A RECORD field of more than six hundred runners lined up for Sunday’s Storm Force 10 mile race, the traditional opener of the 2016 Cornwall Grand Prix Series, sponsored once again by Cornwall Glass and Glazing.

Not surprisingly the pre-race favourites, Peter Le Grice (Mounts Bay Harriers) and Emma Stepto (Cornwall AC) took the race by storm, winning their respective races by huge margins.

Le Grice was in no mood to hang around from the start, soon opening a significant gap ahead of the Cornwall AC pair Colin Snook and Falmouth’s Paul Smith. The Mounts Bay Harrier was determined to run a lone race, setting a new course record of 52.54, beating the previous record of 53.10, which was set six years ago by Pete Freedman (Tavistock AC), in the inaugural Storm Force race.

Godolphin School teacher Snook, who has missed training recently due to illness, was content to begin cautiously, moving ahead of Smith on the approach to the main hill on the course (4 miles) and settling into the runner’s up spot all the way to the finish line. Smith remained in third place until eight and a half miles, when his fast start began to take its toll, losing ground, as Hayle’s Thomas Humphrey slipped past for his first ever Grand Prix podium finish.

Aaron Benney, one of a small group of four Mile High runners, produced a fine run, finishing tenth in a quality field and setting himself up for what could be a good year.

Stepto was pleased to be injury free after a disrupted 2015 and happy with her first road race of the year, saying “My time of 58.36 was a little slower than in the last three years over this course but I think we were all slowed by the stiff breeze in our faces over the first four miles. I now need a few more road races to get my legs used to the faster race pace but this was a good start to the year.”

Stepto led probably the strongest Ladies team ever fielded by Cornwall AC, with Zelah Morrall (2nd), Amy Sole (3rd) and Rhiannon Strickland (4th) all finishing inside the top fifty. The winning team was completed by Emily Newton, making her road running debut for the club and a slow starting Donna Raggett, who moved through strongly in the second half of the race passing team mate Kathryn Burgess soon after halfway.

The Truro Running Club Ladies made a successful start to the new Grand Prix year finishing in a clear second place, fifty four points ahead of third placed Hayle Runners, with Cornwall AC’s ‘B’ team slotting into fourth position.

In the Men’s team race Cornwall AC (76 points) with their six scoring runners in the top twenty six places, cruised to victory, ahead of Hayle Runners (114 points), who were thirteen points clear of third placed Newquay Road Runners. In a very competitive team race Falmouth Road Runner did well to finish eighth, led home by three top fifty finishers, David Crowsley (18th), James Barnet (40th) and Ian Ferguson (44th).

In the age group categories Snook and Smith were first and second in the 40-44 section and Penryn’s Rob Beckett (Cornwall AC) third in the 55-50 age group. Falmouth’s only prize winner was Kathryn Dormer, starting where she finished off last year by continuing to feature amongst the awards in the 65-69 age group. At Storm Force Kathryn collected the second place prize.

KEY FOR CLUBS

BRR Bodmin Road Runners, CAC Cornwall AC, CR Carn Runners, ECH East Cornwall Harriers, FRR Falmouth Road Runners, HR Hayle Runners, LP Looe Pioneers, LRR Launceston Road Runners, MBH Mounts Bay Harriers, MCTR Mud Crew Trail Runners, MH Mile High, NRR Newquay Road Runners, OKE Okehampton Running Club, PH Plymouth Harriers, STA St Austell Running Club, TRC Truro Running Club, TT Tamar Trotters, U Unattached.

RESULTS

Men: 1 Peter Le Grice MBH 52.54 (Course Record),2 Colin Snook CAC 55.43, 3 Thomas Humphrey HR 57.07, 4 Paul Smith CAC 57.23, 5 Jordan Morant HR 57.25, 6 John Scott NRR 57.46, 7 Tony Wright NRR 57.49, 8 Daniel Costello HR 67.62, 9 Justin Thomas CAC 58.20, 10 Aaron Benney MH 58.25. Age Categories: Under 35: 1 Peter Le Grice, 2 Thomas Humphrey, 3 Jordan Morant. 35-39: 1 Jonas Gummesson NRR 59.05, 2 Paul Sole CAC 1.02.03, 3 Wayne Sara TRC 1.03.39. 40-44: 1 Colin Snook, 2 Paul Smith, 3 Justin Thomas. 45-49: 1 John Scott, 2 Tony Wright, 3 David Beckenkrager PH 59.48. 50-54: 1 Steve Wherry CAC 1.01.49, 2 Rich Savage HR 1.03.15, 3 Andrew Hickson MBH 1.05.39. 55-59: 1 Martin Davis NRR 1.05.51, 2 Barrie Cardew CR 1.06.21, 3 Rob Beckett CAC 1.09.14. 60-64: 1 Neville Witham CAC 1.11.39, 2 Malcolm Roberts STA 1.13.11, 3 Martin Morgan BRR 1.14.53. 65-69: 1 Tom Polglase CR 1.10.06, 2 Brian Wiles LRR 1.14.13, 3 Doug Alsop STA 1.16.15. 70-74: 1 Pete Sargent NRR 1.21.16, 2 John Lillis NRR 1.22.30, 3 Clive Hibbert MBH 1.22.41. 75+: 1 Lee Broadbent U 1.30.59, 2 Norris Kington CAC 1.40.24. Teams: 1 Cornwall AC 76 points, 2 Hayle Runners 114 points, 3 Newquay Road Runners 127 points, 4 Truro Running Club 172 points, 5 Mounts Bay Harriers 253 points, 6 Carn Runners 279 points.

Ladies: 1 Emma Stepto CAC 58.36, 2 Zelah Morrall CAC 1.02.49, 3 Amy Sole CAC 1.03.25, 4 Rhiannon Strickland CAC 1.04.16, 5 Issy Wykes TRC 1.04.49, 6 Emma Murray STA 1.04.58, 7 Jessica Buscombe STA 1.05.25, 8 Wendy Chapman TRC 1.05.34, 9 Carol Randall MBH 1.06.06, 10 Ami Yetton PH 1.06.08. Age Categories: Under 35: 1 Amy Sole, 2 Rhiannon Strickland, 3 Jessica Buscombe. 35-39: 1 Issy Wykes, 2 Wendy Chapman, 3 Nicky Taylor MCTR 1.10.00. 40-44: 1 Faye Savage HR 1.12.31, 2 Charlotte Bennett HR 1.13.31, 3 Louise Gregg TT 1.15.40. 45-49: 1 Emma Stepto, 2 Zelah Morrall, 3 Carol Randall. 50-54: 1 Emma Murray, 2 Revis Crowle ECH 1.09.24, 3 Diane Roy ECH 1.10.44. 55-59: 1 Jeanette Duncan NRR 1.23.13, 2 Alison Catnach LP 1.29.07, 3 Sue Sykes U 1.29.57. 60-64: 1 Diane Warren HR 1.24.58, 2 Sue Taylor MBH 1.25.42, 3 Marilyn Cooper OKE 1.25.56. 65-69: 1 Jackie Jenkin CAC 1.39.08, 2 Kathryn Dormer FRR 1.56.23, 3 Ann Foster TT 2.01.41. Teams: 1 Cornwall AC ‘A’ 36 points, 2 Truro Running Club 116 points, 3 Hayle Runners 170 points, 4 Cornwall AC ‘B’ 211 points, 5 St Austell Running Club 229 points, 6 Mounts Bay Harriers 329 points.