Midland Counties Senior Women’s 4 Stage Road Relays Sutton Park Sat 23rd Sept. 2006
RACE REPORT
Birchfield ladies are back! Not that we went far
away, during the summer we gained three significant new members, Debbie Walters, Emma Phillips and
Gail Fortes-Mayer. This, combined with our existing girls have given our team an edge again, still
retaining the wonderful team atmosphere created by Louise Harman, Clare Beaumont, Hannah Hore, Emily
Evans, Rachel Denham and Samara Booth down at the Club, resulted in a great days racing. This gave a
brilliant silver medal place for our
“A” team in a very respectable time of 1:01:46
There are too many for me to mention everybody
unless you turn up posing on crutches like Claire Beaumont.
The weather was near perfect which made for a great
days racing.
“ A” team.
Leg 1, Debbie Walters, used to run for Birchfield
as a young girl, and has returned now as a “mature Lady” She’s had a very successful track
season and is going to be a big asset to us on the road and XC, she was extremely nervous but used
the adrenaline well to come back in 3rd place with a time of 15:01, which also gave her 6th
quickest time of the day.
Leg 2, Amanda Wright, our Stalwart now who
struggles to run more than 3 times a week and spends hours on a turbo trainer. She managed to close
down the leaders and come back in 2nd place with a time of 15:17.
Leg 3, Amanda Dalkins, progressing well with her
recovery schedule had a fine run in 16:07 losing a couple of places but still keeping us in
contention.
Leg 4, Emma Phillips, who belongs to the black
socks regiment from Wolverhampton, also joined us this summer after a long and successful period
with Tipton, who were rather ungracious about her running for us, it’s a good job we don’t make
so much fuss about runners who leave us. Any road up she set off in pursuit of a medal chased by the
mighty Tina Brown, Coventry & GB. Emma pulled us up into second
place but then got caught by Tina; undaunted and cheered by raucous support from others in
our team, she stuck with it and re-passed Tina to bring us back in 2nd place with a time
of 15:21. It was a good sight to see tiny Emma out - sprinting a very tall Tina.
Typically after waiting twenty odd years for a relay medal Debbie missed the
presentation because she was gossiping!
In the “B” team Rachael Rowberry, Louise
Harman, Michelle Tanner, and another welcome new member still recovering from injury, Gail
fortes-Mayer came in 27th.
In the “C “team Jenny Worthington, also
returning to race after some time, Rachel Denham, Emily Evans, having her first race after a long
back injury, and Vet sprinter Ann Haywood came back in 42nd.
Finally, Hannah Hore, on the come back trail, Wendy
Morant and Samara Booth made up an incomplete team.
Can I thank you all for helping to make it a
wonderful day. See you at the Nationals on the 21st. Oct.
Eddie Cockayne.
Women’s Team Manager,