X55-59: Vickers leads the way with a strong late charge

• Anna Vickers won the X55-59 age group in 3:51:37 (8:50/mi), posting the 14th-fastest women's split on the 40K–Finish stretch to close out her race in style.
• M Lempriere took 2nd in 4:10:28 (9:33/mi), nearly 19 minutes back, and was notably sharp early — recording the 24th-fastest women's split on the 5K–10K segment.
• Tony Dineen finished 3rd in 4:41:10 (10:43/mi), holding steady through the middle miles with the 40th-fastest women's split on the 30K–35K leg.
• John Dear rounded out the four-person X55-59 field in 5:50:58 (13:23/mi), contributing the 62nd-fastest women's split on the 15K–20K segment.

Anna Vickers controlled the X55-59 race from the front, and her finishing kick told the real story. After sitting 16th among women at the opening checkpoint, she worked her way steadily through the women's field across the middle stages, eventually climbing to 19th by the final timing mat. That late surge was backed up by a genuine pace — her 40K–Finish split ranked 14th among all women in the field, a sharp gear change that underscored how well she managed the cool, breezy London conditions over the closing miles.

M Lempriere ran a notably different race, front-loading her effort. Her 5K–10K split was the 24th-fastest among women in the field — a strong early clip — but the gap to Vickers at the finish, nearly 19 minutes, reflects the difference in their pacing strategies across 26.2 miles at 9:33/mi. Tony Dineen was the steadiest presence through the second half, his 30K–35K split ranking 40th among women and his gender place barely flickering between 43rd and 45th all afternoon. He crossed in 4:41:10.

John Dear had the toughest day of the four, finishing in 5:50:58 at 13:23/mi, but he was no passenger — his 15K–20K split still ranked 62nd among women in the field. In a four-person X55-59 group spread across two full hours of finish times, each athlete ran their own race against London's wind and distance, and all four saw it through to the end.