Report and video - Chichester Corporate Challenge gets off to flyer for 800-plus runners

Exactly 28 years earlier just over 200 runners, all seniors, lined up for what was then a new event in the city.

Since then numbers have increased fourfold, thanks in no small way to the introduction of junior races, but the essence of the event remains the same with almost an equal emphasis on teams as on individuals.

There was a fitting link to the 1992 race as its winner is still going strong and again lining up in the A race. Keith Toop was in his prime in the 1990s and gave the series a fine start with a winning time of 13min 19sec, a few seconds faster than the 2020 winner. Both Toop and his Waitrose team have been back running for the past couple of years.

Corporate Challenge picture specialSenior A&B races

The four-lap format of the 4.5k senior races caught the imagination in the early years and has been popular since. The faster runners start proceedings in the A race and provide a great spectacle of speedy running.

With a number of elite athletes from along the south coast taking part, local runners had their work cut out to stay at the head of the pack.

There was a group of four at halfway with the Solent Endurance pairing of Thomas Walker and Connor Whiting joined at the front by two of Chichester’s best young athletes, Liam Dunne and Ned Potter.

Turning the corner into the final straight Dunne unleashed his track speed to clinch victory by a couple of seconds in a time of 13.30 with Dunne and Potter smashing their own best times from last year.

In the sports team category Chichester’s youth team posted an impressive aggregate time of 55.37 thanks to Will Boutwood and Ben Collins both finishing inside 14.25, giving the quartet a 23-second advantage over Solent Endurance.

In the corporate team category, Chichester District Council, led home by Ben Polhill, took the honours ahead of Midhurst Rother Staff and Cowdray.

The first three women to finish were separated by less than 30 seconds with Portsmouth’s Ellie Farrow finishing in 15.34 and getting the better of Eleanor Harrison and Katie Hopkins.

In the sports team category, Commonwealth Games runner Emma Montiel led Team Purser to a comfortable win over Chichester Casuals with Chichester Youth third.

Primary schools

The evening began as usual with the packed primary races and the Year 6 boys produced one of the most exciting finishes, with just four seconds separating the top four runners.

Casper Wilson from Hiltingbury (4.49) just pipped William Brown from Walberton & Binsted.

In the Year 5 race, there was an outstanding run from Matthew Mainwaring, also from Jessie Younghusband, whose time of 4.44 eclipsed the Year 6 winner. With teammate Jake Courtney third, just behind Kingsham’s Frankie Pope, Jessie Younghusband took team honours in front of Oakwood and Fishbourne.

In the Year 6 girls’ race last year’s year 5 winner, Overton’s Poppy Oliver, won in 4.58, with Maddie Songhurst from Vale second and Grace Haworth third, leading Great Ballard to a team win.

The top two in the Year 5 race both led their teams to the next two places. Iona Sherwood won to lead Jessie Younghusband to second in the standings.

Runner-up Chloe Abell led Aldingbourne into third.

Secondary schools

One disappointment was lower numbers in the secondary school races with both the boys and girls’ fields having fewer than 60 runners.

A clash with the Sussex Year 7 & 8 cross country championships the following day was one reason and organisers hope for larger numbers for the next race night on March 11.

There was a Portsmouth invasion in the secondary girls’ race with sisters Olivia and Florence East from Mayfield School winning their Year 10 and Year 7 age groups, with Olivia (6.57), one of the few runners in the past 20 years inside the seven-minute barrier.

Cerys Dickinson from St Philip Howard was fourth overall and first to break the Hampshire stranglehold.

St Philip Howard and Bishop Luffa share the team honours after race one.

The secondary boys set off at a furious pace with the Year 10 pairing of Cameron Walker-Powell from St Edmunds and Joe Mclarnon from Ditcham Park going through the first of their four 700m laps in 1.53, well under course record pace.

The pair did well to hang on to their places to finish under the nine-minute barrier.

The first Year 9 to finish, Hal Edgar, led his Midhurst Rother team to a combined Year 9/10 victory.

Running in the same race but doing a lap less were the Year 7 & 8 boys with Josh Dunne from Bohunt – brother of main race winner Liam – having a convincing win in the Year 8 race with a speedy 6.49 clocking.

Things were closer in the Year 7 boys’ race with Digby Fulford from Chichester High School just getting the better of Bishop Luffa pairing of Noah Collins and Alex Sydenham.

With teammate Ethan Hill fourth, Bishop Luffa have a clear lead in the team race while St Philip Howard occupy top spot in the Year 8 race.

* Race night number two is on Wedneday, March 11, starting at 6.30pm.