The race weekend got off to a slightly shaky start to say the least, for both the athletes and the managers.
Tom Payn set off for France at a very unsociable hour to meet team members taking part in the Corrida Langueux 10k, only to find out that they had been prevented from boarding their flight out of Nairobi. After hours of negotiations, they were allowed on a different flight but the delay had taken its toll on the group.
Back in Essex, prior to driving down to the English Riviera for the Torbay Half Marathon, Tom Snow treated his car to an oil change and this happened:
Time to call in a favour and head down to the race in a borrowed car!
Thankfully these setbacks didn’t cause too much disruption…
Milton Kiplagat Rotich led the race from the start at the Corrida Langueux 10k, going head to head with Ethiopian athlete Tesfaye Abera in the final leg. Abera narrowly pipped Milton to the post, coming in 28:21 to Milton’s second place time of 28:23.
Across the channel, last year’s winner of the Torbay Half, Tewodros ‘Teddy’ Shiferaw was back to defend his title against team-mate Boniface Kongin.
Despite running into 20mph winds the guys flew off into the distance at the sound of the gun. Both athletes have been in amazing shape but it was relative newcomer Kongin who made it across the line first in 65:21, a new course record. Although second finisher in 65:28, Teddy was still a full five minutes ahead of the third athlete to cross the line.
