The Lee Valley Leisure complex is one of the great London Olympics legacies and with such a capable Manager and staff it is now a hive of activity. Scarcely had the Christmas lights began to fade than the Masters were out, Father v Son, Mothers and Daughters, all lining up at the first Open Indoor Meet there on 1 January.
You run in the 60m or 200m Heat you are drawn in, and no doubt you hope your Offspring is not in the same Heat(!), but that is what happened to EMAC’s M45 Yinka Opaleye, his 7.74sec 60m sprint was still not quite fast enough to catch his U17 Ayo. He had to clock up a new PB to hold off his Dad come what may. Opaleye senior also ran the 200m in 25.82sec. More EMAC members on show there were M40 Aaron Bollu, running 8.17sec. Peter Stansbury, M55, flagging up a PB 8.81sec and 64.96sec over 400m. M55 Dave Stephenson competed in the 200m 29.38sec and M40 Glen Richardson raced to 2.11.29sec over the four laps.
European Male Masters Athlete of the Year, Don Brown M55, sped to 7.73sec, SCVAC sprinters M35 Allan McSween 7.37sec, M45 Joshua Wood 7.46sec and M35 Mike Harwood, 7.80sec/25.74sec over the 200m. David Shortridge M45 27.43sec 200m. M50 Barrington King won his Heat in 8.40sec leading by example to some of his young protégés. Current European M35 Track hurdler, David Awde, ran 37.01 over 300m and M50 Michael Osunsami raced to 42.80sec. Setting his mark over the laps, M50 Wole Odele took on the 400m 58.89sec and 800m in 2.23.76sec. M50 Mark Champion clocked 2.27.29sec and Dartford Harrier, Colin Bates M55, a 61.82sec 400m.
W45 Popsie Wootten also took on two sprints, clocking 9.29sec and 30.62 over 200m. W50 Michele Wakefield flew to 9.52sec. The Brian Clinton coached W45, Lisa Carpenter, SWVAC, made her long trip up to the Capital worthwhile with a 69.72sec 400m and W50 Lisa Webb VAC, 2.40.16 over 800m.
Some of our Walkers were also in action over 3000m. M55 Fancisco Reis 14.45.94sec, M60 Malcolm Martin SCVAC 17.45.65sec. W55 Angela Martin 23.23.15sec and Geraldine Legon W60 21.14.29sec
North of the Border at the Grangemouth Open Graded Meet on 8 January M55 Gary Leek SVHC sprinted to 8.21s 60m, M65 Brendan Lynch 8.88sec Ron Todd M55 soared over the bar in the pole vault at 3.10m.
In the BMC Sheffield Grand Prix World Indoor bronze medallist, W45 Louise Rudd NMAC, raced to a 4.48.29sec 1500m. She already has a 10.22.22sec 3000m to her credit.
M40 Dominic Bradley NMAC was a very busy man indeed at the Sports City Manchester Indoor on 5 January as not only did he race to a 7.24sec 60m and 23.09 for the 200m, but he then had the great pleasure of witnessing his U17 and U20 protégés Drew Bradley and David Naylor set PBs over their 60mH. M50 Darren Scott was also fast out of the blocks 7.52sec. Leroy Golding M50 8.20sec and 26.21sec M55 Kevin Pye ran 29.27sec, W60 Hilary West NMAC did a 10.40/34.59sec double. W45 Sharon Wilkinson ran 27.61sec over 200m, W40 Carol Holt clocked 30.10sec and W55 Catherine Winrow 36.61sec.