An ice cream vendor and a ‘hot dog’ both featured prominently in last week’s Hayle Beach Run, the fifth and final race in the Duchy Athletic Network (DAN) 5K Series.

A local runner, an ice cream seller who pushes his bike across this very beach on his daily round, was soon deviating slightly from the line taken by the rest of the runners, searching for firmer underfoot conditions on the very soft opening sandy section. Dan Alsop (St Austell Running Club), sensing inside knowledge, wisely opted to follow the ice cream man, a tactic which he admitted afterwards certainly paid off.

“The sand was definitely firmer following in the footsteps of the local guy and it helped me pull ahead of the chasing pack.” The bare footed Alsop reached the turn almost 100 metres clear, taking advantage of the firmer sand on the return leg and making light work of the headwind, he crossed the line in 18 minutes 38 seconds, not only winning the race, but being the first winner of the overall title in the DAN 5K Series.

Unofficially second place went to the Ridgeback ‘hot dog’ Simba and her owner Jason Pascoe (Cornwall Atheltic Club). Starting one minute behind the last runner, Simba propelled Pascoe at phenominal speed past all the runners and would have caught Alsop if she hadn’t dived into the waves within sight of the finishn. Afterwards Pascoe added: “That was a good workout for both of us in preparation for the 'One Man and His Dog' World Championships in Poland in October.”

Officially second place in the race and in the 5K series went to Cornwall Athletic Club’s Colin Snook, who finished the five race series two points behind Alsop and ahead of the three 'Richards'. Richard Pascoe (Mile High) was the third runner home, completing the top three in the overall classification, three seconds ahead of fourth placed 'Richard the second', Richard Horswell (Hayle Runners), who enjoyed his best result in the DAN Series.

'Richard the third' was Richard Dalton (Falmouth Road Runners), crossing the line in fifth place.

Fifteen-year-old Issy Steele (Falmouth Road Runners) was a runaway winner of the Ladies race and deservedly crowned as the first Ladies champion of the DAN series, with three wins in her three races. St Austell Running Club’s Jo Gilbert, who won two of the earlier races in Issy’s absence, claimed the runner’s up prize, with Alisha Johnson third on the day and third in the series. Fourteen-year-old Alisha, who runs for Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde Athletic Club, spent her summer holiday with her family in Cornwall and took full advantage of the three DAN races being held during this time.

DAN Co-ordinator, Rob Cockings had the final word: “The DAN Series has certainly gone down well with the local runners and hopefully attracted some new runners into the sport. A total of 617 runners took part in the five 5K races and seemed to enjoy the multi-terrain courses and the new venues. The response would indicate that this series could well feature on the fixture list again in the summer of 2012.”

RESULTS - Men: 1 Dan Alsop STA 18.38, 2 Colin Snook CAC 19.12, 3 Richard Pascoe MH 19.39, 4 Richard Horswell HR 19.42, 5 Richard Dalton FRR 19.47, 6 Jonas Gummesson NRR 19.49. Age Categories: Under 17: 1 Rob Glading CAC 21.55, 2 James Bumford HR 32.53. Under 15: 1 Peter Richardson U 27.42. Under 20: 1 Kieran Murrant HR 21.36, 2 Ed O'Hara U 23.24, 3 Rhys Higgs MH 23.51. Under 30: 1 Stuart Nicholas STA 20.37, 2 Ricko Barker U 21.25, 3 Steve Corrigan HR 21.27. Under 40: 1 Dan Alsop, 2 Colin Snook, 3 Richard Pascoe. Under 50: 1 Stephen Hands U 20.17,2 Duncan Oakes STA 20.28, 3 Rich Savage MBH20.31. Under 60: 1 David Wooldridge NRR 23.04, 2 Peter Allen NRR 23.36, 3 Adam Wheeler U 25.00. Over 60: 1 Dave Morgan TRI 23.24, 2 Paul Wright NRR 23.59, 3 Roger Brownsey U 24.27.

Ladies: 1 Issy Steele FRR 21.40, 2 Jo Gilbert STA 22.38, 3 Alicia Johnson BW&F 23.29, 4 Jessica Freeman U 24.02, 5 Nicole Dawson U 24.07, 6 Tracey GEE U 24.37. Age Categories: Under 15: 1 Alicia Johnson, 2 Jessica Freeman, 3 Charlotte Emsden GSLSC 26.08. Under 17: 1 Issy Steele, 2 Nicole Dawson. Under 20: 1 Hesther Talbot U 26.34, 2 Flora Hughes U 30.56. Under 30: 1 Alannah Rohan-Wild U 26.05, 2 Laura Evans HR 26.32, 3 Leah Wheeler U 29.17. Under 40: 1 Claire Longman TRC 26.31, 2 Helen Rule HR 27.39, 3 Sarah Hutchins CR 29.23. Under 50: 1 Wietske Hitchens NRR 26.49, 2 Michelle Williams FRR 28.20, 3 Jules Wood FRR 28.29. Under 60: 1 Carol Penberthy TRI 28.31, 2 Judy Jameson CR 31.21, 3 Sandy Jamieson CR 31.43. Over 60: 1 Timothea Cardell HR 31.29.

Overall series results - Men: 1 Dan Alsop STA, 2 Colin Snook CAC, 3 Richard Pascoe MH. Under 15: 1 Peter Richardson U. Under 17: 1 James Bumford HR. Under 20: 1 Kieran Murrant HR. Under 30: 1 Richard Dalton FRR, 2 Stuart Nicholas STA, 3 Ricko Barker U. Under 40: 1 Dan Alsop, 2 Colin Snook, 3 Richard Pascoe. Under 50: 1 Rich Savage MBH, 2 Duncan Oakes STA, 3 Tony Morris STA. Under 60: 1 David Wooldridge NRR, 2 Peter Allen NRR, 3 Graham Storer CAC. Over 60: 1 Paul Wright NRR, 2 Dave Morgan TRI, 3 Terry McIvor HR.

Ladies: 1 Issy Steele FRR, 2 Jo Gilbert STA, 3 Alisha Johnson BW&F. Under 15: 1 Alisha Johnson, 2 Charlotte Emsden GSLSC, 3 Sophie Talling NRR. Under 17: 1 Issy Steele, 2 Jo Gilbert. Under 30: 1 Laura Evans HR, 2 Alannah Rohan-Wild U, 3 Leah Wheeler U. Under 40: 1 Julia Pearce CAC, 2 Claire Longman TRC, 3 Helen Rule HR. Under 50: 1 Yvonne Turner MBH, 2 Wietske Hitchens NRR, 3 Lisa Talling NRR. Under 60: 1 Carol Culley CR, 2 Judy Jameson CR, 3 Sandy Jamieson CR. Over 60: 1 Timothea Cardell HR.