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Lewes Athletic Club Secures First Place at Icy ESSCCL Blackcap 2025 Race
Lewes Athletic Club (Lewes AC) achieved a resounding victory at the third race of the East Sussex Sunday Cross Country League (ESSCCL), held at the challenging Blackcap course on Sunday 12th January 2025.
Despite icy and snowy conditions, the Lewes AC team delivered a strong performance, securing first place out of 30 clubs with an impressive points tally of 1658.
Key Highlights:
- Individual Accolades: Ben Pepler led the Lewes AC men, finishing in a strong fourth place with a time of 29:50. Miles Shepherd followed closely, claiming 13th position in 31:44. In the women’s race, Penny Brook shone, securing second place overall in 34:57. Emma Gibbs also impressed, finishing eighth in 37:25.
- Junior Success: Aaron Loughlin excelled in the U15B one-mile race, achieving a commendable third-place finish in 14:20.
- Team Strength: The fixture drew an impressive 374 runners, with Lewes AC fielding 49 athletes. Lewes AC’s collective effort was pivotal in securing the team’s victory.
You can find the full list of the ESSCCL Blackcap 2025 race results here.
The ESSCCL Blackcap 2025 race, also hosted by Lewes Athletic Club, is known for its challenging hilly terrain and provides a true endurance test. The 5-mile course traverses the South Downs, culminating at the summit of Blackcap, providing breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside.
Lewes AC Chair Philip Westbury said: “We were so pleased to host this race, on our beloved Blackcap which was certainly looking spectacular in the snow. This league brings together so many runners from East Sussex and it was a wonderful occasion. I am really happy with our Club’s performance and this really shows when there is teamwork, success is achieved.”
Special thanks to the following volunteers
We couldn’t have hosted this fantastic fixture without you!
- Registration: Andrew Chitty, Peter Miller, Tony Deacon, Becky Trotman
- Senior/Junior Start: Peter Masters
- Carpark Directions: Ben Hodgson
- Start/Finish Set up: Emily Hague, Helen Bowman, Miles Shepherd, Emma Shepherd
- Junior Start/Finish: Dave Leach, Jane Holford, Mark Pappenheim, Amy Dunn
- Funnel Marshals: Gary and Karen Bedford
- Sweeper: Robin Hinks
- Junior Turn Point: Gerard Dummett
- Marshalls: (1) Nick Williams, (2) Beth Reed, (3), Ellie Knight, (4), Beverly Sheridan, (5) Siobhan Boyer, (6) Ronald Dam, (7) Andy Perris, (8) Karen Divall, (9) Sarah Rose Buldum, (10) Alex Sutton
- Other: Fred Newton
- First Aid: GLS Medical Services
Want to take part in the next ESSCCL event?
The next East Sussex Sunday Sunday League fixture takes place at Whitbread Hollow on Sunday 16th February. Follow this link for more details and how to sign up.
Want to improve you cross country running performance with Lewes AC?
Lewes AC offers various training sessions to help boost your performance at trail and road running events:
- Strength and Conditioning: Join Toby on Monday nights to improve core strength and stability. Sign up here.
- Track Sessions: Fine-tune your technique, pacing, and endurance on Thursday evenings, or try beginner track sessions on Saturday mornings. Sign up here.
See you on the start line!