Bodkin and Carre take victory on home soil

Bodkin posted a time just outside 2hrs 35min., inside the high 2-30s he had earmarked beforehand, and his strong sense of satisfaction was emulated by the runner-up, Sage Pearce-Higgins.

The 37-year-old London-based piano teacher may have just missed out on his 2-40 target three weeks ago at the London Marathon, but on a tougher island course he enjoyed a long road battle with Bodkin on his way to posting an unofficial 2-39-43, gaining him automatic qualification for next year’s big UK capital race.

For Bodkin, though, there was joy and relief that it had all gone to plan, enjoying Pearce-Higgins’ company for 14 miles before pulling away for a comfortable win.

‘I had been hoping for something in the high 2-30s, so a 2-35 that’s good enough or me.

‘It was really enjoyable, although the last six or seven miles everything got a bit tight. I loved it.

‘It was nice to have a bit of company.

‘I was just trying to keep a steady pace and I was finding that on the uphills he would fall back a bit.

‘The first part I went a bit quicker than I wanted and probably it was a bit of excitement and also the company of Sage. He was pushing it on the downhills, I was pushing it on the uphills a bit and we were probably running a little bit quicker than we envisaged we were going to do.’

It had not taken long for Bodkin and Pearce-Higgins to forge well clear.

By Torteval Church and 38 minutes into the race, the pair had an advantage of three-and-a-half minutes on Fabio Teles with, a short way behind, Jamie Ingrouille just about to be joined by a group including more local men in Clint King, Graham Merfield and Ben Wilen.

By halfway at Vazon, Bodkin and Pearce-Higgins, who had raced the Guernsey Marathon once previously in 2016, had opened up a gap of seven-and-a-half minutes with Teles having fallen back into the chasing group now five strong.

At the junction of Le Gele Road and Vazon it seemed that the elastic between Bodkin and Pearce-Higgins, was tightening and perhaps about to break.

Not soon after it did snap and by L’Ancresse it seemed that Bodkin had the race won, although he had now moved into a testing wind.

‘The organisers chucked in a couple of hills which I’m sure all the runners were delighted with and probably the hardest one was going up at Mont Cuet, because it was quite steep,’ said the winner.

‘Then you came down L’Ancresse Road and you are into a headwind before going up Bunker Hill. So for about two miles you are into some pretty hard running.

‘It wasn’t super-windy but you could feel you were running into it.’

Pearce-Higgins ran his own lonely race for the final two-thirds but was pleased with the outcome.

‘I know Guernsey is a bit slower course than London with the hills and the last five miles into the wind were a bit tricky but I remembered the course from five years ago.’

A great friend of island tennis great Patrick Ogier, who followed the race, Pearce-Higgins admitted he had fancied his chances of victory.

‘I looked at the finish times of previous years and I knew 2-40 would win it in many years, so I thought I was in with a chance. Then, friends gave me the heads up about Will Bodkin, the local favourite, so I knew there was going to be some competition.’

Most important, though, was breaking 2-40.

‘In London I wanted to run 2-40 to get my championship place for next year and I looked a bit ridiculous with jelly legs in the last 200 metres and missing it by five seconds.

‘So that was a reason for coming to Guernsey.’

Of the chasing group veteran Graham Merfield finished the strongest, taking third in an unofficial 2-51-17, a minute and 15 seconds ahead of marathon debutant Jamie Ingrouille who enjoyed a cracking race, as did the men in fifth, sixth and seventh, namely Clint King, former North and Muratti footballer Gavin Le Page, and Daniel Legg.

Filling eighth spot in 3-10-09, was Vicky Carre, the first woman home.

Just three weeks after the London Marathon she eased to the women’s honours.

‘I just could not resist [racing]. So many people told me it was a silly idea and it was only on Friday I made the definite decision to run.

‘I felt fab. What a morning and the support along the way was so good. It is so good running on home turf.’

A very tired Wilen and Teles completed the top 10.