Two Saints 10k - 1st April 2007
THE man who is the Silver Fox, Mike Bell, picked up third place in the Vets 50 category at the Two Saints 10km road race in Southampton.
This small but friendly race has been running for the last 23 years, with all the proceeds going to support the Two Saints Housing Association in its work with homeless people.
The race starts and finishes at Mount Pleasant Junior School in the city.
Mike, who has been running extremely well in the Today's Runner cross country league, showed that he is no slouch on the road with 29th overall in a time of 42min 18sec (V50, 3rd).
The race was won by Southampton Running Club's Nick Buis in a time of 35min 31sec - a good minute and a half slower than our own Mark Le Gassick who won last year's Two Saints 10km in a time of 34:02.
Top lady was Jan Ross from Winchester & District in a time of 42.15, finishing just in front of Mike Bell in 28th overall.
Tim Sands grabbed sixth in the Vet50 category with a time of 44.51 for 40th overall, and he was followed home by Steve Wylie in 49th with 45.56 (V40, 17th) and Richard Snell in 60th with 47.35.
Stubbington finished fourth in the men's team rankings behind winners Southampton Running Club. A total of 216 runners took part.
The conditions were chilly and blustery on this one lap undulating course which takes you through Southampton Common, but the sun shone through towards the end of the race.