45 photos and full report from final night of Chichester Corporate Challenge road races

Despite adverse conditions, large fields assembled for all eight races with, once again, nearly 800 finishers. A total of just short of 1,000 runners have taken part over the series.

Competition was fierce in all the junior and senior age groups with yet another long-standing course record being broken.

The senior A race was again dominated by Hampshire-based athletes with both Team Purser and Solent Endurance fielding strong squads.

See 45 great pictures from the closing night of the series – by Lyn Phillips and Trevor Staff – in the slideshow in the video player above.

The race started at a brisk pace with more than a dozen runners able to stick with the sub 14 minute pace until the halfway mark after two laps.

It was then that the winner of race one in the series, Paul Navesey, turned up the heat to break clear and finish in 13min 41sec, not as fast as his time in race one but a good result in the conditions.

He helped pull four others to sub-14 minute times with Onjuro Sumba and Cameron Walker-Powell occupying the next two placings.

Team Purser’s Lewis Banner was on top over the three races for overall victory with his squad taking the sports team category.

In the women’s race Cassie Thorp, also from Solent Endurance, returned after missing race two to win by nearly 90 seconds in a speedy 15.06. But consistent Mia Billings from Team Purser took the overall crown and led her team to a win over Chichester Casuals, led home by promising under-17 Anya Barrett.

Probably the most keenly contested awards are the corporate team men’s and women’s categories with Hampshire-based DSTL again too good for the rest.

They had a huge 17-minute gap over SSE and D3R in the men’s rankings with a real battle to be first local team, Cawley Crawlers just edging out Lightning Langley by 26 seconds over the series.

It was an all West Sussex affair for the women with Cowdray getting the better of Oakwood School staff, who just edged out North Mundham Fundamentals into 3rd.

Primary schools

It was in the very first race of the evening where the large crowds witnessed a new course record, which was broken by not one but two athletes.

Jonathan Tildesley of St Swithins crossed the line in 4min 26sec, a mere single second in front of Oliver Cameron from Horndean, both becoming the first ever primary school runners to dip under the 4.30 barrier, a time set well over a decade ago by Ben Collins.

The pair were comfortably at the head of the overall rankings with Levi Pearce of The March School in third.

Charlie Carman from St Mary’s Climping juust beat Theo Rehill on the night to scoop overall victory in the Year 5 age group while Rehill and Year 6 third placer Hugo Johnson led Kingsham to overall team victory over Downview and Walberton & Binstead.

In the girls’ Year 6 race it was again a Hampshire clean sweep with Imogen Shaw of St John’s just edging out Romilly Baker of St Jude’s to clnch the overall title with Freya Klepacz of Peresfield in third.

Emmy Pemberton was missing from the Year 5 line-up but had done enough on the first two evenings to clnch the title and instead it was Oakwood team-mate Florence Scholes who took the honours this time.

But excellent team packing meant that Walberton & Binstead edged ahead to pip them in the team race by a mere seven seconds over the three evenings with Yapton a well deserved third.

Secondary girls

There was a new winner in the girls’ Year 7 race with Bethany Adams winning from Isla Pearson of Oscar Romero.

But Adams had to settle for second place with Phoebe Concannon having won the first two races in convincing fashion.

Lucy Allen from Midhurst Rother was in third but good packing from Bishop Luffa eaned them the team win over St Philip Howard.

Charlotte Oakley from Bohunt was again the pick of the Year 8 field with a fast time of 7.02, with Aurelia Klidjian second and third placed Elodie Hill leading her Bishop Luffa squad to a team win over Churchers.

Equally as impressive was Molly Smithers in winning the overall Year 9 title from Holly Cunningham from Oaklands while there were excellent times for the first three Year 10 girls to finish, with Emma Smart from Oaklands winning in 6.47 from Laila Hellyer of the Free School second in 6.54 and Chloe Jones from Meoncross in 6.58 in third.

With Laila Hellyer well supported by twin sister Lillie and Isabella Blythe, there was a fine team win for Chichester Free School in the combined Year 9 and 10 category.

Secondary boys

All four secondary boys’ categories were well contested with Luca de Giovanni from Churchers sealing the Year 7 title from Petersfield pair Toby Baker and Justin Klepacz.

As first local runner in fifth, Max Gayle led his Bishop Luffa team to a clear win over Midhurst Rother.

Ben Stewart from Luffa completed a clean sweep in the Year 8 race to clinch the title from Oakley Knipe from Cams Hill and Harry Dunne from Bohunt.

The team result was on a knife-edge with Harry Cruttenden leading his Free School squad to another team win, this time just 13 seconds ahead of St Philip Howard.

The stand-out runner in the four-lap Years 9 and 10 race has been Oscar Reynolds from Brookfield and another excellent time of 8.35 was nearly a minute in front of Stanley Wilkes from Bishop Luffa in second.

Ben Ward from Ditcham Park was first in the Year 10 race with a good 9.02 clocking, with Monty Hill from Bishop Luffa just edging out Micah Williams from St Philip Howard in third.

The strong Luffa squad occupied the top two team placings with Midhust Rother just edhing out Chichester High school for third.

Event organisers Chichester Runners are already looking to the 32rd series in 2024, with the opening night on Wednesday, February 28.

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TONE ZONE RUNNERS

Bognor’s Tone Zone Runners had a large contingent of 29 at the Brighton Marathon.

The morning was cloudy and chilly as the runners assembled in Preston Park and as the race started a lot of runners were just happy to get moving and get warm – before the sun came out and added another challenge.

Christo Oosthuizen was first across the line for Tone Zone in 2:51:59, an outstanding time. Tom Howell ran a PB of 3:17:53, improving on last year.

Also setting new PBs were Jess Thomson in 3:28:27 and Chris Crouch in 3:29:15. Nathan Bilham ran almost 45 minutes quicker than his debut marathon to clock 3:31 with Sarah Zacal just behind and well within her target in 3:39 for a huge PB.

Frazer Dean ran his first marathon in 3:48, Marlena Clark did likewise in just a minute more. Laura Williams finished in 3:53. Also finishing under four hours were Marzena Sowinska (3:54), Cameron Coe (3:56) and Alan Coombs (PB) in 3:59:50.

Jon Comins completed his first marathon in 4:01, Karen Vilday had a new PB of 4:18, just ahead of Gary Griffiths (4:21) and Guy Hodgson (4:23).

Then came a flurry of Tone Zone ladies who had trained together – Susi Briggs 4:32, Jackie Williamson and daughter Charlotte (first marathon) 4:39, Emma Tidmarsh 4.39, Kirstee Porter and Lucy-Jayne Isitt 4:44, Lisa Wadey (PB) 4:46.

Michael Fordsdyke (5:02) and Lousie Maddison (5:06) were next before Tony Holcombe (5.24). Sue Woodruff ran her first official marathon in 5.37.. Beth Suter and Magda Kuczera ran their first marathon and finished together in 6.01.

In the Southampton Marathon was Ben Leney, running a personal best in 3.59.

In the London Landmarks Half Marathon Mick James finished in 2.10, Dawn Thackray 2.54 and Nic Baglee 4.16.

Rodney Morley finished the Reading Half Marathon in 2.05 and Leonie Ranson ran the Bournemouth Bay 10k in 1.04.