It was wet, it was cold and we were probably all still full from our Christmas dinners, but that didn’t stop Croft members from turning up and completing the Hereford Couriers Christmas 10k race on Wednesday 28th December 2022.
16 Crofties ran in a field of 300 runners and there were some excellent results to be had too! More on that in a bit. With a row of Croft runners gracing the start line, eager to begin, at 11am they set off. Starting and finishing at Hereford Rugby Club, the route took runners around the country lanes of Hereford and through small villages and hamlets. The course was very up and down, or rolling – to make it sound more fancy.
I seem to have a tendency to go off too quick when it comes to racing, infact, in the last few 10k races I have done, I have struggled. So this time, I took it steady, but I did push when going uphill as a lot people slowed or walked. After the first 5km, however, I notched it up a gear and pushed for the last 5km. It was quite satisfying going back past people who had passed me earlier on. But what was more satisfying was beating my dad to the line by a smidge. I finished with a chip time of 53:07.
As for other Croft runners, Eric finished 2nd overall with a time of 34:25. Gareth, Mark and Sam J joined him in the top 10 with times of 35:29, 35:31 and 35:58 respectively. These times were good enough for the Croft Men’s Team to finish 1st. First Croft lady home was Liza and was joined by myself (Bronwyn), Sue W and Steph K in securing a 3rd for the Croft Ladies Team.
Full CARC results:
- Eric Apperley – 34:25
- Gareth Leek – 35:29
- Mark Lamonby – 35:31
- Sam Juson – 35:58
- Simon Norwood – 40:29
- Howard Verran – 51:35
- Liza Austin – 51:37
- Roland Preece – 53:02
- Bronwyn Preece – 53:07
- Rob Wood – 55:32
- Huw Williams – 56:25
- Sue Wood – 57:45
- Steph King – 57:56
- Clare Preece – 1:02:22
- Theresa Jones – 1:05:31
- Alison Apperley – 1:30:49
Fantastic running team!
