For a breakdown of results up to the end of May...

There have been fine performances over the sprints and middle-distances during the last few days...

For a roundup of results between 5th and 15th May...

There have been more fine early season performances on the track, in the field and on the road...

There have been some promising early-season performances.

Jack Goodwin and Rebecca Murray both competed in the ‘Comeback’ 5000m at Battersea Park on 31st March.  Rebecca came third in the women’s race, in 16:28.18.  Jack’s finished seventh in in the men's race, in 14:13.96.

The 40th annual running of Bedford and County's Christmas Handicap race took place between 18th and 22nd December.  Due to Covid restrictions, this year's edition of the race was virtual in nature.  Current Bedford and County members, young and old, and alumni from as far away as Canada and Australia ran in household bubbles, or alone with only a GPS watch for company, and emailed in their results to race organizer, Tony Forrest.  The race is held in memory of Pete Dancer, a long-time Bedford and County athlete and coach who passed away in 2016, after a long battle against pancreatic cancer.  86 competitors including members of Pete's family took part - the youngest was only 6 years old, and the oldest were in their seventies.  Over £1700 was raised for Pancreatic Cancer UK, and this year's results were announced via Zoom.  It isn't too late to make a donation to Pancreatic Cancer if you'd like to - the Just Giving page is still open: http://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bedfordhandicap.  The virtual race had joint winners: Tenny James and Rachel Humphreys.

Competitive athletics and group training are both suspended during the current lockdown.  However, several Bedford and County athletes managed to squeeze in some races during October.  Here’s a run-down of what has been happening.

Seven Bedford and County athletes took part in the Noble Pro PB Special in Milton Keynes on Sunday 27th September.

Matt Bray finished ninth in a new PB of 14:30.  John Eves (M35) also got a new PB of 15:05, and finished 29th.  Ben Davies came 33rd in 15:11, and Paul Mizon was close behind in 36th place, recording 15:13.  Jono Janes came 43rd in 15:20, Craig Emmerson came 78th in 15:55, and Stanley Willis came 98th in a PB of 16:17.  Jono, Craig and Stan all won their waves.

Following in Sir Roger’s Footsteps – The BMC Bannister Virtual Mile Time Trial
On 6th May 1954, running at Oxford’s Iffley Road track, Sir Roger Bannister became the first person to run a mile in under four minutes, a feat which many at the time thought impossible. In the years that followed, British middle distance running experienced a fallow period, and the production line of great milers ground to a halt. In 1963, the renowned coach, Frank Horwill, set up the British Milers Club, which aimed to promote middle distance running in this country through a network of coaches and elite races. The ‘BMC’ bore spectacular fruit in the late 1970s and 80s, as first Steve Ovett, then Seb Coe, Steve Cram, Peter Elliot and others dominated international middle distance running. Over a seven year period starting in 1978, three different Brits set mile world records and won European, World or Olympic titles over 1500m.