn 5K in 22:15. Indeed his 10K time ranks him third in the country for his age category. Well done Pat.

Jackie Zajac

Jackie is a long standing and valued club member. She has represented the club in numerous races and offered great support to other club members at many events. Following a period of absence whilst working abroad, she has returned to the club and has made steady progress to return to her former fitness. In May she competed in two off-road races, the Wrington Woodland Run in a time of 56.52 and the Cow Pat Canter in a time of 1.20.54 Well done Jackie.

April 2010

Jacob Hayes

Jacob first joined the club in the autumn of last year, after being bitten by the running bug when he ran the Keynsham 10k in 2009 in a time of 43:21. It was quickly apparent that he had potential with strong runs on training nights and his improvement was confirmed when he ran 64:44 at the undulating Elan Valley 10m. He embarked on his training for the London Marathon with great enthusiasm, which resulted in a PB at the challenging Vale of Blackmore Half Marathon of 1:22:59. This continued into March when he ran an excellent 2:08:40 at the Gloucester 20 and 1:23:41 at the Forest of Dean Half Marathon. His hard work was confirmed when he ran another great race with a time of 2:57:45 at the London Marathon.

Toni Walsh

Toni's running is improving rapidly, on training runs she runs quickly whilst chatting away non stop to her friend and training partner! She has been working hard and is beginning to get her reward. She ran a PB at the Forest of Dean in 1:52:10 and with not a huge amount of training just missed breaking the 4 hours at the Taunton marathon recording 4:00:07. She has since followed this up by being 1st lady home for the club in 50secs and ran the Bitton 5k in 24:34.

March 2010

Pete Clark

The Athlete of the Month for March is a runner who is regular at club nights and who has been putting in the miles in preparation for the Brighton Marathon. His training has obviously been going very well and he has been rewarded with PB's at the Reverse 10 miles with 69.32 and at the Bath Half Marathon with 1:32:12. Congratulations Pete.

Vanessa Hawkins

Vanessa is running better than ever at the moment. She regularly represents the club in races and is very often placed. She is also a pleasure to train and run with. In the Llanelli half marathon she was 1st V50 and set a new club record of 1:32:50. She has followed this up more recently by breaking the 10K club record twice in just over a week, recording 42:35 at the Hogweed Trot on 17th May. She now holds an amazing 4 FV50 records. Well done Vanessa.

February 2010

Chris Malthouse

A regular at club training nights, Chris has supported the club by running 2 of the Cross Country League races. He is now midway through his marathon training programme, which he has supplemented by doing some challenging races, namely the Full Monty Cute, the Christmas Cracker, Slaughterford and more recently the Dursley Dozen and the Ironwood Challenge. In fact the challenge continues as he has regular battles with his wife to see who is first home in races. Congratulations Chris.

Donna Thatcher

Donna's running is improving rapidly. She has been at the club for a few years but with a young family to look after training wasn't always easy. Now her children are older and starting out on their own running careers she has more time and its starting to show. Training harder plus cycling to work has resulted in PBs at the Hogweed mini muggles at the end of last year, the Christmas cracker and with only a few days notice she ran the Llanelli half marathon in 2:01 and took 15 minutes off her PB, despite not running this far in training.

January 2010

Arwel Roberts

Arwel is a committed member who supports the team events such as the Midland Relays and the Gloucestershire Cross Country League. In fact in December he was the first Bitton runner home at the Tewkesbury cross country and the following day he donned his santa outfit at the Christmas Cracker and ran 39:42. He is a regular at the track sessions and he is now progressing well with his marathon training. Well done to Arwel.

Jackie Stott

Jackie hasn't been at Bitton very long but is competing with some good runners. She was 1st V45 at Lliswerry in a time of 54.26, and put in a very strong performance at the last cross country match at very short notice which enabled Bitton to have a team in all 4 races for the first time and finish 4th overall . Having taken up a London place I'm sure she will have a great run.

December 2009

Mike Duggan

The Athlete of the Month for December is regular face at training over the last few years, as well as running in many local races. However, over the last few months he has come in to a rich vein of form with PBs at the Oldbury 10 (66:58), the Guy Fawkes 5 (32:18) and the Wyvern Christmas Cracker 10k (40:20), as well as strong runs at the Stroud half marathon and the Mendip Muddle.

