PAUL Fernandez produced a superb performance to finish second in the Abingdon Marathon.


The athlete flew the flag for the county, as no other Oxfordshire club runner came home inside the top 50. 


The Abingdon member was also the fastest runner over the age of 40, completing the course in 2hrs 32mins 33secs – just 31 seconds outside his personal best.


He finished nearly two minutes behind winner Darryl Hards of Worthing, who clocked 2.30.46.
Bryn Reynolds, of Clapham Chasers, was third, seven seconds behind Fernandez.


The result, from a field of more than 700 runners, should stand Fernandez in good stead ahead of his trip to China, where he will be representing Great Britain in a 50km race.


Headington Roadrunner Andy Phelps was the next Oxfordshire athlete home, recording a time of 2.57.01 for 57th place.


Fellow Abingdon AC runner Mark Lewy smashed his personal best by 28 minutes, finishing 94th in 3.1.41, and finishing third in the Oxfordshire V50 category.


Alchester duo Sarah Rendell and Jenny McBain finished second and third in the ladies’ race, split by just a second at the line.


Rendell came 63rd overall in 2.58.04 and McBain two positions behind.


The women’s race was won by Kate Towerton, representing Winchester & District, in a time of 2.53.47.


SUBMITTED RESULTS
ABINGDON MARATHON
(Senior men unless stated)
Abingdon AC: 2 P Fernandez (1st V40) 2.32.33, 61 P Keating 2.57.41, 94 M Lewy (V50) 3.01.41pb, 294 T Clarke (V40) 3.29.21pb, 312 D Drysdale (V40) 3.31.49, 380 P Goddard 3.40.30pb, 439 D Morgan (V40) 3.45.16pb, 446 A Durham (V40) 3.46.11.    
White Horse Harriers: 216 I Lambourn    (M50) 3.19.46, 270 M Lane (V40) 3.27.19,      377 S Sheehy 3.40.36, 513 J McCabe (V45) 3.56.35, 586 D Day (V50) 4.10.34.
Didcot Runners: 198 R Sharp (V45) 3.17.38, 310 E Naughton (LV35) 3.30.25, 325 D Fisher 3.31.33, 464 C Adams (LV40) 3.48.44, 554 D Eggleton (V40) 4.03.07, 607 N Francis (V50) 4.19.27, 667 S Howes 4.39.59, 693 C Jones (LV35) 4.54.47.
Radley: 491 D Kitching (V40) 03.51.39.
Abingdon & Vale Tri Club: 626 G Crabtree (V40) 04.23.54.
EDEN HALF MARATHON
White HH: 394 R Colliass (LV50) 2.10.01.
FRIETH HILLY 10K
Kidlington: 93 A Finnigan (LV40) 49.23, 255 M Search (V60) 59.00.ABINGDON PARKRUN
Abingdon AC: 7 C MacLennan (V45) 18.52, 10 G Wallace (V45) 19.38, 11 C Lewis (V50) 19.38pb, 15 R Kembleton 19.50, 19 D Richards (V55) 20.30pb, 20 N Hamilton (V55) 20.31, 27 J Oliver (V60) 20.59pb, 36 M Wilson (V55) 21.40, 40 K Harris (JW15-17) 22.04pb, 49 J Wigmore (V60) 23.20, 76 S Tumelaire (LV45) 24.42, 82 G Lean 25.00, 107 S Hopgood (LV40) 26.10, 113 S Fabes (V55) 26.17, 114 C Kembleton (LV35) 26.21, 124 D Drysdale (V40) 26.57, 127 A Newton (JM10) 26.59,  128 J Newton (V40) 26.59, 132 K Pulford (LV60) 27.05, 140 C Onions (LV55) 27.30, 142 G Bartley (V50) 27.33, 147 A Moger (LV55) 27.56, 167 N Blatchford (LV65) 28.43,  169 J Styles (V50) 28.47, 175 E Woosey-Griffin (LV40) 29.29, 176 M Lewy (V50) 29.29, 177 B Compton (LV40) 29.30, 181 H Bower (LV35) 29.38,  184 K Lean (LV40) 29.57, 191 P Goddard 30.40, 197 B Evans (V65) 30.49, 223 M Coates (LV45) 33.37, 243 L Astbury (LV45) 35.15, 251 E Moore (LV50) 36.28, 261 D Heller (LV70) 38.43, 266 H Smith (LV35) 42.13, 269 B Kirk (LV40) 46.47.
DIDCOT PARKRUN                
Abingdon AC: 2 J Shayler (JM15-17) 17.43pb, 5 E Lawton (JM11-14) 19.42pb, 6 K Francis (JM11-14) 19.48, 13 A Francis (V45) 21.04, 16 S Lawton (JM10) 21.21pb.
Didcot Runners: 50 M Seaden (V45) 27.06, 52 H Seymour 27.39, 78 G Jackson (V80) 31.01, 98 S Henderson (LV60) 34.53.
HARCOURT HILL PARKRUN                
Abingdon AC: 50 S Herbert (JM11-14) 26.15, 82 M Herbert (LV40) 28.47pb.

Meanwhile, Oxford City’s under 13 girls won silver at the SEAA Cross Country Relays held on a blustery course at Wormwood Scrubs.


Their team of Alex Scrivener (7.48), Daisy Palmer (7.54) and Emily Haines-Gray (8.00) produced a superb performance to claim second spot.


The B team, consisting of Libby Newhouse (8.23), Alessandra Prince (8.31) and Alisha Williams (8.35) came 16th.


Abingdon’s under 17 and under 13 girls both came ninth, while their under 15 boys’ team finished in 22nd.


RESULTS
SOUTH OF ENGLAND RELAY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Abingdon AC: U13G (2km) 9 B Darwent, I Jones, M Rutter 24.52. U15B (2km) 22 A Pennington, D Bunn, A Ede 22.57. U17G (2.5km) 9 L Siddle, F Bunn, V Tilling 27.59.
l

BICESTER'S David Kuester won the 70+ age group competition in the Midlands (British) Masters Throwers Group “Rasenkraft” event in Derby.


Kuester ended with 1,786 points after winning all three throwing events, the hammer, weight and stone.