National Road Relays - Women's Team - 12/04/2025
- Lucy
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
11th – Bristol & West AC ‘A’: 1:53:10
Chelsea Baker (8) – 17:30
Katrina Entwistle (10) – 18:33
Amy Hammersley (9) – 18:42
Hannah Green (9) – 19:43
Katie Strange (13) – 20:17
Deborah Bruce (11) – 18:25
22nd – Bristol & West AC ‘B’: 2:00:44
Eleanor Carney (35) – 20:02
Hannah Hall (34) – 20:50
Ailish Craig (33) – 21:33
Maria Jones (30) – 20:38
Madeline Shepherd (23) – 19:23
Bryony Shepherd (22) – 18:18
The A team finished as the 8th English team and 2nd Midlands team, while the B team were the 2nd fastest B team overall and 5th from the Midlands. These results reflect the growing strength and depth of the club's women and show how they are steadily establishing themselves at national level.
Chelsea Baker led off for the A team and was with the lead group after the first mile up the long incline. By the Jamboree Stone, Philippa Bowden (Aldershot) had broken away, and Chelsea was part of a pack that began to split in the final mile. She finished a creditable 8th, giving the team the start they needed and running a full 28 seconds faster than at the Midland relays two weeks earlier.
Kat Entwistle took over for leg 2, where—curiously—many teams fielded their fastest runners. Despite running 12 seconds quicker than at the Midlands and overtaking several women, others came past Kat, leaving the team in 10th at the handover.
Amy Hammersley had a rough start, having not been called at the changeover. A well-timed yell from Kat (for which she was duly admonished) meant Amy lost only about five seconds, avoiding a potential disaster. Once underway, she looked strong on the hill and made a net gain of one place.
Hannah Green ran the fourth leg. She’s posted some solid 5K times this year, including at Odd Down the previous Sunday. Although Sutton Park is around 100m over 5K and features 68m of elevation (making it 45 seconds to a minute slower than a flat 5K), Hannah ran exactly to form. She was moving well at the mile mark and held position in 9th.
Katie Strange has had a fantastic season, one to look back on with pride. That said, she admitted the long season was taking its toll. Even so, she battled through and brought the team in 13th place with one leg to go.
Deborah Bruce, a long-time club member who previously trained with Mike Down, has recently returned to Bristol after several years in Australia. She had a strong, steady run in her return to Sutton Park, moving the team up to 11th and recording the 9th fastest time of the leg. It’s worth noting this was just a warm-up for Sunday’s Newport 10K, where Deborah ran 35:30 and finished as second lady—these marathon runners!
Eleanor Carney, a busy hospital doctor, had limited training time in the week before the race, but still stepped up impressively, running 16 seconds faster than at the Midlands and taking the B team into 35th place out of 53 starting teams.
Hannah Hall, also a doctor and a late addition to the team, looked smooth after a mile and gained one place. Ailish Craig picked up another spot on leg 3, while Maria Jones ran five seconds faster than at the Midlands and gained three more.
That left the Shepherd sisters to anchor the final two legs. Having just returned from cycling hundreds of kilometres down the west coast of New Zealand, they only arrived back in the UK on Monday. When asked what shape they were in, Bryony replied, “it’s a tricky question.”
But any doubts vanished when Maddy powered up the steep incline at the mile mark—she gained six places and brought the team up to 23rd. Bryony, nursing a stiff calf earlier in the week, didn’t let it hold her back. She flew up the hill, recording the 8th fastest time on the leg and the 2nd fastest of all Bristol & West AC women.
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