Guernsey Press

Perrio in good shape ahead of Manchester Half

LOUISE PERRIO signed off the local track season with a solo win and season’s best in the Intertrust 10,000m finale.

Published
Louise Perrio rounds one of many corners en route to an overall win over 10,000m. (Picture by Rob Elliott, 22682210)

With many athletes having already ended their track seasons in anticipation of looming road and cross-country fixtures, the women’s endurance stalwart was a cut above the field as she enriched her half-marathon training with a breakaway victory of 36min. 35.71sec.

Perrio was not assured of winning from the start, as 2015 Hampshire 5000m open champ and Island Games man Will Bodkin proved an unknown quantity after a fast first couple of laps.

But Bodkin could not find the form of three years ago and began to fade shortly thereafter, leaving Chris Gillman and Jamie Ingrouille to take up the chase positions.

Ingrouille broke ahead to bridge the gap to mere seconds at half-way but fell back in the closing kilometres to clock 37-18.02 for second, with Gillman taking third another six seconds back.

Despite a two-second season’s best, Perrio struggled to be content with finishing over a minute outside her PB, although she still signed it off as a good day’s work ahead of the Manchester ‘Half’ – her first appearance over the distance since sealing Gotland 2017 gold.

‘It didn’t go so well in the middle but still a decent workout ahead of Manchester,’ said Perrio.

‘It felt fine aerobically, so I’m hoping that’s a good sign.’