Junior Round-Up

With the Cross Country season finishing for our Juniors in mid-February, and the track season not due to start until April 9th in the shape of the Young Athletes meet promoted by Hercules Wimbledon at the David Weir Leisure Centre, our athletes have been out and about at the London mini-marathon trials and the ParkRuns.Isla Wallrock ran well in the Hammersmith and Fulham London Mini Marathon trials to secure qualification in the Girls U15 category for the London Mini Marathon on 23rd April. At the Southwark Mini Marathon trials, Belgrave was represented by Baine Robinson who ran an outstanding race in the Boys U13 category to finish 3rd over 2.7 miles in a time of 15.51, only 12  seconds behind the winner and qualifying for the Mini Marathon. Dauphine Rolin was extremely pleased with her run in Girls U15 race, finishing 14th in 21 minutes dead. Elsewhere in Wandsworth on 5th February, Zayd Addicott qualified in the Boys U15 trials, with Sam Pound running a strong race in the Boys U13 category. Unfortunately Wandsworth/Enable, not the quickest out of the blocks, have yet to publish a full list of results.Blaine continued his superlative improvement in the Park Runs, running a pb of 18:55 at Southwark on 25th February and following it up two weeks later with another barnstormer of 18:20 at Brockwell Park. In between he managed to place first in the U12 Boys category (second overall) in the Anglesey 1 mile junior race on 5th March. He's a veritable running machine. Although I  think he could take at least 20 seconds off that if he left off some of that running kit - it must weigh more than him! Just because you've got it Blaine, doesn't mean that you've got to wear it all at once  :-DWell done Blaine. And to think I was pacing him in the Park Runs only a year ago. Wonder if he'd be kind enough to reciprocate? As long as it's a nice gentle trot.Meanwhile, Henry Shippey was showing his schoolmates a thing or two, placing second in the prep schools U13 Boys Cross Country Championships, only just pipped at the post. Unfortunately I wasn't there to capture that enigmatic post-race scowl, but I'll bet it was in evidence nevertheless.