Suzy Bosustow (Cornwall Athletic Club) came of age in last weekend’s Launceston Half Marathon beating her clubmate and training partner Emma Stallard by twenty one seconds in the eighth race of this year’s Cornwall Grand Prix Series sponsored by Cornwall Glass and Glazing.

The temperature change from the mid week heat to the cooler weekend conditions would have been a welcome relief to the record field of three hundred and seventy one runners, who faced one of the tougher half marathons in the South West, popularly known as the ‘Beast’.

Suzy meant business from the start, forcing the pace alongside Emma, with the two Cornwall Athletic Club runners remaining together until after halfway. Emma takes up the story, “I had intended increasing the pace during the second half of the race but I began to tire when we turned into the wind and at nine miles Suzy flew past me with her little legs pumping like pistons.” Suzy soon opened up a seventy metre gap, which she held to the finish, running forty seconds faster than last year, crossing the line in 1 hour 29 minutes 37 seconds for her second Grand Prix win of the year. Emma was well clear of the other ladies in second place, although both girls expected a stronger challenge from the English Ultra Distance International runner, Heather Foundling-Hawker (Honiton Running Club).

Heather, still recovering from competing for England in the 100 kilometre event at the recent World Championships and also suffering from nerve damage to her legs, finished third, ahead of two more Cornwall Athletic Club runners, Juliet Knowles, who continued her comeback in fourth place and Kathryn Burgess, who ran an astonishing four minutes thirty six seconds faster than last year, finishing in fifth position. With their four scoring runners in the top five, Cornwall Athletic Club won their seventh Grand Prix team title of the year, comfortably ahead Hayle Runners and St Austell Running Club.

Four weeks after taking the Cubert 5 title, Jim Cole of Tavistock Athletic Club. showed again just how much he enjoys racing in Cornwall when recorded a fairly untroubled victory in the Men’s race. Cole led right from the off and gradually eased away from the rest to break the tape a shade over half a minute clear of his nearest rival.

The battle for second place looked done and dusted at the top of the long climb back into the town with less than a mile to go. Newquay’s Shaun Milford appeared well in control, with Hayle’s Pete Ellis and Kevin Toher (Newquay and Par Athletic Club) battling it out a fair way behind for third place. However, with neither of these two willing to give an inch, slowly but surely they closed Milford down. Approaching the final climb to the finish, first Ellis and then Toher both caught and passed Milford, who was unable to respond. Over the final quarter of a mile, Ellis then gradually eased away from Toher to record a very hard earned second place.

Newquay took advantage of the absence of a strong Cornwall Athleic Club team to win their second Grand Prix race of the year, fifty points clear of the local club, Launceston Road Runners, with St Austell Running Club in third place.

KEY FOR TEAMS BID Bideford Athletic Club, BR Bude Rats, CAC Cornwall Athletic Club, DC Dawlish Coasters, ECH East Cornwall Harriers, FC Finch Coasters, FRR Falmouth Road Runners, HR Hayle Runners, HON Honiton Running Club, LRR Launceston Road Runners, MIN Minehead Running Club, MKL MK Lakeside Runners, MBH Mounts Bay Harriers, NP Newquay & Par Athletic Club, NRR Newquay Road Runners, OKE Okehampton Running Club, PONY Pontypridd Athletic Club, SID Sidmouth Running Club, SMS South Molton Strugglers, SWRR South West Road Runners, SWV South West Veterans Athletic Club, STA St Austell Running Club, TAV Tavistock Athletic Club, TAC Thornbury Athletic Club, TOR Torrington Athletic Club, U Unattached.

RESULTS Men: 1 Jim Cole TAV 1.16.09, 2 Pete Ellis HR 1.16.43, 3 Kevin Toher NP 1.16.45, 4 Shaun Milford NRR 1.17.09, 5 Mark Heard LRR 1.21.15, 6 Chris Monk NRR 1.21.41, 7 Martin Colwill BID 1.24.09, 8 Neil Barkell TAV 1.24.22, 9 Stephen Sincock SWRR 1.24.50, 10 Martin Davis NRR 1.26.03. Age Categories: Under 40: 1 Jim Cole, 2 Pete Ellis, 3 Kevin Toher. 40-44: 1 Mark Heard, 2 Martin Colwill, 3 Roger Voaden OKE 1.26.32. 45-49: 1 Shaun Milford, 2 Stephen Sincock, 3 Nicholas Einchomb SWRR 1.29.33. 50-54: 1 Chris Monk, 2 Martin Davis, 3 Steve Hay TOR 1.27.33. 55-59: 1 Malcolm Roberts STA 1.28.52, 2 Nic Pettit U 1.36.13, 3 Jim Jennings TOR 1.37.06. 60-64: 1 Brian Wiles LRR 1.34.03, 2 Pat Lockett NRR 1.35.54, 3 Doug Alsop STA 1.43.54. 65-69: 1 Ron Shapland NRR 1.45.22, 2 Alwyn Pickard SMS 1.45.24 3 Norris Kington CAC 1.59.35. 70+: 1 Howard Haynes 2.00.40, 2 John Lethaby MIN 2.09.59, 3 Mick Alan SID 2.23.12. Teams: 1 Newquay Road Runners 129 points, 2 Launceston Road Runners 179 points, 3 St Austell Running Club 242 points.

Ladies: 1 Suzy Bosustow CAC 1.29.37, 2 Emma Stallard CAC 1.29.58, 3 Heather Foundling-Hawker HON 1.32.40, 4 Juliet Knowles CAC 1.34.40, 5 Kathryn Burgess CAC 1.36.49, 6 Sharon Daw ECH 1.37.36, 7 Kathleen Sincock SWRR 1.38.16, 8 Jenny Mills LRR 1.38.49, 9 Diane Roy ECH 1.39.02, 10 Debbie Harrison HR 1.39.28. Age Categories: Under 35: 1 Kathryn Burgess, 2 Eloise Lee FRR 1.39.47, 3 Kelly Morgan PONT 1.40.13. 35-39: 1 Suzy Bosustow, 2 Emma Stallard, 3 Juliet Knowles. 40-44: 1 Heather Foundling-Hawker, 2 Sharon Daw, 3 Kathleen Sincock. 45-49: 1 Diane Roy, 2 Lesley Richardson NRR 1.42.37, 3 Caroline Chesterfield CAC 1.44.33. 50-54: 1 Patricia Fairlamb MKL 1.48.21, 2 Tricia Harrison SWV 1.50.14, 3 Judy Mills TAC 1.56.43. 55-59: 1 Bridget Funnell BR 1.57.55, 2 Sue Burges LRR 2.18.20, 3 Judith Lew U 2.18.49. 60-64: 1 Jenny Mills, 2 Bev Tarry SID 2.22.01, 3 Patricia Clatworthy DC 2.25.10. 65+: 1 Patricia Seabrook FC 2.38.54. Teams: 1 Cornwall Athletic Club 10 points, 2 Hayle Runners 90 points, 3 St Austell Running Club 105 points.