Reekie makes it three in a row

Away from the challenges of Storm Ciara, the golden girl of the indoor season, Jemma Reekie, proved her newfound strength once again in New York at the Milrose Games. In the space of a week, Reekie added to her indoor 800m national record and set not only a British indoor record for the mile, but also a British record for the 1500m.

Finishing 3rd in the Wannamaker Women’s Mile, she stopped the clock on 4:17.88 just behind Germany’s Konstanze Klosterhalfen and American record setter, Elle Purrier. In the women’s 1500m, Reekie set another British record and a PB of 4:00.5, improving on the best of her training partner Laura Muir. Astonishing running from the Scottish athlete!

Chris O’Hare featured in the Wannamaker men’s mile where he was first to cross the line in an impressive 3:55.61 ahead of the Australian athlete, Olli Hoare. In the women’s 800m race, Shelayna Oskan-Clarke finished fifth in a strong 2:06.22.

Konstanze Klosterhalfen missed the European mile record by 0.12 with 4:17.26 in New York last night.

And @JemmaReekie sets her second and third British indoor records of 2020!

: https://t.co/i4aZmbMyI5pic.twitter.com/JGeSRC7Spq

— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) February 9, 2020

Copeland kicks again

At the PSD Bank Indoor Meeting in Dortmund once again Piers Copeland produced his stunning finishing kick to take victory in the 1500m in a high class field 3:40.25 kicking past Kenyan Kumari Taki (3:40.28) and Timo Benitz (3:40.33). Melissa Courtney-Bryant was a dominant winner of the 3000m running 8:49.78 beating Luiza Gega (8:52.59) and Roseline Chepngetich (8:53.63) into 2nd and 3rd.

@PiersCopeland1 so proud!! Crazy last lap to clinch it at the end! pic.twitter.com/ZkUPAWc5k5

— Chelsie Walters (@walterschelsie1) February 9, 2020

Also indoors, at the International Gugl Meeting in Linz, some impressive times were run. In the men’s 3000m, GB’s Phil Seseman ran a cracking race to come in 4th place in 7:58.09. Just behind Seseman in 5th place was Adam Clarke in 8:05.34. In 10th place, in a solid 8:35.67 was Ricky Harvie of Aldershot & Farnham.

At the BMC Sheffield Open mid week Adam Craig put in a fine solo run to win the 3000m in 8:00.28 ahead of Rory Leonard (8:27.30) and Elliot Palmer (8:37.20). The women’s 1500m was won by Ejiro Okoro in 4:34.94 just edging out Mena Scatchard (4:34.96) with Isabel Rodriguez (4:37.31) in third.

Daniel Cheeseman won the men’s 1500m in 3:53.32 in a tight race with Mark Bostock (3:53.62) and John Ashcroft (3:53.75). Nicholas Landeau was a comfortable winner in the men’s 800m running 1:52.55 to beat Jack Benstead (1:55.55) and Ryan Elston (1:56.38) into 2nd and 3rd respectively. In the mixed 800m races under 17 Keira Brady-Jones was the fastest woman clocking 2:11.64 with Issy Cotham running 2:12.36 and Victoria Lightbody 2:14.93.

Holt wins Belgium Cross Cup

In Belgium, plenty of British athletes took part in the Belgium Cross Cup in marginally more enjoyable conditions. Kate Holt put in another fine displace to win the seniors women’s race in 22:41. British athletes inside the top 20 were Izzy Fry was 4th (22:56), Stephanie Barnes 5th (23:03), Eleanor Bolton 7th (23:09), Sarah Astin 9th (23:20), Lauren Hall 11th (23:28), Carlone Lambert 14th (23:49), Amelia Petit 18th (23:55) and Emily Wicks 20th (23:59).

