Anthony Clark lined up to take on the slippery and slidey Dorset Invader Marathon course
It would be a fair assessment to say that the Dorset Invader Marathon is not a race to be taken lightly. The course is 95% trail and undulating and measuring at a distance of 28.7 miles, it’s enough to give even Dorset’s finest a real challenge. And that’s before you add into the equation the lengthy spells of rain we’d had in the days leading up to the race, which contributed to making the conditions that much tougher for those brave enough to take it on.
Despite all that though, Anthony Clark made light work of it, coasting to a remarkable win, leaving all the other competitors trailing in his wake. In fact, Anthony’s time of 3 hours 26 minutes and 49 seconds put him over 7 and a half minutes ahead of his nearest rival.
It was a pleasing win for Anthony, who took the tricky off-road course in his stride
Well, I say his nearest rival, but it was in fact a woman who took 2nd place overall, with Mary Menon of Ifracombe finishing in an astonishing time of 3:34:24.
The win was a great way to round off a 100 mile week for Anthony, as he looks to get the mileage back up in preparation for Autumn racing.
The Dorset Invader Marathon completed a 100 mile week for Anthony
Anthony wasn’t the only athlete with BAC connections in the field though. Nick Kenchington was also in action, taking 8th place on the roster in an impressive time of 3:56:11.
Nick is no stranger to tough off-road routes, undertaking a substantial amount of his training on the hilly terrain of the Purbeck. He was also winner of the M50-59 category on the day, finishing just over 3 minutes ahead of his nearest rival who came 9th.
Nick Kenchington was first to finish in the M50-59 category
Andy Gilespie also conquered the tricky course, crossing the line in a time of 5:59:22. Andy isn’t currently at the peak of his powers, having had a lot of family commitments of late. He had also hurt his hip a couple of weeks before the race whilst digging up a tree root in the garden. He noticed the impact right from the off and it didn’t seem to improve as the race went on.
Despite a hip concern, Andy Gillespie battled all the way to the line
Although Andy wasn’t over the moon with his time, the Dorset Invader Marathon is the kind of race where it’s really just an achievement to get across the finish line. His time put him in 163rd position out of a field of 290 and he was 31st in the M50-59 category. Some people took over 9 hours to complete the course, which gives some indication of how tough it was.
Although it was hard work, it should prove valuable to Andy in his preparation for the forthcoming 50k race he has at the 54321 Salisbury on August 13th.
Andy G makes his way down the treacherous trails of East Farm