Chichester 10k
MARK LE GASSICK just missed out on a top 10 placing in a tight sprint finish at the popular Chichester Priory 10km road race.
Mark came home in 11th place with a time of 32min 15sec, the same as Cardiff AC's Mark Jennings in 10th, and a second behind ninth-placed Darren Talbot from Thames Hare & Hounds AC.
On a great sunny morning for running, 1,462 runners took part in the race which started and finished outside the Chichester Festival Theatre, and took in a rural course which swept by Goodwood, Lavant, and a lovely downhill finish.
"I was very pleased with my time," said Mark, who recorded a negative split of 16.15 over the first 5km and then 16 minutes dead for the last part. "I felt a lot stronger than at Stubbington 10km, which was good." The race attracted a quality field and was won by Alton Runners' Toby Lambert, winner of the Stubbington 10km, who clocked a time of 30.22.
Linda Spencer from Chichester Runners swept to the women's title with a winning time of 34.39, just a second ahead of Winchester's Karen Hazlitt.
Malcolm Lavery was next home for Stubbington in 219th in 41.49 (M40, 80th), with Richard Simms and Jon Leigh not far behind in 241st and 242nd with times of 42.15 (M40, 90th) and 42.18 (M40, 91st).
Andy James, in his first competitive run out of 2007, produced a good run with a time of 42.36 for 257th (M50, 48th).
Stubbington's Bev Lavery has started the year well with a good run at the Today's Runner last month, and at Chichester she was the club's top lady with 34th in 41.49 - finishing jointly with Malcolm - and was ninth Vet40.
Jane Thomson clocked in with 191st in a time of 52.28, and Verity Wright ran well for 54.03 and 229th.
Others: Men: 263rd: Tim Sands (M50, 50th) 42.45, 339th Nick Davies (M40, 126th) 44.14, 454th Colin Elderfield 46.48, 523rd Richard Snell 48.07, 532nd John Fairhurst (M60, 16th) 48.21. Women: 275th: Denise Crumpton 55.51, 276th: Liz Hall (W40, 111th) 55.52, 429th Anne Fairhurst (W60, 13th) 1hr 1min 22sec.