Saunders Soars

James Saunders ripped up the record books with a superb performance at the Gosport Half Marathon on Sunday. The in-form 60-year-old made it a year to remember by setting a new age group club record for the half marathon distance.

In clocking 1:26:45, he sliced 66 seconds from Mike Eveleigh’s M60 best set in Torbay in 2012. It was also a lifetime best by 49 seconds. It means James has set PBs for 5k (18:22), 10k (39:05), 10 miles (66:35), half marathon and marathon (3:02:36) in this calendar year.

As well as outright ownership of the club’s M60 half marathon best, he also claimed shared of the M60 10k best by equalling Dave Foster’s best time from 1994.

In Hampshire, James tackled a two-lap seafront race on the Solent where there were dry conditions, encouraging marshals, but a “fresh westerly wind made it a tough slog on the way out but at our backs on homeward leg.” To put the icing on the cake of a successful day, he also collected a £35 voucher for being second M60 overall. There were 1223 finishers.

Closer to home, the club’s own in-house handicap event took place around Sandygate. The John Scott Memorial sees club members set off at intervals according to their 5k best times. Although back marker Roger Easterbrook made a valiant charge through the pack to place fifth, it was Lucy Evans who took the spoils, finishing in 45:51 off a seven minute handicap.