It was great to finally see the first of our local races reinstated, the Benfleet 15 has evolved over the years to become a race that is not only challenging but also a personal achievement for those taking part and for many getting a result of sub 2 hours is often their personal goal.

23 CPJ members took part in the event in dry but cool conditions with mud that was described as ’Sticky’. For those that have run this event before you will know only too well that it is the last 3 miles that really make this run challenging with three miles cross country and hills to finish, as you approach the bottom of the final assent, looking up you can see the crowd gathered on the hill encouraging you to the top which can be exhausting but exhilarating at the same time. With a very impressive time of 1:42:52 Adam Hemsworth was first over the line for the club, he also gained a PB on the course for his efforts and in second place was Richard Bonham with an excellent time of 1:55:53, the first CPJ lady was Alice Brackley with a time of 2:10:25 she hadn’t really trained fully for the run, only signing up late to the race so this was without doubt a tremendous effort from her.