Winner Jonathan Thewlis (green vest) tucks in behind Steve Dawes (54) at the start of yesterday’s half marathon. Lee Merrien is further back, directly behind Thewlis’s right ear. (Picture by Steve Sarre, 0554308)

LEE MERRIEN wrapped up the overall men’s Healthspan Easter Festival title yesterday then immediately set his sights on a sub-four-minute mile along Vazon.

Guernsey’s Commonwealth Games star finished second in the concluding half-marathon of the four-day festival behind Jonathan Thewlis, but had not gone into it aiming for victory. ‘I did it as a training run,’ said Merrien, who clocked 1hr 9min. 27sec.

‘I thought I may as well run the “half” as one [a training run] rather than go out on my own, which I would have done otherwise. I was not intending on going around in anything more than 5-20 miles and Jonathan did the same for the first five or six, then he pushed hard and I was not that bothered about trying to win it.’