Chingford League Race One: The Stags Storm Lee Valley VeloPark

What a great start to the Winter Season for the Stags in the Chingford League on Tuesday 7th October when 46 Stags (24 women and 22 men) competed at the VeloPark. Simply magnificent!

This is not an easy location for the Stags to reach and parking can be challenging but this didn’t deter our runners and supporters which is a testament to our Team Spirit and commitment to racing. Not many clubs can match our turnout of BOTH men and women, and so far from home.

A number of Stags made their Chingford League, and in some cases, Club debuts on the night including Victoria Fraser, Alex Renton, William Kumar and Carmelo Quattrocchi who were all terrific.

The men were led home by Ed Fraser who finished 8th in a time of 16:54 which is all the more remarkable because he is only just returning from injury. He was followed home by Carmelo Quattrocchi and Calvin Wu both of whom had great races. Our 4th man home, Richard McCormick, was first M60 on the night while our 6th man home, Andy Pettit, was the 2nd M60. Brilliant!

Our women were led home by Kath March who finished 16th on the night in a great time of 20.32 followed by Jo Kent and Scarlett Kent all of whom had great races. Well done!

There were great performances throughout the teams; Dave Byrne edged Mark Glover (returning from injury after a long absence) while Sarhan Rahman and Stephen Lake were both super quick. Racing addict, Kelvin Koloko, took it easy given the Chicago Marathon was fast approaching but still ran 20.11!

In the women’s team Chloe Marshall continued her great run of form and Steph Harrison, having missed the previous Winter season, is improving very fast. Newest Club member, Victoria Fraser, part of that great racing dynasty, the Frasers, was superb as were the many competitors from our Red training group, in particular, Shayna Godin, Bev Dewberry and Sara Atkin. Piji Hart deserves special mention for interrupting her run to comfort a distressed U11 and still finishing in a great time!

We had the best cakes on the night too thanks to Jenny Lambert and Pauline Michael, and Di Godin’s support with the numbers was invaluable. Thank you all.

The 5K cycle track itself was a great one to run; never flat but gently undulating rather than hilly, and well-lit. Men and women ran separately and there were three laps with lots of cheering and encouragement from spectators (particularly Stags) which made for a trackside atmosphere that is second to none. The weather was good too.