Jacqui Perriman

This lady has worked hard at her training all year and raced at every opportunity. Each month she has improved her times through extra training and with great determination. In April she achieved a PB in the Weston Prom 5 mile race in a time of 38.55, she was the 1st Vet 45 in the Bitton 5k series and won 3rd prize in the Vet 45 category of the race of 8. She was also mentioned at the awards night for having entered the most races in 2009. Well done to Jacqui.

November 2009

Steve Stacey

As Vice Chairman of the club Steve has undertaken various tasks for the benefit of the club, however he has still managed to find time to challenge himself and improve his own running. He has been training very hard over the summer months and his reward was to achieve big PBs at the Oldbury 10 (70:54) and the Cardiff Half Marathon (1:33:01). He even found time to run very strongly at the Stroud Half Marathon and the Guy Fawkes 5!

Anita Westlake

November's Athlete of the Month goes to a lady who made a lot of us envious this year, by travelling the world, and competing in 5 half marathons on 5 different continents. She put in an enormous amount of hard training, overcame injuries & put up with Phil along the way. She obviously trained harder than Phil as her better stamina helped her to beat him in their last race in Auckland. She also raised a lot of money for charity.

October 2009

Mark Searle

The Athlete of the Month for October is an athlete who has been improving over the last 18 months and is a regular participant in team events. Over the last 6 months he has become more focussed in his training and has adopted a more aggressive approach to races.

This paid dividends in his runs at the Bristol Half Marathon and the Bridge Inn 5k in September where he achieved PBs. He continued this form in to October where he was the first Bitton runner home at the Marshfield Mudlark, but it was at the Stroud Half Marathon where he showed how well he is running by smashing his PB by finishing in 1:22:45.

Rachael Malthouse

October's Athlete of the Month goes to a lady who has been at Bitton for a couple of years. She has trained really well and is now running strongly. Having got married this year and her husband also running for the club, there have been some real battles in races of late. She has produced some strong performances, namely the Oldbury 10m, Cirencester 10k, Guy Fawkes 5 and the Monty Cute 10. Well done Rachael.

September 2009

Nick Kane

Nick is a very popular member of the club, who always has a cheery smile on his face and is willing to offer advice on injury and training matters. He started the year in very impressive form with some great times at Gloucester 10, Lliswerry 8 and Bourton 10k, resulting in a PB at the Bath Half Marathon.

However the runners curse struck and after an enforced lay off, he worked his way back to fitness by training hard, part of which was to run a mountain leg at the Welsh Castles. Indeed not just content with running, he also provided hotel facilities in Anglesey. The hard training continued with another good time at the Frampton 10k, but in September he managed his long term aim of breaking the magical three hour mark for the marathon when he ran 2:58:21 at the Berlin Marathon.

Emma Hoare

AOM for September is to someone who has recently made a come back to running and racing. She had a visit from the stork and took some time out. This lady has been back to training regularly and gone from strength to strength to get back to her former fitness. She recently raced in the Cirencester 10k with a time of 49.15. You can tell she puts an awful lot of effort in by the way she hurls over the line!!!! Well done Emma.

August 2009

Rob Kingdon

Off the back of some great runs at the Welsh Castles and the Cotswold Way Relays, this athlete further demonstrated that he was coming back towards his best form at the Frampton 10K, but he showed at the Seaview 17 how well he was running by coming second and improving his position from last year. Well done Rob.

Sue Hewitt

Athlete of the month for August, goes to a lady who could probably win club person of the year. year after year. Giving up masses of her time, to help those at the club who need it the most. On a Monday you will find her coaching Bitton's Juniors up at Yate. On a Thursday you will see her bright and early taking out the beginners, and on a Tuesday you will find her helping out whomever needs it to get round on a club run. She will always say well done and encourage you to come back, even if you have completely wrecked her run. She helps to make Bitton the club it continues to be, proving you don?t need to race every weekend to enjoy your running.

