VICTORIA Wadley-Smith picked up her first trophy in a Leigh Striders vest as she triumphed in the Trifarm Autumn 10k.

The Trifarm Autumn 10k was a self-navigating race, but Wadley-Smith described the Chelmsford run as a ‘beautiful but tough trail route’.

And Wadley-Smith was able to celebrate her first Striders triumph after successfully negotiating the course in 56 minutes and 21 seconds.

Elsewhere, a Striders quartet made the trip north Essex to compete in the Mersea Island five and 10 mile races.

Stephen Kirsch was joined by 76-year-old Dave West in the shorter version of the event, while David Ward and Jo-Anne Hall were put through their paces on the 10 mile course.

The competitors were forced to contend with cold and windy conditions before rain fell towards the climax of the races.

It proved to be a busy day for the marshals as the course was mainly on roads which were not shut off to traffic.

However, Kirsch battled through and was the first Striders representative to cross the finish line.

Kirsch, who finished in fifth place overall, completed the five mile run in 31 minutes and 56 seconds.

West came home in a very respectable 56 minutes and 34 seconds.

Ward and Hall were in fine form in the 10 mile event.

A time of one hour, 19 minutes and 32 seconds was registered by Ward, while Hall finished after one hour, 30 minutes and 45 seconds.

Meanwhile, entry is now open for the 10th annual Leigh 10k.

The event, which was first held in 2009, will take place on Sunday, October 21 this year.

For the award-winning fixture’s landmark year, the route has been tweaked.

There is a new start and finish point, with the route seeing competitors head out of Leigh towards Chalkwell before returning to the finish line, which is located next to the short stay car park at Leigh Rail Station.

Runners who are UKA affiliated can compete in the race for £16 if they book their place in advance, while the entry fee is £18 for those who are unaffiliated.

Entry on the day is £18 for affiliated runners and £20 for unaffiliated runners.

However, on the day entry will only be accepted if the event has not sold out.

Funds will go to the Southend Hospital Charitable Foundation.

To book your place, visit losstriders.org/loss-10k.