Seb Anthony and Daisy Glover took the individual honours at the annual Stowmarket Striders Friday Five, the fifth event in the six-strong Friday Five Series.
A flying Anthony, a regular competitor on the track for West Suffolk AC over the years, surged to victory in 26mins 39secs over the five-mile course from Haughley Park, which this year boasted a new route.
Although accustomed to a fairly heavy mileage from a young age, Anthony continues to impress chiefly over 800 metres and 1,500m on the track – he ran for Loughborough Students at the British Universities Championships (BUCS) in Bedford earlier in the summer. He has a personal best of 1min 51.30secs for 800m.
Anthony enjoyed a comfortable margin of victory last Friday evening, finishing 31 seconds clear of runner-up Adam Holland, who has a completely different running background to his younger rival.
Devon-based Holland is a familiar face at the Barrow Challenge (10 marathons in 10 days), held near Bury St Edmunds (it has been going on over the last week or so). The Tavistock athlete has dominated that event, and in fact has the distinction of winning more marathons or ultras than anyone else in the UK.
Holland became the youngest person in Europe to complete 100 marathons, at the age of just 23 (in 2010), so a five-mile course around Haughley was a mere warm-up for him – he clocked 27:10 in second spot.
Ben Turley, of Ipswich JAFFA, registered 27:35 in third, followed by Newmarket Joggers’ Neil Pollard (fourth in 28:48) and Ermeas Afewerki, of Colchester Harriers (fifth in 28:17). Pollard was the top veteran (over-40) and Afewerki was first under-17.
Meanwhile, Daisy Glover, who had finished a close second to Odette Robson at the previous week’s Bury Friday Five from Nowton Park, reversed the result with an excellent run at Stowmarket.
The talented Glover recorded an impressive winning time of 29:37, finishing 44 seconds ahead of over-45 veteran Robson (30:21).
Aiko Henington, of Colchester Harriers, was third lady in 30:30 and the top over-40 female veteran. The top five was completed by another Pacers’ veteran, Angela Joiner-Handy (fourth in 31:28), and Sudbury Joggers’ Emma Drury (fifth in 32:46).
Organisers Stowmarket Striders had devised a new route, with the same popular headquarters at Haughley Park. But instead of heading out on two laps of the park, all off-road, the new course followed scenic rural lanes along part of the club’s old Joe Cox 10-mile road race course.
Meanwhile, junior races were also held alongside the main event. Lester Palmer, of hosts Stowmarket, was first under-nine in 4mins 30secs, followed by Framlingham Flyers’ Luke Gavin (4:32) and Colchester & Tendring’s Harrison Cumner (4:43). Lacey Martell-Smith (4:58) was the first under-nine girl.
Over the longer 2K distance, Pacers’ Lewis Sullivan was first home in 7:12, ahead of Ipswich Harriers’ Freddie Adams (7:39) and Stowmarket’s Jake Hayward (8:19).
Pacers’ Anna Cartwright enjoyed a good run. She was first female in 8:41, as well as finishing first under-13. Freya Wilcox, of Ipswich JAFFA, was second girl in 8:48, while West Suffolk’s Rebecca Morley was third and first under-15 in 9:06.
In other age groups, Aidan Priday (9:13) and Sidney Tilley (8:30) were first under-13 and under-11 boys respectively, Framlingham’s Brandon Barber (8:45) and Pacers’ Sam Blackwell (8:47) also posting quick times in the under-11 section.
Millie Henington and Imogen Porch, of Stowmarket Striders, were the first two under-11s in 9:42 and 9:53.
The sixth and final race in the Friday Five Series is this evening. The Great Bentley Friday Five, held from Great Bentley Village Hall, filled its full allocation of entries several weeks ago.
Results
Stowmarket Friday Five:
1 S Anthony (West Suffolk AC) 26:39; 2 A Holland (Notfast/Tavistock) 27:10; 3 B Turley (Ipswich JAFFA) 27:35; 4 N Pollard (Newmarket Joggers) 27:48 5 E Afewerki (Colchester Harriers) 28:17; 6 S Burdett (Stowmarket Striders) 28:32; 7 K Hayles (Sudbury Joggers) 28:49; 8 T Gavin (Felixstowe RR) 28:54; 9 N Clarke (JAFFA) 29:00; 10 C Cooke (Saint Edmund Pacers) 29:11.
11 T Adams (Ipswich Harriers) 29:22; 12 J Robson (Pacers) 29:27; 13 C Hall (Bungay Black Dog) 29:29; 14 T Walker (Pacers) 29:31; 15 G Davies (JAFFA) 29:32; 16 P Preston (Col/Harr) 29:41; 17 G Scanlan (Col/Harr) 29:45; 18 T Bacon (Haverhill RC) 29:47; 19 B Jacobs (Felixstowe) 29:48; 20 S Langley (JAFFA) 29:59.
21 L Barber (Framlingham Flyers) 30:08; 22 J Adams (Unattached) 30:14; 23 S Brooke (Felixstowe) 30:26; 24 J Thorpe (JAFFA) 29:47; 25 G White (JAFFA) 30:30; 26 T Abbott (Ips/Harr) 29:06; 27 K Moody (Pacers) 30:43; 28 R Smith (Col/Harr) 30:43; 29 C Poulding (Pacers) 30:44; 30 M Bennett (Ips/Harr) 30:44.
Top 20 ladies: 1 D Glover (Newmarket) 29:37; 2 O Robson (Pacers) 30:21; 3 A Henington (Col/Harr) 31:05; 4 A Joiner-Handy (Pacers) 31:28; 5 E Drury (Sudbury) 32:46; 6 J Gooderham (Pacers) 32:52; 7 S Hughes (West Suffolk) 33:30; 8 E Mortimer (Un) 33:57; 9 A Goodwin (Ipps/Harr) 34:09; 10 R Pittman (Springfield Striders) 34:38.
11 R Mortimer (Un) 34:51; 12 C Anthony (West Suffolk) 35:05; 13 R Horsfield (JAFFA) 35:13; 14 V Jennings (JAFFA) 35:14; 15 S Fitch (Felixstowe) 35:18; 16 S-A Bowen (Sudbury) 35:29; 17 C Green (Felixstowe) 35:34; 18 E Cumner (Col/Harr) 35:34; 19 C Durie (San Domenico) 35:39; 20 S Perry (Pacers) 36:14.
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