16 May 2013

Please note: this news article is in our archive. Articles were correct at time of publication, but should not be relied on for accuracy after the passage of time.

AROUND 300 competitors took part in the first leg of the Sussex Living Mid Sussex Marathon which was hosted by East Grinstead on Saturday 4 May. Competitors tackled a gruelling ten-mile, mostly cross-country, course and the winner finished in a record time of one hour three minutes, despite the lashing rain which came down as  Olympian Richard Leman fired the starting horn.

The second and third legs were run over the succeeding days in Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill. Although not quite as muddy as the inaugural run last year, the hilly ten miles route around East Grinstead proved challenging for runners who also battled strong winds, and tourism officer Dawn Spalding said special thanks were due to the  “fantastic volunteers” who braved the cold and rain to marshal the course, and without whom the race would not have been such a success.

Photo credit Julie Holden