Bristol & West, Elswick and Mansfield among the winners at a windy Mallory Park on Saturday

Bristol’s M35s and W55s, Elswick’s W45s and Mansfield’s M45s all retained their titles at a windswept Mallory Park as the vets’ relay managed to compete against the cacophony and multiple laps being run by competitors in the Anglo-Celtic Plate 50km and 100km ultras.

The same venue also saw the open Livingstone relays held over the same laps for various age groups and their veteran races competed with the British Masters for entries and had 20 men’s and 24 women’s masters teams competing before the BMAF events and had top veteran Gemma Steel presenting their prizes.

Men

Bristol’s senior men haven on a roll this past winter concluding with their win in the National 12-stage relay at Sutton Park in April and here, the youngest vets age group added to the trophy cupboard, which they said was bursting at the seams.

After winning the opening three-mile-long up and down circuit of the M35 age group six-stage event, through David Awde’s 15:20 run out, they retained their title after leading throughout.

Awde said: “I had to go on the hill and am pleased to have been selected for the Masters’ 5km international event.”

It was quite a tight first leg as Long Eaton’s William Lun-Pigula recovered from a slower start than some, to take his club second on that opener, in 15:26, but neither they nor eventual silver-medallists Sale had any answers as Bristol went on their merry way.

They finished off with Ben Robinson’s race quickest 14:21.

Robinson, who was a member of that winning National senior 12-stage team, said: “That was good and 12-13 seconds faster than last year.”

That was when he anchored his club 12 months earlier.

It was Sale, though who had the next fastest runners as Nigel Martin’s 14:49 was second best but was made in a forlorn chase of Robinson on that last leg. They also had the third fastest timer as Nicholas Barry’s mid-race 15:13 took them closer to the front but it was Bristol who had the more balanced squad.

Mansfield Harriers also retained their title, this time in the M45 four stage event, as Dan Bailey and fastest age group runner Dan Nugent gave them a solid start. They lost ground in the second half of the event as City of Leeds closed but victory was theirs by 11 seconds at the line.

The first race away had been that for the over-55 men and Brighton’s Phoenix club ran out winners, but had to come from behind as John Walton again popped in the fastest age group lap for Leeds, with a 16:55 split. This came on the first leg, as Bristol’s Matthew Robinson followed him home for a second quickest 17:09.

Walton said of the wind: “It’s the same for everybody,” as Robinson added: “It was horrible.”

Steve Atkinson took over in the lead for Phoenix mid-race and said: “I caught him on the hill with about half-a-mile to go.”

However, and with a better-balanced squad, Phoenix went further ahead on leg three and finished off with multi-world track medallist Adrian Haines to claim victory over Leeds. Bristol chipped in with Phil Parry, whose 17:15 was third best, but they had lost ground mid-race.

Oxford City led throughout the M65 race after Brian Green’s opening 19:49 was adjudged the quickest and Thames Hare & Hounds managed to complete an M75 threesome.

There were troubles with the results on the day as the link between event chip timing, Open Track, and the BMAF left much to be desired and there are still some gaps but Athletics Weekly have put together a result gained from composite sources.

M35 (8x3M): 1 D Awde 15:20, M Battensby 15:19, A Burleigh 15:52, A Grigg 16:09, R Stewart 15:37, B Robinson 14:21); 2 Salford 93:30 (B Lima 15:31, M Latham 16:07, Runner 3 15:23, Runner 4 15:58; Runner 5 15:34; Runner 6 14:55); 3 Sale 94:13 (W Onek 16:14, P Richardson 16:23, S Henderson 15:54, N Barry 15:13, D Proctor 15:36, N Martin 14:49); 4 Long Eaton 96:52; 5 Aldershot 98:41; 6 Newark 1:50:57

Fastest: Robinson 14:21; Martin 14:49; Runner 6 (Salf) 14:55

M45 (4x3M): 1 Mansfield 64:31 (J Bailey 15:56; D Nugent 15:39; Runner 3 16:45; Runner 4 16;10); 2 Leeds 64:42 (M Burrett 16:21, A Buckley 16:23, Runner 3 15:51, Runner 4 16:06) 3 BRAT 66:03 (M Ince 16:14, A Tsolakis 16:53, Runner 3 17:04, Runner 4 15:51); 4 Tonbridge 66:53; 5 Salford 68:17; 6 AFD 69:52

