Joe Skipper claimed victory at the Dereham 10 Mile this morning, leading home a field of 332 runners in 53:50 on a warm spring morning in Norfolk.
The popular race, hosted by Dereham AC, formed race five in the Sportlink Grand Prix Series and delivered competitive action at the front of the field despite the rising temperatures.
Second place went to Martin Westley of Harlow Running & Tri Club in 55:48, while Kyle Brooks of Wymondham AC took third spot in 56:31.
Hot tempo effort for triathlon star
Skipper, one of Britain’s top triathletes and a familiar name on the Norfolk racing scene, used the event as a high-end training effort ahead of a key racing block.
“It went pretty well,” he told Sportlink TV. “I’d say it was probably the minimum I would have expected today. I was thinking it would be in the 53s if I had a good run – under 53 minutes ideally – but it was quite hot out there, and that took the edge off a bit, especially on the climbs.
“It wasn’t a great run, but it wasn’t a bad one either – just average. There’s one climb two-thirds of the way in that’s a real killer. It comes at a point where you’re feeling pretty bad and you can’t push too hard or you’ll be dying in the last two miles. It’s definitely an honest course.”
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Building towards Ironman Austria
Sunday’s race was the final hit-out for Skipper before heading overseas for altitude training.
“I’m off to Font Romeu tonight for three weeks. I leave around 2 or 3 in the morning! This race was just a decent, hard threshold effort before I go. Then I’ll come back and 11 days later I’ll be racing Ironman Austria, which is the next big goal.”
Next stop: Wroxham 5K
The Sportlink Grand Prix Series continues at Norwich Road Runners’ Wroxham 5K on Wednesday, July 2. The event is sold out but you can join the waiting list here.
Subscribe to Sportlink TV for all the race highlights and interviews.