Aldershot woman takes gold in Tonbridge just one week after running 2:44:47 at the Pisa Marathon, while Gibbens spearheads Tonbridge domination in men’s race
SOUTH OF THE THAMES 7.5-MILE CHAMPIONSHIP, Tonbridge, Kent
Somerhill School played host to the event that has been on the calendar since 1888 for the men and 2004 for the women and Georgie Bruinvels extended her domination of the Association’s women’s events with another victory.
The Aldershot master had won the South of the Thames team race in November to make it three victories in the shorter five-mile event to go with two second places and here, Bruinvels made it three wins over the tougher seven-and-a-half-mile championship distance.
The victory marked a swift recovery for the 36-year-old as it came just six days after a 2:44:47 marathon in Pisa, a time which compared to her 2:38:22 for third in last year’s Manchester Marathon, a race she had won in 2017 in 2:37:03.
Bruinvels noted how it was good to run on a different but difficult course and said: “It was insanely muddy and slippery, so the biggest aim was to stay standing.
“I would say that I felt good, it is always fun running in mixed races, especially over the cross and when they are longer. I just worked hard when it was good underfoot and tried to stay upright when it wasn’t. It was nice to do a different course too.”
Just as in the shorter November race, Belgrave Harriers easily took the women’s team medals and it was second placed Rachel Brown who got the better of team-mate Emily Robbins to lead them to victory.
Cole Gibbens (Mark Hookway)
The men’s race saw hosts Tonbridge dominate, as their Cole Gibbens, who has two Kent 10-mile victories under his belt this year, led home their six runners into the top nine scoring places.
It was Stuart Brown who took second for Tonbridge as third placed Findlay Dyer helped Belgrave to narrowly take the second placed men’s team medals from Tonbridge’s B team.
Overall: 1 C Gibbens (Ton) 43:21; 2 S Brown (Ton) 43:39; 3 F Dyer (Belg) 43:49; 4 L Mills (Ton) 43:59; 5 M Taylor (Ton) 44:06; 6 A Howard (Ton) 44:49; 7 E Mallett (HW) 44:55; 8 M Grindrod (B&H) 45:06; 9 P Chambers (High, gst) 45:09; 10 J Goodge (Ton) 45:17
M40: 1 M Evans (B&B) 48:46
M45: 1 J Lane (M&M) 50:07
M50: 1 S Winder (E&E) 49:54
M55: 1 T Booth (G&G) 52:06
M60: 1 M Tennyson (G&G) 56:29
M65: 1 S Bean (E&E) 61:40
M75: 1 G Newton (B’mth) 75:31
DEWER SHIELD TEAM (6 to score): 1 Tonbridge 27; 2 Belgrave 95; 3 Tonbridge B 112; 4…
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