Emma Stepto (Cornwall Athletic Club) and Peter Le Grice (Mounts Bay Harriers) struck gold and retained their individual titles in last Sunday’s Marazion 10K road race, round two of the Cornwall Grand Prix Series, sponsored by Cornwall Glass and Glazing.

Le Grice took the race by storm, setting a relentless pace from the gun, which other runners were unable to follow. 

The Mounts Bay Harrier had established an unassailable lead by halfway and built on his advantage through the undulating highways and byways of the ‘Marazion backcountry’ during the second half of the race, eventually winning by one minute and seventeen seconds. 

Justin Thomas, Cornwall AC’s winner of the season’s first Grand Prix race, the Storm Force 10 miles, chased Le Grice in the early stages. 

The effort needed to keep the leader in his sights actually paid dividends and despite making no impression on the Le Grice lead, he opened a decisive gap over his closest pursuers,  Pete Ellis (Hayle Runners) and Emma Stepto but eventually had Thomas to settle for the runner’s up prize, slicing two whole seconds off his 2013 time.

Stepto found the going tough today, especially over the second half of the race, when all the runners had to contend with a blustery headwind, with little shelter provided by the hedgerows of the narrow country lanes. 

“I felt really tired today and battled hard with Pete Ellis throughout the race,” said Emma, “Pete moved ahead on the downhill section after five miles but I managed to get back on the half mile climb to the finish, before he edged clear on the run-in when my legs just gave up. 

"I was pleased with another course record albeit by just two seconds.” 

Ellis claimed third place in the Men’s race, with two Penzance based runners, Neil Eddy (Mounts Bay Harriers) and Chris Harry (Cornwall AC) battling for fourth spot.  Youth won out on the day, with Eddy trusting his speed and getting the better of the Vet 50 winner, Harry, with the finish in sight.

Naomi Tier (Cornwall AC) made a welcome return to the club’s Ladies team, finishing in second place, with one of the county’s up and coming young runners road runners, Eleanor Davis (Newquay Road Runners), continuing to show a noticeable improvement in third.

The team results in both the Men’s and Ladies races involved the same three clubs but not in the same order.  Cornwall AC were the clear cut winners of both races, with Hayle Runners outscoring their Penwith rivals, Mount’s Bay Harriers, in the Men’s event  by just six points to clinch the runners up prizes. 

In the Ladies race, Mount’s Bay Harriers (92 points) were the closest team to Cornwall AC (57 points) and this time the gap to third placed Hayle Runners (181 points) was considerable, with Hayle edging out Cornwall AC’s ‘B’ team by just one point.

A smaller than usual turnout of just twenty nine Falmouth Road Runners made the journey to Marazion, with both the Men’s and Ladies depleted teams finishing in tenth place. 

Individually Falmouth’s Tammy Jenkin once again was the leading local finisher, in twenty first position in the Ladies race.  In the Men’s event Mile High’s Aaran Benny finished twenty third, with teammate Dave Angell thirty sixth, two places and two seconds ahead of Falmouth’s leading male runner, Tom Carthy. 

Prizes were few and far between  for the Carrick based runners, with Falmouth’s Kim Hemsworth the only trophy winner, finishing third in the Veterans 60-64 age group.

KEY FOR CLUBS

CAC Cornwall AC, CR Carn Runners, ECH East Cornwall Harriers, FRR Falmouth Road Runners, HR Hayle Runners, LRR Launceston Road Runners, MBH Mounts Bay Harriers, NRR Newquay Road Runners, STA St Austell Running Club, TRC Truro Running Club, TT Tamar Trotters.

