This year’s Essex 20 Mile Road Race Championships saw a string of good performances from Harriers runners on a sunny, if breezy morning in Rochford.  Dean Williamson led the way on his debut over the distance, clocking 1:54:55 to finish eleventh overall and fifth in the Essex standings, combining with Mark McKeown (1:59:06) and Andrew Jobling (2:03:09) to take the bronze team medal.  Nate Filer continued his return to competition with 2:05:10, Paul Rodgers ran 2:12:16 and the evergreen Colin Ridley took silver in the V55 category with his time of 2:13:23.  Matt Davey was next up, running a personal best 2:21:49, Jay Waite posted 2:34:35, whilst Ella Jeffries (2:42:24) and Tina Southgate (2:46:09) enjoyed encouraging runs on their 20 mile debuts and Melissa Dowell took F50 silver as she recorded 2:47:15.

Meanwhile Ramadan Osman ran the Vitality Big Half in Central London, coming home just outside the top 100 in 1:13:03 with Douglas O’Neill running 1:33:32.

In trail racing Tim Ballard, Richard Heath and Dan Widdowson came across the line together to take joint first place at the Layer 5 mile trail race from Layer-de-la-Haye.  Allen Smalls won the Broxted 7.5 mile race in 54:07, with Faye Smalls clocking 1:37:09, whilst Rachel Dale took on the mud to finish second female (and fifth overall) in the 10 mile Brightlingsea Hare and Tortoise and Malcolm Statham came home seventh in the Chilly Chappel Chase, running 57:27.

In parkrun action there were 17 Harriers finishers at Colchester Castle with Cameron Humphries first home in 18:34 and Ian Jeffries fourth in 19:25 whilst Lizzie Wellsted (21:50) and Eleanor Mayne (22:43) were first and second female finishers.  The park run across town at Highwoods saw Russell Goodridge record 20:44 for third, Gavin Scanlon fourth in 20:50, Lee Holohan fifth in 21:02 and Sean Duffett seventh in 22:09.   There was also a strong showing on Mersea Island where Dan Widdowson was first finisher in 18:54, Ned Messer fifth in 22:39 and Ella Jeffries and Isla Widdowson first and second females in 22:51 and 23:09 respectively.  Elsewhere there were also good runs from Heidi Steele, who posted 20:23 to be first female finisher at Maldon Promenade, and at Dolgellau where Richard Flutter was third in 20:39 and Debbie Cattermole first female in 22:39.