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Medal Haul for Lewes AC Veterans at 2026 Sussex Masters Cross Country
Veteran runners from Lewes Athletic Club produced a string of strong performances at the 2026 Sussex Masters Cross Country Championships, held on Saturday, 17th January at Coombe Farm, Lancing.
The event was contested over a challenging 8km course, comprising two 2.5-mile laps of sweeping Downland terrain with approximately 400 feet of ascent, testing both strength and stamina.
The Sussex Master’s Cross Country competition is open to athletes aged 35 or over. Individual medals are awarded in five-year age groups, and team prizes are decided across wider age categories. Lewes AC athletes excelled both individually and collectively.
Sussex Masters Rachel, Becky
Gold medalswere won by Rachel Hillman (FV40), Toby Meanwell (MV45), Mike Ussher (MV60) and Bob Hughes (MV75). Silver medals went to Mike Green (MV55) and Karin Divall (FV65), while Jonathan Burrell claimed bronze in the MV60 category.
In the team competition, Lewes secured:
- Bronze in the V50–59 men’s race (Mike Green, Ben Hodgson, Panu Pelkonen)
- Silver for the V60+ men’s race (Michael Ussher, Jonathan Burrell, Dominic Osman Alu, Bronze)
- Bronze for the V60+ women’s race (Karin Divall, Julie Deakin, Hazel Bennington)
Lewes AC Cross Country Team Captain Sally Norris said: “These results show just how much our veteran runners love cross country and the challenge it brings. To see medals won across so many age groups on such a tough course makes me incredibly proud of everyone involved.”
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.
- 10k/Half Marathon Training: Get help feeling confident and hitting PBs on race days with our new dedicated Saturday morning track based training sessions. Sign up here