Dyson enjoys his club debut
PETE Dyson is celebrating a memorable debut for his new club Team Bath AC in the city’s biggest and most prestigious event.
Not only did Dyson finish first man in the blue and yellow vest in Sunday’s half marathon, but he also smashed his personal best by 2mins 30secs with a time of 71mins 44secs for 20th place.
No wonder the club’s senior endurance coach Paul King is delighted to welcome Dyson on board,
“Yes, Pete is very new to us,” said King.
“He’s just started a PHD programme at Bath Uni and is mainly a triathlete. But clearly, he is a tidy runner as well. I’m looking forward to working with him.”
Dyson was previously with Victoria Park Harriers (London) and his previous best of 74:14 was set three years ago in the Vitality Big Half in Greenwich. Dyson clearly enjoyed the newlook course as he was the only Team Bath man to finish inside 72 minutes with Elliott Avis next home in 72:20, also setting a PB.
In fact, Avis destroyed his previous best – set in Bristol last year - by over four minutes to underline his huge improvement since joining King’s group. Close behind Avis was the ever youthful Peter Grist (1:13:54), while teenager Dylan Stoneman clocked 1:13:36 after his half marathon debut at Cardiff a few weeks ago.
Leading club woman was Amber Gascoigne in 17th overall, placing her third in the over-40 age group. Like Dyson, she also celebrated being the club’s first female with a personal best as she clocked 81mins 17secs to carve 1min 18secs off her 12-year-old best set in the 2010 Reading half.
That represents a terrific run by the former GB junior international, once again reminding everyone of her undoubted class and talent.
Just behind her clubmate, Heather Fell shaved 33 seconds off her threeyear-old best which was also recorded in Bath.
“We had over 50 runners from my endurance group which was very pleasing with quite a few PBS and 29 Team Bath athletes under 1:30 so very satisfying for the coach,” added King.
“The weather was brilliant and generally [there was] a good reaction from my gang to the new course - except for the challenging hill at the end.
“Having the new race village in Victoria Park also seems to have gone down well.
“A few grumbles with the relative lack of water stations exacerbated by the warm day.”
Finally, the Bath half marathon wouldn’t be the same without a mention of Team Bath’s Pat Rogers, who at the age of 75 is still going strong and continues his remarkable streak in the event of completing every race since its beginning in 1982.
What a tremendous achievement that represents.
■ TEAM Bath under-13 girls clubmates Olivia Paul and Sophie Maxwell finished second and third respectively in the opening British Athletics Cross Challenge, in Cardiff.
Maxwell’s older brother Harry was a very creditable sixth in the under-17 men’s race, with twin Joshua 13th, while there were also top 20 finishes for Rory Osborne and Stanley Wyatt.
In the senior men’s race, Bathbased student Max Davis - who now represents Bristol & West AC - continued his fine autumn form with 21st place in a very strong senior men’s race.
■ TEAM Bath’s Cameron Mcgarry headed to Holland for the TCS Amsterdam marathon and was rewarded with a PB of 2:54.43.
■ The athletics coverage in the Bath Chron is sponsored by Running Bath.