In the men’s senior race Adam Hickey finished 2nd in 30:12, three seconds behind winner Lahsene Bouchikhi. Again there were more fine performances from British athletes running inside the top 20 – Ellis Cross 6th (30:53), Jack Millar 11th (31:15), Jonathan Escalante-Phillips 12th (31:19), Daniel Haworth 18th (31:49), Cameron Bell 19th (31:55) and Zak Mahamed 20th (31:59).

It was a British 1-2-3 in the junior women’s race which was won by Shannon Flockhart in 16:15 ahead of Alexandra Millard (16:21) and Phoebe Anderson (16:24), Lauren O’Neil was 7th. The junior men managed a 1-2-3-4! Matthew Stonier took the victory in 21:02 with Oliver Newman 2nd (21:04), Tomer Tarragano 3rd (21:05) and Charlie Brisley 4th (21:08).

In the Great British mud

In the Hampshire League, this year’s Southern Cross Country Champion, Jess Gibbon was in fine form once again. The Reading athlete pushed away from the rest of the field early on in the race. On a surprisingly dry yet deceptively challenging course, the athlete was able to put her fitness to the test. Gibbon finished with an impressive lead, setting up a dominant Reading victory. Teammate, Naomi Mitchell put her marathon strength to work over the 6k course and came in second. Mitchell was followed by Anna Boniface who gave a gutsy performance throughout as she continues her recent progress.

It was Southampton who came out on top in the men’s race with Jonathon Roberts securing the win. The second male to cross the finish line, just 20 seconds behind Roberts, was Alex Pointon of Aldershot. Reading AC fought to stay in the medal positions in the men’s event and it was Daniel Thorne who made it happen. Thorne secure himself third.

Before the storm set in on Sunday, plenty of athletes took to the British fields to take part in their league cross country races. England international athlete, Owen Hind, took home his first ever win in the highly competitive Surrey Cross Country League. The Kent athlete crossed the line 14 seconds ahead of fellow teammate Max Nicholls. The third male across the line was Hercules Wimbledon’s Jonathon Cornish with a strong performance.

It wouldn’t be me if I didn’t get a couple of photos as well as race. @owen_hind on way to XC victory at Lloyd Park yesterday pic.twitter.com/LupULan08F

— James Rhodes (@James_Athletics) February 9, 2020

For the women, it was Isabel Brinsden who secured herself a Surrey League victory, improving on her second and third place finishes before Christmas. The Epsom athlete had a strong 23 second lead on Jackie Skinner of Fulham. The third woman home was Thames Harrier, Natalie Seymour.

The Metropolitan League saw some high-quality runners taking part in the final race of the league season. Elizabeth Janes (Herts) earned herself the position at the top of the podium ahead of Nina Griffiths (Highgate). In third place was U20 athlete Khahisa Mhlanga (Herts Phoenix) with a strong run.

In the senior men’s race, Dylan Evans of Shaftesbury Barnet took home the gold medal. Just 7 seconds behind Evans was Alexander Lepretre (Highgate), closely followed by Seyfu Jamaal of London Heathside.

In the Midlands Women’s League, the victory title was taken by Loughborough athlete Sophie Tarver after a strong 17th place finish at BUCS XC last weekend. Just behind Tarver in second place was teammate Giorgia Chattwood, also a Loughborough student. Chattwood also competed in BUCS last weekend and secured the silver medal in the Women’s short race. Rounding off the women’s podium was Molly Browne (BRAT), improving on her sixth-place finish in the league race back in January.

The Mid Lancs League saw Emily Japp of Blackpool Wyre & Flyde AC take home the victory with an impressive win. In second place was Annabel Ralph (Blackburn Harriers) followed by Finty Royle of Chorley AC.

The men’s event was a much closer race. Alasdair Russell (Kendal AAC) was the first finisher with dominant margin of 20 seconds. Second and third place battled to the line with Rob Danson (Wesham RR) taking 2nd ahead of Ross Campbell of Barrow & Furness St.

