The popular and expertly organised Tiptree 10 marked the final round of the Essex Road Championships Grand Prix series and there was success across the board for the Harriers teams.

Starting off with the women where we have had another stellar season. The team WON AGAIN and won the league at a canter. With the winning team comprising Emily Worboys – 68:06 (fourth), Victoria Primmer – 68:11 (fifth) and Annette Oakman – 70:19 (ninth).

We had the added bonuses of Victoria Primmer winning the overall individual Grand Prix series and Emily Worboys finishing third! Victoria was frying bigger fish the next week in the form of the Amsterdam marathon and had the tricky situation of needing to run at Tiptree to bag a few points to secure the Grand Prix series but not expending too much effort in the process! A balancing act she expertly executed by running the Tiptree 10 a little slower than marathon pace which gave her the ‘gas in the tank’ to run a superb 3-minute PB in Amsterdam with a stunning time of 2:54:11. Victoria has had a dream season, recording new bests in every distance she has raced in from 3 miles, right up to the marathon!

The men’s team finished third on the day, and comprised Chris Sellens (60:26), Sam Caslin (61:40) and Dan Morgan (62:41). This means we finished second in the Grand Prix series behind Braintree. A tougher last few rounds proved costly, on the back of a flying start where we were winning the league up until the fifth round. Thanks to everyone for turning out, second in the league is still an excellent result, backing up our win from last year.

Age group prize winners from the Tiptree 10 were as follows: 

Chris Sellens – 60:26. Second male V40.

Colin Ridley – 64:41. Second male V60.

Annette Oakman – 70:19. Second female V50.

Kate Gibson – 75:43. Third female V55.

Sue Begent – 81:19. First female V60.

There were trophies, medals, and Tiptree jam aplenty for the above!

Other green vests to compete in the Essex Championship at the Tiptree 10 were: 

Elliot Selby – 67:50, Jake Connelly – 67:50, Paul Dellar – 68:45, Chris Aylett 68:51, Amanda Henry – 74:55, Daisy Hilson – 79:16, Michelle Lock – 79:18, Andy Horner – 80:05, Jennifer Carter – 80:07, Alison Briggs-McMullan – 80:10, Sarah Dearman – 87:11, Alicia Crane – 88:25, Vincent White – 88:35.

We also had ‘podium finishes’ in the overall age group individual Grand Prix, as per the following:

Amanda Henry – First Female V50.

Chris Sellens – First Male V40.

Colin Ridley – First Male V60.

Sue Begent – Second Female V60.

Diane Wooller – Third Female V70.

Splendid work all. If you are looking for a specific distance road race next year, please try to coincide it with the Essex Champs race. You will not only get a high quality, competitive race but will also have the opportunity to score points for the club and win an Essex Championships age group medal! Everyone is a winner!