TWO members of Dunmow’s Grange Farm Running Club registered personal bests in the Essex 20 Road Race at Great Bromley on Sunday.

The Essex County Championship event was ran over a relatively flat, two-lap, 20-mile course but attracted almost 400 runners, many of whom are in training for the forthcoming London and Halstead marathons.

The race was won by James Connor of Kent Athletics Club in 1h 44min, beating the course record he set last year by two minutes.

A new woman’s course record of 2h 4min 6s was set by Laura Cowley of Herts Phoenix Athletics Club, who shaved 48 seconds off the previous record. Paul Molyneux of Springfield Striders took second place in 1h 46min 24s and was the fastest Essex runner.

For eight of the thirteen Grange Farm and Dunmow Runners who took part, this was their first 20-mile race.

David Spencer was fastest for the club in 2h 15min, finishing 53rd overall. Kath Birks finished in 2h 49 min, beating her previous personal best time for the distance by eight minutes, and Lee Prowse in 2h 58min knocked four minutes off his personal best time.

Dan Reynolds, in his first 20-mile race, was the second finisher for the club in an impressive 2h 27min. He was followed by Andy Smith (2h 40min), Craig Hooke (2 h 46 min), Jo Bisset-Smith (2 h 46 min), Simon Burpitt (2 h 47 min), Ian Lawson (2 h 50 min), Jules Reeves (2 h 53 min), Sharon White (3 h 16 min), Joe Dilworth (3 h 16 min) and Gavin Foster (3 h 23 min).