Tamworth AC’s Ben Evans claimed 12^th place in a very competitive M40 half marathon field at the European Masters Athletics Championships in Venice on Sunday.

Evans and his GB teammates battled searing heat on a course that was very exposed to the sun as the mercury peaked at 31˚C during the race. Evans managed himself well and put in a strong finish to cross the line with a time of 1:19:36.

Evans said: “I got boxed in a bit at the start but was soon into my stride. I felt the early warning signs around 5 miles and dropped my pace a little as the temperature picked up. It was absolutely the right call and I passed a few guys later on who were really struggling with the conditions.”

“As I reached the last two miles, I felt good to push on again and picked off a few extra places”

The race was won in style by Spain’s Francisco Javi Martinez with a time of 1:08:55. Evans’ GB teammate Richard McDowell finished in fourth place on 1:10:08, but with the all-important third counter pulling out in the early stages there was to be no team medal on this occasion.

Looking forward, Evans concluded: “I’m really pleased with how I ran the conditions. Missing out on the team medal is disappointing but I’ve had a great weekend at my first championships. I’m now looking forward to the Home Nations marathon and British Masters Championships in York in October”