Hastings AC celebrates British bronze

Hastings Athletic Club won a team medal at the British Half Marathon Championships.
From left: Jeff Pyrah, Gary Foster and Rhys Boorman with their British Half Marathon team bronze medals.From left: Jeff Pyrah, Gary Foster and Rhys Boorman with their British Half Marathon team bronze medals.
From left: Jeff Pyrah, Gary Foster and Rhys Boorman with their British Half Marathon team bronze medals.

The Ark William Parker Academy-based club won men’s team bronze through the efforts of Gary Foster, Jeff Pyrah and Rhys Boorman at The Vitality Big Half in London.

Hastings AC chairman Terry Skelton said: “It’s a fantastic result, the best the club have ever had - I’m pretty sure of that.”

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The Big Half took place on Sunday March 4, but it was only last week that the athletes found out about their team success and received their medals in the post.

Foster finished 25th overall in the high class event, won by the great Sir Mo Farah, in a very good sub 70-minute time of 1:09.30.

The evergreen Pyrah ran superbly to come 28th overall - and first in his age group - in 1:09.41 and Boorman was 124th in 1:15.06. In all more than 11,000 runners from across the country took part.

Foster went on to finish third at the Hastings Half Marathon a fortnight later - and afterwards proposed to girlfriend Stacey Clusker, who finished second lady. Last year’s runner-up Boorman was sixth.

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Pyrah will be taking part in the Brighton Marathon on Sunday April 15 and if he can maintain his recent form, a lofty finish could well be on the cards.

Hastings AC has entered a number of teams in the Sussex Road Relays at Christ’s Hospital School, Horsham, this coming Saturday.

A host of age group titles will be up for grabs, from under-13s right the way through to the various veteran categories.

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