“ROMANTIC” RACING RE-UNION IN CHESTER

Wendy Chapman and Paul Bellingham at Chester

STORY OF THE WEEK
On Sunday 10th March, Morpeth Harrier Paul Bellingham, headed for the historic Roman City of Chester, on the Borders of North Wales, to take part in the annual Chester 10k Road Race, which attracted a total field of nearly 3,900 runners, from various parts of the world, and numerous English Road Running Clubs.

The event itself was won by one Tomos Roberts, a relative local from
Meirionnydd Running Club, who are based in a mountainous region of North East Wales.
Tomos won by one second in a close battle with City of Stoke’s Jamie Arnold,
posting a finishing time of 31m49s, with Unattached Athlete Patrick Townsend finishing third in 32m26s.

Meanwhile Paul, finished in 206th place, posting a finishing time
of 42m41s, not quite SHAVING some time off his 10k personal best.

However, Paul can feel well pleased, that out of a great deal of opposition in his
Over 55 Male Veteran category, is that he managed to finish eleventh out of 142 contenders.

After the event, and by way of complete surprise, (as pictured), he met up
with his Hairdresser Wendy Chapman, of Sunderland Strollers,
who finished 131st in the race in 40m31s, and just missed out by a WHISKER, (eight seconds)
in taking the top Over 50 Female Veteran’s title, and she was eleventh Woman overall.

Wendy also just missed out on SHAVING some seconds off her best time, however,
both parties were happy to be re-united after the event to exchange experiences in CONQUERING
the City Streets despite the driving wind and rain, in true GLADIATOR fashion.

Did they end proceedings in true ROMAN style, and “Burn the Candle at Both Ends,”
or did they simply retire to the local Zoo, and celebrate with their “Country Cousins,”
and Quite Simply “GO BANANAS!!,” or were they just “MONKEYING AROUND.”

Ask Paul and Wendy next You see them, and they may tell you,
or they may say that everything was left in the laps of the “ROMAN GODS.”
​
TIME WILL TELL, and don’t forget “CITY WALLS HAVE EARS.” 

Wendy Chapman and Paul Bellingham after the race