Alexander Lepretre and Samantha Harrison became King and Queen of the Chill at a wintry Telford 10K (Sunday 11 December). They were amongst a speedy field in Baltic conditions at this championship race.

In case you haven't noticed, Britain is in the grip of a cold snap at present and temperatures were sub-zero at Sunday’s Telford 10K that saw 33 runners go sub-30 minutes; a new course record for the women’s winner and team titles for Midlands Men and Women. 

Organised by Telford AC with the fastest 10K course in the UK making it a ‘must do’ for elites, club runners and anyone new to racing. The Telford 10K incorporated the England Athletics (EA) 10K Championships, the England Athletics (EA) Age Group Masters Qualifying Event and the Inter-Area Match. 

Runners were grouped into three waves with elite men and women in Waves 1 and 2 along with EA Qualifying Masters. Wave 3 for 38 minutes and over.  

Wave 1 started at 10.30am followed by Wave 2 11.10am then Wave 3 at 11.50am. They followed a fast and flat two lap course on gritted paths, getting up a head of steam through the Town Park and the Silkin Way, ready for a final burst at the end. Snow started to fall as Wave 2 made their way around the route and increased for Wave 3 yet spirits remained high in spite of this. 

At the sharp end of the field Alexander Lepretre of Highgate Harriers was like a polar express as he raced across the line to win the 2022 Telford 10K in 28:53. Teammate Jacob Allen was close behind in 28:56 with an impressive run by Conor Bradley of Liverpool Harriers/City of Derry Spartans to finish third in 28:59. 

No less impressive were 33 runners in Wave 1 who finished inside 30 minutes which according to organiser Dave Mansbridge was: “The most in the UK for over 15 years.” 

Swiftly did it for Samantha Harrison of Notts AC who sped across the line to become the women’s winner in 31:10 – a PB and a new course record. Clara Evans of Pontypridd Roadents was second in 32:35 and Gemma Steel of Charnwood AC third in 32:57. 

Check out all the results via the runABC Midlands Race Listings page. 

Excellent performances by the Midlands Men’s and Women’s teams resulted in the Inter-Area 10K titles, much to the delight of team managers Matthew Sydney Long and Claire Martin. 

The weather posed a challenge but Dave Mansbridge and team were up to the task and delivered a well organised event appreciated by all. He says: “We put a lot into it and everything went off really well with people appearing to enjoy themselves. I’d like to thank all the runners for getting to the race from all over the UK and Norway and Sweden despite some difficult driving conditions.”

Image courtesy of John Earlston.