Merriens ease to wins with contrasting effort

LEE MERRIEN skips most domestic races to concentrate on preparing himself for big events in the UK abroad. But yesterday morning he used the 60-year-old Liberation Day seven-mile road race as a training run ahead of his first big track race over 3,000m at Loughborough in 11 days time.

It was never going to me more than a warm-up jog and then a five-mile tempo run for the Commonwealth Games athlete, yet he still eased to victory in 37min. 29sec., nearly three minutes ahead of runner-up Dave Dyke in a big field of 85.

'I really didn't want to tempo the whole run,' said Merrien, who added he might have Dave Kreckeler's long-standing event record of just under 35min. next spring.

Merrien had Dyke and Lee Garland for company over the opening stages but once the favourite opened up and ran it 'moderately hard' there was no staying with him.

Dyke, who had only just burned off Garland, lost sight of the winner as they hit North Side at St Sampson's and never saw him again until the finish.

The improving Ronan Shally ran well to place fourth 19sec. ahead of Paul Ingrouille, while Gail Merrien led home the women contingent with a time of 49-27, which gave her overall 15th.

A number of the island's distance runners gave the race a miss as they sharpened up for middle-distance appearances at this weekend's Hampshire track and field championships in Portsmouth.

They included top woman runners Louise Perrio and Martin Scholes, plus Steve Dawes and Mark Mercier.

Results to follow