Since lockdown started, the Belles have been keeping a low profile. Those who follow the ladies on Strava and social media will have seen evidence of training either in London or around parental homes across the country. However, there was a real hiatus in virtual racing since their outing at the National Virtual Road Relays in April where they finished 23rd.

Co-captain Mhairi Hall has been patiently waiting out the lockdown at her faraway family home in Stornoway, Scotland. She decided that a bit of friendly competition would be a healthy thing in these times and so launched the first match of what looks like a sort of Belle League. Quicly, there came a second match. And then a third! A fourth is already planned… Read on for a recap of the ‘racing’ so far and what is yet to come!

3km TT (29th - 31st May)

The last weekend of May saw the ladies take on a short time trial of 3000m - a clear sign of their eagerness to hit the track perhaps?

Six Belles took part. Leading the table was alleged ‘400m specialist’ Liv Papaioannou who has been smashing XC and road races since she has joined us, maybe she has successfully run off the accolade? Liv has been training hard in hilly Shropshire and, clearly, she’s been keeping pretty fit. Hopefully we will get to see her put those legs to good use on the track over the coming months!

There was a clear bit of daylight between her and 800m specialist Keri Mackenzie who managed to dip under 11mins for what appears to be her first mark on the 3km distance. Looks like she nailed it as she managed to put herself ‘over the line’ 26s ahead of fellow Scotte Mhairi. Juggling her injury comeback, dog-sitting and sailing, Mhairi has been putting in some good training and we can’t wait to have our co-captain back to the best of her shape when racing picks up again.

Emily Barrett and Natalie Nash also put in great shift to get under 12mins. When lockdown was first imposed, Emily got slightly too excited with her newly found free time and over trained herself into a slight injury. It’s good to see her back to some running, especially at a distance that isn’t exactly in her comfort zone.

Catherine Roche also braved the challenge for a strong performance. Having joined us last summer, Catherine was forced to take time off running following a pretty serious bike crash. She is just now getting back to running so it is great to see her back in action and performing with gusto. Keep it up, Catherine! We want more where that came from.

1. Liv Papaioannou (10:33) - Church Stretton, Shropshire

2. Keri Mackenzie (10:57) - The City, London

3. Mhairi Hall (11:23) - Stornoway, Scotland

4. Emily Barrett (11:33) - Battersea Park, London

5. Natalie Nash (11:54) - Bath, Somerset

6. Catherine Roche (12:30) - Battersea Park, London

10km TT (5th - 7th June)

Well things don’t look very different one week later, except we’re missing Miss Mackenzie. Liv Papaioannou was clearly determined to once again top the leaderboard. Not quite the stellar 37:46 she put down at the Shrewsbury 10k in March, her 39:08 is still a pretty damn impressive solo effort. While Mhairi Hall didn’t top this particular ranking, she did win the Leanne Fund Virtual 10k!

Once again, Emily Barrett was hot on Mhairi’s heels. Just barely missing out on a sub 40min run, Emily still secured a huge unofficial PB considering her official best is 41:18! That’s a damn big chunk off… Meanwhile, in Warwickshire one of the Reeds made an appearance on the virtual scene. Alice Reed attacked the hills - “what Charlie would have called ‘undulating’” (her words, not mine) - following a run-in with a moped the weekend prior while on a bike ride! Tough. As. Nails. Catherine Roche was once again part of the fun.

1. Liv Papaioannou (39:08) - Church Stretton, Shropshire

2. Mhairi Hall (39:42) - Stornoway, Scotland

3. Emily Barrett (40:03) - Battersea Park, London

4. Alice Reed (41:06) - Hatton, Warwickshire

5. Natalie Nash (44:15) - Bath, Somerset

6. Catherine Roche (45:20) - Battersea Park, London

5km TT (12th - 14th June)

This one turned out to be a very tight affaire… Firmly maintaining her position at the top of the leaderboard is Liv Papaioannou who ‘struggled to get her body moving’, apparently. Maybe the frequent ‘racing’ is catching up to her? Gotta love a bit of intrigue!

Speaking of which, looks who’s back in the charts only one little second behind the leader - it’s Keri Mackenzie! Not even 30s off her PB, the Scot made a smashing return after sitting out the 10km (“for obvious reasons”, she would say). Third place went to Emily Barrett who was, herself, only 6s behind the leader. This would have made for such a thrilling finish in a real-life race!

Natalie Nash and Mhairi Hall also got themselves under the 20min mark. Natalie once again hit roads of Bath for a quick 5k loop. Compared to the 10k time she posted just the week before, this was a much stronger performance from Natalie! Mhairi was the first to admit she “had a shocker” and has decided to take an easy recovery week - that’s bloody sensible. Once easy jogging and lots of sleeping, please. Thank you.

Once again, Catherine Roche closes the rankings with another consistently solid run. And what a sprint finish! We haven’t really had a chance to properly welcome Catherine to the claret and gold yet so we will look forward to doing so at the first race possible (whenever that may be…).

1. Liv Papaionnou (19:29) - Church Stretton, Shropshire

2. Keri Mackenzie (19:30) - Southwark, London

3. Emily Barrett (19:35) - Battersea Park, London

4. Natalie Nash (19:44) - Bath, Somerset

5. Mhairi Hall (19:54) - Stornoway, Scotland

6. Catherine Roche (21:35) - Battersea Park, London

What’s next?

The Belles will now take a weekend off ‘racing’ to focus on getting their legs back. Then, who knows? Mhairi hasn’t decided yet… Keep your eyes peeled!