PRE-RACE favourite Steve Dawes had to run two minutes below his own course record to stave off a superb challenge by Dave Dyke and win the GIAAC’s Healthspan 10-mile road race championship. There were fast times throughout the field, with seventh-placed Martine Scholes setting a local women’s 10-mile road record.

At the front of the field Dawes, Dyke and Dave Holmes led the pack from the Imperial Hotel start up towards Torteval Church and were locked together passed the Mallard Hotel, Plaisance and through St Peter’s Village.

At this stage Dawes took the initiative and after posting a string of near five-minute miles Holmes fell away at the five-mile mark near La Houguette School.

Dyke was dropped at six miles just before the runners hit the coast at Perelle and Dawes looked relaxed over the closing stages and duly pulled clear.

Dyke, who, having turned 40 last November can now claim veteran status, ran one of his best ever road races to hold Dawes to less than a minute at the finish and was also within the previous record, as was third-placed Holmes.

While Francis Kehoe had a lonely race in fourth, the race for the next three placings was far more intriguing with Steve Bienvenu recovering from breathing difficulties in the opening stages to come past Mike Doyle in the final part of the race.

Scholes also had Doyle in her sights for most of the race and despite gradually falling away in the closing stages she was still 50 seconds faster than Louise Perrio’s record run of last year.