July 2009

Andy Thatcher

July 2009 Men's AOM goes to Andy Thatcher who is proving that he not only good at running but also on a bit of a speed merchant on two wheels. Two personal running bests in July of 41.24 at the Frampton 10K followed by 19.35 for the 5K at the Bridge along with a superb 28.03 miuntes in the 4 Mile at the Blaise Blazer saw Andy secure his Race of 8 position for 2009. Two duathon results, one in June and the other in August were Andy came 103rd in a time of 56 minutes on both occasions proves he a has got the speed on two wheels as well. Well done Andy and keep on running and biking!

Stephanie Evans

The award for the month of July goes to a very cheery person who is full of character and has such great enthusiasm for running. Having joined the club not too long ago her times are getting quicker as she gains confidence and experience through coaching and hard work. In July she ran in the Mob match and following an uproar of cheering from the Bitton Supporters, raced to the finish line overtaking a lady from another club. She also completed the Bitton 5k series and won 3rd Vet Lady. Well done Stephanie.

June 2009

Steve Bull

Most people would have given up and hung up their running shoes but not Steve Bull! Over two years ago Steve suffered a catastrophic injury in running terms when he fell off his bike and broke his ankle. All those who know Steve were very aware of the battle he had to first of all just walk, then start to jog and finally run again. All the effort, pain, hospital and physio visits have finally paid off. Steve completed the Bitton 5K in 23.45 and Towpath 10K in 49.58 in June, the times are immaterial as the main thing is Steve has made it back to the start line.

Nina Davies

This lady is now an established member of the club. She initially started coming on the odd occasion and can now be seen regularly each week. Having followed a couple of training plans, first for the Bath half marathon gaining an excellent time of 1.38:54, and more recently having followed the 5 and 10k schedule, she got a PB in the Towpath 10k of 44:46. She had a fab run in the Castles relay and was second lady on her leg of the Cotswold Way. She always has a smile on her face and is a pleasure to run alongside.

May 2009

Pete Hopes

Putting in the training is paying dividends for Pete Hopes, this month's Mens Athlete of the Month. Three pbs achieved, 19.16 at the Bitton 5K, 40.54 at the Bristol 10K and then 1.31.05 at the Wokingham Half Marathon tells us Pete has been putting in the homework at the track, gym and training runs. Further evidence of improved performances was on show with a 41.50 at Keynsham 10k and then the very next day with a 40.55 at the Hogweed Trot.

Christine Jenkins

Athlete of the Month for May goes to a lady who suffered the huge disappointment of having to pull out of the Berlin marathon, right at the last minute due to illness. Once recovered she started training all over again for the Edinburgh marathon in May, where all the hard work paid off and she produced an absolutely fantastic time of 3:11:19.

April 2009

Tony Walsh

A long standing member of Bitton Road Runners, Tony consistently achieves good race results, so much so that his last two times at the Bridge Inn where 18.48 and 18.49. Recent results have been a good run in the Bath Half Marathon at 1.26.28 and a 6th place in the Horton Bull Run. With Race of 8 results of Babcary 48.49, Lisweery 52.02 and the Christmas Cracker 39.28 Tony looks good for a MV45 category at the end of the competition.

Carol Williams

April AOM goes to a lady who has only recently discovered the joys of running and is now completely hooked. Since joining the Club she has gone from strength to strength and has put in a huge amount of effort to improve her times. Throughout the winter months she has trained at the track in all weathers. She ran in the Forest of Dean half in a time of 2hrs 7 mins and the Gloucester 20 in 3hrs 19 mins. The hard work paid off and she got a PB in London in a time of 4.50:52. Well done to Carol Williams you certainly deserve it.

March 2009

Gordon Lewis

March's Men's Athlete of the Month goes to Gordon Lewis for the exemplary way in which he has represented Bitton in 18 local races in the last 6 months. Even in a cold and wet January night Gordon was found competing at the Weston Prom, with full Bitton Tracksuit and a vest!

Not for Gordon the more exotic races around the world, his patch is the Bridge Inn on a Tuesday night, with the odd expedition to the Stroud Half Marathon, and a foray into multi terrain running at the Riverbank Rollick and the Hogweed Muggles. Well done Gordon, keep on up the great performances and see you at the next Bridge Inn and Weston Prom race series!

