A team of 4 Ryde Harriers travelled to Hampshire on Saturday (11th May) to take part in the Alton 10 Mile Road Race, with standout performances from Chris Newnham and Gary Marshall on a challenging, hilly course.
In sunny but breezy conditions, the race got off to a fast start with Bournemouth’s Abdi Elmi pushing the pace from the gun.
Chris Newnham settled into an isolated 2nd place early on, running solo and holding his position with strength to cross the line in 00:54:46 – an impressive time that secured him 2nd overall, and even faster than his winning time at the same event last year.
Gary Marshall, fresh off his strong showing at the Anglo Celtic Plate 100km Championships just 8 days prior, produced another top-level performance. He finished 4th overall in 00:58:02, taking 1st place in the Vet 40 category.
Cliff Morley and Simon Joy also put in determined runs, with Morley clocking 01:21:14 to place 8th in the Vet 60 category and Joy finishing in 01:24:04. They placed 169th and 192nd respectively out of a field of 450 runners.
Elmi claimed victory in the event with a swift 00:50:10.
The Harriers now turn their attention to the next fixture in the Hampshire Road Race League – the Netley 10K.
Report: Geoff Watkin
