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Lewes runners impress as club hosts Glyndebourne cross country season finale
Lewes Athletic Club enjoyed a hugely successful day both on and off the course as the club hosted and competed in the fourth and final fixture of the 2025/2026 Sussex Cross Country League at the picturesque Glyndebourne on Saturday 14th February.
A strong turnout of 20 senior men, nine senior women and six juniors represented the club across the day’s races. They delivered a series of standout performances in testing but sunlit conditions that featured plenty of residual mud and puddles.
Men’s Race Highlights
Lewes AC produced an excellent set of results in the U20/Senior/Veteran Men’s race, led by Joshua Burgess, who finished an outstanding 2nd overall in 32:20 and secured the top age-grade performance among senior men.
Further strong runs came from:
- Ben Pepler (Senior Men) – 34:13, 2nd age grade
- Theo Tarafder (U20 Men) – 35:24, 4th age grade
- Toby Meanwell (V45 Men) – 35:46, 2nd age grade
- Michael Ussher (V60 Men) – 39:56, 1st age grade
Women’s Race Highlights
In the combined U17/U20/Senior/Veteran Women’s race, Lewes AC athletes also delivered impressive performances:
- Eileen Beach (Senior Women) – 24:46, 2nd age grade
- Rachel Hillman (V40 Women) – 25:41, 1st age grade
- Laura Douse (V40 Women) – 27:32, 2nd age grade
- Becky Trotman (V45 Women) – 28:09, 3rd age grade
Season Standings Success
The final fixture capped off a superb league campaign for Lewes AC, with several athletes and teams achieving podium finishes across the season:
- Joshua Burgess – 1st Senior Male
- Rachel Hillman – 1st V40 Woman
- Toby Meanwell – 1st V45 Man
- Adam Vaughan – 2nd V45 Man
- Emma Shepherd – 3rd V35 Woman
Team accolades included:
Gold: Women’s Veterans Team – Rachel Hillman, Heidi Hodgson, Emma Shepherd, Izzy Bradford, Laura Douse & Becky Trotman
Silver: Senior Women’s Team – Darja Knotkova, Flaminia Gold, Rachel Hillman, Eileen Beech, Izzy Bradford, Laura Douse & Becky Trotman
Bronze: Men’s Veterans Team – Toby Meanwell, Adam Vaughan, Chris Coffey, Fraser Macnicoll & Nick Taylor
Bronze: Under 15 Boys Team (A Team – Otto de Burca, Casper Dennis, Edward Hilton, Thomas Muddle, Harry Chapman, Samuel Trotman
As well as competing strongly, Lewes AC successfully hosted the final fixture, ensuring a welcoming and well-organised event for clubs from across the county.
Club Chair Phil Westbury said, “The season finished in style at the incredibly picturesque Glyndebourne. With rare sunshine, plenty of residual puddles and mud and a great atmosphere, the day was a huge success for the club. A massive thank you to our Club founder and Honorary President, Pete Masters, for his expert organisation, and to all the volunteers who helped. It was a true team effort!”
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