Steve Dawes approaches the finish line in first place in yesterday’s half-marathon. (Pictures by Daniel Guerin, 0593704)
STEVE DAWES was the comfortable winner in the annual Healthspan Father’s Day Half-Marathon. He saw off competition from Bristol’s Chris Ledgard, but in the end Dawes eased to his first win in the event since 2004.
The two front-runners were neck and neck for the first eight miles or so and it appeared that a thrilling finale might be on the cards. However, Ledgard’s resistance ran out near L’Ancresse and Dawes opened up an unassailable lead.
After crossing the line in a respectable time of 1hr 16min. 47sec., Dawes said it was just a case of getting the job done. ‘I’m obviously delighted to win it and I enjoyed it,’ he said.
‘Chris and I were chatting about possible times for a lot of the race until I started to pull away. It wasn’t a really fast race, but it wasn’t about the time, it was about taking first place.’
It was something that Ledgard, an athlete from Great Western Runners, had forecast and he was pleased with his own performance.
‘I had always been expecting Steve to win the race. It was great just to be able to compete with him for a long time, but he pulled away after eight miles or so. I’m still very pleased because I achieved the time that I had been hoping for,’ he said.
He also hoped it would not be the last time we see him on Guernsey soil.
‘This is the first time I’ve done the Father’s Day run, but I definitely want to come back next year.
‘It will be much more of a tougher race if some of the other top athletes such as Lee [Garland] are running,’ he said.
Despite being around five minutes behind the top two, the real contest came in the battle for the final podium spot.
Paul Ingrouille, Dave Crosland and triathlete Lee Brenton were grouped together from the moment the race started at the Imperial Hotel all the way to their sprint finish to the tape at Bulwer Avenue.
In the end, it was Brenton, the man from Jersey, who nicked third. He was followed by Ingrouille, with Crosland in close attendance.
Brenton was happy with his podium finish and is looking forward to the battles that lie ahead.
‘I’m very pleased with my run and my position, because I never expected to win – Steve is just too quick,’ he said.
‘We had a very competitive race between the three of us the whole way round and I was happy to sneak the win out of our little race.
‘I’m now going to focus on the Jersey Triathlon and then I’ll be back over here for the Guernsey Granite Challenge,’ he said.
Ingrouille, whose fourth-place finish made him the top veteran, said he had met his expectations.
‘I wanted to finish in the top five, so fourth is a good result. I realise that my real competitive days are behind me and I now run for the enjoyment,’ he said.
The women’s race did not produce anywhere near the same battle and the top three all crossed the line a comfortable distance apart.
The race was won by Bronwyn McNeill-Rogers, who successfully defended her crown in 1-25-35.
The South Africa-born Sark resident beat off the competition of pre-race favourite Nikki Neal. Third place was taken by Kerry Robin.
McNeill-Rogers admitted that she had had to put her foot on the gas when she realised Neal was still in with a chance.
‘When I was running, somebody told me there was a woman not too far behind. Nikki started to close up on me, but I made sure that I won the race. I’m very competitive in that way.’
McNeill-Rogers also promised to fight to keep her title in the future.
‘I’ll definitely be back next year and going for the hat-trick,’ she said.
Despite not being a huge threat to the winner, Neal was happy with her performance and feels that things are heading in the right direction.
‘I knew that Bronwyn would be running it and she is a fantastic racer. I’ve raced her once or twice before and it is competitive.
‘However, I’m not in good form at the moment, so I’m pleased with my time. It’s better than I ran in Jersey in my last race, so there is constant progression.’
With over 300 runners taking part and in gloriously hot conditions, the race was certainly a big success.
One of the organisers, Diane Lawrence, was ecstatic at how the event had gone and believed it was entertaining as well as being competitive.
‘It is a brilliant and fun event that anyone can take part in. This year, we had our first wheelchair athlete, Aindre Reece-Sheerin, who had his own support team,’ she said.
The sponsors were just as happy.
Laura Hapgood, the PR and promotions executive from Healthspan, believes that the sponsorship could go on well into the future.
‘We’re very pleased to sponsor the event and we get great help from the GIAAC,’ she said.
‘The turnout was fantastic this year and we had lovely weather for it. It couldn’t have gone any better.
‘We have an annual ongoing partnership with the GIAAC and there is no reason why that is going to stop.’
Perhaps the best entertainment of the day came from Amherst Primary School teacher Paul van Beek, who ran the race while bouncing two basketballs. He explained the reasoning behind his unusual choice.
‘I was racing against the other teachers from Amherst, who were running it as a relay. I beat them in a good time, so I’m delighted.
‘I just thought that it was something different, because last year I did it with one ball. I’m hoping to do the Jersey Marathon in October with two balls, so that will be a challenge.’
He pointed out that he had been helped by the conditions.
‘It was very dry and it is also a totally flat course. If it had been raining, then it would have been pretty much impossible.
‘I’ve definitely got the bragging rights in the staff room now.’
Article posted on 16th June, 2008 - 2.30pm
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