Hayle Runners strike gold and silver in scorching Magnificent 7

Hayle Runners continued their Cornwall Grand Prix campaign with another strong team performance at the Magnificent 7 on Sunday, July 5th, bringing home ladies’ team gold, men’s team silver and an incredible 12 age-category prizes.

Thirty-eight members of the Green Army travelled to Saltash for the eighth race of the GP series, tackling one of the circuit’s toughest events in hot conditions. The seven-mile course took runners through the rolling countryside around Saltash, serving up plenty of challenging climbs alongside spectacular views.

Hayle’s ladies produced a dominant display to claim first place, with all six scoring runners finishing inside the top 20 female competitors. Head coach Melodie Manners led the team home, joined by Charlotte Bennett, Gail Aspden, Fiona O’Neill, Teigan Turner and Tamara Kearney.

The men’s team were involved in a closely fought contest throughout, eventually finishing just two points behind Truro Running Club to secure second place. Daniel Millington, Peter Barnes, Neil Hayhurst, Steven Wherry, Samuel Little and Andrew James combined to earn another podium finish for the club.

There was further success across the age categories, with Hayle Runners collecting 12 podium places.

For the ladies, Teigan Turner claimed second place in the Under-35 category, while Tamara Kearney took bronze. Melodie Manners won the 35-39 category, Charlotte Bennett topped the 50-54 age group and Gail Aspden secured victory in the 55-59 category.

The men’s awards saw Peter Barnes take third place in the 40-44 category, Neil Hayhurst finish second and Andrew James third in the 45-49s, Scott Abraham claim bronze in the 50-54 category and Ian Curnow secure third in the 55-59s. Steven Wherry won the 60-64 category and Stewart Townend rounded off the honours with third place in the 80+ category.

There were plenty of personal achievements despite the soaring temperatures. Mark Squire knocked two minutes off his previous course best, Sam Kearney improved by four minutes and Andrew James produced the biggest improvement of the day with a remarkable six-minute course personal best.

There was also special congratulations for Samuel Little, who earned a place in the Hayle men’s scoring team for the first time.

“Mag 7 has a well-earned reputation as a great hilly challenge, but those seven miles can feel a lot longer when the sun is beating down on you in the middle of the day.

“To win the ladies’ team competition with all six scorers finishing inside the top 20 was a fantastic achievement, and for the men to miss out on victory by just two points shows how competitive the racing was.

“I’m also delighted to see Samuel make the men’s team for the first time and to see so many members producing course PBs in conditions that were anything but ideal. It was another brilliant day for the Green Army.”

Richard Collett
Club Chairman

Hayle Runners would like to thank Tamar Trotters, the marshals, volunteers and supporters for organising another fantastic edition of the Magnificent 7.