Katie Vargeson (Lonely Goat RC) marked her return to racing with a brilliant performance at the Dereham 10 Mile, winning the women’s race in 1:03:15 in warm and blustery conditions.
The race, hosted by Dereham AC, formed race five of the Sportlink Grand Prix Series and saw 332 runners take part.
Vargeson edged out Rebecca Moore, who finished just six seconds behind in 1:03:21, while Becky Hills secured third place in 1:04:56.
A welcome return to form
Speaking at the finish, Vargeson said she hadn’t been expecting quite such a strong result after a recent injury.
“I haven’t got my gun time yet, but it sounds like a PB – so yes, I’m definitely happy with that!
“It was really hot out there, though,” she added. “I was running alongside someone from my club so we worked as a bit of a team and there was such a lot of support out on the course, which was awesome.”
Bouncing back from a broken toe
The victory is all the sweeter given that she’s only just returning from time off due to injury.
“I broke a toe four weeks ago, so I’ve only recently been getting back into it. It’s been uncomplicated, thankfully, and this has been a great morale booster.”
Eyes on the autumn
Vargeson now turns her focus to longer distances later in the year.
“We’ve got a half marathon coming up in October, so I think that will be the next target,” she said.
Check out the latest standings in the Sportlink Grand Prix Series here.