Chichester athletes show no sign of hangovers

The overriding feeling of the Chichester Runners who braved the South Downs for the Hangover 5 in the West Sussex Fun Run League was: “It’s good to be back.”
Chichester Runners at the Hangover 5Chichester Runners at the Hangover 5
Chichester Runners at the Hangover 5

Two years to the day since the last league fixture was held, 17 clubs turned out in force with 27 Chichester Runners in action.

As well as gaining the maximum 25 points for entrants, there are 100 bonus points available from the top 10 runners from each club to finish. Chichester’s tally was 96. Apart from the first two finishers, the remaining eight Chi Runners were part of the club’s strong women’s section.

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It was the a familiar sight in Sussex at the head of proceedings in the form of James Baker. Joined at the front of the field by club-mate Mike Houston, Baker piled on the pressure and went on to finish clear by over a minute in 29.55 for the hilly five-mile course with fellow veteran Houston holding off his nearest challengers for a well-deserved second place.

Baker had ‘warmed up’ for the race by winning the Bognor parkrun a few hours earlier in a speedy 16.49.

Charlotte Reading and Anna Skelton finished 7th and 8th in the women’s field to scoop maximum bonus points.

Nationally ranked Helen Dean and fellow veterans Nadia Anderson and Katherine Bond finished 13th, 14th and 15th women to score 10 bonus points each, giving Chichester seven maximums in total.

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The remaining bonus scorers were Elizabeth Robinson with 9pts in 17th, Sam Houston, 8pts in 36th and Catherine Betts, 7pts in 46th.

Remaining finishers: John Miles in 145th, Guy Tremayne 147th, Peter Anderson 161st. Peter Dunne 187th, Tom Blaylock 193rd, Kevin Batt 214th, Peter Shaw 239th, Sue Baker 239th (73rd woman), Jeremy Harrison 253rd, Nicola Jolly 257th (86th woman), Ian Stevens 270th, Dawn Slater 288th (106th woman), Louise Flude 316th (125th woman), Gillian Brown 317th (136th woman) and top over 70 Wendy Whelan in 341st (142nd woman).