WESTON AC’s Kieron Summers finished top local runner in the Newport marathon on Sunday – and set a personal best in the process.
The over 45 veteran athlete made the top ten in a pretty decent race – 16 runners inside 2hrs 40mins, 52 under 2:50 and 160 under three hours underling the quick course and excellent organisation – clocking 2hrs 36mins 25secs to win his age group award.
Furthermore, Summers’ time clipped 56 seconds off the PB he ran at the Shepperdine marathon, Berkely, in April, which itself was a 1min 35secs improvement on his 2019 time set at the Yorkshire marathon.
It is the second fastest time by an M45 runner in the South West this year behind Poole AC’s Brian Underwood, who ran a PB of 2:31.53 at the Manchester marathon earlier this month.
Bristol & West’s Aled Anderson followed up his PB of 75:20 in the Bristol half marathon last month with a solid 2:43.40 on his marathon debut to finish 23rd while clubmate Greg Chance recorded 2:50.03 on his first attempt at the distance.
Peter Leach of Emersons Green Running Club had a terrific result as he smashed his four-year-old PB by almost five minutes with a time of 2:48.59.
Chris Palmer of Westbury Harriers marked his marathon debut with a time of 2:58.14.
Newport marathon – men: 1 Adam Bowden (Bridgend) 2:20:06.
LOCAL: 7 Kieron Summers (Weston, M45 1st) 2:36.25 (PB); 23 Aled Anderson (B&W) 2:43.40; 44 Peter Leach (Emersons Green RC) 2:48.59 (PB); 50 Matt Wells (Team Bath, M40) 2:49.48; 52 Greg Chance (B&W, M40 12th) 2:50.03; 79 Ben Haines (Weston, M45 16th) 2:54.34; 85 Andy Bush (ERC, M40 19th) 2:55.29; 109 Chris Palmer (Westbury, M40 27th) 2:58.14; 110 Martin Wheeler (Weston, M50 2nd) 2:58.30.
Women: 1 Rebecca Gallop (Newark, W35) 2:44.07.