Baker does like to be beside the prom

James Baker showed his remarkable powers of recovery with a sub-16 minute winning time in the first of this year's Portsmouth Promenade 5k series just ten days after his magnificent tenth place in the Brighton Marathon. Having felt naturally sluggish in the club's track fixture at Eastbourne the previous Saturday, the 35-year-old made light of the blustery conditions to finish clear of the Portsmouth field in 15min 44sec and establish an early lead in the three-race series.

By The Newsroom
Saturday, 5th May 2012, 9:05 am
Updated Thursday, 7th June 2018, 7:41 pm

Having laid down a 2hr 30 marathon time at Brighton, Baker intends to spend the summer concentrating on his speed which he considers an essential ingredient of his preparation for the longer events.

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Behind Baker at Portsmouth were three other Chichester runners - Chris Bird in fifth place in 16.46, Andy Harrop, 53rd in 21.44 and Sue Baker, 93rd overall and first in her over-55 age group in 25.55.