Irish Olympic runner Sonia O’Sullivan gave an international flavour to the annual Surrey road relay championships at Wimbledon Park on Saturday when she helped Thames Hare & Hounds retain the veteran women’s title.
O’Sullivan, 40, showed her undoubted class as she posted the two fastest individual veteran women’s times.
She put Thames on the winning road by completing the opening leg of almost three miles in 17 minutes, nine seconds to hand over more than two minutes clear of Herne Hill’s Bernadette Kavanagh (19:42), with Alison Carpenter (19:55) third for the Thames B team.
Pippa Major (19:12) stretched Thames’s lead on the second leg, with Debbie Jackson (19:15) and Kate Symons (20:24) chasing for the Herne Hill and Thames B teams.
Just 23 minutes after completing the opening leg, O’Sullivan, who lives in East Molesey, was off again, running the third leg for the Thames B team.
This time she was slightly slower, with 17:48, but still managed to lift them into second place just under two minutes behind the Thames A team, for whom Vikki Filsell clocked 19:58. Sarah Allen (20:57) kept Herne Hill in third place.
Over-55 veteran Anna Garnier (19:48) secured victory for Thames, with Rebecca Barrow (20:15) getting Herne Hill back into second place, with Maureen Poole (22:32) bringing Thames’s B team home in third spot.
However, they were not eligible for medals so Ranelagh’s Sonia Rowland (21:06), Louise Piears (21:11), Michelle Gibson (22:21) and Jo Ronaldson (18:55) picked up the bronze.
Results: Veteran women’s teams: 1 Thames Hare & Hounds (holders) 1:16:07; 2 Herne Hill 1:20:09; 3 Thames Hare & Hounds B 1:20:39; 4 Ranelagh1:33:33; 5 Dorking & Mole Valley 1:1:26:08. Fastest laps: 1 Sonia O’Sullivan (Thames Hare & Hounds) 17:09; 2 O’Sullivan 17:48; 3 Jo Ronaldson (Ranelagh) 18:55.
Ranelagh Harriers continued their medal-winning run in the senior women’s relay when they were pipped by South London Harriers in their quest to retain the title they won last year.
Estelle Damant (16:47) got the Petersham-based club off to a good start, before Jo Ronaldson (18:14) kept Ranelagh in silver medal position.
Claire Day (19:12) sneaked past Ranelagh’s Sandra Prosser (20:32) to take Thames Hare & Hounds into second spot on the third stage but Marie Synnott-Wells (18:10) reversed the placings as she moved back into silver position ahead of Thames runner Emily Hogg (18:29).
Results: Senior women’s teams: 1 South London Harriers 1:13:15; 2 Ranelagh 1:13:43; 3 Thames Hare & Hounds 1:14:00; 4 Herne Hill 1:17:54; 5 Hercules Wimbledon 1:18:01; 6 Guildford & Godalming 1:18:50. Fastest laps: 1 Georgie Bruinvels (South London Harriers) 16:31; 2 Estelle Damant (Ranelagh) 16:47; 3 Karen Ellison (17:27).
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