TEENAGER Benjamin Marriott retained the Tamar 10k title on Sunday morning with another strong run.
The former City of Plymouth athlete, who now represents Newquay & Par AC, claimed victory by 10 seconds.
He clocked 34 minutes and 43 seconds, which was 27 seconds faster than he ran to win last year’s race, which takes runners twice over the Tamar Bridge.
Second place went to Jordan Kewell, who clocked 34.53 minutes, with Mike Wilkinson third in 35.17 minutes, Aaron Jessop fourth in 36.00 minutes and Lloyd Milburn fifth in 36.03 minutes.
The first woman home was Paige Murphy, who finished in 40.05 minutes.
Keeley Ware was second female in 42.32 minutes, Bodmin’s Emma Shaw was third (44.06), Jacqueline Woodward came fourth and first F55 and Holberton’s Jennie Hawkins was fifth and first F45.
An impressive 717 runners completed the early morning event.
Meanwhile, there was plenty of success for Plymouth-based athletes at the Eden Project Marathon and Half Marathon on Sunday morning.
Jordan Andrews claimed the half marathon title by more than four minutes.
He clocked 1:19.05 for the hilly and rugged multi-terrain route running through Cornwall’s dramatic Clay Country and mining heritage sites.
Second place went to Luxulyan’s David Tregonning with a time of 1:23:30, while third place went to Matthew Battley from Richmond in 1:24:13.
There was a good battle for the women’s half marathon title with Mile High Club’s Sarah Hoskin edging out Storm Plymouth’s Lauren Knox.
The pair finished fourth and fifth, respectively, overall, with Hoskin clocking 1:26.31 and Knox 1:27.52.
There was a successful marathon debut for Plymouth 19-year-old Annie Wisely.
She stormed to victory in the tough off-road event by 18 minutes, clocking 3:24:14.
When asked what inspired her to take part, Wisely said: “I just like trail running, so I thought it would be nice! And I like Cornwall, so, I thought it would be good. I’ve never done a marathon before – it was amazing.”
The men’s race was won for a fourth successive year by Truro’s Steven Reynolds, who came home in a time of 2:54:31.
Second place was Ross Portass, from Plymouth, with a time of 3:16:45. Third place went to Phil Howard from Woking – a member of the 100 Marathon Club – who finished in 3:17:34.
The Eden Project’s commercial manager Tracey Smith, who has organised the event since its inception, said: “This year’s event has once again demonstrated the incredible determination, resilience and community spirit that define the Eden Project Marathon and Half Marathon.
“It has been wonderful to welcome runners from near and far to Cornwall and to celebrate their achievements, whether chasing personal bests, supporting charities or simply taking on the challenge of reaching the finish line.
“We are hugely grateful to our partners at St Austell Running Club, our volunteers, marshals, sponsors and supporters who help make the event such a success.”
Full results from the Eden Project Marathon and Half Marathon can be found HERE.
Full results from the Tamar 10k can be found HERE.