Grantham Running Club take part in the West Pinchbeck 10k near Spalding
Eighteen members of Grantham Running Club took the roads of West Pinchbeck near Spalding for the 10k event.
Starting just outside the school up a narrow lane, the runners lined the road before the start, the speedier competitors jostling at the front.
Once the starting horn sounded, runners streamed out of the village and onto the fen country lanes, writes Marj Spendlow.
They did a large loop around the flat and slightly featureless countryside - which is ideal for a personal best if the wind is kind - before heading back to the village for a long home straight and the finish in the school grounds.
Weather conditions were just right for racing being chilly with a gentle breeze.
First home for GRC was Matthew Kingston-Lee in an impressive time of 36:35 in his first go at this event.
He was pleased considering that he had been unwell the previous week and he felt his quads starting to cramp up after around two miles. Pushing through, he finished in 10th place overall.
Another first timer, Peter Jennings, enjoyed the course, crossing the line in 44:57 and achieving a huge personal best, knocking 1:37 off his previous best set in 2022.
This was especially impressive as only a week earlier he had run several laps of the gruelling Equinox24 course at Belvoir Castle.
Simon Allsopp was also making his debut at the event and came home in 50:08, another runner recovering from the efforts of Equinox24.
Next came Daniel Pearce who enjoyed the course, finishing in a time of 42:43.
First home for the ladies GRC was Marj Spendlow who, despite having been held up by a tractor, came home in a time of 51:46, a course personal best.
Running this race for the first time, Kate Thompson ran well to come home in a time of 53:20, a huge personal best which was nearly six minutes faster than her 2023 previous best.
Her happiness was slightly dampened when it emerged that the chip timing didn't work so runners were only awarded their gun time.
This negatively affected the runners who started further back the most and Kate fell victim to this with an additional 30 seconds added to her time.
New GRC member Addelle Townsend was taking on her very first 10k race at the event and set off with the ambition of getting under the hour. She smashed this target comfortably, crossing the line in 57: 25.
GRC results: Matthew Kingston Lee 36:35, Daniel Pearce 42:43, Alan Carley 42:57, Peter Jennings 44:57, Simon Allsopp 50:08, Daniel Wallace 50:50, Paul Jepson 50:17, Paul Kelly 50:53, Sam Caton 51:15, Marj Spendlow 51:46, Kate Thompson 53:20, Kate Wallace 55:57, Addelle Townsend 57:25, Robert Croston 57:38, Anne Fleming 57:39, Martyn Wand 59:43, Tracy Webb 1:05:03, Jamie Lord 1:06:45, Yvonne Buckley 1:10:55.
The winner of the men's race was Luke Harris from Stamford in a time of 33:51 while Abigail Kefford of Helpston Harriers took the ladies' honours in 39:54.