On May 17-18, the 28th Stragglers Green Belt relay was held at Hampton Court.
A close race saw the overall lead between a mixed squad of Thames Hare & Hounds and the men of Ranelagh Harriers before Thames who went straight ahead in the closing stages and Ranelagh in the women’s competition.
James Hoad showed Thames’ intentions with a win in the opening round before bringing them home in the last game of day two.
In the second round, Thames Valley’s Tracey Barlow came out in the Clapham Chasers ladies squad and was fastest overall over the 9.42 miles from Staines to Bowen.
From four rounds and at Great Kingshill, the Thames team had won after two rounds with Hood first and Pat Roddy third and were narrowly ahead of the Clapham men, with the top two level after six legs.
The lead was now held by the Ranelagh Harriers men, around five minutes clear of the mixed Thames outfit, at Blackmore for the night stop of round 11 and came on the back of Peter Robbins’ eighth big round win at Dobbs Weir.
Ranelagh also led the women’s race at halfway, 50 minutes clear of VP&TH.
Day two on Sunday then began with the Thames mixed squad initially closing by four minutes before the Ranelagh men again extended their lead with six minutes to go in the round of 16 to Lullingston Park.
It was here that Clapham’s Tracey Barlow won her second leg, running the 9.4 miles in 56:19, just ahead of Thames’ Lizzie Epsley in 57:21, the first time both women had won an individual leg.
Ranelagh then narrowly lost the lead after Tatsfield as Jared Martin opened up a few seconds in 76:36 over 13.1 miles before Peter Cook restored Ranelagh’s lead in the next run to Merstham.
It all changed again on stage 18 to Burford Bridge, Dorking, as Pat Roddy gave Thames a two-minute lead with four stages to run and then Jacob Brockman added to it again three minutes to Ripley for his second stage win.
Finally, James Hoad on the glory leg extended Thames’ lead to six minutes at the line, but the penultimate stage was won by Clapham’s Charlie Mason, his third stage win of the race.
Ranelagh won the women’s competition but Beeches Gabby Reynolds was the first woman home in the final round.
Total (220 M). 1 THH mixed 21:50:51; 2 Ranelagh Men 21:57:05; 3 Clapham Chasers Men 22:51:54
M50: 1 Ranelagh 23:59:35
Women. 1 Ranelagh 62:21:18; 2 VP&TH 63:32:32; 3 Stragglers 63:59:31
60 complete teams completed
Day 1:
Stage 1 (Hampton Court to Staines, 12.70m)
Fastest: J Hoad (THH) 71:45
Women. P Warrack (Dulw R) 87:53
Stage 2 (Staines to Boveney, 9.42M)
Fastest: T Barlow (block, W40) 57:39
Stage 3 (Bovney to Little Marlow, 11.20m)
Fastest: P Rodi (TSH) 61:46
Women. N Nicholson (Elmb, W45) 63:46
Stage 4 (Little Marlow to Great Kingshill, hilly 11.80m)
Fastest: J Neville (Burgh H) 73:05
M45: H Tori (Serp) 78:51
Women. S Palmer (Rane, W35) 83:37
Stage 5 (Great Kingshill to Chipperfield, hilly 13.50m)
Fastest: J Brockman (THH) 75:56
Women. L Briggs (VP&TH) 89:19
W45: S Briggs (Stragh) 91:29
Stage 6 (Chipperfield to St Albans, 8.50m)
Fastest: C Mason (Applause) 47:21
Women. E Weir (THH) 53:06
Stage 7 (St Albans to Letty Green, 11.60m)
Fastest: S Walker (Wimb W) 67:14
Women. G Reynolds (Beeches, W35) 70:27
Stage 8 (Letty Green to Dobbs Weir, 10.70m)
Fastest: P Robbins (Rane) 57:34
M55: C Allen (Stragh) 63:15
Women. L Apsley (THH) 61:57
Stage 9 (Dobbs Weir to High Beech, 10.20M)
Fastest: P Cook (Rhine) 56:09
Women. B Murray (TSH) 65:24
Stage 10 (from Tall Beech to Mulberry Hill, 9.00 m)
Fastest: T Salisbury (THH) 56:29
Women. R Norton-Hale (VP&TH, W45) 65:11
Stage 11 (Toot Hill to Blackmore, 7.50m)
Fastest: J Martin (THH) 41:21
M65: K Murray (Sep) 51:25
Women. H Preedy (QPH) 47:37
Day 2 (100.65 M)
Stage 12 (Blackmore to Thorndon Park, 10.75m)
Fastest: E Neville (THH) 64:24
Women. S Palmer (Rane, W35) 70:03
Stage 13 (Thorndon Park to Cranham, 6.60m)
Fastest: C Mason (Applause) 35:32
M60: B Reynolds (THH) 41:44
Women. T Lenthall (Stragh, W45) 44:37
Stage 14 (Thames Chase to Davy Down QE 11 Bridge, 9.0M)
Fastest: V Lio (Serp) 54:07
Women. P Disley-May (THH) 59:37
Stage 15 (Stone Lodge to Lullingstone Park, 9.40M)
Fastest: T Barlow (Applause, W40) 56:19; L Apsley (THH, W) 57:21
W45: N Hornsey (Stragh) 68:08
Stage 16 (Lullingstone Park to Tatsfield, hilly 13.10m)
Fastest: J Martin (THH) 76:36
M55: Key Allan (Stragh) 93:10
Women. S Whatmough (Rane) 95:02
Stage 17 (Tatsfield to Merstham, 10.50m)
Fastest: P Cook (Rhine) 58:05
Women. E Laffey (Wimb W) 72:19
Stage 18 (Merstham to Box Hill, hilly 9.60m)
Fastest: P Rodi (TSH) 57:07
Women. M James (Beeches) 75:55
Stage 19 (Box Hill to West Hanger, 8.40m)
Fastest: C McNally (Wimb W) 52:16
Women. B Murray (TSH) 60:42
Stage 20 (West Hanger to Ripley, 6.00m)
Fastest: J Brockman (THH) 29:52
M45: H Tori (Serp) 32:43
Women. L Briggs (VP&TH) 36:44
W55: 1 V Filsell (THH) 41:21
Stage 21 (Ripley to Walton Bridge, 8.40m)
Fastest: C Mason (Applause) 47:55
Women. E Weir (THH) 50:45
Stage 22 (Walton Bridge to Bushy Park Sports Centre, 7.1M)
Fastest: J Hoad (THH) 42:38
Women. G Reynolds (Beeches) 49:32
