Spartathlon success for Chris… Eastbourne and Hastings athletes prosper at Goodwood

RUN WEDNESDAYS

Run Wednesdays club runner Chris Larmour is celebrating after completing the world famous Spartathlon.

The 246km ultra-marathon has been held annually in Greece since 1983 between Athens and Sparti.It is based on Pheidippides, who ran from Athens to Sparta before the Battle of Marathon in a day and a half to seek aid among the Persians.

Five RAF officers ran the course in 1982 and so began the competition.

Stringent criteria are set to ensure participants are fit enough to run the course, which must be completed within 36 hours. The race has 75 checkpoints where runners can be disqualified for failing to make time cut-offs or being too tired to continue. Runners have to deal with daytime heat, the cold night and mountainous terrain.

To enter, Chris had to have completed a 100k race in less than 10 hours. He is an experienced ultra runner, and recently won the Bewl Ultra.

Fellow Run Wednesdays runner Steve Offord supported Chris as a crew member. "Chris has the opportunity to put right the wrongs from last year when he did not complete the race within the stringent cut-offs. He had a short window to train this year following a back injury in the winter. However Chris remained focussed and once the 100-mile monutain section was over the countdown to the finish line was on!

"As he completed the home straight he held the Union flag flying behind him - it was emotional! Team GB cheered him on to kiss the foot of the statue of Leonidas, marking the completion of the race."

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EASTBOURNE ROVERS

Eastbourne Rovers dominated at the first fixture of the Sussex Cross Country League at Goodwood.

Joshua Webster showed his incredible turn of pace to finish second in the under-13 boys’ race.