Hunter Bags Top Ten Finish for Beverley in London Marathon

Twenty-nine athletes from Beverley Athletic Club joined over thirty-five thousand runners and fundraisers to pound the streets of the capital in last Sunday’s London Marathon.

After training through the coldest winter on record they were faced with a warm sunny day which was ideal for spectators but a bit too hot for running.

After the event there was much to celebrate including new personal bests for Ian Boardley, Andrew Brant, Debs Brant, Mark Dalton and Tony Hunter; Tony Hunter also finished in the top 10 in his age category; Pam Atkins finished 22nd in her age group; Jacqui Dickinson and Steve Evins both completed their first road marathon; and several Beverley runners recorded times that are considered very good for their age and will gain automatic entry to the race next year.

The first three Beverley runners, James Pearson, Rob Snaith and Ian Boardley, all finished in less than three hours and in the top 500. While Pearson and Snaith slowed down in the second half of the race, Ian Boardley increased his pace and put in a strong performance to finish in 2:50:09 beating his previous best by almost two minutes.

It was a special day for Boardley with mum and dad, John and Sylvia, also taking part in the marathon, albeit at a more leisurely pace. They completed the course together in 06:51:30. It was Sylvia’s first marathon and she took it all in her stride.

The Boardleys were supported by Ian’s wife Vicky who carried their six month old daughter Emily around the course and cheered them all on at various points.

Ian Boardley was also instrumental in the success of two of his club mates. He is a sports scientist and compiled training schedules for Mark Dalton and Tony Hunter. Dalton had a superb run and finished 10 minutes faster than the last time he ran in London two years ago. Tony Hunter ran a very evenly paced race to finish in a new personal best time of 3:01:09 and in ninth place in the M55 – 60 age group. He has competed in London before and loves the atmosphere. This year he commented “It was as ever a fantastic occasion, massive support from an enthusiastic crowd not only shouting but seeking high fives, handing out jelly babies and yelling encouragement at the tops of their voices.”

The big race atmosphere was new to Beverley’s current female marathon champion, Lucy Stamford. She was running in London for the first time and found it “quite an experience!” as her previous marathons were much smaller events. She finished in 03:37:41 and was followed three minutes later by Julie Donald who was competing in London for the fifth time. Turning into the last bend Donald saw club mate Steve Evins who was competing in his first marathon. He had found the last few miles tough but Donald cheered him on and encouraged him to sprint down the Mall with her to the finish.

For Lucas Meagor completing the London Marathon was the half-way stage in his series of four marathons in four weeks. He finished in 04:13:41 and now has two weeks to recover before his next race in Limerick on 1 May.

This year’s London Marathon was won by Emmanuel Mutai of Kenya in a new course record time of 2:04:40. Mary Keitany also of Kenya won the ladies race in 2:19:19.

Beverley Athletic Club finishing times:
James Pearson 2:43:55; Rob Snaith 2:47:24; Ian Boardley 2:50:09; Mark Dalton 02:51:46; Tony Hunter 3:01:09; Stuart Little 03:12:41; Andy Johnson 3:13:01; Paul Clark 3:13:05; Stuart Little 03:12:4; Ian Husband 03:17:34; Steve Jackson 03:23:24; Pete Watkinson 03:33:11; Lucy Stamford 03:37:41; Steve Evins 03:39:24; Julie Donald 03:40:19; Rob Reid 03:57:05; Tony Beck 04:02:19; Andrew Brant 04:03:57; Debs Brant 04:05:22; Maria Sellers 04:11:04; Lucas Meagor 04:13:41; Chris Dunn 04:38:26 ; Pam Atkins 04:58:47; Olly Johnston 5:04:19; Jacqui Dickinson 05:08:19; Julie Russell 05:11:50; Jörg Hardege 05:15:25; David Muschamp 05:20:30; Sylvia Boardley 06:51:30; John Boardley 06:51:31.

Reported by Kay Farrow

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