The Manchester Area Cross Country League women’s event was won by Sale Harriers Manchester athlete, Sophie Wood. Wood took the win from Vicki Cronin (Trafford AC) who came in second followed by Ruth Jones in third. For the men, it was Salford Harrier, Chris Livesey in first place, Nicholas Barry (Sale Harriers Manchester) in second, and Livesey’s teammate Carl Hardman in third.

The Chiltern League men’s race winner was Ben Alcock (Bedford and County AC) followed by Richard Slade (Chiltern Harriers) and George Wheeler (MK Distance Project) was in third. In the women’s event, it was Melanie Wilkins (Wycombe Phoenix) who took the win ahead of teammate Alexandra Cook. Rounding off the women’s podium was Elle Roche of Marshall Milton Keynes AC.

The senior men’s race in the Birmingham & District Invitation Cross Country League was won by Omar Ahmed (Birchfield Harriers) in a relatively race with Joe Wilkinson was in second (Loughborough Students) and Thomas Mortimer (Loughborough Students) was in third.

Congratulations to our senior men on retaining their Birmingham League Cross Country title pic.twitter.com/PLqnGQwI59

— Birchfield Harriers (@Birchfield1877) February 8, 2020

Back on the road

In the Exeter Half Marathon, Chris Rimmer of the Tavistock Run Project was the first senior male home in 1:11:43. Finn Arentz was second home in 1:12.40 followed by Donald Brooks in 1:13.05.

For the women, Samantha Mare dominated in a strong time of 1:21.59. In second place was Victoria Hill (SWRR) in 1:25.45 and in third place was Amy Carey-Jones (SWRR) in 1:26.38.

Alassan Farah won Victoria Park 10km in 34:40 in a tight race with Thomas Lawson (34:48) and Chris Taylor (34:52). The winning woman was Joanna Furtado in 39:07 seeing off the challenge of Leah Ward-Bower (39:48) with Natalie Whitty third in 40:50. The Victoria Park Half Marathon saw Aaron Tomasz win by over 5 minutes in 70:46 with Rachel Humphrys the winning woman in 81:52.

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Sir Mo Farah, fresh off his tough fifth place at the 2019 Virgin Money London Marathon, will be looking for his sixth victory at the Vitality London 10000 on Monday 27 May after previous wins in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2018.

But he will face stiff competition from two-time previous winner Andy Butchart who, after a 2018 scampered by injury, has returned to competitive action in fine fashion this year. The Scottish athlete, who was sixth in the 5000m at the 2016 Olympics, ran a World Championships qualifying time of 13:18.16 for 5000m in the USA earlier this month.

Farah and Butchart will line up with a strong domestic field that includes six men who have run sub 29 minutes including Nick Goolab – the fastest man over the distance in the UK this year (28:22) and 13:34 victor at the Ipswich Twilight 5k this weekend. Goolab arrives in London having finished 4th in last week’s Great Manchester Run 10km.

Loaded women’s race

The women’s race also has a loaded domestic field that includes three former winners: defending champion Steph Twell, 2016 victor Lily Partridge and Gemma Steel who won in 2014. Twell ran 32:41 in last week’s Great Manchester Run.

Charlotte Arter, the reigning British 10000m champion on the track, and Tish Jones, who was the second British woman home at the Virgin Money London Marathon and qualified for the World Championships, are also racing, as are three of the six-strong team that Great Britain sent to the World Cross-Country Championships in March: Kate Avery, Jennifer Nesbitt and Jess Piasecki. It will be the first faster test for some of those who raced marathons in April, as well as Jones and Partridge the race sees Hayley Carruthers, Tracy Barlow and Louise Small lining up.

The Vitality London 10000 takes place on Monday 27 May – the day after the Vitality Westminster Mile where Laura Muir will be starting a summer season which she hopes will end in glory at the World Championships in Doha.

Muir & O’Hare in for the mile

Multiple European champion Muir leads the entrants in a star-studded elite women’s field in the Vitality Westminster Mile. Defending champion Melissa Courtney, the Commonwealth Games 1500m bronze medallist, is back again as is 2017 champion Adelle Tracey.

