The Somerset Pharmacy ten kilometre handicap was run Sunday on a tough hilly course utilising Somerset’s Back Cam Road.
The event gave runners their second last chance to record a win for the season and so was keenly contested with the first twelve runners finishing within two minutes.
Donna Allen was the first runner away and ran her best race to date, leading until the last kilometre until overtaken by another frontmarker in David Wright.
Two strong middlemarkers in Andrew Hay and Jason Scott, who were among the pre-race favourites, were looking likely to fight out the finish as they soon hit the lead but in the last five hundred metres Simon Gates charged past to break the tape.
This was the second victory for the Somerset athlete, in his five years with the Club, the previous being a five kilometre event at Devonport two years ago. He has been in good form all year and now will set his sights on some longer upcoming events.
Scott finished second just in front of Hay with the very backmarker, Jono Price finishing fourth and recording fastest time of 38:41.
Other eye-catching performances were recorded by Keegan Powell and Symone Denby while Wright hung on for seventh and Allen finished twelfth..
The fastest female was Lyn Saint-John. She was also the fourth fastest overall.
Nominated time winners were Theo and Milla Price, and Mitchell and Hannah Elphinstone.