Multi-sporter Woodhead backed up his previous week’s victory in the duathlon season opener, while Scholes continued her momentum from a first senior cross-country series title, and the latter’s tied personal best bodes well for her soon becoming the third Guernsey woman ever to crack the 17min. barrier.
This new course for the Guernsey Athletics Road Series was not, on paper, one for PBs, being exposed to moderate north-westerly winds and featuring a steep climb of Mont Cuet hill on each of the two laps. It started just outside The Bay Apartments with a slightly elevated finish at Jaonneuse Bay.
Even with 66km of cycling in his legs from the morning, Island Games triathlete Woodhead stamped his dominance early on by gapping the field in the uphill early stages.
He eventually crossed the line in 16min. 11sec., a charging George Mason having closed him down to within 5sec. to record an official PB for the distance.
Behind them, Toby Mann ground out a lonely race to take third overall in addition to top veteran with a solid 16-48 clocking.
The race for fourth place featured several twists and turns, like the northerly parts of the course, and ultimately recent Hampshire U13s champion and Inter-Counties silver medallist Paul Friedrich produced a storming run of 17-02 to take that position despite being distinctly young for a road 5km.
The improving Tom Nichols edged fifth in 17-09, followed closely by veteran Chris Gillman (17-11) and Paul’s brother Emil Friedrich (17-16), a 15-year-old multi-eventer who showed a massive turn of pace on lap two.
Yet right in the thick of the racing and eighth overall was top woman Scholes.
After a well-measured effort, Scholes matched her PB of 17-20, which came in November as a breakthrough performance in the grand atmosphere of an elite women’s race in Battersea.
To emulate that domestically on a relatively hilly course and windy day has to be taken as a sign of fantastic form heading into this year’s EY Easter Running Festival, where she is the reigning 5km champion.
‘It felt good to prove that the 17-20 at Battersea wasn’t a fluke,’ the U23 athlete said.
‘The course felt tough and my legs aren’t particularly fresh, but I’m hoping that bodes well heading into Easter.
‘It was fun being up near the front with the boys and hanging on to them.
‘I was going into today with fairly low expectations given the hilly course, but no excuses – got out and gave it a good effort, and can’t get greedy with PBs.’
Meanwhile, V45 athlete Ulrike Maisch showed her staying power to back up her win from the series-opening 10 miler last month, posting 18-59.
The 15-year-old Grace King finished third woman in 19-27, holding off recent Island Games debutante Vanessa King by 5sec.
Multi-sporter Katie Birch rounded out the women’s top five in 19-41 just a week after an eye-catching duathlon win at Rocquaine.
