The ever popular Cornwall Road Running Grand Prix Series, sponsored for the second successive year by Cornwall Glass and Glazing, celebrated yet another successful season at the Falmouth Beach Hotel recently, when the annual awards were presented by Angus Herdman, a director of the series sponsors.

The 2010 Grand Prix comprised 15 races, ranging from the four-mile Summer Turkey Trot to the Duchy and Cornish marathons, with no less than 188 of the 1,043 runners who took part in at least one race, completing the minimum of eight races. This deservedly qualified each one of the eight race contingent for a special Finisher’s Memento.

Emma Stallard, of Cornwall Athletic Club (CAC), won the overall individual Ladies title for the third successive year. but there was a new name on the men’s individual trophy, won by Newquay Road Runner, Ollie Gibson. The Ladies champion boasted a maximum points score, achieving nine Grand Prix victories during the year, whilst Gibson won six Grand Prix races, beating the 2007 runner up, Matt Pullen (Cornwall Athletic Club) into second place by a clear ten-point margin. Pullen finished fourth in his final race of the year at Newquay and this proved to be just enough to finish one point ahead of another Cornwall Athletic Club runner, Tony Dunn, although Tony did have the satisfaction of winning the veterans’ 45-49 award.

Emma, who also won the veteran 35-39 age group, led a Cornwall Athletic Club clean sweep of the top trophies in the Ladies competition, with team mates Suzy Bosustow and Kathryn Burgess finishing second and third respectively. This was Suzy’s third consecutive top three finish, but Kathryn moved into this elite group of Grand Prix leaders for the first time.

It was a good year for the Falmouth Road Runners, who have seen a massive growth in numbers over the past year. They had five runners who completed all 15 grand prix races, one of whom, Richard Dalton, picked up the St Austell Trophies Shield for Most Improved Male Runner having finished third overall in the under-20 category.

The other four Falmouth Road Runners to complete 15 races were Jacqueline George, Sarah Choak, Debra Clarke and Roger Brown.

They were joined by Adrian Ball, from Cornwall Athletic Club (CAC), Richard Chynoweth, Newquay Road Runners (NRR), Malcolm Roberts, (St Austell Running Club (STA), David Wooldridge (NRR), Philip McNevin, Mount’s Bay Harries (MBH), Ian Littlewood, East Cornwall Harriers (ECH), Doug Alsop (STA), David Wooldridge (NRR), Philip McNevin (MBH), James Asser (STA), Chris Lobb (NRR), Rachel Bowker, Hayle Runners (HR), Helen Rule (HR), Lisa Wootton (STA), Craig Tonkin (HR), Bruce MacLaren (STA), Sam Perkin (MBH), Scott Abraham (HR), Matt Curtis (HR), Tim Adams (STA), Derek Smith (HR).

The five race under 20 competition again proved to be a popular recent addition to the Grand Prix programme, won this year by the 2009 runner up Dan Nash (East Cornwall Harriers) and Cornwall Athletic Club’s Bethany Alston. Nash beat last year’s third place finisher James Waldie (Cornwall Athletic Club) by one point, with Dalton third. Bethany led another Cornwall Athletic Club clean sweep beating team-mates Charlotte Hurst (2nd) and Tasha Diment (3rd) to claim the Ladies title.

Many runners set themselves the target of running all fifteen races in a calendar year, but in 2003, Craig Tonkin (Hayle Runners) set out to break a record set by Gerry Matthews, by running 50 consecutive Grand Prix Races. At the Indian Queens Half Marathon 2007, he passed that record dressed as a Panto Dame and thought he’d go for 100. This meant running the Duchy and Cornish Marathons each year and staying injury free for seven years. He had a hernia operation just before this year’s Launceston Half, which made that one interesting. Finally he successfully completed the 2010 Cornish Marathon, this time dressed as a pirate, to reach the magic 100. Craig’s comment after the Cornish was, “I’m setting the record there.”

In 2010, a total of 23 other runners competed in all fifteen Grand Prix races, which was the third consecutive year for St Austell’s Bruce MacLaren and the Mount’s Bay Harrier Sam Perkin, now giving both the intriguing total of 44 consecutive Grand Prix races. The Most Improved female runner (the Cliff Temple Shield) was won by Rachel Goldsworthy (Hayle Runners).

In the team competition, Cornwall Athletic Club’s men and ladies teams retained their team trophies. The club’s men’s team won the Tweedie Shield for the ninth successive year, with Newquay Road Runners (2nd) and St Austell Running Club (3rd) occupying the same positions as they did in 2008 and 2009. Cornwall’s Ladies team won the Julia Fox Shield with a maximum points score, although this time there were changes in the top three, with Newquay Road Runners returning to the runner's up spot and Mount's Bay Harriers moving into the top three for the first time and sharing third place with another Penwith-based club, Hayle Runners, who were second in 2009.

