Scorching times at Victory 5 Miles Road Race

Left: eyeballs out at the finish. Photo courtesy of Sussex Sports Photography. Buy your race photo

While most of the post race talk was of a mishap at the start which meant we ran about 65 metres short of the full 5 miles there was much applaud at this year's Victory 5.

Near perfect conditions, a flat course and a competitive entry list meant that up front there was some hard racing and very fast running and my 23.56 was good enough only for 6th place. By the time we had completed a second lap of the running track instead of the outside cycle track a lead group of 5 had formed with aussie Russel Dessaix-Chin leading the way along with Mark Warmby, my Wells team mate Ben Tickner, Neil Gamester and Mark Draper. Hanging on to them were perennial fast starters Will Levett and Hassan Raidi.

A few meters back I was running with Ben Whitby and Phil Tulba in what could charitably be labelled the 'experienced' group. Before 2 miles we had swept up Will and Hassan while the leaders were starting to fragment. A tricky section through the IBM grounds slowed us a little as the we trod carefully on the icy paths which had yet to thaw out in the winter shadows. Back in the sun by 3 miles Ben and me were clear of our group and in pursuit of Mark Draper who was off the back of the leaders and coming back to us. In the final mile Ben had a change of gear which I was unable to match. But keeping going at a good pace I was able to get past Mark with about 600m to go and take 6th place.

Although the short course may have taken the shine off things for those who were after a PB consider that this was an event where you could enter online, by post or on the day up to the last minute. There are plenty of changing facilities at the HQ at Mountbatten Stadium. And with a slick results operation positions and times are posted on the wall by the time you get back from your warm down. For the speedier runners presentations are efficient and the organisers appreciate the value of an old fashioned 'brown envelope' rather than rubbish trophies ! And all this for under a tenner. If other races got as much right as this event I think most of us would be happy runners.

I was pleased with my run and clearly my fitness has moved on a long way since my last couple of modest cross country races. More on my latest training block to follow in the week ....

Men's Results
1 R Dessaix-Chin (Belgrave) 22:54
2 M Warmby (NEB)23:04
3 B Tickner (Wells City) 23:17
4 N Gamester (Shaftesbury Barnet) 23:18
5 B Whitby (Windsor SE&H) 23:49
6 A Marriott (Wells City) 23:56

Full Results from Portsmouth AC
Race photos by Sussex Sport Photography

Victory 5 Miles Road Race

For the second year running the superbly organised Victory 5 Miles was badly affected by the weather with 70mph gales blowing up the English Channel. While the times may have been rendered academic, the conditions made for an exciting race for a strong men's field including a host of internationals.

After last week's cautious return to racing in Leeds I decided to put myself in contention this week to see what shape I was really in and the result was a pleasant surprise.

A large group including Olympic finallist Mike East, Ben Noad, Scott Overall and Neil Speaight made the most of the tailwind in the first mile or so before heading into the grounds of the IBM offices where heavy overnight rain made underfoot conditions tricky.

By 2 miles I was still feeling comfortable and at halfway as we turned downwind I felt racey enough to go to the front and start to push the pace as I didn't fancy a sprint finish against a bunch of track runners !

It was great to be leading a top domestic race again and the mile I did at the front certainly broke the group up and it was quickly down to five contenders. Just before rejoining the prom Scott made his break and only Ben Noad could go with him. While I paid for my efforts Mike East also crept by me and opened a small gap. With a mile to go I was working hard with Toby Lambert to close the 10m gap to Mike but we just couldn't get there despite the strong headwind supposedly playing into the hands of the chasers.

By the finish Scott proved the strongest as he held of off Ben with Mike, Toby and myself finishing just a few seconds apart before the gap back to the bunch headed by Neil Speaight and Will Levett.

So a very encouraging run and I really enjoyed being in the thick of the action and actually racing again. This result has given me plenty of confidence as I head into a hard endurance block of training now to prepare for the cross country season in january.

Full Results
1. Scott Overall
2. Ben Noad
3. Mike East
4. Toby Lambert
5. Adrian Marriott
6. Neil Speaight
7. Will Levett