Moumin takes the dosh - Part One

                          

When people say road races were better in the 'Old Days' this one bucked the trend reports Alastair Aitken.

  The President of Victoria Park & Tower Hamlets AC, Peter McHugh De Clare said "This race has been run for 44 years and Eamonn Martin was the record holder before."

    In one of the most exciting road events held in the UK this year, Moumin Geele of Newham Essex Beagles, the fastest long Stage runner in the Southern 12 stage the previous Saturday and Reading Half Marathon Champion, Kenyan Edwin Kipyego, raced round  two laps of Victoria Park in a titanic battle with the help of £1000 to the winner of course.

400m to go Moumin Geele made a definite strike for home but it was not till 200 to go he managed to get free of the Kenyan, who had come over to specially run the Reading and Victoria Park races. Geele's course record time was 23:01 (Chip time 22:45). The other talented runners in the first 10 of the 295 finishers were 2 Edwin Kipyego 23:04; 3 Simon Tonni (Birchfield) 23:51; 4 Paul Martelletti (VP&TH) 24:19; 5 Paskar Owor (Belgrave) 24:43; 6 First Junior Mehretab Solomon (London Heathside) 24:54; 7 Nick Torry (Serpentine) 24:56; 8 Samuel Bradley (Tonbridge) 25:03; 9 Ryan Prout (Chelmsford) 25:21; 10 Second Junior, Alex Bruce-Littlewood (Blackheath & Bromley) 25:27. 295 ran.

Highgate Harriers won the team award which included first veteran over 40 Chris Beecham (26:55).

 JUSTINA HESLOP, once a brilliant teenager was back to form as a senior. The Clapham Chaser ran 26:59

ahead of three Kenyans Joyce Kandie (Birchfield) 27:43; Genet Measso (Birchfield) 28:23 and Pauline Githuka (Kenya)

28:27.