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Lewes AC Celebrates Multiple Wins at Challenging 2026 Martello Half Marathon
Eighteen members of Lewes Athletic Club took on the demanding 2026 Martello Half Marathon in Seaford on Sunday, 19th April. Here they delivered an impressive set of performances across the field on a bright and sunny spring day.
The race, known for its testing single-lap route, features over 1,000 feet of elevation gain. Runners tackled undulating South Downs trails, a climb towards Firle Beacon, before finishing with a fast, flat stretch along the seafront promenade.
Leading the way for Lewes AC was Aaron O’Shaughnessy, who produced an outstanding run to finish 1st overall in a time of 1:19:54. Close behind, Phillip Stevenson secured 2nd place overall and topped the Male Vet 40 category with a time of 1:21:19. Reece Clark also delivered a strong performance, finishing 5th overall in 1:24:49.
Lewes AC women also delivered notable performances. Emma Gibbs was the second woman overall and first Senior Female, crossing the line in 1:36:42. Liv Wise followed as third woman and second Senior Female in 1:46:53.
There were numerous standout performances across age categories throughout the team. Katherine McCorry was the 4th woman and first Female Vet 40 (1:49:55), while Charlotte Bennett (1:00:56) and Stephanie Crespin (1:02:19) claimed top spots in the Female Vet 45 and Female Vet 50 categories, respectively.
Sarah Robinson led the Female Vet 60 category with a time of 2:06:32, and Helen Bowman and Libby West both secured podium finishes in the Female Vet 55 category.
In the male veteran categories, Phillip Stevenson’s category win was complemented by strong
performances from Mark Richardson (3rd Male Vet 55, 1:58:53), Richard Bailey (4th Male Vet 50, 1:47:38), Adrian Thompson (3rd Male Vet 65, 02:39:13) , and Bob Hughes, who claimed 1st Male Vet 75 in 2:14:41.
Congratulations to Alienor Falconer, Michael Gillingham and Robin Edwards who also completed the challenging course.
Lewes Athletic Club Chair Philip Westbury said, “The results achieved by our runners are a testament to their enjoyment and commitment to training on the South Downs throughout the winter months. The results also prove age is just a number when it comes to running.”
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.