NSP Grand Prix, 3rd November 2026
The third fixture in this season’s grand prix, and once again we weren’t too badly served by the weather. It was certainly a little nippier than a month ago, but the wind was far from its fiercest.
Lena Lou, by her own admission, had been holding back a little last time out, and took full advantage of a kinder handicap, finishing high in 8th place. As is her wont, she stormed to a big course PB, so it wasn’t like it was handed to her! There were also top 50 finishes for Janet Palmer and Niamh Garratt, and a course PB for Tara Hipwood.
Harry Mawdsley was of course our fastest on the night, in what he surmised to be his 2nd fastest time at the grand prix, and was 6th fastest overall from 210 finishers. Nina Jensen and Roberto Marzo finally made their debuts for the season, meaning all but one of our 24 runners has made at least one appearance in the three races so far.
After a good performance last month, I felt I was on track to improve on that time, running well until the turning point, when a familiar ache started to appear just under my ribs. Unlike the previous week’s club handicap, where I’d managed to eventually run it off, the stitch grew, until thundering down onto the promenade, the impact seemed to tip it over the edge. I had to stop and walk for a couple of minutes, furiously massaging my side as I felt a knife-like stabbing sensation that couldn’t be ignored. Frustrating, but one of the great things about the grand prix is you’ve always got another go just a month away!
True Blood Blues were our only team to climb the table this month, providing six of our top 8 finishers, they moved up to 27th. Rock’s Stars and The Full Claremonty dropped three and five places to 21st and 35th respectively, the former also suffering a 50-point penalty due to requiring a late replacement bib. Perhaps not surprising with 9 runners missing overall, but we’re in it for the craic as much as the prizes, so we’ll soldier on!
| Position | Team* | Runner | Race Time | Chip Time |
| 8 | RS | Lena Lou | 37:57 | 23:08 |
| 34 | TBB | Janet Palmer | 40:09 | 32:00 |
| 49 | TBB | Niamh Garratt | 40:27 | 31:18 |
| 67 | TFC | Tom Tinsley | 40:41 | 23:51 |
| 103 | TBB | Julie Cross | 41:02 | 25:32 |
| 113 | TBB | Peter Noble | 41:08 | 22:59 |
| 114 | RS | Tara Hipwood | 41:10 | 26:00 |
| 118 | TBB | Harry Mawdsley | 41:14 | 18:44 |
| 127 | RS | Nina Jensen | 41:23 | 25:53 |
| 144 | TBB | Dean O’Brien | 41:42 | 26:32 |
| 146 | TFC | Zoë Jukes | 41:44 | 31:15 |
| 158 | TFC | Alex Oliver-Evans | 41:56 | 29:07 |
| 174 | RS | Laurie Johnson | 42:25 | 22:35 |
| 181 | TFC | Roberto Marzo | 42:42 | 21:52 |
| 192 | TBB | Cate Walker-Johnson | 43:45 | 30:35 |
