Winning quartet made up of some ‘half-decent’ runners
RAVENSCROFT flew to victory in Wednesday’s CGWM Inter-Firm Relays and got their name on the trophy for the annual corporate running showdown around Town.
After four fast and furious legs, just short of a mile apiece but relatively technical and culminating in a steep climb of Smith Street, their Tristan Brown brought home the baton with a 32sec. lead on Aon anchorman Tiaan Erwee.
International trail runner Erwee’s presence testified to the quality at the sharp end, but the turnout of 50 teams featuring people of all abilities showcased the broader appeal of the relays.
There were also awards for top mixed and women’s team – which went to Hedosophia Two and Roadrunners respectively.
At the sharp end, Island star James Priest gave his IQ-EQ mixed team an early lead with the day’s best leg of 4-02.
But it was ultimately a race of consistency and after Jake Robin handed off within the top six, Ravenscroft took the front through Jake Le Marchant, consolidating this through the efforts of Sam McKerrell and anchorman Brown.
They eventually won in 18-01 and Brown said that felt ‘brilliant’.
‘We all set the scene together,’ he said.
‘I’ve been doing all the training and I was like “Right, let’s rope in a team”.
‘Ravenscroft usually do try and do one every year, and we had a couple of teams this year, but we had some guys who are half-decent runners and it all came together, which is very good.’
He was similarly enthusiastic in his feedback for the event, praising the ‘completely different mix of people’ who take part, among other things.
‘It’s nice to do something different and there’s so much support – we had a load of guys waiting down at Balthazar, so we had all the cheering there. You get loads of people who wait and cheer.
‘Actually, it’s quite good fun to run through Town, as you spend so much time walking through it, so yeah it’s a good chance to have a crack at that.’
Mike Batiste of Guernsey Press: Print Runners (Hacks) also posted a notably fast leg, at 4-05, as HSBC PMT’s Sam Hall ran 4-17 for third individual.
Roadrunners’ Susie Armstrong 4-50 topped the women’s standings, with both her teammate Savannah Goddard and Distance Matters’ Liz Dudin sharing the same time of 5-08.
