Pre race favourites Tony Brewer (Mile High) and Emma Stepto (Cornwall Athletic Club) cruised to victory last Sunday in the Stud Sports sponsored Newquay 10K road race, round fourteen of the Cornwall Grand Prix Series, supported by Cornwall Glass and Glazing.

The early morning mist cleared as the 476 runners set off in warm sunshine, enjoying the fast opening section of the course past Newquay Zoo and the Boating Lake. 

After the initial pace had settled, Brewer soon laid down his marker, moving into the lead, which had the effect of splitting the leading group, with Justin Thomas (Cornwall Athletic Club) giving chase, ahead of Dan Rodgers (Launceston Road Runners), who was closely followed by Tavistock AC’s  Jim Cole.

A gentle mid race climb led to the halfway point and as the runners turned for home over the faster second half of the race, positions invariably change, as was the case last weekend.  Cole was the big mover, passing Rodgers and then Thomas but unable to make inroads into Brewer’s lead. 

Rodgers also passed Thomas, as the Cornwall AC runner dropped to fourth, one place ahead of improving team make Colin Snook (5th), with Stepto, once again mixing it with the leading men, in sixth place overall.

There was no stopping the Mile High man today who powered home to his fourth Grand Prix win of the year and first since his winning the Summer Turkey Trot in July.  Cole, who was third in his last Grand Prix outing at Treggy five weeks ago, held on to the runner’s up spot, ahead of the Treggy winner, Rodgers. 

Thomas was a little disappointed with his performance in fourth but Snook pleased with his run, one place and eight seconds behind his club mate.

After the race a delighted Brewer said: "The race went well for me today. I planned to go out hard and fast and the tactic certainly worked. I was also pleased to run a personal best over the 10K distance, running twenty seven seconds faster than last year on this same course."

The recently crowned 2013 Grand Prix Champions in the Men’s team competition, Cornwall AC, notched up their ninth victory of the year, with their first five scoring runners in the top twelve. 

Hayle Runners packed well to finish second, well clear of third place St Austell Running Club, who edged out Newquay Road Runners by just ten points.

Competing for the last time before her Amsterdam Marathon on Sunday week, Emma showed she is certainly in good form and despite feeling tired from her final week of heavy marathon training, her winning time of 34.14 set a new course record, beating the previous record, set in 2011 by Junior International, Annabel Gummow, by fifteen seconds. 

Miranda Heathcote, who competes for the host club, showed much improved form, producing another classy Ladies performance, clocking 35.19, which catapults her to equal fifth for the 10K in the UK rankings for her age group. 

Operating at such a high level, it was not surprising that only eight men managed to beat the ‘Newquay Flyer’.  The Mount’s Bay Harrier Carol Randall (40.19) was another lady to make her mark, achieving her first podium finish in a Grand Prix race and no doubt targeting a sub 40 minute clocking in the future.

Cornwall AC celebrated a double team success with their Ladies squad winning for the eleventh time this year, ahead of Newquay Road Runners who filled the runners up spot for the fifth time in 2013.  Mounts Bay Harriers, with three finishers in the top ten, finished third, giving them a hat trick of third place finishes in this year’s Grand Prix races.

In the fifth and final round of the Under 20 competition, it was a one-two for Tavistock in the Men’s section.  Sam Lane de Courtin, made an impressive Grand Prix debut winning the Under 20 category but more significantly finishing eighth in the overall Men’s standings.  Team mate James Best finished second, with Dan Costello (Hayle Runners) finishing third on the day but second in the final overall results.

In the Under 20 Ladies section another debutant, Charlotte Cayton-Smith (Cornwall AC) showed she certainly doesn’t lack the endurance for an 800 metre runner. 

In the summer Charlotte clocked 2.07.68, ranking her fifth in the UK in the Under 17 age group and last weekend ran 42.59 over 10K, almost one minute and a half clear of Heather Wilson (Falmouth Road Runners) who was also running in her first Grand Prix race.  Caitlin Mulroy (Cornwall AC) finished third and had the satisfaction of winning the 2013 overall title in this category.

Further success for Mile High club came in the Men’s team competition where the Penryn based club finished in fifth position.  With five runners in the first forty one places, the runners up spot looked there for the taking but the lack of a higher scoring sixth runner dropped the local club down the pecking order. 

In the Ladies team competition, the Falmouth Road Runners finished ninth, led home by young Heather Wilson who not only finished 21st overall in the Ladies race but also second in the Under 20 age group. The Falmouth Men were a little below their best, with only Tom Carthy (46th in 38.46), creeping into the top fifty and the first page of the results sheet.