The Return of Racing

After a 22 week hiatus from racing because of the coronavirus pandemic, members of Gade Valley Harriers finally got back to racing in August. There was no surprise that the first two club mates to pin on running numbers were the two members who had raced almost every weekend between them prior to lockdown – Dave Goodman and Phil Mercer.

Goodman took part in the socially-distanced Vanguard Way Half Marathon on the second of August. The challenging course started in Lloyd Park, Croydon, and took runners along undulating trails and footpaths in Surrey. Despite a few wrong turns, Goodman completed the 13.1 mile race in 2:39:22.

Then this Saturday afternoon, Mercer participated in the Enigma X Half, as social distancing was once again high on the priority. He completed 3.5 laps around the picturesque Caldecotte Lake in Milton Keynes in extremely hot and humid conditions. He crossed the line in 1:40:32.

Also this weekend, another man who was known for running large distances before lockdown, completed a landmark.

Marathon man Peter Tucker on Saturday completed his 100 day streak of running by racking up a total of 463 miles – which included over 29,000-feet of elevation – in just over 94 hours. 

Well done to all three for continuing your form from March. I’m sure many of us will be back to racing very soon.