Shan Aguliar-Stone

The winner of the March Athlete of the Month has always been a good runner and club member, always willing to give advice and help people with their training. Since Christmas she has worked really hard on her London training and has produced some excellent results and broken club records. At the Gloucester 20 she was 1st Vet 50 and broke the club record and the following week was 2nd Vet 50 at The Forest of Dean half marathon again setting a new club record. Everyone who has trained with her these last few months knows she deserves a really good London time and hopefully another record will fall.

February 2009

Ian Nash

Ian was a new comer to the club last year, but now represents the club at many races. December saw Ian compete in the Xmas Cracker and Boxing Day 4. He then had a busy month in January competing at Hangover 10K, Lliswerry 8 and going multi terrain at the the Rough and Tumble. February saw Ian in Bitton colours again at the Hestercombe Humdinger, the Salisbury 10 and then south again to the Babcary 7.5. Well done Ian, keep on running.

Helen Hinsley

February's AOM goes to someone who has been a member of the club for some time. She had an injury, which led to an operation on her Achilles and saw her out of action for some time. This person is extremely dedicated to training, which pays off every race. In the Bridge 5k she was 1st vet 35 in the race for February and also won 1st Vet 35 for the series. In the Bourton 10k she was 1st lady vet 40 in a time of 39.57. Age usually slows us down, but Helen Hinsley having aged 5 years in one month between two races, it has not affected her at all! Well done Helen.

January 2009

Matt Langdon

Matt Langdon has started 2009 on fire by producing a hat trick of excellent performances in January. Matt was also the first Bitton runner to finish in these races. He started the month with a 5th place in 36.59 Minutes at the Hangover 10K. Next at the Western Prom on a wet and windy night, Matt claimed 13th place in 29.11 Minutes. Matt finished the month by now showing he was also good at multi terrain by finishing 18th at the Slaugherford 9 in a time of 1.05.14. Well done Matt.

Alison Collier

January A-O-M goes to a lady who joined Bitton Road Runners about a year ago starting in the beginners group and progressing up to the main club. She quickly gained the confidence to run in races and now races on a regular basis, lowering her 10k time to under the hour. Well done Alison Collier.

December 2008

Martin Stalley

Martin has been consistently improving his 5k times in the Bridge Inn series for a number of months resulting in a PB time of 18:09 which proves he wasn't just turning up hoping to pick up the lucky dip prizes on offer. Martin also picked up 3rd MV40 at Burnham 5k and was first Bitton home in the 15.5 mile Hogweed Major Muggle. Although Martin can not race on many Sundays as he supports his son, he always tries to make himself available to represent Bitton and helped the team finish 48th in the 6 stage Midlands Relay and also ran well in the Gloucester Cross Country League races at Bourton and Gloucester. Thanks for your support Martin and well done.

Michelle Kerfoot

December AOM is given to someone who joined the Club 18 months ago, having heard about the Club from a friend. Straight away it was obvious that this female was an exceptional runner, especially in short distances, and would give the men a run for their money!

She has a weird fettish for speed running, which most of us shy away from! Having been persuaded that it wont hurt her to run greater distances, she has now increased her racing to 10 miles. After recently having an achiles injury, she trained hard as soon as she was able and came 1st lady, 1st FV40 and did a PB all in the same race at the Christmas Cracker. She has also managed to break the Club records in 5k and 10k distances. Well done to Michelle Kerfoot.

November 2008

Wayne Ellis

Wayne has, since rejoining the club in the Summer achieved Personnel Bests in both the Half Marathon and 10 Mile distances, twice. At the Oldbury 10 in late August, Wayne was first Bitton runner to finish in a time of 1.01.42, followed in September by a time of 1.22.47 at the Bristol Half Marathon, this time the 2nd Bitton runner to finish.

This was followed in October by a time of 1.22.20 at Stroud Half, 1st Bitton runner to finish, and then in November Wayne ran a time of 1.01.39 at the Wimbourne 10, again the first Bitton runner to finish. Added to this superb set of results he ran a time of 17.57 minutes as part of the Bitton A Men's Team at the Clevedon Relays. Well done Wayne.

