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Mince Pie Ten, 11 December 2011
Eleven runners from Lewes Athletic Club helped to make the Mince Pie Ten Mile Race at Peacehaven this morning the best attended ever, with a total of 327 runners finishing. The race was staged in festive mode, with Christmas classics blaring from the loudspeaker before the start, a number of Santa Clauses running, and the traditional mince pie amongst the goodies offered to finishers. The course was its usual tough self, with a steep uphill jag at 6½ miles to remind runners of their mortality. The temperature was about 9C, but the fierce headwind across the downs over the last few miles made it feel much colder. Add in frequent sections of puddles and slippery mud, and this year’s race could safely be labelled ‘challenging’.
Lewes AC’s Tom Morris came in 4th overall at 1:00:55, followed by Matt Bradford in 7th at 1:03:18, both excellent efforts. After that came Nick Parrish (27th, 1:10:52), Edward Wheeler (29th, 1:11:36), Andrew Chitty (40th, 1:12:54), Mat Homewood (42nd, 1:14:11), Tim Monson (62nd, 1:17:16), Matt Haycocks (79th, 1:19:12), Simon Roberts (85th, 1:19:55), Tony Deacon (100th, 1:21:47), and Jeremy Wainwright (116th, 1:23:13). Every Lewes runner was among the top 35% of finishers.
The only disappointment of the day for Lewes was that Robbie James’s 2010 course record of 58:26 was comprehensively dismantled. The race winner James Baker (Chichester Runners, 56:34) beat it by nearly two minutes, and runner-up Mark Dooley (Herne Hill Harriers, 57:39) was also comfortably inside the old record.
The women’s race was won by Sam Alvarez (Hailsham Harriers) in 1:10:45, with Susie Casebourne second in 1:12:26.
Full results are available at www.seafordstriders.org.uk.