Running over the South Downs at a young age was clearly great preparation for Lewes AC's Thomas Roach. From the Sussex hills to Europe, he has taken on the might of runners across the continent and, en route, won many prestigious races.
In early September, Thomas's efforts all paid off in the 2021 World Masters Mountain Running Championships, held at International Schlickeralmlauf in Telfes in the Stubai Valley, where he had an impressive run to finish first.
It is a challenging Mountain course for runners aged 35 years and over. In winning, Thomas claimed the title in the over 40 age category and also beat the fastest M35 runner.
After the race, he had to take a doping test and provide a urine sample. This was a bit tricky as he was so dehydrated. He only managed 60ml (apparently not enough!), so a celebratory beer was necessary to fill a cup with 'pink' urine. Beetroot juice is one of Thomas's pre-race favourites!
On the second weekend of October Thomas also competed in the Tour de Tirol. Taking place over three days, he took art in the Soller Zehner (10km) on Friday, the Kaiser Marathon (42 km) on Saturday and the Polventrail (23 km) on Sunday.
The local press commented that in winning the precisely measured 10.08km race, he finished in a remarkable time of 30.
12.04 minutes.
Thomas swept the board in the other events and won all three races in his age category to achieve victory overall.
by Peter Masters