Claire Martin is a record breaker

A record number of 381 athletes completed the 33rd running of the race, which is the second event in the DRE & Co sponsored 35th Sexarathon Series of six midweek races held between April and September, but it was Martin who was once again the standout performer.

The Telford AC and Great Britain runner smashed her previous course record as she took the ladies’ race in a superb time of 17 minutes 28 seconds – five seconds faster than her previous best set in 2015.

Martin, from Aqueduct, has won the race four straight years since it moved to a new course that starts in Dawley High Street and involves three laps covering five kilometres.

The race, which has been organised by Dave Jackson on behalf of Telford Athletic Club for all 33 years, was first held on the streets around the former Phoenix School.

On police advice due to increased traffic it was moved on to the school playing fields and when the school was demolished and rebuilt in the centre of Dawley, the event moved to its new home in the town centre four years ago.

Martin’s time was good enough to finish 24th overall as she bids to add to her record haul of 11 overall Sexarathon titles.

The second woman home was over a minute-and-a-half behind with Jacqui Phillips, from Trisk Triathlon Club near Kidderminster, finishing in 19.05.

Beth Tabor (Wolverhampton and Bilston) was third in 19.28, with Telford AC’s Lucie Tait-Harris fourth in a time of 19.41.

The 2013 Sexarathon champion Jackie Halford (Wolverhampton and Bilston) was fifth and Rachel Coupe gave Telford AC three runners in the top six as she finished in 20.11.

Sam Mitchell, representing Nottingham Athletic Club, was an impressive winner of the men’s race.

Mitchell, an RAF officer cadet based at Cosford, was always in the lead group and gradually pulled away to win in the second fastest time ever as he stopped the clock in 15.34, just 15 seconds slower than Phil Nicholls winning time last year.

The 27-year-old, an England international 1500m runner who ran for his country last year, boasts personal bests of 1.50 for 800m and 3.46 for 1500m.

Stuart Hawkes (Tipton Harriers) the joint winner of last year’s Sexarathon Series and recent winner of the Brighton Marathon was second in 15.52.

After his third place at Lilleshall in the first race of the Series, Hawkes now leads the overall standings.

Shrewsbury AC’s Paul Jones, who was second in the race in 2015, ran 13 seconds faster this year to complete the top three with a time of 16.03.

Christian Evans was the first Telford AC runner home in fourth (16.13).

He was just three seconds ahead of his team-mate Dylan Gillett, winner of the recent Shropshire under-20 men’s 1500m title, who finished fifth in 16.16.

Tipton’s Tom Holden, who was second at Lilleshall, had to settle for sixth this time after clocking 16.17.

Telford AC’s Matt Costello followed up his personal best for 10k at Market Drayton the week before, with a 5km best of 16.18 to take seventh – an amazing 52 seconds faster than last year.

Craig Standrin (16.26) was eighth and Jonathan Hockey (16.28) 10th as Telford packed five men in the top 10.

As well as runners finishing in the first six in the men’s and women’s races, prizes were also presented by Councillor Malcolm Randall to the other age group winners.

The next race in the DRE & Co Sexarathon Series is the Shropshire 4 at the Shropshire Golf Club, Muxton on Wednesday, June 7 at 7.30pm. Details are available on www.telfordathleticclub.co.uk