Last orders for the track season and segueing into the road season there have been various highlights and breakthroughs, in each case well deserved after toughing out the training through a long very hot summer.

 Ladywell 10,000s brought swift Pb's of 34.34 by Izzy C to nudge the UK Top 20 with Chris W advancing to 30.55 whilst Jeremy A scored close to a one minute PB with 34.58 which he backed up a week later with 74.58 for the Copenhagen half.

Final track hurrah was 63 years young Christine K winning the World Masters 5000m silver (a lost gold medal in her view!) prior to storming away to a two minute victory in the half marathon in a steamy Malaga in 92.34.

Some barrier breakers in Berlin with battling Alex C notching a 2.58 pb by 5 minutes and Jason C an 8 minute progression to 3.20. Back to self-assessed marathon respectability for John F with 2.33 after a mixed summer with a cycling sportif taking earlier priority. In West Kent Becky M has been notching up road wins and she scored a five minute half marathon pb in the New Forest (not Kent, I know) to clock 84.26, her 2^nd place in the women’s race matched by partner Nathan C amongst the men.  Around the same time as Paul P was advancing his pb to 70.08 to place a close 2nd in Maidenhead. Fellow Kentishwoman Maria S knocked out a swift undulating 91 minute half in Wales to win her v45 group while Welsh whippet Martin G marked his 44^th birthday by trimming his half marathon pb to 72.35 in the zippy Lake Vyrnwy half near Telford. Further down the distances, Nick I set sail for his Singapore job posting with a battling 5k pb of 15.57 in the famous Bushy parkrun.

Also pleasing for Ann S to get back to her own better marathon form with 3.48 in the Vilnius event which I had unintentionally recced the previous month. The Baltic marathon world is a small niche and any city that has a statue of Frank Zappa amongst its cultural icons gets my vote.

 7 October was a great double for online tracking (well I can't be everywhere) with the Cardiff/commonwealth half Marathon championship seeing Izzy C place 19th ahead of many home country and overseas internationals with a swift 76.29, a Serpentine club record, a very similar result to clubmate Chris W placing 21st in 66.29, a two minute pb and also scalping numerous internationals. Then on swiftly to Chicago. The Brits were led home by a certain Sir Mo with second GB finisher Paul P setting a splendid pb of 2.25.47 and claiming the West 4 club record that he had been closing down for two years. Bizarrely this escaped the UK media coverage of the event. Also fine runs there by Monika 3.16 and v50 Ian T back under 3.30 in warm conditions.

 Across the span of marathon preppers, 10k and half marathon pb's by Pedro W and Matt H while Serpie clubmate Jacqueline O’  shaved her 88 minute pb at Maidenhead.

 Plenty more to look forward to as the rest of the Autumn road racing season unfolds.