Key for clubs: CAC Cornwall Athletic Club, 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, TL Tri Logic, TRC Truro Running Club, WRN Womens Running Network.

Results - Men: 1 Ollie Gibson NRR 2397 points, 2 Matt Pullen CAC 2387 points, 3 Tony Dunn CAC 2386 points, 4 Pete Ellis HR 2378 points, 5 Adrian Ball CAC 2372 points, 6 Dan Alsop STA 2361 points, 7 Justin Thomas CAC 2345 points, 8 Duncan Oakes STA 2340 points, 9 Steve Wherry CAC 2328 points, 10 Kevin Toher NRR 2316 points.

Ladies: 1 Emma Stallard CAC 2400 points, 2 Suzy Bosustow CAC 2392 points, 3 Kathryn Burgess CAC 2387 points, 4 Revis Crowle ECH 2383 points, 5 Diane Roy ECH 2375 points, 6 Sharon Daw ECH 2357 points, 7 Rachel Tresidder MBH 2356 points, 8 Jenny Almey CAC 2349 points, 9 Mhairi Saville MBH 2343 points, 10 Nancy Hill MBH 2333.

Age Categories - Men: Under 20: 1 Dan Nash ECH, 2 James Waldie CAC, 3 Richard Dolton FRR. Under 40: 1 Ollie Gibson, 2 Matt Pullen, 3 Pete Ellis. 40-44: 1 Adrian Ball, 2= Justin Day CAC, 2= Duncan Oakes. 45-49: 1 Tony Dunn CAC, 2 Steve Wherry, 3 Paul Gwynne TRC. 50-54: 1 Chris Hodge CR, 2 Neville Witham CAC, 3 Bruce MacLaren STA. 55-59: 1 Malcolm Roberts STA, 2 Stephen Restall NRR, 3 Kim Hemsworth FRR. 60-64: 1 Doug Alsop STA, 2 Pat Lockett NRR, 3 Brian Wiles LRR. 65-69: 1 Stewart Townend HR, 2 Kevin O'Mahoney LRR. 70+: 1 Norris Kington CAC, 2 Peter Mander LRR, 3 William Bennetts HR.

Age Categories - Ladies: Under 20: 1 Bethany Alston CAC, 2 Charlotte Hurst CAC, 3 Tasha Diment CAC. Under 35: 1 Kathryn Burgess, 2 Rachel Tresidder, 3 Jenny Almey. 35-39: 1 Emma Stallard, 2 Suzy Bosustow, 3 Charlotte Bennett HR. 40-44: 1 Sharon Daw, 2 Nancy Hill, 3 Stephanie Martin NRR. 45-49: 1 Revis Crowle, 2 Diane Roy, 3 Caroline Chesterfield CAC. 50-54: 1 Lesley Richardson NRR, 2 Carol Penberthy TL, 3 Poppy Bailey WRN. 55-59: 1 Amanda Erith ECH, 2 Janet Watson FRR, 3 Sue Burges LRR. 60-64: 1 Susan Mellis STA, 2 Mary Mullarkey ECH, 3 Terry Marshall FRR. 65+: 1 Timothea Cardell HR, 2 Lisa Wright NRR, 3 Val Hawken NRR.

Mens Teams: 1 Cornwall Athletic Club 800 points, 2 Newquay Road Runners 794 points, 3 St Austell Running Club 788 points, 4= East Cornwall Harriers 780 oints, 4= Mounts Bay Harriers 780 points, 6 Hayle Runners 777 points, 7 Tamar Trotters 759 points, 8 Carn Runners 755 points, 9 Truro Running Club 750 points, 10 Launceston Road Runners 742 points, 11 Falmouth Road Runners 740 points.

Ladies Teams: 1 Cornwall Athletic Club 800 points, 2 Newquay Road Runners 792 points, 3= Hayle Runners 789 points, 3= Mounts Bay Harriers 789 points, 5 East Cornwall Harriers 786 points, 6 St Austell Running Club 771 points, 7 Falmouth Road Runners 762 points, 8 Truro Running Club 742 points, 9= Carn Runners 741 points, 9= Launceston Road Runners 741 points, 11 Tamar Trotters 733 points, 12 Womens Running Network 732 points.

Highest Number of Finishers in Grand Prix Races: 1 St Austell Running Club 656, 2 Hayle Runners 619, 3 Newquay Road Runners 571.

Most Improved Runners - Men: St Austell Trophies Shield: Richard Dolton FRR. Ladies: Cliff Temple Shield: Rachel Goldsworthy HR.

Oldest Runner on Grand Prix Circuit: Peter Mander LRR Presented by Don Bristow.