RACE RECORDS ARE SMASHED

CLAIRE MARTIN AND ANDY PEAT WERE ON FORM AS THE COUNTRY’S TOP VETS COMPETED FOR THEIR CLUBS

REPORT: STEVE SMYTHE PICTURES: DAVID GRIFFITHS

BRITISH MASTERS CROSS COUNTRY RELAYS

AKEENLY contested

British masters relays event saw eight clubs share the honours in the eight races.

This event has increased in popularity but still is some way short of the quality and numbers of the masters road relays and the senior cross relays in Mansfield.

It would probably attract greater numbers if there were not more legs than the national senior event and if some of the men’s races did not have more stages than the road relays.

However, the fast, flat circuit – used for the second time – although not a traditional cross-country course, is centrally located, spectator-friendly and has good facilities. The quality just about justified the event continuing. However, an earlier date in the calendar could mean it could be used as a trial for the Masters International rather than being held the week after.

Lisa Palmer (A86): took Heanor into the lead right after the start

WOMEN’S RACES

In the women’s event, Lisa Palmer was keen to make up for a slightly disappointing run in the International due to a breathing problem. She shot off and blazed the first kilometre in 3:10 and, although slowing, she won the W35 leg by a minute in 10:42.

Last year her fastest leg was 10:54.Telford’s Michelle Clarke and Belgrave’s Zoe Doyle were close for second.

Louise Insley kept Heanor ahead on leg two with Sophie Carter moving Belgrave closer with 11:51 with Telford now 26 seconds behind. Sarah Harris, a regular at the Long Eaton parkrun, set off for Heanor with a 70-second lead and a fast 10:51 proved more than sufficient for victory and was 14 seconds quicker than she ran in 2015.

Sarah Harris: secured Heanor victory

It wasn’t the quickest, though, as Claire Martin, fresh from her International win in Glasgow, moved Telford up a place with a 10:36, which broke Palmer’s earlier race record and showed an incredible 26-second improvement on her run last year.

Belgrave held off Cheadle to take the bronze.

In the W45 race, another athlete coming off an international victory, Clare Elms, tried to match W35 Palmer on the opening leg, having pipped her by a place in Glasgow but felt afterwards she went off far too fast. She nevertheless hung on well for an 11:09 to take five seconds off her race record from last year and give Dulwich a 34-second lead over Clare Joliffe, who had been fifth W50 and in England’s winning team in Glasgow.