British Masters title for Edwards as Leamington C&AC ladies dominate

The championships were held on Sunday over a tough course at Tittensor on the edge of the Staffordshire moorlands, with the first 2k uphill and further undulations following in an event the race director described as “hot and very hilly”.

For the first time in a number of years Leamington C&AC were well represented in the ladies’ race with training partners Kelly Edwards, Jenny Jeeves and Monica Williamson all competing in different age groups.

At the gun, Edwards, in her first British Masters Championship, made a strong start and soon established a small lead in the ladies’ race.

Continuing to push through the whole of the race the W40 runner was rewarded with a superb time of 39min 55sec, pipping the winner of the W35 category Elizabeth Renondeau by three seconds.

Finishing almost a minute clear of a minute of W40 runner-up Michelle Clarke (Telford AC), Edwards took the national title and gold medal and with it also became the Midlands champion.

England Masters cross-country international Monica Williamson once again showed her class in the W55 age group.

A silver medal winner in the British Masters 5k road race earlier in the year, Williamson was again a runner-up in an impressive 42:29, finishing almost two minutes clear of the third-placed runner.

Just two weeks after winning her first British Masters medal at the Half-Marathon Championships, Jeeves produced a committed performance to clock 44:16, earning her a silver medal in the W50 category.

When all the times were added together the Leamington C&AC trio’s cumulative time saw them finish almost nine minutes clear of Newcastle Staff AC to be crowned British champions.

Fellow C&AC runner Marc Curtis ran a competitive race in the M50 category and was rewarded with a Midland Masters bronze medal for third in 42:21.