Victoria Park Harriers climb out of their comfort-zone and into medal glory
Athletes sweep the medals at the SEAA Felling Running Championships
Victoria Park Harriers swapped the capital’s streets for steep country hills and brought home medals from the SEAA Fell Running Championships on the Isle of Wight.
Harriers took a squad of 22 to Ventnor for three races over two days – racing off-road, over upland country where the gradient climbed is a significant component of the difficulty.
The first of the races was a short, sharp 3.8km out and back and Harriers’ John McKeane proved his ability to secure third place.
The VPH men also managed to get four runners in the top 10.
Jo Singer ensured that the club had a top-three presence in the ladies’ race.
The second race gave runners a couple of hours to rest and refuel before they set off on a 12km run.
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This time there were a few more sections of gentle undulation between the steep sections. McKeane maintained good form, managing a fourth place finish.
Three more Harriers made it into the top 10 and Singer demonstrated her ability over longer distances by taking second place.
Race three on Sunday morning saw runners embark on a challenging 21km route. This time VPH runner Tom Heslop finished in fourth place with four more of his team-mates finishing in the top 10.
The final scores resulted in Victoria Park’s men securing second and third team places. The ladies team achieved an overall third place.
Club member Neil Cook said: “It was fantastic to see so many club members keen to travel to the Isle of Wight and compete so ably on terrain that we’re not really used to in east London.”
