Martyn Bath was forced to dig deep on a lonely run at the front as he opened the 2026 Sportlink Grand Prix Series with victory at the Reedham Ten, grinding out a hard-earned win in 53:09.
The Norwich Road Runners athlete found himself out on his own early in the race but showed trademark discipline and resilience to maintain his pace throughout the undulating ten-mile course, organised once again by Great Yarmouth & District AC in near-perfect January conditions.
Bath’s win, achieved with a PB, marks an ideal start to his Grand Prix campaign and comes with one eye firmly on the spring, with the series – and in particular the Wymondham 20 – set to form a key part of his preparations for the London Marathon, where he is targeting a sub-2:30 performance.
“It was a bit of a lonely race out there,” Bath told Sportlink TV after crossing the line. “But everything went to plan and I was really happy with how it went. It’s hard when you’re on your own – it becomes a mindset thing, just grinding and grinding – but that’s all part of it.”
MORE: Subscribe to Sportlink TV for full race highlights from the Reedham Ten – out early next week!
Behind him, Wymondham AC’s Kyle Brooks produced a strong performance to take second place in 55:13, knocking 28 seconds off his personal best, while Neil Adams of North Norfolk Beach Runners completed the podium in 55:23, also setting a new PB by 11 seconds.
Conditions were notably kind for mid-January, with Bath praising the contrast to last year’s race.
“Today was absolutely perfect,” he said. “Last year was freezing. The roads were good and because I was out on my own I had a clear run – it’s tougher for the runners further back having to negotiate a bit of mud.”
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The victory underlines Bath’s consistency across distances, but his Grand Prix appearances will be shaped by his marathon build-up.
“There’ll be plenty of me,” he added. “But I can’t do everything because of marathon training. I’ll miss some of the shorter races, but Wymondham 20 is definitely next – and then it’s all about London.”
Sign up for the next race in the Sportlink Grand Prix Series – the Mike Groves 10K – here.
Check out the full results for the Reedham Ten at Total Race Timing here.