PAUL Martelletti was blown away after winning the Southend Half Marathon on Sunday.

The Victoria Park Harriers and Tower Hamlets Athletics Club member finished 18 seconds clear of his closest challenger, James Lawler.

And that was despite the New Zealander running a 5,000m race in Watford the night before the Southend race.

“I did feel the 5k in my legs a little bit but it was the wind which was the main problem,” said Martelletti. “It was windy the whole way round but of course I’m delighted to have won.”

Martelletti finished in a time of one hour, seven minutes and 56 seconds.

Lawler, from Bedford and County AC, came second in one hour, eight minutes and 14 seconds with Kent’s James Connor in third with one hour nine minutes and 28 seconds.

The first female runner home was Sam Amend from Belgrave Harriers in a time of one hour, 20 minutes and 10 seconds.

But she had to survive an eventful preparation for the race.

“My car broke down on the way down here on Saturday now so I didn’t arrive at the hotel until around 11pm,” said Amend, from Marlow.

“After that a bunch of party-goers got back in around 2.30am so I didn’t have much rest at all.

“Thankfully it didn’t prove costly as I was using this race in preparation for running a marathon for England in Denmark this September.”

Larkfield AC’s Sarah Anne Mooney was the second lady to finish in one hour, 27 minutes and 11 seconds with Sarah Cannon in third with one hour, 28 minutes and 44 seconds.

A record 2,400 people signed up to take part in the race, which raised £60,000 for Havens Hospices. But only 1507 runners finished.

FULL RESULTS IN TUESDAY'S ECHO