It is many years since we last took a team to the Southern Road Relays (now held at Milton Keynes) but this year team manager Glynis Penny managed to put together six of the club's best women distance runners in a team that won the event by a huge margin.
The format here is a relay of six legs with legs 2 and 4 being longer (8.6 km) and the other four being 5 km. Kate Curran and Holly Dixon were selected to run the long legs. With many teams putting out their strongest runners on Leg 1, Megan Marchant did very well to finish in 4th place and after Kate's second leg we were in the lead. On leg 3 Natasha Sinha was overtaken at one point but overtook back for a lead of just one second. From there on there was never any doubt with Holly, Caroline Ford and Sabrina Sinha all stretching the lead which finished at a massive 3 minutes 50.
You can read Steve Smythe's Athletics Weekly report, and see more pictures here.
You need 12 runners for the men's event: maybe next year?
Martello Half Marathon
In a rather more low key event, five of the club's men made the trip to Seaford on the South coast for the Martello Half, a trail race with much to commend it: a fast start on the promenade gives way to a slog up to the top of the South Downs ridge, turn East for a long undulating section on the South Downs Way with great views right and left, then a descent back to the pretty village of Bishopstone and a final finish back on the seafront.
Christian Poulton had an excellent run to take 3rd place (and 1st M50).
3 Christian Poulton 1:27:43 (1st M50)
11 Graham Maynard 1:39:09 (2nd M50)
24 Clem Dixon 1:46:54 (1st M60)
65 Steve Brown 1:58:19
Also finishing, but not shown in the official results for some reason, was Paul Kent, self timed at 2:04:25
Lee Valley Run Fest
There was another half marathon 3rd place for the club at the Lee Valley Run Fest, Charlie Allen finishing in 1:21:38, a massive PB.