Abdellatif, Glenis bag individual titles

Abdellatif Ait Hsine (56 minutes 36 seconds) won the men’s overall title and Glenis Driscoll (1:24:08) the women’s yesterday in the annual Cross Island Race organised by the Bahrain Road Runners (BRR) in cooperation with Fitness First.

In the men’s category, nearly 10 minutes behind in second place was Omar Alfailakawy (1:06.10) with Salim Doseri (1:09.59) coming in third.

Coming in second place in the female category and more than three minutes behind was Jane Bowden-Clarke (1:27:30) followed just over two minutes later by Claire Donnellan (1:29:42).

This grueling run is between 16-17 kilometres from the highway near Durrat Al Bahrain resort on the east coast to Bahrain Sailing Club near Al Jazayr Beach on the west coast which took more than 180 participants through difficult soft sand at the start, over oil pipelines, rock strewn gravel plains and steep ridges until the last one and then a downhill then flat route on paved roads of around 5km to the finish line.

One of the BRR veteran runners Mustafa Fulad who was second in the M60 age category and a participant for over 30 years in the race said after the race, “I really hate the first five or so kilometres because of the deep sand, but once on firmer ground it is no problem and I step up the pace and love the last part after the final ridge which is downhill on a paved road, then the motorway to the finish line in which I passed around 20 runners today.

Honorary President of the BRR Shaikh Ebrahim Al Khalifa handed out trophies to all who finished in the top three of their categories and medal were given to all participants who finished, with all achieving the feat and everyone finishing in under three hours.

Fitness First announced that the top three in the male and female overall category would get a free 12 month membership for the winner, six month for the runner-up and three months for third.

Results: 

Male Overall winners: 1) Abdellatif Ait Hsine (56 minutes 36 seconds), 2) Omar Alfailakawy (1:06:10), 3) Salim Doseri (1:09:59). 

Female Overall Winners: 1) Glenis Driscoll (1:24:08), 2) Jane Bowden-Clarke (1:27:30), 3) Claire Donnellan (1:29:42). 

M65: 1) Abde Asghar (1:55:04), 2) Ebrahim Al Khalifa (2:23:52), M60: 1) Ed Ryan (1:28:47), 2 )Mustafa Fulad (1:33:16), 2) Hasan Madan (1:55:38). M55: 1) Abdulkarim Turki (1:18:01), 2) Michael Atkinson (1:23:58), 3) Javed Mohamed (1:24:14). M50: 1) Salah Janahi (1:22:16), 2) Yousif Althawadi (1:32:43), 3) Alistair McDermott (1:33:38), M45:  1) Colin Gardiner (1:21:59), 2) Brandon Caine (1:22:44), 3) Michael Casey (1:23:54). M40: 1) Soohan Han (1:12:24), 2) Tom  Vaughan (1:12:43), 3) Reyadh AbdulKarim (1:13:25). M30: 1) Deccan Gaynor (1:12:31), 2) Dmitry Mishanin (1:13:38), 3) Hamad Mohamed Mubarak Al Tamimi (1:14:13). M16: 1) Manoj Kannoth (1:12:06), 2) Yousif Sulaibeekh (1:12:09), 3) Humberto Baeza (1:18:18). F55: 1) Michele Nicole Ajaji (1:48:18), 2) Myrela Ryan (2:02:10), 3) Una Blance Brockerhoff (2:25:30), F50: 1) Jennifer  Mundy (1:45:12), 2) Najwa A Rahim (1:52:35), F45: 1) Sue Hall (1:36:37), 2) Samantha Muller (1:43:20), 3) Dunya Elias (1:45:47). F40: 1) Svilena Stoilova (1:33:48), 2) Jennifer Baum (1:37:08), 3) Charlotte Hickingbottom (1:47:48). F30: 1) Maryam Alfailakawy (1:30:37), 2) Marjolijn Tebeest (1:38:11), 3) Soojung Kim (1:38:36). F16: 1) Angela Aguilo (1:34:58), 2) Zainab Ali (1:41:00), 3) Laura Bibby (1:42:55).