Great Yarmouth Promenade 5M: Finch at the double as Bone cruises to victory

Leanne Finch continued her impressive start to the season by claiming victory at the Great Yarmouth Promenade 5 Mile event on Wednesday – race four in the Sportlink Grand Prix Series.

The Bure Valley Harriers runner produced a strong performance to win in 28:51, setting a new personal best and securing her second victory of this year’s series after her earlier success at the Reedham Ten.

On a flat but exposed seafront course, conditions once again played their part, with runners facing a testing breeze along the promenade.

Finch knew exactly how she needed to approach the race.

“To be honest, it kind of did go to plan,” she told Sportlink TV. “I knew that if I wanted to get anywhere near the time I wanted, I’d have to go out hard.

“The wind was there, but I just felt comfortable going.”

After pushing early, she managed to then push on during the second loop of the course.

“I tried to get into a bit of group, which I did,” she added. “I felt fine until the final mile, and then it was just a case of hanging on, really.

“But I got a PB, which I’m really happy with.”

With two wins from the opening races she has contested, Finch has quickly established herself as one of the leading contenders in this year’s series.

However, she admitted her early success has raised expectations ahead of races two and three in the Yarmouth Promenade 5M Series, organised by the Great Yarmouth Road Runners.

“This is the problem,” she joked. “I had it in my head that I was going to progress as the races went on, and now I think I’ve set the mark a bit too high for myself.

“But I’ll give it a go – hopefully there won’t be a wind next time.”

Finch led home a competitive women’s race, with:

1. Leanne Finch (Bure Valley Harriers) – 28:51

2. Colleen Mukuya (City of Norwich AC) – 31:25

3. Joanne Watkins (Bure Valley Harriers) – 33:08

In the men’s race, Alfie Bone took overall victory in 26:10, producing a controlled run to move clear in the second half of the race.

Bone ran alongside George Gay in the early stages before making his move.

“I stuck with George for the first lap,” he said. “Then after about 3 or 4K, he kicked on a bit, and I just went with it and managed to get ahead.”

Behind him, Gay finished second in 27:07, with Neil Adams (North Norfolk Beach Runners) third in 27:11.

For Bone, the race carried extra meaning, with the event based at the Marina Leisure Centre – where he works.

“It was good,” he said. “I felt like I had a lot of support out there, especially from Waveney Valley, and because I work here as well, it made it even more special.”

Both race winners were also rewarded for their performances, with Finch and Bone each receiving a pair of running shoes from Hoka.

HOKA were in attendance alongside Sportlink, giving runners the opportunity to try on and race in a selection of their latest shoes.

Many took advantage of the chance to test models including:

• Rocket X 3

• Mach X 3

• Mach 7

• Clifton 10

It added another dimension to an already competitive evening, with runners able to experience race-day performance in a real event setting.

Race coverage will be available on Sportlink TV.

Make sure you like and subscribe to the channel for highlights of the event – with the added incentive of a chance to win a pair of HOKA running shoes.

The Sportlink Grand Prix Series now moves on to the next event, the Breckland 10K on May 4, as the competition continues across the region.

Article written by Mark Armstrong Media.