Rob McTaggart returned to the scene of one of a recent happy memory and made sure there was another one to add to the collection, storming to victory at the Marwell 10k for the second year running.

It was a race that suited Tag down to the ground, with a challenging uphill opening followed by some lengthy descents that allowed him to unleash the sort of speed that most runners can only dream about.

Having won the race last year, when he had to fend off the challenge of serial race winner James Baker, Tag was back to defend his crown. And while Baker wasn’t there this time around, there was no shortage of quality opposition, with Brandon Cuell providing a formidable challenge.

Cuell had finished top of the individual standings in the Hampshire Road Race League in 2024 and had also won last year’s Run to Sea 50k in an impressive time of 3:35.

But Tag was in no mood to hang around and, as soon as the gun went, he set about establishing his authority on proceedings.

The Marwell 10k is certainly no gentle introduction to a race. Starting and finishing at Marwell Zoo, the course serves up a particularly testing opening, with the vast majority of the first two miles heading uphill.

It’s a course that requires a bit of patience early on, although Tag clearly wasn’t too concerned about that, powering through the opening mile in 5:30 despite the relentless climbing.

The uphill theme continued into the second mile, although there was a brief opportunity to let the legs go on a short descent. Tag duly took advantage, reaching speeds of around 4:30 per mile pace before completing the split in 5:57.

After that, the course began to play much more into his hands.

The third mile featured a lengthy downhill section, although there was still a hill to contend with towards the end. Tag got back under five-minute mile pace on the descent before negotiating the climb and recording a 5:20 split.

Then came the fourth mile, which was pretty much one long invitation to put the foot down.

With a sustained descent stretching out in front of him, Tag made the most of the opportunity, powering through the mile in 4:59.

He followed that up with another excellent 5:08 for the fifth mile, which was also predominantly downhill.

There was still one final obstacle to overcome, though, with another climb waiting in the sixth mile. Once again, Tag had to dig in, but the good news was that once he reached the top at around 5.6 miles, it was downhill all the way to the finish.

He clocked 5:23 for the sixth mile before really opening things up over the final fifth of a mile, completing that section at an astonishing 4:44 pace.

By the time he crossed the line, Tag had secured a thoroughly convincing victory in 33:20.

And perhaps the most remarkable thing about that time was just how closely it matched his performance from last year. There was just a one-second difference between the two winning runs!

 

It was another demonstration of just how well he can exploit a course that combines a testing climb with some long, flowing descents. Tag seems to treat the descents as an opportunity to get into first gear and fully unleash his top speed.

His performance also continued what has been a particularly impressive year of racing.

Earlier in the year, he won the Lytchett 10, a race that has some similarities with Marwell, featuring a predominantly uphill opening before finishing with a lengthy descent. It’s exactly the sort of course that allows Tag to get into full flight.

He then finished second in the Bournemouth Bay Half Marathon, despite using the race as part of a much longer marathon training run.

Next came the Fleet Half Marathon, where he clocked an excellent 1:09 before going on to complete the London Marathon in 2:29:38.

More recently, he won the SOBO 5 in a time of 27:22, finishing almost two minutes ahead of fellow Bournemouth AC member Craig Palmer who took second.

So, having already put together a very strong campaign, another victory at Marwell was a particularly pleasing addition.

Brandon Cuell put up a good performance himself, taking second place in 34:07, but even he couldn’t get close enough to threaten Tag’s lead.

Leo Maliphant of Aldershot, Farnham & District completed the overall podium, finishing third in 34:13.

In the women’s race, Hayley Weston of Romsey Road Runners was first female, finishing 11th overall in 40:08.

Anna Richardson of Chandler’s Ford Swifts took second place, coming home 25th overall in 42:25.

The battle for third female was a particularly close one, with Aisling Scott getting the better of Felicity Came of Yeovil Town by just four seconds. Scott finished in 44:22, with Came crossing the line in 44:26. They were 49th and 50th overall respectively.

Tag wasn’t the only Bournemouth AC representative making the trip to Marwell, with Emma Biggs also taking part.

Emma got round in a time of 1 hour 4 minutes and 53 seconds which put her in 655th place overall and 308th out of the 772 women in the race, she

There were 1,220 finishers in total, making it another well-supported edition of the event.

And there was a particularly worthwhile cause behind all the running. Starting and finishing at Marwell Zoo, the race raises money for animal charities, with this year’s proceeds supporting Marwell Wildlife’s innovative tiger conservation project in Bhutan.

For Tag, though, the trip to Marwell was about more than just supporting a good cause. It was an opportunity to return to a course he clearly enjoys, take on some quality opposition and demonstrate once again what he’s capable of when the road starts heading downhill.

He did all three, securing his second successive Marwell 10k victory in almost exactly the same time as last year.

And with another 10k trophy in the bag, there was certainly plenty to roar about on the way home!