Steyning Festival of Sport: Back to 2009, when a major Easter Monday event had to be hastily rearranged

The Steyning Festival of Sport combined traditional walking and running races in High Street with the National Duathlon Ranking Series, where athletes hoped to qualify for the European championships in Budapest.

It was an eventful year, with the Duathlon having to be hastily rearranged after a six-vehicle crash on the A283 outside Steyning closed part of the cycling course. No athletes were involved but police closed the road for an hour, meaning the event had to be halted. The 7km run section was unaffected but the planned 36km cycle to Washington, Findon and Ashington had to be diverted then restarted, with the elite group setting off at timed intervals towards Henfield.

The 180 competitors finished with another gruelling run and James Gilfillan from Bournemouth claimed victory in one hour 25 minutes. In the women’s event, Hampshire Police officer Kat Grimmett made it three wins from three ranking series events. Billingshurst competitor Jon Meadows was the first local athlete home in 22nd with teammate Tony Harris in 52nd, both gaining selection to the Europeans.

Race director Mick Dicker was full of praise for the organising team and said it was a brilliant event, bringing elite athletes from far and wide and top-class racing to the streets of Steyning. Several Steyning Athletic Club members stepped up to the mark to qualify for Budapest, including Jon Brook, Carol Killick and Dave Tibbals.

Competitors of all ages and abilities were able to take part in the festival, which included historic walking and running races, as well as a junior aquathlon for the first time.

One event that did not take place, however, was the traditional 15-mile Steyning Easter Monday Walk, dating back to 1903. This attracted big fields in its heyday and was cancelled only due to the war in its first 100 years but from the 1990s onwards, numbers consistently fell each year, with the exception of the centenary in 2003.