Running couple Lily Partridge and Ben Connor take wins at the Great South Run

Pro long-distance runner Lily Partridge and partner Ben Connor, an Olympic marathoner, both took victory in their respective women's and men's races at the Great South Run on Sunday.

Partridge, who was the first British woman at the London Marathon in 2018, crossed the finish line of the 10-miler in 54:29, while Connor won the men's race in 47:19.

Welsh athlete Natasha Cockram was just behind Partridge in 54:35, while Steph Twell, who has competed at three Olympics including the marathon in Tokyo 2020, took third in 54:51.

Afterwards, Partridge said: 'It was a great race, the three of us were together up to about eight miles. I hit the front at about six miles.'

'It wasn’t really planned, so I thought I’d just try and make it a hard run race. It was a good opportunity for me to put myself under pressure and gain some confidence and it really paid off.'

In the men's race, Ellis Cross, the Aldershot, Farnham & District runner who beat Sir Mo Farah at the London Vitality 10,000 earlier this year, came in second in 47:32, while Birchfield Harrier’s Omar Ahmed took third in 47:49.

It's Connor's third time running the Great South Run, having finished third and then second in the past. Afterwards, the Tokyo 2020 marathoner said: 'I’m really pleased. It’s my thirtieth birthday tomorrow, so I’m off to Barcelona tonight and will be celebrating the win.'

In total, 20,000 people took part in the event in Portsmouth on a gloriously sunny day.

posted Monday October 17th
by Jenny Bozon