Aussie duathlete out in front (From Ealing Times)

Aussie duathlete out in front

9:18am Wednesday 1st August 2007

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Australian international duathlete Raf Baugh was a convincing winner of Friday night's Wedding Day 7km road race.

Baugh, who lives in Hampton, ran away from the rest of a 500-strong field to reach the finish back at Hampton Hill cricket club, Bushy Park, more than 150m clear of runner-up Darren Talbot.

The winning time was 22:10 with Talbot, of Thames Hare & Hounds, clocking 22:47 and third-placed Stuart Major, a Banstead insurance worker who runs for Newham & Essex Beagles, third (23:15).

They were followed by Epsom & Ewell's Will Clark (23:20), Thames Hare & Hounds' Andy Weir (23:23) and Ranelagh's Paul Doyle, who took the veterans' prize.

Baugh, 28, was runner-up in the Powerman Duathlon in Ohio, United States, last year, and has a best 10km time of 30:47.

Irish Olympic medallist Sonia O'Sullivan, who lives in East Molesey, comfortably retained her women's title, knocking 23 seconds off her 2006 time (24:25).

But she was well outside her course record of 22:47, set in 2004, when she also beat all of the men.

Sullivan was followed by Lucy Hasell, a teacher at St Paul's School in Barnes, in 24:52, Thames Hare & Hounds' Naomi Warner (25:14) and Epsom & Ewell's Emily Nelson (25:33).

Another Hampton-based runner, Louise Watson, was first veteran (26:35), with Epsom & Ewell's Jane Davies first over-55 (30:14).

Ranelagh's Chris Owens was the first male vet over-50 in 25:59, with Hercules Wimbledon's former marathon international Steve Badgery top over-60 in 27:26.

This was the 27th running of the Wedding Day race. The event was launched in 1981 to commemorate the wedding of Charles and Diana.

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