There were some fine performances by Sussex runners on the International field over the week end over the country and on the road.
Making his debut on the international scene Brighton & Hove seventeen year old, Stephen Ferroni, did well to finish eighth in a junior cross-country event at Atupuerea in Spain.
At one stage he was up with the leaders and forcing the pace but he paid for his enthusiasm and towards the finish he dropped away. Never the less his placing was a pretty good effort for a first international.
Three Sussex runners were involved in the England versus Ireland cross-country match at the Santry course at Dublin.
All three ran in the same race but all in different age groups and they felt quite at home as the recent rain and torrential rain on the day made the course almost as muddy as they will face at the Sussex League at Bexhill next Saturday.
Caroline Wood (Arena 80) contesting the W50 group was the first of the Sussex runners to finish clocking 24:31 for seventh place in her group.
Peter Witcomb (Brighton & Hove) finished sixth in the M65 race, the second English runner to finish, in 24:53 while Worthing’s Pauline Rich clocked 32:48 in the W70 race.
Overall they all contributed to the English team victory.
MARATHONS
Back in Spain Chichester’s American marathon running doctor, Chris Zablocki, chopped two minutes off his previous best in Valencia.
Zablocki, the winner of this season opening Sussex Cross Country League race at Goodwood last month, has an eye on qualifying for the American team for the Rio Olympics next year, recorded 2:15:35, a time that has only ever been beaten by two Sussex runners.
Another marathon running doctor, Brighton & Hove’s Dimos Evangelides finished third in the Athens marathon the previous weekend in 2:27:28.
RACE WALKER
The Steyning Athletic Club took second team spot behind the host club at the 89th Enfield Open 7-mile road walking event.
A few decades ago this race would have attracted maybe a field of two hundred or more walkers but such is the state of the sport at the moment that forty plus walkers was considered a good field.
Unusual by current standards U20 athletes won both the men’s and women’s races with the Country’s leading U20 performer Callum Wilkinson (Enfield) a clear winner in 47:28 and Emma Achurch from Leicester leading the women home, breaking the hour for the first time, in 59:29.
Ian Richards led the Steyning walkers home in sixth place in 57:58 with Jimmy Ball placing ninth in 62:01.
Ron Penfold, who is now in the M70 group placed 25th in 74:21 while Anne Jones clocked 74: 46 to complete the Steyning scoring four in what was a combined team event.