Coombes Farm played host to another successful Sussex AA Masters Cross Country Championships.
More than 200 athletes completed the 8K courses in cold and windy conditions at the Lancing venue.
Top three in the first race were M50 Stuart Rowen (Haywards Heath Harriers) 29.47, M50 Colin Trigg (Phoenix) 30.12 and M55 Lewis Sida (Lewes) 31.04.
Jonathan Burrell (Lewes) was the first M60 in 32.14, John Lowden (Brighton & Hove) top M65 in 35.54, David Prince Iles (Lewes) won old M70 (38,27) and M75 Andrew Haig (Phoeniz) crossed the line in 51.11.
Winning the 50-59 team contest was Phoenix (Colin Trigg, Matthew Greenall, Jim Whitelegg) with 28 points followed by Haywards Heath Harriers on 30 and Arena 80 on 42.
Scoring 23 points Lewes AC took over 50 team gold with runners Jonathan Burrell, Ian Fines and David Prince Iles. Silver went to Phoenix (28) and bronze Brighton & Hove AC (30).
All the women ran together in the second race of the race with Brighton & Hove’s W50, Linda Schofield, storming ahead for the win in 31.24. Next through in 32.09 was W35 Alice Robinson (Worthing) then Lewes’ Rachel Hillman (W35) in 32.27.
Elspeth Turner (Horsham Blue Stars) was the first W55 in 33.42, Geraldine Moffatt (Portslade Hedgehoppers) top M60 in 34.29, Katie Wright (Arena 80) the winning W40 in 34.45, Juliette Roberts (Arena 80) W45 in 37.10, Karin Divall (Lewes) W65 in 42.42 and the final individual winner was W70 Sue Baker (Chichester) in 50.27.
The Phoenix W35-49 team, made up of Suzy Rushforth, Robin Searle and Amelia Culshaw, were presented gold with 16 points followed by Lewes on 18 and Arena 80 on 32.
Brighton & Hove were celebrating the 50-59 age category win with Linda Schofield, Paula Blackledge and Jeanette Kennealy scoring just 12 points. Haywards Heath placed next on 20 and Chichester on 42.
Over 60 team winners were Arena 80 on 14 points (Caroline Wood, Jenny Hughes and Sue Brumwell) and then Chichester 2nd on 19.
The event concluded with the M35-49 race where on form M40 runner Zared Arasaretnam-Hale (Brighton & Hove) finished 11 seconds clear of Chichester’s M45 James Baker in 2nd (26.58) who was comfortably ahead of 3rd place M45 Howard Bristow (Brighton & Hove) in 27.38. James Dicks took the M35 title (4th overall) in 27.59.
With 3 of the top finishing places along with Ziad Watter in 7th, Brighton & Hove were team winners with 15 points. Chichester 2nd on 56 and Brighton & Hove B 3rd on 58.