Magical Ellie Monks busts own Brockenhurst parkrun record
Brockenhurst parkrun double course record holder Ellie Monks kicked off the new year in style, flying around the frosty Wilverley Inclosure course to lower her outright female record to 17:25.
This week, 235 people ran, jogged and walked the frost-edged course in grey, cold but calm conditions.
Southampton AC’s Monks, who set the day’s highest age grade score, led the women home for the 52nd time. Amazingly, she was only six seconds away from her parkrun personal best (PB) set three years ago on the much faster Southampton Common course.
The first junior crossed the line three seconds behind Monks and worked hard for his 17:28 time. First-time visitor M11 Lorenzo Moss of Andover AC has a parkrun PB of 16:39, and Saturday’s race was his 44th different parkrun location on his 91st run. The youngster set the day’s highest male age grade score.
Unusually, seven of the first 10 finishers were first-time visitors. Besides Monks and second-placed Sean Harnett of New Forest Runners, the only familiar face belonged to M25 Tim Morgan of Southampton Orienteering Club. Morgan now lives in Edinburgh but was visiting his father, and he crossed the line as the first finisher for the seventh time at 17:08.
Representatives of 31 different clubs participated with University of Birmingham Cool Runnings, represented by first-time visitor W20 Emily Wall, the furthest travelled club.
Organisers expressed their gratitude to the 21 volunteers who braved the sub-zero conditions. They were Abigail Cacia, Mick Anglim, Camilla Pearse, Mike Jurd, Dave Sowerby-Williams, Ellen Urwin, Catherine Maguire, Glenda Monson, Keith Mitchell, Victoria Miller, Nicola Thackaberry, Oliver Eveleigh, Andrew Johnson, Peter Wilson, Sharon Herman, Stephen, Adrian and Helena Holt, Elliott Worrall, Jack Prince, and Rory Mulholland.
Results: 1, Thomas Evans, 17:31; 2, Sean Harnett, 17:37; 3, Roland Turnell-Ritson, 17:41; 4, Ellie Monks, 17:41; 5, Alex Hunt, 18:17; 6, Ralph Wilson, 18:29; 7, James Stocker, 19:09; 8, Thomas Wilks, 19:25; 9, Gavin Hows, 19:37, 10, Paul Cockburn, 19:47.
