Judy Ray has held off a determined challenge from Keegan Powell to win the Professional Cross Country Club’s Cradle Coast Sports and Events 7 kilometre handicap at Don on Sunday.
Ray, of Penguin, won by just 2 seconds with a further 7 seconds to Ewan Troughton in the closest and most exciting race of the season so far. The first 13 runners finished within a minute of each other.
Ray gave Powell almost 2 minutes start but caught him with about 2 kilometres to race when she took the lead. Powell, not to be outdone, refused to concede and it was only in the last 200 metres that Ray knew she had the race won. Troughton was storming home and probably would have won had the race been a little further.
Backmarkers Thomas Murton and the evergreen Greg Smith were the next finishers.
A large field of 97 runners competed in the race which started at the Don Recreation Ground and utilised walking tracks in the Don Reserve.
Ray had two previous wins to her name, the last being in 2012. She was thrilled to win again and attributed the victory to the running shoes her brother had bought her as a gift in the USA. But consistent hard work and getting over a bout of asthma and hay fever no doubt played a bigger role.
Race favourite Louise Morse ran a creditable 13th while Andrew Lucas and Evan Brett indicated a win for them is close.
Thomas Murton was the fastest male, while Sally Haynes was fastest female.
1 Comment
Stuart Wilson · 10 April 2016 at 7:15 PM
Looks like a very well handicapped race to me! Well done to the person responsible sorry i couldn’t make it 6 stiches in leg wound under doc’s orders! Cheers Stu Wilson hope to be back next week