Severn Bridge 10k
Billed as Severn AC’s ‘Rumble in the Jungle’, Foreman v Ali, the undisputed champion v the underdog, David v Goliath. Dave Clarke ‘The Champ’ and Big Dave Howells lined up at the Severn Bridge 10km start line on Sunday 25th August 2019. On a very hot, sunny and still morning the question of who is the fastest ‘Dave’ in the club would be settled on 3 lanes of scorching tarmac (also known as the M48).
Over the first 3km it was Clarke who set the pace winning all three rounds. But at 3.5km the challenger ‘Howells’ took charge of the race with flair and steely eyed determination. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 all went to Howells. The crowd could sense a shock and were routing for the underdog. With 500m to go Howells had a 20m lead, Clarke was in trouble. He’d taken an 8 count and was ready to throw in the towel. But he still had a few tricks up his sleeve and knew if he could close the gap he had a chance. A burst from the champ closed the gap. Howells didn’t respond, he couldn’t respond, he’d thrown everything at the race, he’d left nothing behind, everything was on the bridge. A downhill, through the subway, a sharp right and short sharp incline and the finish line was in sight. Clarke sensed his moment and kicked, crossing the line in 17th (41:31, chip time 41:29, 1st v45) ahead of Howells in 18th (41:32, chip time 41:29, 1st v50), 1086 ran.
Unlike in 1974, the champ was too strong and Clarke remains the fastest ‘Dave’. The battle now moves to the country, cross country.😁😁😁
Severn Bridge HM
Club athlete Imran Hassanjee compete in the HM effort as the 1 hour 40 minute pacer. He finished in 122nd place with a chip time of 1:39:38.
Severn AC 
Leave a Reply