Bryn Smith was competing in the Newark Half Marathon
Making a welcome return to the racing scene at the Newark Half Marathon, Bournemouth AC‘s Bryn Smith produced a solid performance over the flat, fast, closed-road course despite looking as though he’d been in the wars a bit.
Bryn’s last outing had been back in July at the Lordshill 10k, where he clocked 35:44 to finish as the club’s third scorer. With a half marathon PB of 1:11:24, set at the Edinburgh Marathon Festival in 2022, he headed to Newark with a decent bit of pedigree over the longer distance.
The start of the Newark Half Marathon
The Newark Half Marathon has been a fixture on the racing calendar since 1982, giving it plenty of history for a race that continues to attract a healthy field. Starting and finishing in Newark, the route took runners out along the country roads around Hawton and Cotham, with the flat profile offering an ideal opportunity for those looking to put in a quick time.
Bryn had taken a knock to the face but he got the job done, crossing the line in 1:21:51 to take 34th place out of 1,045 finishers.
Bryn had the pedigree to produce a fast time
At the sharp end of the race, Chris Davies of RAF Athletics and Harrow AC took the honours in 1:05:40, just getting to the line ahead of Kevin Seaward, who recorded the same chip time. Jacob Pickering of Cheltenham Harriers claimed third in 1:09:15, narrowly ahead of Daniel Haymes of Huub Performance Project, who finished in 1:09:20.
Bryn arrives on the finishing straight
Andrew Barnes of London Heathside took fifth in 1:09:33, with Roshan Thapa Magar of Nepal Run rounding out the top six in 1:09:50.
In the women’s race, Molly Uren led the way in an excellent 1:23:14, finishing 38th overall. Philippa Dew of Steel City Striders was second in 1:24:33, taking 42nd place overall, while Hannah Walker completed the women’s podium in 1:24:42.
Bryn got to the line in 1:21:51
There was little time for Bryn to put his feet up after Newark, however, as he was soon back in action for the club at the Overton 5. There, he helped Bournemouth AC to victory in the Hampshire Road Race League fixture, recording 29:51 as the club added another team success to the season’s tally.
Bryn looked a bit banged up by the end but got through it
From the half marathon roads of Nottinghamshire to a valuable contribution on the Hampshire road racing scene, Bryn has certainly been keeping himself busy!