Fastest: Nugent 15:39

M55 (3x3M): 1 Phoenix 54:17 (A Tribe 18:22, S Atkinson 19:03, A Haines 17:51); 2 Leeds 54:00 (J Walton 16:55, P Townsend 19:55, M Roscoe 17:50); 3 Bristol & West 54:50 (M Robinson 17:09, A Roper 20;25, P Parry 17:15); 4 Bedford & C 55:27; 5 Tonbridge 56:13; 6 Redhill RR 56:44

Fastest: Walton 16:55; Robinson 17:09; Parry 17:15

M65 (3x3M): 1 Oxford C 62:15 (B Green 19:49, G Puglisi 21:08, B Vaughan 21:17); 2 Yate & Sodbury 70:11; 3 Datchet Dashers 71:37

Fastest: Greem 19:49; J Goodland (B&W) 20:41; Puglisi 21:08

M75 (3x3M): 1 Thames Hare & Hounds 88:36 (D Jenkins 29:30, M Johnson (M80) 27:59, P Newby (M80) 30:58)

Fastest: Johnson 27:59

Women

Aldershot’s W35 squad regained the title that they had won at Mallory Park in 2023 and led throughout their four-stage event, after Abbie Curtis had given them an initial lead. The daughter of Paula Fudge, the inaugural women’s senior 5000m record holder and 1978 Commonwealth 3000m champion, clocked 18:02.

She then handed over to Clare Rees and they went on to win by just over a minute from Lincoln Wellington.

Natalie Burns anchored for the Lincoln club with the fastest W35 split of 17:39.

Up an age group, Elswick Harriers retained their W45 title, over three legs and, again, had Justina Heslop fastest overall with a 17:59 split, a time that bettered all of those in the younger age group.

Their Judith Nautt had trailed Aldershot’s Amy Kerr and Macclesfield’s Kristy Gill on stage one before the north easterners sealed things with a five-minute victory.

READ MORE: British 100km Champs coverage

Bristol & West led throughout the W55 event to retain their title as Sarah Everett’s opening 19:32 was quickest overall as team mates Clare Jolliffe and Louise Cronin completed the three quickest laps.

Everett lamented the low turnout and said: “It’s a pity that they aren’t more teams here.”

The newish club Yate & Sodbury finished two of the five teams in the W65 age group as their Mary Derrick’s 22:55 on the opening stage was fastest overall. They finished off with Marian Grace who, last month, was fourth in the World Masters W65 indoor 3000m championships in Florida.

Women W35 (4x3M): 1 AFD 74:52 (A Fudge 18:02, C Rees 19;17, Runner 3 19:30, Runner 4 18:02); 2 Lincoln Wellington 75:36 (C Cooney 18:57, J Broadbent 19:02, S Parkinson 19:56, N Burns 17:39); 3 Sale 78:20 (R Rhozhdestvenskaya 18:19, J Welsh 19;56, L Cooke 18:59, B Degeffa 21:04); 4 Birchfield 81:17; 5 Holme Pierpont 83:29; 6 Redhill Roadrunners 87:23   

Fastest: Burns 17:39; Fudge/Runner 4 (AFD) 18:02

W45 (3x3M): 1 Elswick 59:52 (J Nutt 20;12, A Banner 21:40, J Heslop 17:59); 2 Mansfield 64:59; 3 Stockport 67:24

Fastest: Heslop 17:59; A Kerr (AFD) 19:26; K Gill (Macc) 19:43

W55 (3x3M): 1 B&W 60:54 (S Everett 19:32, C Jolliffe 20:02, L Cronin 21;18); 2 Datchet D 67:17; 2 Steel City 70:17

Fastest: Everett 19:32

W65 (3x3M): 1 Yate & Sodbury 70:45 (M Derrick 22:25, C Lavis 24:25, M Grace 23:25); 2 Steel C 75:43; 3 Datchet Dashers 76:43

Fastest: Derrick 22:25; Grace 23:25; L Hedworth (Win RC) 23:45