Polegate Plodders may be a smaller club compared to some of it's neighbouring running clubs but that does not stop it's members from taking part in races ranging from parkrun to ultra marathons and every distance in between. Recently, members of the beginners group , David Lloyd and Sheila Libeccio, took part in their first ever parkrun at Shinewater Park in Eastbourne.
They were joined by fellow beginner, Juliette Walter, who raced to a new person best time. Their Saturday mornings will never be the same now they have joined the parkrun family. Chris Keeley, another beginner, only joined the club last summer and took part in his first ever 10km race at the Worthing Run Fest, finishing in a very respectable time of 60.52. Cathy Pennock joined him and came home in 1.05.50.
Also at Worthing was Mike Leigh who took part in the Half Marathon. He finished in 1.22.24 putting him in 2nd place in his age group and 17th place overall.
Preferring to stay closer to home Mark Wardle and Heather Long took part in the Brighton Marathon finishing in 4.54.46 and 4.12.40, respectively. Also taking on a marathon, but this time the London Marathon, were Becky Goldsmith (7.13.32), John Martin (4.58.20) and founder member of the Plodders, Ian Weston (4.46.41).
The heat affected them all but they said they were just happy to finish as the conditions were very difficult on the day. Ian, who won a place through the public ballot after more than 10 years of trying, described the experience as being like a tale of two cities.
The worst of times was the weather and the best of times were the crowds, the support and the iconic landmarks along the route. And as if a marathon was not far enough to run, Michelle Pope chose to take part in the Run to the Sea Ultra Marathon, a 50km off road trail race starting at Horsham, crossing parts of The South Downs, before finishing on Brighton seafront.
Michelle was running to raise money for The Alzheimer's Society, a charity very close to her heart, and finished in an amazing time of 6.11.47. But not to be outdone, Matt Wilmshurst went even further. He travelled up to Cumbria to take part in The Lap, a 47 mile route that circumnavigates Lake Windemere.
Participants are given 24 hours to complete the race but Matt did it in a magnificent time of 11 hours 57 minutes.
So, The Plodders may be a small running club but every mile it's members cover is powered by something bigger; passion, determination and a love for running, because in the end, it's not the size of the club that counts, it's the size of the commitment, the community, and the joy found in every run.