RESULTS

Men: 1 Peter Le Grice HR 32.41, 2 Justin Thomas CAC 33.58, 3 Peter Ellis HR 34.27, 4 Neil Eddy MBH 35.03, 5 Chris Harry CAC 35.07, 6 Noel Kindon CAC 35.21, 7 Thomas Humphrey HR 35.28, 8 Ceri Whitmore CAC 36.19, 9 Jonas Gummesson NRR 36.22, 10 Jordan Morant HR 36.27.  Age Categories: Under 20: 1 Ben Hicks MBH 36.41, 2 Daniel Costello HR 37.38, 3 Dale Triggs CAC 39.41.  Under 35: 1 Peter Le Grice, 2 Peter Ellis, 3 Neil Eddy.  35-39: 1 Ceri Whitmore, 2 Phil Sanger MBH 38.09, 3 Craig Hall CR 38.26.  40-44: 1Justin Thomas, 2 Phil Montgomery-Smith STA 36.32, 3 Alex Daniels NRR 36.35.  45-49: 1 Peter Sowerby TRC 36.47, 2 Stephen Hands STA 37.13, 3 Glynn Davis CR 37.39.  50-54: 1 Chris Harry, 2 Steve Wherry CAC 37.04, 3 Mark Omori MBH 39.49.  55-59: 1 Martin Davis NRR 38.40, 2 John Telford CAC 39.15, 3 Barrie Cardew CR 39.18.  60-64: 1 Malcolm Roberts STA 41.58, 2 Tom Polglase CR 45.09, 3 Kim Hemsworth FRR 48.33. 65-69: 1 Paul Wright NRR 41.33, 2 Peter Uren MBH 44.31, 3 Pat Lockett NRR 45.59.  70-74: 1 Stewart Townend HR 51.04, 2 Norris Kington CAC 54.18, 3 Ron Shapland NRR 61.08.  75+: 1 Tony Berry TRC 50.24, 2 Peter Mander LRR 58.13.  Teams: 1 Cornwall AC ‘A’ 53 points, 2 Hayle Runners 86 points, 3 Mounts Bay Harriers 92 points, 4 Newquay Road Runners 152 points, 5 Cornwall AC ‘B’ 202 points, 6 St Austell Running Club 226 points.

Ladies: 1 Emma Stepto CAC 34.33 (Course Record), 2 Naomi Tier CAC 38.15, 3 Eleanor Davis NRR 38.43, 4 Alice Nicholas MBH 40.47, 5 Anne Waller MBH 41.52, 6 Kathryn Burgess CAC 42.00, 7 Faye Toms HR 42.06, 8 Wendy Chapman TRC 42.36, 9 Revis Crowle ECH 43.00, 10 Jessica Buscombe STA 43.15.  Age Categories: Under 20: 1 Martha Carlisle CAC 49.10, 2 Hannah Smith HR 54.10, 3 Virginia Channon CAC 54.54.  Under 35: 1 Naomi Tier, 2 Eleanor Davis, 3 Alice Nicholas.  35-39: 1 Kathryn Burgess, 2 Faye Toms, 3 Wendy Chapman.  40-44: 1 Emma Stepto, 2 Anne Waller, 3 Charlotte Bennett HR 43.34.  45-49: 1 Karen McClay MBH 43.28, 2 Sharon Daw ECH 44.01, 3 Zelah Morrall CAC 44.14.  50-54: 1 Revis Crowle, 2 Jayne Angilley CAC 47.37, 3 Hana Clitherow TRC 49.02.  55-59: 1 Anne Luke TT 40.11, 2 Pat Coates NRR 49.07, 3 Diane Warren HR 44.12.  60-64: 1 Susan Mellis STA 55.53, 2 Lavinia Marshall LRR 58.02, 3 Penny Uren MBH 59.40.  65-69: 1 Mary Mullarkey ECH 52.48, 2 Lisa Wright NRR 63.18, 3 Cheryl  Leach LRR 74.25.  70+: 1 Timothea Cardell HR 58.20.  Teams: 1 Cornwall AC ‘A’ 57 points, 2 Mounts Bay Harriers 92 points, 3 Hayle Runners 181 points, 4 Cornwall AC ‘B’ 182 points, 5 Newquay Road Runners 220 points, 6 Truro Running Club 222.