The second round of the Hatfield 5k Series doubled as the county championships for veteran runners - and there was success for Garden City Runners.

Welwyn Hatfield Times: Paul Guy, Bruce Judge and Peter Harvey of Garden City Runners with the county medals. Picture: GCRPaul Guy, Bruce Judge and Peter Harvey of Garden City Runners with the county medals. Picture: GCR (Image: Garden City Runners)

Juliet Vine very comfortably won the women's race in a time of 18 minutes nine seconds to take FV35 county gold, and that performance, along with the efforts of Martha Hall and Zoe Stephens, brought team silver too.

Hall finished in eighth place which also gave her an individual silver medal in the FV45 age category.

The men's vets team also attained silver.

They were led by the first GCR over the line, Peter Harvey, his 17:48 good enough for MV50 silver.

Bruce Judge was a few seconds behind and got a bronze in the same category.

Rob Casserley and Paul Guy returning to form completed the team.

New GCR members Chris Dungate and Amber-Leigh Marvin ran very well to achieve huge PBs.

Elsewhere, Martin Mitchell took on the Lake District Lap Ultra, a 47-mile race around Lake Windermere.

And despite the heat and many hills, the amazing scenery spurred him on to finish in under 13 hours and in 153rd place.

Welwyn Hatfield Times: Sanj Kaushal after the Thames Path 100k Ultra Challenge. Picture: GCRSanj Kaushal after the Thames Path 100k Ultra Challenge. Picture: GCR (Image: Garden City Runners)

Sanj Kaushal endured an even longer challenge in the blistering heat, the 100km Thames Path Ultra.

A little misdirection at Walton on Thames took him 2km off course but with support from passers-by and fresh supplies from wife Anika at 50k, he finished in 74th position out of a remarkable 937 participants, clocking 14:25.

He said: "It's a testament to the months of training, dedication, and sheer determination that led me to this point.

"The Thames Path 100km Ultra Challenge was a true test of my physical and mental strength and I emerged from it with a profound sense of accomplishment."

The New Forest Half was the latest step on Samantha Hastie's personal challenge to complete 12 half marathons this year.

And she shaved more than three minutes off her PB to finish in 2:36:52.

The Vitruvian Triathlon at Rutland Water saw Spencer White get a PB of 5:22, almost 20 minutes quicker than before.

He completed the 1.2 mile swim in 37 minutes, the 56 mile bike ride in 2:50, also a PB, and the half-marathon mile run in 1:48, a PB during a triathlon.

Richard Darley was at the Bacchus Wine Half Marathon at the Denbies Vineyard near Dorking.

As well as the challenge of the half marathon distance, the major draw of the event is the opportunity to sample a range of wine from the portfolio at each of the seven water stations.

 

He said: "It is probably the most challenging half marathon he's done but the fun of the day and lack of pressure get to the finish line in the fastest time possible makes it extremely enjoyable and highly recommended."