Taylor tops UK rankings with victory at Pompey
Fast times and a capacity field were the hallmarks of the 75th anniversary Victory 5
The Portsmouth Victory 5 is one of the oldest and most prestigious road races in the UK and the 75th-anniversary edition was held on Sunday (5 December) with 676 finishers, topped and tailed by GB international Alex Teuten (Southampton AC, 24:03) and M80 supervet Walter Thorpe (Basingstoke & Mid Hants, 1:21:58).
With event records of 22:43 (Rob Denmark) and 25:35 (Nnenna Lynch, USA) the fast, flat course regularly produces top times by the leading athletes and impressive performances from all ages and abilities throughout the capacity field.
Alex Teuten's winning time is the fourth fastest in the UK this year and Nicole Taylor (Tonbridge AC) - pictured above - went straight to the top of the national rankings with a rather tidy 27:00!
Nine men ducked under 25 minutes in the battle for victory in the Alexandra Sports sponsored Victory 5. Tueten's winning margin was 12 seconds over Jonathan Cornish (Hercules Wimbledon, 24:15 PB) with Jack Woods (Worthing & District Harriers, 24:34 PB) third.
With three men in the top six, Southampton AC easily took the team prize from City of Portsmouth AC and Ryde Harriers from the Isle of Wight.
Nicole Taylor (27:00 PB) also claimed the Tonbridge AC club record from her team-mate Lucy Reid (27:15) who had been unbeaten in the Victory 5 for the previous three years but had to settle for runner-up on this occasion. Emily Wicks (Aldershot Farnham & District, 27:44) was third and there were 11 women inside 30 minutes.
Tonbridge AC were the women's team winners from Portsmouth and Southampton AC.
This spectacular Hampshire Road Race League race has been promoted by City of Portsmouth AC since 1946, with additional race management expertise provided in recent years by Nice Work. The super-slick, three-lap course from Lakeside North Harbour, Cosham saw 90 athletes smash 30 minutes, with almost 50% of the field setting personal best times.
Results and previous event report at runABC South race listing here
Race information at Nice Work here
Image courtesy Richard Owen, Tonbridge AC
