This time last year we reviewed two traditional Easter 10-mile road races, both held on Good Friday and both previously run by runABC South reporter Alan Newman. So how did the Maidenhead Easter 10 and the Folkestone 10 fare this Good Friday (7 April)?

You can check out our 2022 report where Alan reminisces about running his first-ever road race at Maidenhead and also competing 40 years later at Folkestone in an almost identical time – around 68 minutes. Both races were held in scorching conditions and Alan vowed never to race 10 miles on the road again after his baptism of fire in 1973 – but he's still going strong!

This year's Maidenhead Easter 10 was the 68th running and the course is now a mixture of pavement, quiet lanes, and cycleway from Maidenhead Business Park with a total ascent of 70 metres. The race is promoted by Maidenhead Athletic Club (founded in 1884) and the entry fee is £25/£27. There is also an Easter Mile and Easter Half Mile for children on fully closed roads.

The top three at Maidenhead were Liam Busby (Wycombe Phoenix Harriers, 52:30), Fin Dyer (Belgrave Harriers, 52:55) and M40 Luke Delderfield (Tring RC, 53:04). The women's race was won by W40 Sophie Delderfield (Vale of Aylesbury AC) in just 13 seconds over the hour from Melissah Gibson (Ealing Eagles, 1:00:51) and Charlotte Ragan (Basingstoke & Mid Hants AC, 1:02:25).

There were 35 runners inside 60 minutes at Maidenhead and Alan's 68:00 from 1972 would have placed him 128th on gun times (there were no chip times 50 years ago!). A total of 763 finished in 2:18:44 – just two less than last year.

So let's teleport ourselves to the Kent coast for the 38th Folkestone 10, starting 30 minutes after Maidenhead at 10:00am. Entries cost £18/£20 and there were junior races over 500m and 1500m. The 10-mile route is predominantly on a flat, traffic-free promenade between Hythe and Folkestone and fast times are possible if it's not too windy. Folkestone Running Club has put this race on since 1984 and this year there were 661 finishers in 3:20:20, an improvement on last year's 557 runners.

Alan's notional 68:00 (he wishes!) comes in at 78th position as 25 runners beat the hour. However, Folkestone takes the gold for pace at the front as Dean Lacy (Cambridge Harriers, 51:40) won from Barry Stephenson (Dartford Harriers, 53:07) and Dillon Hobbs (Tunbridge Wells Harriers, 54:20).

The women's trophy was retained by Tonbridge AC W40 master Helen Gaunt in a terrific PB 58:13 – ninth overall and the fastest over-40 UK time this year and the best UK W40 time since Alyson Dixon (Sunderland Strollers) ran 57:07 at Thirsk in March 2020. Charlotte Johnson (Maidstone Harriers, 1:03:03) and Nicole Priestley (unattached, 1:05:08) completed the female podium.

runABC South race listing has full results from both Maidenhead Easter 10 and Folkestone 10.

Image courtesy Maidenhead AC on Facebook