STRATFORD’s Phil Brennan fought back the pain of injury to represent Great Britain’s Masters sides across a punishing three-day programme of road races in Portgual at the European Masters Championships.
Brennan had sustained a series of injuries in the build up to the event in Monte Gordo and he was expected to pull out of the event.
His low expectations however were rapidly overturned in the opening event on Friday when after one his colleagues dropped out, Brennan recorded a time of 50.14 in the 10km race to claim a bronze medal as part of the three-man GB M70 team.
With less than 12 hours to recover, Brennan was drafted into the cross-country relay team over a short sandy, gravelly course through woods behind the beach.
Taking over the last leg in second position, the Stratford runner could not hold off a challenge from a strong Swiss runner and ended in third for a second M70 ronze team medal, with less than a minute separating the first four teams.
The final event of the weekend was a half marathon along straight roads and the heat and humidity made conditions unpleasant.
The British M70 team was strengthened by a new arrival, so a tired Brennan was content just to finish fourth in the team which was enough to celebrate a silver team prize for the first three scorers.
