HERE we go again. The 2012 Cornwall Grand Prix Road Race Series, sponsored for the third successive year by Cornwall Glass and Glazing, got off to a flying start in Camborne on Sunday, where a record field of 546 runners lined up for the traditional opening race.

Last year's overall Grand Prix individual champions, Dan Alsop (St Austell Running Club) and Emma Stepto (Cornwall AC) laid down their markers and once again look to be the ones to beat in 2012, as both won their respective races by comfortable margins.

In the Men's race, a fast starting Noel Kindon (Cornwall AC) led Alsop by ten metres past the two mile drink station, and by five miles had extended his lead to 50 metres, with Alsop ominously appearing to be running well within himself.

Adopting the same tactics as he did when winning the previous weekend's Westward Cross Country League, the St Austell runner began eating into Kindon's narrow advantage, swallowing the Cornwall AC runner as he sped past at six miles and never looked back, digging deep over the final four miles and running strongly to the finish, extending his margin of victory to well over one minute.

Kindon did lose ground in the closing stages but held off the challenge of Cornwall AC's Colin Snook, who had closed the gap to only 12 seconds on the line.

Snook and team-mate Justin Thomas were running together until six miles, when an increase in pace from the Godolphin School teacher saw him ease ahead of Thomas, as they finished third and fourth respectively.

With three Cornwall AC finishers in the top four, there was little chance of any challenge in the team competition, with back up from Shane Ohly (ninth), newcomer Ceri Whitmore (10th) and stalwart Adrian Ball (11th).

These achievements ensured Cornwall AC's success over the past decade continued, winning yet another team trophy, this time by well over 100 points from Newquay Road Runners, who held off their mid Cornwall rivals St Austell Running Club for the runners-up spot by only two points.

Emma really took the Ladies' race by the scruff of the neck from the gun, not only establishing a clear lead by the two mile point, but mixing it with the leading men in eighth place overall.

By halfway little had changed as the Cornwall AC speedster had lost no ground on her male rivals and looked to be well on her way to an anticipated victory.

Maintaining her sub six minute mile pace to the finish, Emma crossed the line in a new personal best time of 58 minutes 46 seconds, still in eighth place overall.

Team-mate Naomi Tier, running smoothly in second place from start to finish, also had a very isolated race as far as female opposition was concerned, finishing 30th overall, one minute clear the England Masters cross country international, Anne Luke (Tamar Trotters), who held off the faster finishing Isobel Wykes (Truro Running Club) by 15 seconds.

The new Grand Prix rules have increased the number of scoring runners in the Ladies' team competition from four to six, but the change of rules made little difference to the ladies of Cornwall AC, who won the team event very comfortably, ahead of the 2011 Grand Prix runners-up, Hayle Runners, with St Austell Running Club in third. Results, Page 112.