Harriers toil in record heat as PB times and medals racked up

It was a quieter time than usual at the weekend for the Harriers as the recent rainy conditions gave way to searing heat and record-breaking temperatures.

On Sunday, Peter Tucker travelled to Warwickshire to take part in the Compton Verney Half-Marathon, which was based around the 120 acres of stunning parkland and lakes which surround an historic manor.

The course headed along country roads and through scenic villages.

Tucker had to attack a tough hill after 11.5 miles, on his way to completing the 13.1 mile-course in 2:29:11.

Rossiana Mee stayed closer to home and participated in the inaugural Forestry Commision Wendover Woods 10k event.

The challenging off-road route was set entirely within one of the hilliest parts of the Chiltern Hills and started with a 4km decline, making for a tough latter section.

She crossed the line in 56:33.

Darren Burke was also in 10k action, completing the Beat the Boat 10k event in Eton in just under 52 minutes.

On Saturday the focus was on 5km events.

Dave Goodman continued his recent good form by finishing as the first male veteran 40+ (MV40) at the Lee Valley Velodrome 5k event.

The day of racing around the velodrome – used for the indoor cycling events at the 2012 London Olympic Games – has events from 5km all the way up to half-marathon distance.

Goodman finished in fourth place overall in a time of 20:07.

Meanwhile, as is always the case, the club had large numbers of runners taking part in ParkRun events around the country.

However, three Harrier women put in particularly noteworthy performances in the free, timed 5km events.

Tracey Cotton was the first female finisher overall at the Sunny Hill ParkRun in North London, completing the course in 24:15.

Sam Sparks picked up a personal best (PB) time at the Rickmansworth ParkRun event, clocking a time of 28:41, and Mary McCluskey managed the same PB feat at the Milton Keynes ParkRun with a time of 26:05.