Merrien beats his own record
AFTER a month of altitude training in Kenya, Olympic hope Lee Merrien put aside the tiredness of an exhausting marathon schedule to chalk up a comfortable victory in the Chertsey House 10-mile road race on the Imperial loop.
In doing so he broke his own 2010 course record, albeit by a single second.
Merrien hopeful broke clear from the Imperial start line and after negotiating the opening mile long climb up past Torteval Church put in a series of sub five-minute miles past the three-mile mark at the Mallard, Longfrie (5m) and up the Felconte towards Perelle (7m) before returning to Pleinmont via L'Eree.
He reached the Imperial finish line in 50 minutes 40 seconds.
The in-form Matt Loveridge also started strongly, but he went the wrong way just after six miles and in doing so handed the runner-up spot to Tristan Robilliard, who finished in 57-48.
Luke Richards was third.
Whilst Loveridge's race was over at six miles, Sarah Mercier's was just getting into top gear and she accelerated away from a group that included fellow Hampshire cross country medallist Ulrike Maisch.
Mercier kept the pressure on to finish sixth overall in 61-40.
