Lymington Athlete’s Valeria Sesto storms to Moors Valley Wildwood Trail first as New Forest Runners hold 10k club championships

Lymington-based super mum and athlete Valeria Sesto racked up another first-place finish, this time at the Moors Valley Wildwood Trail half-marathon.

It was a day for the women to shine, with Lymington Athletes founder Sesto and second-placed Emma Caplan surging away late on to defeat the male leader who had gone through the 5k, 10k and 16k time checks in first.

On challenging terrain in cold and muddy conditions, Sesto and Caplan kept on Lee Ireland’s heels before dropping him with just over a mile of the 13.1 half-marathon distance to go.

Sesto’s time of 1:35:10 left her in first, 50 seconds ahead of Caplan, who both raced in the Women’s Veteran 50 category, with Male Vet 40 category winner Ireland finishing 42 seconds away in third.

Another local runner to shine was Male Vet 50 winner, Lymington Athletes’ Micky Doyle (1:41:33), while Christchurch Runners’ James Bryant finished just outside the two-hour mark (2:00:23).

Both representing Lymington Athletes were Ines Mitchell (1:46:21), who came second in the Women’s Open category, while Sesto’s husband, Clive Cosby, came home at 2:07:55.

In the 10k event, Ringwood Run Club was represented by Male Open category winner Daniel Taylor (46:27), who crossed the line in fourth overall.

Meanwhile, the New Forest Runners (NFR) club held their 10k club championships at the event, with many enjoying age-category success. In the Women’s Vet 70 category, Caroline Woodford (NFR) took the honours after crossing the line in 1:06:59, while in the Male Vet 70’s, Micheal McCabe (NFR) finished second (1:09:56).

Local runners dominated the Women’s Vet 60 category, with the top four running for local clubs. Crossing in first place was Michelle Walter (NFR) in 57:10, with NFR’s Katrin Pritchard (1:00:34) and Dawn Rogers (1:00:36) completing the podium, while Christchurch Runners’ Linda Dowell took fourth (1:09:50).

Ashley Pritchard (NFR) won the Male Vet 60 category with a time of (52:05), while clubmates Gail Walters (54:34) and Marion Frewin (56:23) took first and second in the Women’s Vet 50, with Lou Frost (NFR) taking third in the Women’s Vet 40 category (57:49).

To register for next year’s race or look for other local sporting events, visit bigcowsports.com