Steve Ovett's course record remained intact at the Phoenix road races in Brighton's Preston Park.

An extra £75 was on offer to record breakers in the senior races but despite ideal conditions no one was able to better Ovett's record set nearly 20 years ago.

The men's 7.3km race was won by Michael East of Newham Essex Beagles, who belongs to Olympic steeplechase bronze medallist Mark Rowland's elite training group, in 22min.00sec. He was nearly one minute outside Ovett's record.

Garry Staines (South London Harriers) was second while Crowborough's Darrell Smith took third in 22min.27sec, well clear of the home club's Tom Naylor who clocked 22min.56sec.

Brighton and Hove, who were led home by Ibrahim Husseyn in sixth place, won the team event from Phoenix. Brighton and Hove's Joe Stephenson was the first under-20 to finish in seventh in 23min.21sec. Clubmate Rob Shannon was the first veteran in 23min.38sec in eighth.

Olympian Hayley Tullett, also of Rowland's elite group (Swansea), beat her own record of 12min.08sec set three years ago by clocking 11min.54sec in the women's field. Julie Mitchell (Brighton & Hove) was third in 13min.03sec and Chichester's Lynda Spencer fourth in 13min.07secs.

Entries have closed for next weekend's Brighton and Hove City 10km road race.

BRIGHTON & Hove Athletics Club finished in third in the Priory cross country 2.5 mile race relays at Reigate.

Husseyn Imbrahim, Simon Morley, Paul Stacey, Mike Buss, whose lap time of 13min.34sec was the third fastest of the day, Richard Airey and Steve Dabson brought Brighton in behind Herne Hill and Belgrave teams.

In the three-times 2.5 mile women's race, Crawley's team of Sam Webb, Rebecca Best and Fiona Clark took bronze. Clark's lap of 16min.25sec was the third fastest of the day.

EMMA Satterley (Phoenix) and Stephen Rees-Jones, from Lewes, were the leading Sussex runners in the Reebok Cross Country Challenge at Birmingham's Sennelys Park as they finished 21st and 22nd in 21min.57sec (6km) and 35min.47sec (11km) respectively.