Saint Edmund Pacers recorded a notable triple at the Sudbury Joggers Friday Five, held in warm and dry conditions from Great Cornard Sports Centre last Friday evening.
Andrew Southwood, Odette Robson and Lewis Sullivan all tasted victory at the third in this summer's six-strong Friday Five Series.
Southwood led home a field of 323 to win the senior five-mile race, while his Pacers' club-mate Robson was the leading lady.
Sullivan, meanwhile, was first home in the supporting junior race, held on the school playing fields outside the Race HQ.
Southwood clocked a winning time of 27mins 42secs, finishing 17 seconds clear of runner-up Tony Gavin, of Felixstowe Road Runners. Gavin had won the first race in the Series, at Kirton.
Samuel Burdett, of Stowmarket Striders, who had finished second to Gavin at Kirton, was third behind both Southwood and Gavin at Sudbury in 28:33.
For over-40 veteran Southwood, it was a five-mile personal best, eclipsing his 28:06 landmark from the previous week's Framlingham event, where he had finished eighth overall and second veteran - he had finished behind Gavin and Burdett that night.
The top five at Sudbury was completed by Oliver Manning, fourth in 28:41, and over-40 veteran Jason Marter, from Framlingham Flyers (28:42).
Robson was first female, and also first in the over-45 age category, with a time of 32:10. The Pacers' stalwart has gone far quicker in the past, over five miles, but she was fast enough to win another title, finishing 12 seconds ahead of runner-up Tracy English, of South-on-Sea.
Emily Zethraeus, of Gt Bentley RC, was third lady in 33:40.
Robson therefore retained the title that she won last year, in 30:36. Her other wins over five miles last year included Kirton, Bury St Edmunds and the Sudbury Fun Run, plus second places at Stowmarket and Great Bentley
The junior race preceded the main five-miler, and was won by English Schools Cross Country champion Sullivan, who is certainly a very prospect for the future.
In fact, it was a repeat of the one-two from the Framlingham event the previous Friday evening, with Max Berry again in second spot. Ben Phillips, of Haverhill RC, was a fine third.
Under-15 athlete Sullivan, a pupil at Sybil Andrews Academy, won the Schools Home Countries International cross country title in Dublin in March, and won the prestigious Vitality Westminister Mile last month.
Phillips was also the first under-13, ahead of Stowmarket Striders' Luca Barricella and Patrick Wright, while Pacers' Samuel Blackwell and West Suffolk AC's Max Jeffery were the one-two in the under-11 boys' age group.
For the girls, under-11 Verity Valentine, of the Pacers, was first overall. Rachel Sandercock, from Colchester & Tendring, was second home and the leading under-13, and Pacers' Stephanie Allen was third girl and the top under-15.
The under-nine age categories were headed by CATs' Harrison Cumner (boys) and Braintree's Martha May (girls).
Saint Edmund Pacers host the fourth race in the Friday Five Series this Friday evening (June 21) at Nowton Park, with Stowmarket Striders staging the fifth event the following Friday.
Results
Top 40 men: 1 A Southwood (Saint Edmund Pacers) 27:42; 2 T Gavin (Felixstowe RR) 27:59; 3 S Burdett (Stowmarket) 28:33; 4 O Manning (Un) 28:41; 5 J Marter (Framlingham Flyers) 28:42; 6 J Wilkinson (Un) 28:43; 7 K Hayles (Sudbury Joggers) 28:51; 8 T Cresswell (Colchester Harriers) 29:03; 9 J Robson (Pacers, first under-20) 29:10; 10 N Clarke (Ipswich JAFFA) 29:21.
11 P Davy (Un) 29:21; 12 A Ellis (Felixstowe RR) 29:25; 13 J Smith (Halstead RR) 29:30; 14 A Graves (Tiptree RR) 29:45; 15 B Jacobs (Felixstowe) 29:50; 16 C Mower (Pacers) 29:53; 17 N Hardwick (Un) 30:09; 18 M Hayden (Fram/Flyers) 30;09; 19 P West (Col/Harr) 30:10; 20 A Sales (Col/Harr) 30:13.
21 G White (JAFFA) 30:16; 22 S Brooke (Felixstowe RR) 30:26; 23 B Troughton (Un) 30:34; 24 J Cornish (Woodbridge Shufflers) 30:46; 25 W Walker (Haverhill RC) 30:48; 26 P Bulacz (Sudbury) 30:53; 27 A Bell (Hadleigh Hares) 31:13; 28 S Buchan (Stowmarket) 31:28; 29 M Watts (Pacers) 31:35; 30 G Thomas (JAFFA) 31:49.
31 R Harper (Felixstowe RR) 31:50; 32 T Hanman (JAFFA) 31:58; 33 N Palmer (Stowmarket) 32:01; 34 T Hayden (Fram/Flyerss) 32:15; 35 L Predbon (Grange Farm Trotters) 32:24; 36 A Frost (Pacers) 32:32; 37 S May (Halstead RR) 32:54; 38 M Maycock (Un) 33:01; 39 M Drury (Un) 33:00; 40 D Summersgill (Col/Harr) 33:14.
Top 20 ladies: 1 O Robson (Pacers) 32:10; 2 T English (Southend-on-Sea) 32:22; 3 E Zethraeus (Gt Bentley) 33:40; 4 K Dennett (Un) 33:51; 6 K King (Pacers) 34:07; 7 R Fish 34:19; 8 R Pittman (Springfield Striders) 34:53; 9 K Robertson (Pacers) 36:07; 10 H Coates (Pacers) 36:21.
11 H Barber (Fram/Flyers) 37:04; 12 V Macdonald-Clink (Cambridge & Coleridge) 37:18; 13 M McCarthy (West Suffolk AC) 37:31; 14 F Kindred-Kirk (Fram/Flyers, first under-20) 37:34; 15 M Komorowska (Gt Bentley) 37:54; 16 K Sandercock (Col/Harr) 38:13; 17 S Brandon (Pacers) 38:15; 18 S Webb (Pacers) 38:16; 19 R Mortimer (Un) 38:32; 20 K Deasy (Un) 38:30.
Male veterans, over-40: 1 Southwood, 2 Marter. Over-45: 1 Hayden. Over-50: S Brooke. Over-55: 1 West. Over-60: A Jackson (JAFFA) 33:47. Over-65: N Clarke (Newmarket Joggers) 34:48. Over-70: D Taylor (Fram/Flyers) 42:39.
Female veterans, over-40: 1 English, 2 Komorowska 37:54. Over-45: 1 Robson, 2 Robertson. Over-50: S Brandon (Pacers) 38:15. Over-55: Pittman. Over-60: J Morgan (Pacers) 41:11. Over-65: C Beard (Sudbury Joggers) 44:40. Over-70: 1 M Wrifght (JAFFA) 49:47.
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