Road Running : News & Reports
Benfleet 15 and 2 1/2 Mile Races
23/01/2011
Eight Braintree & District Athletic Club members took part in the Benfleet 15 and Junior 2½ Mile Races, hosted by Benfleet Running Club on Sunday.
The main race is a challenging 15 mile, multi-terrain course, incorporating sections of the Canvey Island sea wall, and the undulating Hadleigh Downs.
With a long hill at 5 miles and multi-terrain conditions, sometimes knee deep in mud, this was not a course for the faint hearted.
First home for the club was Gavin Allen in 1h 44m, giving him 37th position overall in a field of almost 600 runners.
Just behind him in 40th place and 1h 44m 30s was Stewart Ellis, whose rapid improvement is gaining greater momentum with each race he runs.
Preparing for an April Marathon, Lee Cousins ran a fine 1h 56m 52s (129th).
Mark Fribbens had a great run finishing in 2h 26m 48s (384th).
Dorinda Fribbens could not have chosen a tougher course for her longest race to date, and her time of 2h 35m 28s and 435th place proved how much she has progressed in the short time she has been running.
The 2½ Mile Race, for Under 15s, was more of the same, only on a smaller scale, a testing course for any Junior.
Ten year old Luke Allen relished these conditions and set off with the lead group from the start.
His endurance proved crucial as he and another athlete made the break at the halfway mark, and he did fantastically to finish in second position, bringing home a fine trophy for his efforts.
This was another great result for Luke as earlier in the week he had competed in the first round of the North West Essex Primary Schools Cross Country Competition for year 6 and won the race by about 200 metres.
Also taking part in the Benfleet Junior Race were Madi and Aaron Fribbens, both completing this very tough course.
