On a lovely May morning, 200 runners from all over Kent and Sussex took part in the Rye 10 race. Held on May 29, this covers 10 miles, and is the only race of that length in Sussex. Organised in conjunction with the Peasmarsh Memorial Hall Committee, to help raise funds for the refurbished village hall, the racd takes place over a measured course and goes through some stunning countryside. Using the little country lanes, beautiful at this time of year, it is actually a tough challenge. The route is hilly all the way round with some steeper climbs to test the runners. It starts and finishes in Peasmarsh,at Jempson’s superstore and the usually empty car park was buzzing with people of all ages and running experience this Sunday.
Nice Work, who organise road running events in the UK and overseas, did their usual efficient job of placing marshals and drink stations and ensuring the overall safety of the event. Marshals were sent out to strategic points all along the route, to ensure the runners followed the correct path and none fell by the wayside. The event started at 10am prompt and the first three runners came through the 4.5 mile mark about 28 minutes later. A number of the participants were from Rye Runners, seen to be in the early part of the race. The last 4 or 5 runners came along about 11:10am. Some turned the corner, saw the hill and dropped to a walk for a little way, whilst others shot through at high speed.
The winner by only 2 seconds from the second place was Tom Mullen of Haywards Heath Harriers, whose time was 1 hour, 1 minute and 5 seconds (01.01.05). The first lady and 16th overall was Sue Fry of Hailsham Harriers, with a time of 1 hour 6 minutes and 38 seconds (01.06.38). Medals for all and prizes were awarded  on the day. Even the marshals were given medals! I am not entirely sure they were really deserved, as all the effort came from the participants, but a really nice thought for that (relatively) early morning start.
Photo: Gillian Roder