It’s over!  And they’re both losing the plot big-time!  Viv Bray and Graham Storer finished over six minutes apart on Sunday, so look out John and Danny, as Viv was within 10 secs of you two and closing.

Graham’s must be feeling very depressed in his built up for the Berlin Marathon on the 30 September, as he ran the Treggy, the Grizzly and the grizzlier Truro Half on consecutive weekends, which might have partially accounted for the big gap!

Viv, earning the name that comes up when I enter ‘Viv’ into a text message in predictive text on my mobile(!), scouted the Truro course a week early and reported back that “It’s easier than before!”  Fortunately, few of us believed him and I think it was probably the toughest road course I’ve done in 30 years.  Viv went totally the wrong way the previous week of course or rather off course.

Anyway, to the race!  Noel went off hard up the first hill and rapidly opened a biggish gap over Dave, who’d been caught by Jim Cole of Tavistock and Rob Keal of Redhill Runners, Nottingham.  Noel proceeded to run faster than anyone up the hills, apart from a 4-5 second stop each time there was a steep one, to stretch his calves!  As steep hills were plentiful, he must have stopped at least 6-7 times by the finish.  This meant Jim and I gradually caught him, with Jim forging on to an uncomfortable win (nothing’s comfortable on that monster) and me eventually easing away from Noel, who hung on for 3^rd place.

Behind this, Jon Keast and Matt Pullen were having a race long battle, with Jon coming out on top, this time in 4^th place to Matt’s 5^th position and both somehow setting personal bests!  Adrian Ball followed them home in 9th, nearly earning a whack from me for loudly proclaiming he loved that and had loads of energy left at the finish.  He’s certainly running well again after his prolonged layoff and if he lives much longer, he’s going to get fitter still.

Next came Shaun Tozer, running only his second race for us, in a T shirt and with an I-pod!  Will have to have a serious word with that boy!  Anyway, he comes up and says hello to me, then says he hasn’t got hold of a CAC vest yet, right in front of Pete Sargent of all people!  Needless to say he didn’t score in the team race, so bringing the first team home for an easy team victory was Jason Pascoe in 15^th.  Jason’s great on the uphills but doesn’t like downhills, so he was half okay.

I might not have won the race, but I did have an even more unusual success afterwards, when Justin Thomas who had a good run in 24^th, four minutes quicker than at Indian Queens, actually coughed up some hard cash for a previous race entry.

Paul Chesterfield ran well, just two weeks after his Rutland Half Ironman, finishing 38th to just beat off Dave Southby, who dipped under 1.5 hours for the first time in 41^st place.  Another big personal best was set by Dave Norton, who is improving at an incredible rate, beating his Indian Queens time by over 8 minutes and coming 75^th.  Adam Tatlow brought some sanity back to the times, paying for a lazy summer by running 9 mins slower than at Launceston in 82^nd.  Next was Suzy Bosustow with another peresonal best time, 10 minutes quicker than last year and finishing a fine 4^th place in the ladies race, her highest Grand Prix finish so far but have no fear,there will be much more to come

Pete Torr ran a solid 1.38.54 for 102^nd place, then there was a gap until Viv chased in John Holden in 155^th and Dan Marsh 156^th.  After the race, he was obviously in a hurry to put on his Betty Stoggs outfit again in time for the presentation and to impress Graham and the boys!  John and Danny, be very worried!  Graham trailed in 6 mins behind in 222nd, with Andy Reynolds next in looking very sprightly in 268^th.  John Ball made a post-fatherhood comeback on the quiet and chose probably the wrong race, after obviously not a lot of training, coming lower down the field than usual in 281^st place.

Jill Curtis, missing Ken, who is talking (or drinking) himself out of quite a few races these days, ran 3 mins faster than at Indian Queens in 434^th and Sam Alexander had yet another good run in 460^th, leading in a soon-to-be new member (though she doesn’t know it yet!), Deborah Nott, who, despite having major worries before the start, cruised round the hills to finish 463^rd, beating over one hundred of the field.

Special mention to Dave Angilley who didn’t feel well and dropped out at 5 miles.  By 10 miles nobody was feeling well (apart from b….. Adrian).

578 finishers