Lisa Duggan

The award this month goes to a lady who, although is only able to make it to the club on the odd occasion is, however, regularly representing the club in races. She has during the year 2008 put in some hard training, which has paid off.

At every race her times are getting quicker and in the Wimbourne 10 mile in November she was three minutes quicker than her time at the Oldbury 10 in August. You can tell that when this lady has done well by the huge grin on her face at the end of a race. Well done to Lisa Duggan for the hard work and great results.

October 2008

David Waters

Since joining the club in the summer David has achieved some impressive results and has represented the club at the the Clevedon Relays (5k in 18.29 Minutes) and Gloucester X-Country league (51.50 minutes). He was the first Bitton runner home in the Cardiff Half Marathon in October in a time of 1.23.43 and ran an impressive 1.03 minutes at the Oldbury 10 in September. This was in spite of a injury received during one of the first events for the club, in which he had to retire in the Gloucester Half Marathon in August.

Lynette Porter

This woman needs to start coaching the rest of us or let us know what secrets she is hiding! Talk about Wonder Woman. You would think you would slow down with age but she certainly does not. Over the last few years she has achived PBs galore and gives the men a run for their money. When you think that she could get no faster along comes another PB and a Club Record. This award goes to Lynette Porter who this month ran in the Shepton Mallet 10k in 40.25 and was 1st lady, Mendip Muddle (13.1 miles) in 1.42.22 and was 1st FV40 and she then ran the Dublin Marathon in a time of 3.03.27, was 3rd FV40 and broke the Club F35 and F40 Records. Just wondering what Lynette will do next.

September 2008

Ira Rainey

Ira has made a supreme effort in September. Being the club webmaster, Ira has been quick off the mark to update various aspects of the club website including the new championship rules. Ira has at the same time pushed himself to new running highs including two personal bests, 1:32:59 at Chippenham Half Marathon and 41:39 at Cardiff 10k. Many thanks and well done Ira.

Chris Jenkins

This lady made the decision to run an Autumn marathon but was very apprehensive about all the training involved. However she worked extremely hard, sticking to her schedule, and doing most of it all on her own. To those of you who have done marathon training, to run several twenty milers by yourself is no mean feat! Training completed she flew to Berlin, only to come down with a severe throat infection the day before, and was advised by a doctor not to run. The disappointment, (or relief) must have been huge. Both Claire and Janet know she would have run really well.

August 2008

Chris Brown

This athlete has made continuous improvement throughout this year and worn the bitton vest on many occasions. Over the last month he has gained pb's at the Club Invitation Towpath 10k in a time of 44.46 and the Oldbury 10 in a time of 1.13.13. His 5k time is now down to 21 mins and he has also beaten his mum 3 times! He gained his level 2 coaching badge earlier in the year and has put it to good use in taking much valued quality sessions on club nights. Athlete of the Month for August is Chris Brown.

Fiona Cramp

Athlete of the month for August is someone who consistently represents the club in races and constantly trains to produce fantastic results. Most races she wins prizes, which she sincerely deserves. She also encourages others to join in. This lady won Senior Female in the GWR Towpath Series this month, 3rd lady overall in the Conkwell Killer and 2 Senior Female in the Vale of Laharne Chase. The prize goes to Fiona Cramp.

July 2008

Kevin Mowat

"In the dock of Tiger Bay
On the road to Mandalay
From Bombay to Santa Fé
O'er the hills and far away"

Well some artistic licence going on there but defintiely via Miami, Vienna, San Diego, Samoa and Cherrington?!! in the last few months! Well done to Kevin Mowat for spreading the good name of Bitton Road Runners all across the globe and putting in some good performances along the way too!

Annette Whitchurch

The July winner of the Athlete of the Month is awarded to a lady who trains well and represents the club at many events, not many races go by when she doesn't run. In July she ran in the Frampton 10K, the Sundayshill 10K and the Kymin Dash. In June she was a valued member of the Welsh Castles Relay team and put in an excellent run. Well done to Annette Whitchurch.

June 2008

Ron Shannon

Ron Shannon for his Comrades marathon run. 54 miles in 8hrs 39minutes on the 'up run' at this year's South African classic.

