Josh Cole continued his impressive progress over the longer distances with a superb victory at the Isle of Wight Half Marathon, producing a dominant performance to take the win in 1:14:32.

Josh had already shown that he was coming into his own over the longer distances when he won the Blackmore Vale Half Marathon in July. His latest success provided further evidence of just how well he is adapting to the half marathon, as he took on a challenging multi-terrain course and came away with an impressive victory.

The Isle of Wight Half Marathon is a fairly undulating multi-terrain route, with 183 metres of elevation to contend with, so it is certainly not a course on which to expect an easy ride. Nevertheless, the winning times in previous years had been remarkably quick. James Kingston of Tonbridge AC stormed round in 1:07:58 last year, underlining the quality of the competition the race can attract. Kingston is one of the country’s leading distance runners, however, so Josh was not expecting to match that sorts of time.

Christopher Newnham had finished second in each of the previous two editions, clocking 1:11:28 last year, while Joshua Price, the leading the Hampshire Road Race League individual champion, took third in 1:12:37.

Josh knew he would have his work cut out if he wanted to challenge the established frontrunners, but when he saw that Price was on the start line once again, he decided that he would try to stay with him for as long as he could.

Price wasted little time in making his intentions clear, breaking away from the field in the early stages in a bid to establish a lead. It is a tactic he regularly employs, and one that often pays dividends, but this time Josh was determined not to let him get away.

As the runners tackled the trails and hills, Josh repeatedly worked his way back towards Price, refusing to let the gap grow. By around the five-mile mark, it appeared that Price had perhaps pushed a little too hard in the opening stages, and Josh was able to make his move.

Having caught and passed his rival, Josh pulled clear and headed out on his own at the front of the race. From that point onwards, there was no looking back. He maintained his advantage over the remaining miles and continued to build his lead, eventually crossing the finish line in 1:14:32 to claim a commanding victory.

Price had to settle for second place in 1:15:33, finishing 61 seconds behind the Bournemouth AC man. For Josh, it was a particularly satisfying result, and one that he had not necessarily anticipated before the start.

Although his winning time was not quite as quick as some of the leading performances from previous years, that mattered little. This was a tough, undulating course, and Josh had beaten a strong field to take the honours. More importantly, he had done so in convincing fashion, showing both the strength to stay in contention during the early stages and the confidence to take control when the opportunity arose.

Behind the leading pair, Ryde Harriers enjoyed an excellent team performance, with their runners filling the next four places. Joe Wade took third in 1:16:51, followed by clubmate Ross Holme in fourth in 1:17:49. Dave Hunt finished fifth in 1:20:35, with Daniel Furmridge completing the Ryde Harriers quartet in sixth in 1:20:49.

In the women’s race, Natasha White of Northbrook AC was first female and 12th overall, recording a time of 1:25:43. Carly Scoble of Ryde Harriers followed in second place, finishing 14th overall in 1:26:29. Scoble had a comfortable margin over the next woman home, Emma Huband, who finished more than 13 minutes behind her.

There were 257 finishers in total, but the headline belonged to Josh, whose latest half marathon triumph marks another significant step forward in his development as a distance runner.

His victory at the Blackmore Vale Half Marathon in July suggested that he was beginning to find his stride over 13.1 miles. His performance on the Isle of Wight has reinforced that impression. By taking on one of the leading runners in the Hampshire Road Race League, matching him through the early stages and then pulling away to win by more than a minute, Josh showed that he is becoming a formidable half marathon runner.

It was an excellent result for Bournemouth AC and another fine achievement for Josh Cole, who will surely take plenty of confidence from a victory that was every bit as impressive as the finishing time suggests.