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Record-breaking run and French friendship at Lewes Downland 5 and 10 mile races
A record-breaking performance, strong age-category results, and a European flavour made the
2026 Lewes Downland 5 and 10-mile races a memorable day for Lewes Athletic Club.
Nine runners from French club AC Marolles, Lewes AC’s twin club, joined 28 Lewes AC members and runners from clubs across the county in the Sunday 4th October races, which Lewes AC hosted and organised.
The 10-mile race, the 10th fixture in the Sussex Road Running Grand Prix, saw Eastbourne Rovers AC’s Oliver Varney smash the course record by one minute and 53 seconds!
The challenging routes took runners across the spectacular Lewes Downs on entirely off-road chalk and flint tracks, grassland and woodland paths.
The five-mile course headed via Blackcap and Mount Harry, while the longer route ventured further across the Downs before returning through the wooded valley of Ashcombe Bottom. The 10-mile course included a particularly testing 500-metre ascent at around the 7.5-mile mark.
Despite the hills, runners enjoyed warm October sunshine and excellent conditions.
Ten mile race
Lewes AC’s Ben Peplar led the club’s 10-mile challenge, finishing second overall in 1:02:39. There were also impressive age-category performances, with Jonathan Burrell taking first place in the MV60-64 category in 1:14:08, Chris Coffey finishing third in the MV35-39 category in 1:13:03, Katherine McCorry third in FV40-44 in 1:26:26, Ian Hilder second in MV65-69 in 1:32:22, and Karin Divall winning the FV65-69 category in 1:43:06.
Other finishers included:
- Adam Vaughan, Category: MV45-49, Time: 01:20:21
- Andrew Masters, Category: MV50-54, Time: 01:24:58
- Dominic Osman-Allu, Category: MV60-64, Time: 01:26:19
- Mathew Homewood, Category: MV55-59, Time: 01:28:04
- Ian Hilder, Category: MV65-69, Time: 01:32:22, Second in age category
- Gary Loughlin, Category: MV55-59, Time: 01:34:00
- Marcus McConnell, Category: MV40-44, Time: 01:34:30
- Stephanie Crespin, Category: FV50-54, Time: 01:35:18
- Bob Hughes, Category: MV70+, Time: 01:45:37
- Claire Hawes, Category: FV55-59, Time: 01:45:52
- Ronald Dam, Category: MV55-59, Time: 01:52:42
- George Chadwick, Category: MV60-64, Time: 01:53:36
- Claire Davis, Category: FV45-49, Time: 01:56:02
- Abbie Hills, Category: FV35-39, Time: 01:55:58
- Adrian Thompson, Category: MV65-69, Time: 02:04:50
Five mile race
In the five-mile race, Maria Barrow finished second female overall and first in the FV40-44 category in 35:06. Dan Allen-Baines was fifth male. Dan Allen-Baines won the MV45-49 category in 41:49. At the same time, Claire Raitt, Rebecca Stevens and Colin Hartland also took first place in their respective age categories.
Other Lewes AC finishers included:
- Beth Reed, Category: FV35-99, Time: 00:44:22
- Lauren Carr, Category: Senior Ladies, Time: 00:49:19
The French Connection
The races also strengthened Lewes AC’s long-standing links with AC Marolles, with sixteen members of the French club, including nine runners, travelling to Lewes to take part.
Lewes AC Chair Philip Westbury said: “Great performances from our Lewes AC runners, but it was equally great to welcome our French friends and to see so many members either running or helping out to support this glorious event. Bravo to Lewes AC member Gerard Dummett for his superb race organisation. And thanks to Cliffe Bonfire Society for their cheerful marshals.”
Runners were equally enthusiastic. Lewes AC’s Chris Coffey summed up the conditions: “The course was in great shape!”
Fellow Lewes runner Colin Hartland added: “Well done all! Another lovely club event. Thanks to the Lewes AC team for the fantastic organisation and to Anne Hagan, Jane Holford and the refreshments team for their friendly welcome back after the run.”
Want to Improve Your Running Performance with Lewes AC?
Lewes AC offers various training sessions to help boost your performance at road and trail running events:
- Strength and Conditioning: Join our coaches on Monday nights to improve core strength and stability. Sign up here.
- Track Sessions: Fine-tune your technique, pacing, and endurance on with distance based track sessions Thursday evenings, or time based track sessions on Saturday mornings. Sign up here.