THE third race of the 2024/25 Cornish Multi-Terrain Race Series – the Bude Pirate Run – returned on Sunday, September 8 with a challenging eight-mile course that tested runners' endurance and determination. 

Despite a gloomy forecast, a fantastic turnout of 155 participants braved the elements to tackle the muddy terrain.

The recent torrential rain had left the course extremely wet and slippery, making the run even more challenging. However, the rain held off until lunchtime, allowing runners to stay relatively dry throughout the race.

Steve Reynolds from Truro Running Club emerged as the overall winner with an impressive time of 52 minutes and 31 seconds. His victory was particularly remarkable considering the difficult conditions.

Steve finished over three minutes ahead of Launceston Road Runners’ David Starley (55:35), while third in the men’s section was Bideford AAC’s Nick Lapham (57:16).

Seven men finished in under an hour with the other four being Morgan Craig (57:48), Alex Marples (57:58), Ian Gooding (58:14) and Liam O’Neill (59:13).

The ladies winner was Cornwall AC’S Emma Stepto in a time of 1:09:15, which was good enough for 25th overall, while the rest of the top three was made up of Perran Trail Runners’ Ellie Jameson and Bude RATs’ Chloe Constantine who finished in 1:10:55 and 1:11:14 respectively.

The team prizes both went to Truro.

The winners of each category were as follows: Female Under 35: Josie Lewis – 1:11:40; F35-39: Helen Morse – 1:13:55; F 40-44: Ellie Jameson – 1:10:55; F45-49: Jo Biederman – 1:20:03; F50-54: Emma Stepto – 1:09:15; F55-59: Gail Aspden – 1:12:30; F60-64: Liz Perry – 1:46:42; F65-69: Judy Jameson – 2:03:32; Female 70+: Janet Watson – 1:51:58. Male Under 35: David Starley – 55:35; M35-39: Steve Reynolds – 52:31; Brett Jackson – 1:07:52; M45-49: Morgan Craig – 57:48; M50-54: Ian Gooding – 58:14; M55-59: Adrian Ball – 1:03:17; Jon Eldon – 1:09:10; M65-69: Simon Oliver – 1:23:22; Male 70+: Peter Brockenhurst – 1:21:00.