Victory 5
FOR once the sun shone for the Victory 5.
In previous years, the weather has been appalling for the Portsmouth road race - and two years ago the running track at the Mountbatten Centre was underwater on the morning of the race as runners were battered by gale force winds.
This time around, the fifth event in the Hampshire Road Race League attracted perfect weather - no wind and brilliant sunshine for an excellent day's running.
Organised by the City of Portsmouth Athletic Club, the fast and flat traffic-free course started and finished at the Mountbatten Centre, and naturally attracted a quality field for this popular race.
It was won by Belgrave Harriers' Russell Dessaix-Chin in a time of 22.54, which equates at miling every 4min 35sec! Aldershot, Farnham & District's Susie Bush was the leading lady. She placed 31st overall in a time of 26.53 which is a mile every 5min 23sec.
Several Stubbies picked up useful personal bests. Jon Leigh, running his first competitive race since the New York Marathon, clocked 31.27 for 145th place (Vet 45, 25th), followed by Mike Bell in 188th in a time of 32.31 (Vet 55, 8th) and Nick Kimber whose time of 32.36 was good enough for 190th.
Susie MacGregor led the ladies home with a personal best of 32.45 for 198th place overall (Vet 40, 7th) and 24th overall in the ladies' race. Annie Tomlinson also ran a pb with a finish in 347th overall for 58th female in a time of 36.30, along with Georgie Wallis, who, running with Mike Harper, ran her fastest ever five-miler in 38.07. That gave Georgie 83rd female and ninth in the Vet 45 age group.
That result has left the ladies lying in fifth place in the 10 team Division 1 of the HRRL, strongly in midfield with Winchester & District AC way out in front.
Winchester also dominate the men's Division 1, where Stubbington lie sixth.
In the B division, Stubbington's men are way out in front in Division 2 with nine points, and there's clear water between us and second-placed Fareham Crusaders who have 23pts.
In the women's B division, the ladies lie 10th in Division 1.
Other runners:
207th: Phil May 32.58 (Vet 50, 19th).
243rd: Robert Spencer 33.53 (Vet 50, 28th).
270th: Zac Conaty 34.30.
271st: Steve Martin 34.30 (Vet 45, 47th).
293rd: Richard Snell 34.51 (Vet 40, 30th).
295th: Keith Whittaker 34.54 (Vet 55, 15th).
328th: Eric Beck 35.56 (Vet 45, 57th).
342nd: Steven Mingay 36.26 (Vet 40, 34th).
392nd: John Fairhurst 37.29 (Vet 65, 5th).
401st: John Simister 37.46 (Vet 50, 45th).
415th: Mike Harper 38.07 (Vet 45, 69th).
441st: John Nicholson 38.48.
458th: Aitken Hunter 39.22 (Vet 50, 49th).
533rd: Lucy May 41.39 (female, 128th).
582nd: Alan White 43.27 (Vet 45, 83rd).
635th: Tom Mellor 45.28 (Vet 55, 27th).
636th: Alex Frost 45.30 (female, 184th).
668th: Claire Martinelli 46.57 (Vet 45, 29th, female, 207th).
699th: Sue Simister 48.39 (Vet 50, 26th, female, 234th).
702nd: Geraldine May 48.50 (Vet 45, 37th, female, 238th).
723rd: Anne Fairhurst 50.36 (Vet 65, 5th, female, 254th).