Jordan and Heidi win 5,000m titles in Duchy Athletic Network's Summer Series opener

More than 50 athletes took part as the series opened with two 5000-metre races, including the Cornwall Championship event.

The Championship race produced an impressive solo performance from Cornwall AC’s Jordan Clay.

The Falmouth University student left the opposition standing, clocking the fast time of 15 minutes 23.2, beating Dan Alsop (St Austell Running Club) by 39 seconds.

Alsop was followed home by the Under-20 champion, 17-year-old Cornwall AC’s Sam Goodchild from Falmouth (16:04.2), who held off a spirited sprint finish from third-placed Senior Man, Justin Thomas by 0.2 of a second.

Another of Cornwall AC’s Falmouth contingent, Paul Smith, finished ninth, clocking 16.28.7, just five seconds off his personal best set in 2016.

Nick Martin (Mile High) continued his return to competition, winning the Veterans 55-50 category easily in the very creditable time of 18:01.4.

The Ladies race proved to be a ding-dong battle between the top two female distance runners based in Cornwall, the Cornwall AC pair, Heidi Tregenza and Emma Stepto.

Tregenza, who set the pace, with Stepto never more than a couple of metres behind, waited patiently until the final two laps before applying the pressure, pulling away from her training partner, clocking a new personal best (16:59.9), with Stepto finishing in 17:06.5, which heads the UK rankings for 5000 metres in the Veteran 45-49 age group by a staggering two minutes and 17 seconds.

In the evening’s ‘B’ race the event organiser Andy Trudgian (St Austell Running Club) stormed home, 28 seconds clear of Cornwall AC’s 1500-metre specialist, Piran Clark, who in turn was over 30 seconds ahead of team mate Kallum Wright, another of the Falmouth University’s Cornwall AC runners.

Amy Sole (Cornwall AC) won the Ladies race comfortably ahead of another Cornwall AC athlete, Laura Rogers, with Eleanor Dixon (Newquay Road Runners) in third position.