FRATERNITY & SORORITY CUP RACE (November 2014)
29th of November, Trent Park, Cockfosters
ALEX MILNE had a hard training race, in preparation for the following weekend’s Varsity Match, at Wimbledon.
The Fraternity Cup race was first run in 1931 by Hampstead Harriers (now Barnet & District AC) as a celebration for those that survived the 1st World War.
Some 70 years ago, perhaps the only club that had not changed it’s name since then that competed at Trent Park this year was Highgate Harriers, so said their twice President Terry Driscoll.
The organising club Barnet & District AC were formed as a club, much later with the help of Derek Wood, who was one of the top veteran competitors in the UK at the time.
At Trent Park, after 800 metres of sapping mud and over a winding, undulating course Tom Aldred, led a group of five till the first downhill, with Ryan Mckinlay, on his own 20 metres behind that. It was just after Aldred decided to try and break the pack up. Going up the hill on the first lap Milne started to make his move, as he ran beside Aldred. It was after two thirds of the first of two laps on the back hills that Milne, who studies Astro Physics at Cambridge University for a one year Masters Degree, started to make his move going up a hill and never looked like losing for the rest of the race. Aldred was a clear second and Mckinlay managed to get ahead of James Laing (2nd in the Hillingdon Half Marathon), after they interchanged positions several times.
Milne (24), who achieved all his seven track personal best times this year said “I ran 2:25 in the London this year but hope to get below 2:20 in the next couple of years.”
Milne also said ‘I have done a fairly fast 50 miles this week and I was treating the race as a hard training run and was hoping to feel a bit fresher but I guess it was Okay.’
It was team victory for London Heathside, who brought out 31 runners out of the 133 finishers. First 8:- 1 Alex Milne (Enfield & Haringey) 25:56; 2 Tom Aldred (London Heathside) 26:14; 3 Ryan McKinlay (also 2nd in the North London the week before - Highgate Harriers) 26:44; 4 James Laing (Hillingdon AC) 26:53; 4 Adam Kirk-Smith (London Heathside) 26:55; Nick Sturge (Trent Park AC) 27:03; 7 Dom Smith (Highgate Harriers) 27.55; 8 Kerr Millar (Highgate Highgate Harriers) 28:00. First 3 Teams:- London Heathside 68; 2 Highgate Harriers 94; 3 Trent Park Running Club 97 (18 club teams completed with London Heathside having three teams).
Held in conjunction with the event was the Sorority Cup and Stephanie Wigram won out of 55 women that finished “It was tough to-day It was a good course.’ She added one of my first races ever was doing the marathon in 2009. It was the starting point and it was 3:45 that day and I then went on to try and get my speed up at lower distances. I did not do so much training then. I would like to do a marathon at some point again. I started training properly about a year ago. I was abroad in Columbia, South America and joined a running club there. I never used to like competition but they had races every week. What amazed me, once I started competing in October last year I did a 5k organised by McDonald in Columbia. I came first and I was totally surprised. Although there are not so many women that run out there BUT since then I have trained, competing a lot more.’
This race was my fourth race this month (November). I was 40th in the Met League at Stevenage. I won a race in the Autumn Challenge, 5 miles, organised by Watford Joggers on the 16th of November in Cassiobury Park.
Teams 1st three:- 1 Serpentine RC 35; 2 Barnet & District AC 43; 3 London Heathside 47.
1 Stephanie Wigram (Hillingdon AC) 31:55; 2 Rebecca Bunting (Over 45, London Heathside) 32:42; 3 Karen Murphy (Barnet & District AC) 33:26; and in fifth place overall was first over 50/55 Fiona Kennedy of Ealing Southall & Middlesex 33:45.