On Sunday 23rd April, the focus was on the capital for the London Marathon – the most famous marathon in the world and the ultimate goal for 14 athletes from Tavistock Athletic Club following many months of punishing training. The race was equally as exciting for the 48,000 runners as for the many Club colleagues and families glued to the TV screens and the official tracking app on their phones. Enormous crowds pushed the TAC runners to achievements of which they and the Club can be rightly proud. Rain, heavy at times, didn’t significantly affect the runners.
Fastest of the TAC runners was Sam Larkham, finishing in an astonishing 2:37:54 (with a 12 min PB and a Club M40 record) and running a metronomic 6min mile pace for nearly the whole race. There were very strong performances from Mark West and Ed Horn, each coming in at just over the 3 hour mark, and great marathon debuts by Lisa Mabey and Helen Kula-Przezwanski. Personal best results were achieved by several, including Sam Larkham, Jenny Bryant, Mark West and Ian Jones. A number hit the qualifying standards to achieve automatic places for next year – but only after some significant rest and recuperation.
For three of the runners, this was their second marathon in three weeks, having run Brighton earlier in the month. Ian Jones was there to take up his ‘Good For Age’ place, due to his performance in London in 2022. This year, in the M70-74 age category, he excelled again – bettering last year’s time by around 5mins, surely meaning he will return again next year at the invitation of the organisers.
Dene Medland, in her first London Marathon, had an extended and inspiring wait for her special day. Her original race date in 2020 was put on hold due to the pandemic and she was then diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in mid-2021. Following successful treatment, including chemotherapy, she was able to start running again by leading the Club’s C25k programme in early 2022. A dedicated training regime re-built her running abilities, ensuring a great result on Sunday in her F60-64 category.
Another inspiring runner, the only TAC runner to take part in the Virtual London Marathon, was Kitty Refson. She ran her own personal race in her F65-69 category, refusing any support whatsoever, running her 26.2 miles from Tavistock to Burrator, and returning after three laps of the reservoir.
Full results are as follows:
- Sam Larkham 2:37:54
- Mark West 3:03:24
- Ed Horn 3:04:10
- Sam Hortopp 3:28:56
- Jenny Bryant 3:53:47
- Nicky Maguire 3:59:28
- Lisa Mabey 4:02:22
- Richard Nettleship 4:34:28
- Ian Jones 4:34:36
- Kelen Kula-Przezwanski 4:40:04
- Amanda Warnett 4:46:29
- Sarah Prior 4:54:35
- Dene Medland 5:09:21
- Danielle James 5:27:35
- Kitty Refson 5:44:47 (virtual)
