CITY of Plymouth showed their female strength in depth by finishing with the top three women’s teams at the Erme Valley Relays on Friday night.
Their junior girls’ quartet of Kate Phillips, Molly Gilbey, Holly Reid and Molly Shorey was the first female team home and also the first under-18 side overall. They finished the race, which sees each member of the team run two-and-a-half miles, in 63.01 minutes.
That was just nine seconds quicker than their senior side, who had cross country international Victoria Weir bringing them home.
Weir ran the quickest time of the night for a female with a 14.30-minute split. Charlene Shorey, Weronika Dabska and Tallia Sullivan made up Plymouth’s senior quartet. Sullivan was the second quickest female with a 15.07 run, followed by South West Road Runners’ Nicky Savill in 15.15. Charlene Shorey (15.15), Molly Shorey (15.18) and Reid (15.25) filled up the next places.
City of Plymouth’s Young Ladies U18s of Imogen Rickard, Molly Atkin, Madeleine Jones and Abbie Chapman were the third female team home overall in 69.20 minute.
The Tavistock Talkers quartet of Helen Orme, Caroline Steven, Jenny Bryant and Sarah Holland were the fifth overall female team and first over-45.
The men’s event was dominated by Exmouth Harriers, who filled three of the top six places.
Their A side of Rob Ellis, Simon Minting, Sam Kelly and Tom Merson took victory in 51.18 minutes, with South West Road Runners A second in 52.44 minutes and Exmouth B third in 55.14 minutes.
Host club Erme Valley Harriers finished as the first Armada club in fifth spot, with Tamar Trotters in eighth.
Exmouth’s Merson was the quickest overall with a 12.22-minute run. Tamar Trotters’ Jacob Landers, who was fourth overall in 12.42, was the only Armada athlete in the top 10 men with the rest of spots filled by either Exmouth or South West Road Runners.
Some 97 teams finished the relays, which returned to Ivybridge Rugby Club after they had to be held virtually last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Full team results can be found HERE.
Individual results can be found HERE.
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