Neil Pollard and Emilie Wix took the individual titles at the annual Stowmarket Half-Marathon, which saw just over 200 runners complete a 13.1-mile rural route from Tomlinson Groundcare premises in Buxhall. The event was organised by Stowmarket Striders.
An in-form Pollard, an over-40 veteran from Newmarket Joggers, tasted victory in 1hr 14mins 45ecs. He was more than two minutes clear of his closest rivals.
It has been a fine year for Pollard, building on his excellent showing at the London Marathon, where he clocked 2:44:41. He is targeting the York Marathon later this month.
Pollard's previous half-marathon results this season had been at Southend (1:17:07) and Cambridge (1:17:10), while he chalked up a runners-up spot at his local Newmarket 10K in Stetchworth in July.
Runners had to cope with breezy conditions at Stowmarket, although the rain had cleared completing an initial 2.5-mile loop before going out on a longer circuit out to Brettenham.
Defending champion Ben Turley, of Ipswich JAFFA, finished second on Sunday. He had posted 1:16:07 on his way to victory 12 months ago, and returned to clock 1:17:18, finishing 29 seconds ahead of third-placed Samuel Burdett.
It has been a year of PBs for Burdett, who was running on his home course. The Stowmarket Strider had set PBs at the Ipswich Twilight 5K (16:10), Framlingham Flyers Friday Five (27:51) and Ipswich Twilight 10K (35:04) earlier in the year, and easily dipped under his 1:18:19 landmark from the Colchester Half-Marathon in March.
Meanwhile, Emilie Wix, of Woodbridge Shufflers, won the ladies' title in a time of 1:33:36. Wix had also been in PB form this year, thanks to a 20:55 at the Ipswich Twilight 5K and a 35:43 over five miles at the Sudbury Fun Run.
Sarah Fitch, of Felixstowe Road Runners, was second in a PB of 1:37:17. Over-45 veteran Fitch, who was the inspiration behind establishing the Felixstowe parkrun in the spring of 2018, had run 1:39:51 at the previous weekend's Simplyhealth Great East Run in Ipswich.
Over-50 veteran Sandra Thorogood, of Sudbury Joggers, was third lady at Stowmarket in 1:38:37.
The event incorporated the Suffolk County Half-Marathon Championships. The course records set by Aaron Scott (1:09:17, 2016) and Odette Robson (1:20:54, 2015) were never in danger.
Leading results from Stowmarket Half-Marathon:
Top 30 men: 1 N Pollard (Newmarket Joggers) 1:14:46; 2 B Turley (Ipswich JAFFA) 1:17:18; 3 S Burdett (Stowmarket Striders) 1:17:47; 4 A Howlett (Framlingham Flyers) 1:18:30; 5 M Hayward (Newmarket) 1:18:50; 6 A Wade (JAFFA) 1:20:04; 7 J Wilkinson (Unattached) 1:21:38; 8 A Angus (Saint Edmund Pacers) 1:24:46; 9 O Watson (JAFFA) 1:25:07; 10 P Bulacz (Sudbury Joggers) 1:25:35.
11 B Jacobs (Felixstowe) 1:25:55; 12 G Jenvey (Un) 1:26:12; 13 C Thomas (Colchester Harriers) 1:26:19; 14 C Mower (Pacers) 1:27:51; 15 A Bell (Hadleigh Hares) 1:28:14; 16 C Seymour (Stowmarket) 1:28:16; 17 C Sugars (Felixstowe) 1:28:19; 18 S Brooke (Felixstowe) 1:28:52; 19 T Haslam (Fram/Flyers) 1:29:31; 20 S Hall (Fram/Flyers) 1:29:44.
21 T Bunch (Haverhill) 1:29:55; 22 C Davis (Un) 1:30:29; 23 S Buchan (Stowmarket) 1:30:33; 24 J Potter (STowmarket) 1:30:34; 25 A Fayle (Un) 1:30:57; 26 R Bleda (Un) 1:31:11; 27 R Mackenzie (Fram/Flyers) 1:31:32; 28 R Tuvey (Un) 1:31:33; 29 J Cattermole (JAFFA) 1:32:15; 20 M Greener (Pacers) 1:32:48.
Male veterans, over-40: 1 Pollard, 2 Jacobs. Over-45: 1 Howlett, 2 Bluacz. Over-50: 1 Seymour. Over-55: 1 Thomas. Over-60: 1 S Dunnett (Fram/Flyers) 1:37:34. Over-65: N Clarke (Newmarket) 1:39:46. Over-70: 1 F Moggan (Stowmarket) 1:51:53.
Top 15 ladies: 1 E Wix (Woodbridge Shufflers) 1:33:36; 2 S Fitch (Felixstowe RR) 1:37:17; 3 S Thorogood (Sudbury Joggers) 1:38:38; 4 K Gooding (Un) 1:41:07; 5 M Irving (Un) 1:42:42; 6 K Pinchen (Stowmarket) 1:45:40; 7 B Sarginson (Un) 1:46:44; 8 K Greener (Un) 1:47:42; 9 H Wing (Stowmarket) 1:48:10; 10 G Baxter (Un) 1:48:17; 11 S Frost (Pacers) 1:48:44; 12 V McTaggart (Un) 1:49:55; 13 J Stephenson (Stowmarket) 1:50:40; 14 J Maddams (Un) 1:51:17; 15 R Goodchild (Un) 1:51:34.
Female veterans, over-35: 1 Wix, 2 Maddams. Over-40: 1 Sarginson, 2 Greener. Over-45: 1 Fitch, 2 Baxter. Over-50: 1 Thorogood, 2 Wing. Over-55: 1 J Sheahan (Eastern Veteans) 1:52:53. Over-65: 1 M Wright (JAFFA) 2:19:48.
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