MARIE Voice shattered the women’s Moreton Morrell 10km course record on Saturday with a time of 40 minutes and 11 seconds at Raceways Events’ Mad Dash race.
Voice knocked 25 seconds off the previous record and she joined Lindsay Judge, Ben Evans and Carl Allwood, who all finished in first place in their respective races.
The day, hosted by Raceways Events, continues to draw in enthusiastic runners who are keen to get personal bests in the 10km and 20km races.
This year over 300 people signed up for the two races and a record number of young people competed in the kids’ race.
The course is set within the beautiful surroundings of Moreton Morrell and is notorious for its steep hill, which tested the stamina of runners at both 9km and 19km.
Evans was first to cross the line in the 10km race, competing in a pulsating battle with Duncan Shea-Simonds for first place.
Evans managed to knock over two minutes off his time from last year’s Mad Dash.
Allwood did his club – Sutton-in-Ashfield Harriers – and himself proud in comfortably winning the men’s 20km race. He was the first to overcome the dreaded hill at 19km, finishing with an impressive time of 1 hour and 13 minutes.
Judge sealed victory in the women’s 20km race, finishing strongly in the last kilometre to secure first place.
Special mention should also be given to the following runners who finished just behind first place for their respective races – Shea-Simonds and David Jackson in the 10km male event, Jo Carter and Laura Pettifer (Kenilworth Runners) in the 10km female race, Andy Thornton and Ian Thomas in the 20km male event and Louise Andrews (Kenilworth Runners) and Alicja Furmanczyk in the female 20km race.
There was a fantastic effort from 71-year-old Colin Talbot, who runs for Midland Masters Athletic Club, as he finished the 20km in 1 hour and 41 seconds.
There were a number of Redditch runners at the event, including Clive Rose (10km in 44 minutes), Andrew Notley (10km in 47 minutes), Andrew Basterfield (10km in 51 minutes) and Sarah Rodgers (10km in 52 minutes).
Well done to all racers for competing in the sixth Moreton Morrell Mad Dash race. Results are now posted on Raceways Events’ website and Facebook page, where further information on June’s Avenger 2015 race is also available.
The Mad Dash start line. Picture courtesy of www.yourraceday.co.uk. (s)
