Runners will rise to Challenge for a Chichester city centre race spectacular

More than 40,000 finishers have crossed the line since the first fairly modest race in February 1992 and anything up to 800 runners of all ages will contest the eight races this Wednesday (Feb 26). The second and third race nights follow on March 11 and 25.

What started off as a seniors-only event now attracts almost as many juniors from primary age groups right up to sixth formers and college students, although the older ones run in the 4500m senior race.

There is almost as much emphasis on team results as individual performances in the senior event which is split into A and B races, purely to enable the range of runners to be able to negotiate the tight four-lap city centre circuit.

There could be new winners in both the corporate and sports categories as neither DSTL Portsdown nor the Solent MD sports team had submitted entries at the time of going to press.

However local teams Cawley Crawlers, Chichester District Council and Rolls Royce are sure to be in the mix again this year in the corporate category.

Sports team-wise, the City of Portsmouth team are always a threat although Chichester’s group of homegrown under-20s will be hard to beat if they reproduce the form they have shown this winter.

Last year’s women’s team winners, Bosham school staff, will again be lining up, while the Chichester casual sports team have lost the services of two key members, now away at university.

As far as individuals are concerned, both the men’s and women’s course records will be hard to beat.

The men’s best time is still that of American doctor Chris Zablocki, who shaved a single second off Mike East’s time with a 12min 38sec clocking in 2016, while Zara Hyde’s time of 14.15 goes back a further 20 years to 1996 and has prevailed against attacks from a number of GB internationals in the years since.

There were three sub-13.15 times last year and it will be interesting to see if anyone can join the exclusive band who have broken the 13-minute barrier.

Each evening starts with the popular primary schools races which now needs separate races for Years 5 and 6 boys and girls, such is the demand for places.

Last year Bishop Tufnell came out on top winning both the boys’ and girls’ team races with the girls winning by a record margin of three minutes-plus.

The runners-up, Downview and Jessie Younghusband, always give a good account of themselves and should be in contention once again.

With the Year 6 pupils from last year now having gone up into the secondary races, last year’s top Year 5s should feature at the head of things, Stanley Wilkes and Poppy Taylor.

Team-wise, the secondary schools’ races were dominated by three schools in 2019: Midhurst Grammar, St Philip Howard and Bishop Luffa, although new faces may well appear this year.

For the Year 10 pupils in particular it will mark the end of junior participation and a final opportunity to set fast times to get themselves into the all-time rankings.

Olivia East of Mayfield won last year’s girls’ Year 9 race from of Cerys Dickinson from St Philip Howard by a substantial margin while in the boys’ event, Cameron Walker-Powell from Mayville High had just four seconds to spare over Joe McLarnon from Ditcham Park.

There is still time to enter and entry forms can be found on the Chichester Runners website, together with past results. Queries can be addressed to race director Phil Baker by email to [email protected]