Eastbourne Rovers Athletic Club held the inaugural Ronhill Mile Night on 24th May.
156 athletes and many spectators came from around the county and further afield for the Friday night spectacle.
There were 12 seeded mile races throughout the evening that meant runners were running with people targeting the same result. The mile is an iconic but accessible distance that remains popular despite athletics being mostly metric.
A small prize pot was up for grabs for the overall winners on the evening with track record bonuses.
Both the men’s and women’s track records fell to the overall winners, Matt Grindrod of Brighton & Hove AC running 4:19.08 and Rae Le Fay of Hastings AC running 4:54.36.
Age group trophies were also awarded in 10 year splits.
V40: Jamie Philip (Sevenoaks AC) & Becci Holdaway (Eastbourne Rovers AC)
V50: Nick Shasha (Orion Harriers) & Sue Fry (Eastbourne Rovers AC)
V60: Phil Grabsky (Brighton Phoenix) & Caroline Wood (Arena 80)
V70: Richie Morrissey & Pam Hart (Seafront Shufflers)
A fantastic evening was had by all who attended, the weather was great, there was hot food on offer from Specs & Bear, a DJ playing music, and informative commentary on the races.
A number of enthusiastic volunteers and officials were fundamental to the success and helping create the atmosphere.
Organiser Richard Davis said, “It was important form the outset that the event was inclusive to all, not just track runners, giving anyone who wanted to, the opportunity to run on the track whether they were aiming for a 12 minute mile or a 4 minute mile.”
The revamped event returned after a 3 year break. The difficulties of hosting an event and the requirement for technical officials had meant a delay in getting back to action. It is hoped the new style event will spur new interest in the area for athletics and running in general.
The sport of athletics is tragically underfunded, and it can cost more to host a fixture than it brings in.
Fortunately, the event had four fantastic sponsors, Ronhill, Birchwood Group, Brewers, Wave Leisure, and Athletic Brewing that made sure the Ronhill Mile Night fulfilled its purpose of starting a much needed track maintenance fund to help secure it’s future for generations to come.
Full results can be found at https://eastbourneroversac.co.uk/miles/ then follow the link to the results.