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Lewes AC members in medal winning form in three events
Lewes Athletic Club runners have made a medal winning start to this year’s cross country season. Encouraged by winning Championship individual and team medals at the Barns Green Half Marathon club members have continued with medal winning form in subsequent events.
The Barns Green Half Marathon included the Sussex Championship and three Lewes AC runners came away with County Championship medals plus a team medal.
Leading the medal chase was Tom Evans who finished the race in second place just behind the race winner by a mere 13 seconds. His time of 1hour 13mins 45secs however earned him the Sussex Championship gold medal as the race winner did not qualify for a County medal.
Winning a championship bronze medal in the men aged over 40 category was Chris Gilbert who finished in 12th position overall in a time 1.18.10 which placed him third in his age category earning him the County medal.
Moving up an age group into the men aged over 60 Andrew Chitty put in another great performance to win the individual Championship silver medal in a time of 1.35.45.
The individual medal winning performances of Tom Evans and Chris Gilbert together with Matt Bass who finished with a time of 1.28.06 earned the Lewes combination the Sussex Half Marathon Championship bronze team medal just behind the teams of Haywards Heath Harriers and Arena 80.
The cross country season traditionally starts with the Cross Country Relays at Goodwood and includes the Sussex County Relay Championships. Leading the way with a gold team medal were both the Lewes AC men and women’s teams. The men’s team with a winning time of 51mins 04 seconds secured the team gold medal and was one and a half minutes in front of the Brighton Phoenix team in second place. The winning Lewes AC team included Patrick Hough, Callum Upton, Tom Evans and Josh Burgess.
In addition to winning the team gold medal Lewes AC runners set the fastest laps of all the 16 competing teams. Josh Burgess ran the fastest lap with a time of 12.38: Patrick Hough second fastest with12.40 and Tom Evans also second fastest with the same time of 12.40.
The Lewes AC women’s team also came away with a team Sussex gold medal ahead of the 14 teams competing in the relays and ahead of Brighton and Hove AC in second place. The medal winning team included Izzy Coomber, Helen Sida and Emma Rollings.
Further down the age groups the Lewes AC junior team of athletes aged under 13 secured the bronze medal with a time that was just 2 seconds away from winning the silver medal. Jack Gardener, Fenton Davoren and Luca Buckley made up the Lewes team. With 25 teams from across the County competing in the under 13 event Jack Gardener ran the second fastest time with a time of 10mins 10 secs.
With over 200 runners competing in the Club’s own tough10 mile run across the Sussex Downs Lewes AC runners were again in medal winning form with both the Lewes AC men and women winning the team awards.
Sally Norris led the women’s team to victory with a time of 74mins 36sec and also secured her individual third place. Helen Sida was the second team member with a time of 75.30 and Dinah Godfree made up the winning trio with a time of 84.17
The winning Lewes AC men’s team was led to victory by Mark Cage with a time of 65mins 26secs. Other team members were Jonathon Burrell (69.07) Matt Brass (69.20) and Mike Green (70.00)