NS Poly Grand Prix, 10th January 2023

The first grand prix of 2023, and a spate of injuries and other absences left the two Claremont teams evenly matched, with 5 competitors apiece.

The wind did its best to cancel out the recent rise in temperature, battering the runners from the off. The Full Claremonty managed to maintain 3rd place in the overall standings, thanks in no small part to the efforts of Nicki O’Brien (first Claremonter home), Tara Hipwood and Nina Jensen, all finishing within 9 seconds of one another. Rock’s Stars did their bit, climbing to 19th and putting further distance between themselves and the bottom of the table.

After ascending to the giddy heights of 1st in the individual rankings last month, Dave Roberts dropped ever so slightly to 3rd place, though he is currently the only sky-blue in the top 10. However, he was also just pipped to the line on this occasion by his handicap buddy/rival Maria Dueñas.

Officially inseparable in December with identical times, Mark Anderson edged Paul Robinson in this round, taking the title of fastest Claremonter on the night.

A personal ‘administrative error’ caused temporary panic for the NSP handicappers, as Nina accidentally ran in last years number, meaning there were two 235’s in the results. The ever-useful Strava saved the day, Nina’s recorded time enabling them to identify her!

Hopefully next month will see both teams return to full strength.

Position	Runner	Team	Handicap	Race Time	Run Time
22	Nicki O’Brien	The Full Claremonty	15:30	40:34	25:04
27	Tara Hipwood	The Full Claremonty	11:50	40:40	28:50
31	Nina Jensen	The Full Claremonty	13:30	40:43	27:13
46	Mark Anderson	Rock’s Stars	19:50	40:59	21:09
65	Maria Dueñas	Rock’s Stars	16:50	41:14	24:24
70	David Roberts	The Full Claremonty	16:50	41:16	24:26
72	Paul Robinson	Rock’s Stars	19:50	41:16	21:26
80	Janet Palmer	Rock’s Stars	08:50	41:25	32:35
101	Rachel Hurdman	The Full Claremonty	10:50	41:41	30:51
122	Luke Woodend	Rock’s Stars	12:10	42:10	30:00