"And to those who venture out, on this occasion for the very first time, whether fleet or heavy footed, are to discover that this, is not just a race or marathon, it is a journey. A journey of discovery, one in search of one's inner self, of ones self worth. A day, in your life that you can proudly say, that you have taken part in one of the most grueling challenges known to man......... The Ultimate Human Race." Well done Ron!

Maggie Bromley

Athlete of the month for June is someone who is a strong runner, determined, yet relaxed and always seems to run with a smile on her face. She is not seen at the club very often but regularly wears the club vest for many different races, including triathlons. She was given the most difficult leg of the Castles Relay, namely Drovers, and the Cotswold Relay leg 2 and achieved fantastic times for both. Well done to Maggie Bromley.

May 2008

Phil Westlake

For the past several months Phil has found a renewed enthusiasm in his training, working hard at both club and track sessions. His efforts were rewarded with a couple of exceptional races in May. 1st Vet 40 and 3rd overall at the Hogweed 10K in a time of 34:31, and 2nd MV45 at the testing Plymouth half-marathon in an eye-opening 1:18. Phil's presence on club nights and at the track has improved the overall quality of the sessions, and made it harder work to try and keep up! But hard work is what is required if we wish to improve and hopefully Phil will continue to lead the way with both personally rewarding race outings and in his overall contributions to the Bitton men's team.

Jan Issacs

This lady was an original member of Bitton Road Runners 25 years ago. She has run numerous races including the London Marathon and the Tough Guy. Whilst taking part in specialised training on a trampoline at Reading Festival last summer she fell and broke her leg. She has worked extremely hard to recover from this and is now back running regularly at the club, always encouraging her fellow runners with non-stop chat! Well Done Jan.

April 2008

Sean Lewton

Following on from a PB at the Gloucester 20 in March Sean got his marathon training just right by running a 3:41 PB at London. Clearly benefiting from a good training schedule through the winter and suffering from no post-marathon setbacks Sean went on to run a PB at the St Georges 10K just two weeks later. Well done Sean and hopefully you will continue to benefit from your marathon training and run strong through the summer.

Janet Brown

Janet joined the club about 3 and a half years ago, having only taken up running just prior to this. She has gone from strength to strength and worked really hard at speed and endurance to improve her fitness and over the last year has gained PB's in most distances. In March she did the Gloucester 20M in 2 hrs 37 mins and in April her well deserved achievement was the London Marathon in 3 hrs 28 mins. Well done Janet everyone is really pleased for you.

March 2008

Ian Hoare

Despite having the skinniest legs in the club and being a Derby County supporter, Ian has put in some excellent performances this year. He has stepped up the level of his quality runs and is up there with the fast group at track sessions. He produced outstanding runs at the Dursley Dozen (1st Bitton home in 1.28.07) and Gloucester 20 in 2.10.34. Never relinquishing his grip on his mobile phone in case he got the call while awaiting the birth of his first child Myeisha. Congratulations Ian & Emma.

Kim Pope

Kim joined the beginners group two years ago and has gone from strength to strength. After quickly moving through to running with the main club Kim has worked hard at training and succeeded in taking 11 minutes off her PB fpr a half marathon in just one year! After securing a charity place for the London Marathon she has trained extremely hard and she deserves to achieve the time she would like. Good Luck in London Kim!!

February 2008

Paul Sperrin

Paul recently celebrated his 50th birthday with a trip to Malta and whilst there participated in a half-marathon where he finished in a category winning 11th position. His time of 1:16:46 is a new club V50 record. This time would put him comfortably inside the top twenty V50 rankings countrywide for last year. It was a bit cooler on the following Tuesday at the Bridge where he equalled Bill Graham's current V50 5k record of 17:26. Well done Paul, congratulations on turning 50, this milestone has made your new age category a whole lot tougher for local runners! I hope that you continue to run well and produce nationally competitive times for the future.

Vanessa Hawkins

This lady when woken up in a race is a force to be up against! She is an extremely good runner and very modest. She was 1st L45 in the Bridge Inn with a time of 21.26, 2nd FV45 in the Dursley Dozen with 1.43 and completed the Terrminator in 1.44. Well done to Vanessa.

