Record Run For Robinson
Great value at Great Bentley Half Marathon
The annual Great Bentley Half Marathon is consistently sold out with a limit of 750 entries so we thought we would take a closer look at this village race that punches well above its weight in the Tendring district of north Essex, approximately seven miles from Colchester.
The race is organised by the local Great Bentley Running Club – membership fee of £25 for up to five training sessions a week. The main club night is Wednesday at Great Bentley Village Hall, which is also the Race HQ for the Great Bentley Half Marathon.
This year's event, on Sunday 5 February, saw 643 finishers in 3:03:38 and a cracking course record by Peter Robinson (Springfield Striders, 1:07:50 PB). The women's course record was set by Helen Davies (Ipswich Jaffa, 1:12:49) in 2019 and looks like it will have a pretty long shelf life.
The race route looks complex on the map but experienced marshals (pictured above) keep everyone on track as runners complete loops on quiet roads that link Great Bentley with Weeley Heath.
Peter Robinson built a winning margin of more than one and a half minutes over runner-up Sam Clayton (Colchester & Tendring AC, 1:09:29) – making his half marathon debut – as Peter Coates (Witham AC, 1:10:07 PB) narrowly missed 70 minutes in third place.
The top three women were Laura Thomas (Ipswich Jaffa, 1:20:49), Jackie Stretton (Springfield Striders, 1:21:27 PB) and W40 Lindsey Colman (Southend on Sea AC, 1:21:32 PB) as the first 120 athletes beat the 90-minute threshold.
There is a handsome medal for all finishers and cakes and sandwiches available at the Village Hall, with plenty of free parking on the village green. Entry fees are stripped back to £25/£27.
This affectionate video by Village Green Pictures encapsulates the key elements and the nature of the course...
The Great Bentley Half Marathon from Callum Simmons on Vimeo.
Results are available via runABC South race listing here.
Image and video courtesy Great Bentley Half Marathon on Facebook