Martyn Bath claimed victory at the Wymondham 20 on Sunday, securing his second win of the 2026 Sportlink Grand Prix Series.
The Norwich Road Runners athlete crossed the line in 1:50:15, adding to his earlier win at the Reedham Ten and continuing an impressive run of form.
A race that came quicker than expected
Set on a scenic, undulating two-lap route through Wymondham and the surrounding villages, the Wymondham 20 is a key fixture in the Norfolk running calendar.
Often used as a stepping stone towards spring marathons such as London and Manchester, it provides a valuable test of endurance and pacing.
For Bath, however, the race unfolded slightly differently than planned.
“Yeah, that was good today,” he said after crossing the line ahead of Colchester Harriers AC’s Kim Bowling in second (1:51:39) and City of Norwich AC’s James Senior in third (1:51:55)
“I was a bit tired from that… especially that hill at the end!”
Building towards London
With the London Marathon just weeks away, Bath had originally intended to treat the race as part of a wider training block rather than an all-out effort.
“That’s all part of the plan,” he explained.
“I didn’t want to run as fast as I did today, but I was in a group for the first half and felt good.
“We were going a bit faster, but you don’t want to be left alone, do you?
“So I stayed with them, and then without realising, picked it up in the second half of the race to finish quite strong.”
The result was a controlled but competitive performance – one that will give him confidence heading into the final weeks of marathon preparation.
Managing the marathon block
Like many runners deep into marathon training, Bath is balancing performance with the physical demands of a heavy training load.
“It’s hard,” he admitted. “I’m sort of holding it together. I’ve got a bit of a dodgy knee, as you do when you’re marathon training.
“But it’s never too bad on the day where it matters.
“For the important stuff, it seems to hold together, which is a good thing.”
A key race in the series
As Race 3 in the Sportlink Grand Prix Series, the Wymondham 20 once again showcased the strength of the Norfolk running community.
The GP Series now heads into a busy spell next month starting with race one in the Great Yarmouth Promenade 5M Series before four races in May – the Breckland 10K, Aylsham 10K, Fighter 5K and the Holt 10K, which you can buy your place for here.
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Sportlink support
Sportlink is a Norwich-based running store run by runners for runners, offering expert gait analysis and supporting the Norfolk running community through the Sportlink Grand Prix Series.
Article provided by Mark Armstrong Media.