January 2008

Mike Gibbs

Mike has trained consistently through January hardly missing a track, hill or Sunday session. He Started the month as first Bitton home at the Rough N Tumble 10 in 1.32.39 and followed that up by putting a good performace at the Mayhill Massacre in 1.15.01. Then came the Slaughterford 10 in 1.10.39 followed 2 days later by the Bridge Inn 5k in 19.29.

Jo Webb

Ladies AotM for January is Jo Webb. Jo trains consistently hard and always produces good results for Bitton. She ran the Gloucester New Year Ten miler in 1:08:39, and finished 1st V45 at Lliswerry helping the Ladies to win the team prize.

December 2007

Luke Quilliam

An outright race win in a competitive event is to be applauded and after a number of months of consistent training, especially at Thursdays hill sessions, Luke was first home in the Bromham 10K which was raced in difficult conditions and won a nice big shiny trophy to boot!

Pat Harley

Pat started running a couple of years ago with the club and joined the beginners group. After the first 9 months she had to have time out with back trouble. She then came back to running with tremendous enthusiasm. Her aim was to quicken her pace enough to enable her to come along to the club nights and feel that she would not get left behind. Pat has run in the Bridge Inn 5K and each time has got quicker. She has also been going to the track on a Tuesday night and has put so much effort into improving, which has now paid off. Well done Pat.

November 2007

Terry Welch

Terry has been running consistently well over the last few months which has produced several outstanding performances including a 19.30 at the Bridge Inn 5K, a 1.29.49 at the Bristol Half and a PB of 1.28.10 at the Cardiff Half. From a V55 who was a heavy smoker not so long ago these performances are even more remarkable.

Dawn White

Although Dawn is not able to get to the club very often, she represents the club and wears the club vest in the cross country races, the Bridge Inn 5K and other events and is an experienced runner. She has won prizes in her category and age group throughout the year. This month she was the first vet 40 in the GCC Cross Country League in a time of 34.28 and ran the Bridge Inn 5k in a time of 20.20. We hope she continues with her fantastic efforts.

October 2007

Reg Morris

Reg has reached a level of cosistency that is quite outstanding, and hardly ever misses a track session or a club night. 2nd MV55 in Burnham, Cardiff and Stroud Half Marathons, all around 1:25.

Dawn Drake

Dawn has trained hard throughout the summer which resulted in a PB of 1:38:01 at the Cardiff half marathon taking 3mins 30 off her previous best time.

September 2007

Simon Laraway

First home for Bitton at the Bristol Half Marathon and a 10k PB at Mortimer capped a superb month for Simon. His times at these events has elevated him to be one of the clubs top runners and were just reward after consistent and committed training through the summer.

Sarah Coultart

For all her efforts in the Clarendon Way Marathon 5.00.13, Bridge Inn 5k 24.08, Robin Hood Half Marathon 1.54.27, Grizzly 20m 4.35 and Overton 5 in 41.03. She deserves a well earned rest after all those miles and a new pair of trainers!

August 2007

Keith Sawyer

After a vet 50 class victory at the Wellington Ten in July Keith continued his strong form through the month of August with another vet 50 category win at the Standish Woodland Chase. Keith then followed that up by being first Bitton runner home at the Frampton 10K.

Fiona Cramp

Fiona won two prizes one for 2nd Senior Female in the Easy Runner 5K Series and 2nd Female in the Standish Woodland Chase in a time of 1.12.36. She also had a PB at the Wellington Ten in 1.10.51 in July.

July 2007

Bryan Stadden

Along with Andy Creber won the Bowfell Class in the Saunders Mountain marathon. Also, even though it was in June, the South Wales Traverse should be mentioned as it was a tremendous achivement. After his injury ravaged 2006 Bryan has returned to form and proved he is the number one mountain man in the club.

Sharon Andrews

Sharon was the first Vet 35 at Sundays Hill in 44.02, 2nd Female in the Self Transcendence 2m in 13.59 and in August did a PB at the Frampton 10k in 43.31 and was 1st Vet in the Easy Runner 5K series.