ATHLETICS

OVER 500 runners took part in the annual Roding Valley Half Marathon orgainsed by Woodford Green Atheltic Club with Essex Ladies on Sunday.

Eight members took part in the event themselves - in what is the club's centenary year - with CJ Shepherd clinching a podium place in the men's race.

Shaftesbury's Anton Van Zyl - runner-up last year - powered home 13 seconds in front of Ilford's Malcolm Muir, and Shepherd followed home in third position in a time of 78mins 48sec.

In the women's category, Highgate's Joanna Carritt won from East London Runners' Karen Levison.

As for Woodford's other athletes, in 13th place and second veteran home was Paul Clarke in 85 mins 16secs.

Simon Seigar finished 23rd in 86mins 34ecs and coach Richard Hogg made his return from illness with 77th place in 1hr 36mins 6secs.

M45 Tom Spanyol was pleased to get around in 1hr 39mins 25secs, while in the same category, Kevin Diedrick ran 1hr 49mins 22secs in preparation for the London Marathon.

Zuzana Walker clocked 1hr 44mins 6secs for second in the W50 category.

The main talking point of the day was a world record by 101-year old Buster Martin, who completed the course in 5hrs 13mins.

Martin, who has recently featured in the media as the oldest working person in the UK, now becomes the oldest man ever to complete a half marathon.

- Elsewhere, club members Dave Wardle and Matt Shone raced against some of the UK's top athletes in the Reading Half Marathon.

Wardle crossed the line in 65mins 42secs while Shone knocked almost three minutes off his personal best time to clock 68mins 30secs to finish in 14th place.