Victoria Park 5 - Part Two

MOUMIN GEELE who ran 23:50 for the fastest long stage at Milton Keynes the previous Saturday and won the Victoria Park 5 the following Saturday in a course record of 23:01.

    " I made a move in the last 400 at Victoria Park. My Long leg was OK at Milton Keynes and I have had a good cross-country season. I will do 2 or 3--10k' s on the road which will includes the Manchester 10k then do 5000 on the track"

EDWIN KIPYEGO who came 2nd in the Victoria Park 5 in 23:04 and won the Reading Half Marathon the previous Saturday in 63:03. About the Reading half Marathon ( I would like to point out a clubmate from Highgate Harriers, Australian Peter Nowill, was in the leading group for the first 9k and he did not move up in the later stages as reported in AW). Anyway, how did Edwin see it " In  the Reading I decided to go at 9k. I was in a group of four and the pace was slow so I started to run harder!" (First 4 were Kipyego 63:03, Toby Lambert 64:29; Ezekiel  Cherop 64:34, Peter Nowill 64:58.).Edwin Kipyego continued " I live and train at ITEN in Kenya. Mo Farah has come over and we have done speed work together. My favourtie distances are 5/10k and half-marathon."

PAUL MARTELLETTI from Victoria Park & Tower Hamlets came over from New Zealand four years ago.

He was 4th in the Victoria Park 5' in 24:19. The previous Saturday he was First on the first leg of the Southern Road relay in 24:18. Regarding that " I had never done the relays and I realised afterwards how great people thought that was and a really good  thing to come first on that first  leg.'

 I noted he won sucn things as the Burham Beeches Half Marathon last year and also ran well, winning in the Southern League over 5000m so which was his favourite surface.

  "I guess the road defeintely. Two weeks ago I did  the Hague Half marathon with a time of 65:19 which was a PB by nearly a minute which was clearly my best time so far.'

    About the Marathon ' I have done about 8 marathons but my best is only 2:23. I should be uner 2:20. I am doing the London in four weeks time.'  I must admit I do like running in the Southern leagues as we have a good team atmsosphere and people cheering you on. It's the tactics and the fact you have 'A' and 'B' runners. I like to give it a blast over the shorter distances."

    Could he see ahead the possisbilty of making the New Zealand Olympic team or was it too difficult to do that while living in England

    " I am now 30 and got a few more years left so to try for the Olympic or something. If you do the times and you are based overseas, you then let the right people know, you can still make the team without doing the trials."

     Bill Adcocks who was once the World's top marathon runner one year told me recently, 20 mile racing and training had a better direct line to running marathons than half marathons, how did Paul Martelletti look at that

    ' I have done 20 mile races before. It depends when you do them I think. If you are doing them too close it can take too much out of you. You want to recover really in time but if I was to do one six weeks out it would give you enough time to recover. It does definetly help prepare you well for the distance." 

JUSTINA HESLOP who comes from Newcastle but runs for Clapham Chasers in London, was the first woman in the Victoria Park 5 in 26:59

Justina Heslop finishes winter season in style.

    She hopes to train for 5k this season. " At the end of September I tried One 5k on the track and ran 15:50.86 (Her first ever 5k on the track).  It was not a competetive race . There was one guy half a lap ahead of me.I ran it by myself but I thought right next season I will try doing it. I think last year my favourite race was the Blaydon 5.7 race which I won. It was because my family were all there watching.  My cross-country season has not been good I was up there then faded in the big races but I did have 9 years out at 18 when I did not run a step. I studied zoology at Newcastle University.'

' I am pleased to be back again. As a youngster at 15/16/17 I was winning things like the National (South Shields in 1994), English Schools and Inter-Counties. I have the enthusiasm back again now and last week I ran 16:28 at Bushy Park."