MARK MERCIER has extended his overall lead in the RBC All Terrain Challenge, despite not winning the latest event. The third race of this year’s series saw the runners welcomed by wind and rain as they battled up the Telegraph Bay steps at Jerbourg.

While the stage has little effect on the overall classification as it is so short, being a time-trial format and with big crowds at the top of the hill, most of the runners really feel the nerves at the start.

Fastest up the hill was Dave Holmes in 1min. 54sec., joining a fairly select group of runners who have broken 2-00 for the climb, and his time was good enough to take him up to second overall, just six seconds ahead of Dave Dyke.

Mercier was second on the night, just one second behind Holmes.

The youngster’s overall lead is now looking almost unassailable, although with the cliff path time trial still to come, he has to guard against complacency.

Fastest woman, for the second year in a row and with a new course record, was Elyse Dandeker in 2-34, beating both Louise Perrio and overall leader Martine Scholes and in the meantime cementing her third place in the overall classification.

Today’s stage is a circuit race, consisting of seven laps around Port Soif totalling 5km.