European Indoor Championships 800m gold medallist Shelayna Oskan-Clarke will make her debut in the event while Sarah McDonald, who won the Vitality Westminster Mile in 2016 and was runner-up a year later, returns to the streets of central London.

Photo: Andy Peat

In the men’s race, defending champion Chris O’Hare is hoping to become the first man in the history of the Vitality Westminster Mile to break the four-minute barrier.

O’Hare, who won a bronze medal over 3000m at the European Indoor Championships in March, is aiming to break the mark and win the Bannister Trophy just weeks after the 65^thanniversary of Roger Bannister’s first sub-four minute mile.

O’Hare will face competition from rising star Jake Heyward, who was fourth in the 1500m at last year’s World Junior Championships, and three-time British 800m champion Elliot Giles. Jamie Webb, who won a bronze medal in the 800m at this year’s European Indoor Championships, and the current course record holder Nick Goolab, who ran 4:01 to win in 2016, will also be on the start line.

Sir Mo Farah will also be at the Vitality Westminster Mile – but not racing. He will be cheering on runners in the family events with some lucky entrants getting the amazing chance to run alongside the four-time Olympic champion and six-time world champion.

The Vitality Westminster Mile is the world’s biggest timed mile event with races for all ages and abilities, from families to adults, schools, wheelchairs, Masters and Olympians. The under-13, under-15, under-17, under-20 and senior races are also the British One Mile Road Championships. Entry for children aged 11 and under is free. Entry for adults is £8 and for children between 12 and 18, entry is £6 with a £1 reduction for Westminster residents. To enter, click here.

A record number of more than 17,000 participants are expected to run the Vitality London 10000 on a course which passes iconic London landmarks such as Admiralty Arch, Nelson’s Column, St Paul’s Cathedral, Mansion House, the Bank of England, the Old Bailey, Somerset House, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey.

The Vitality London 10,000 also incorporates the British Athletics 10km Championships for men and women.

Entry to the Vitality London 10,000 costs £35 (£33 for members of a UK affiliated running club). To enter click here.

Entries close at 17:00 on Friday 17 May.

For full start lists for the Vitality Westminster Mile click here and for the Vitality London 10000 click here.

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British Athletics has named a record equalling number of 48 athletes for the European Indoor Championships on home soil in Glasgow from March 1-3.

Double European indoor champion Laura Muir, Asha Philip and Andrew Pozzi all return to defend their titles from the last edition in Belgrade in 2017.

Muir, who broke the 31-year-old Britsh indoor mile record on Saturday, is named for both the 1500m and 3000m with Melissa Courtney and Eilish McColgan joining her over the longer distance.

The men’s 3000m selection features Andrew Butchart, Charlie Grice and British champion Chris O’Hare.

Robbie Fitzgibbon, Elliot Giles, Neil Gourley, Sarah McDonald and Jemma Reekie join Muir over 1500m.

Selected for 800m are Guy Learmonth, Joe Reid, Jamie Webb, Shelayna Oskan-Clarke, Mari Smith and Adelle Tracey.

There will be a record number of nine Scottish athletes selected on the British team including the nation’s most decorated track and field athlete Eilidh Doyle.

For the second successive major championships there are more women (26) than men (22) selected while there are ten athletes set to make their major senior international debut.

“We are delighted to have selected our biggest and strongest ever team for the European Indoor Championships in Glasgow, which is yet another major international championships for us on home soil,” said British Athletics Performance Director Neil Black.

“Competition for places has been fierce, the SPAR British Athletics Indoor Championships, where athletes are required to compete in order to earn selection, in particular, were extremely competitive across several events and that high level of performances continued at the Müller Indoor Grand Prix Birmingham yesterday.

“With the IAAF World Championships, and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, drawing ever closer, Glasgow is a great opportunity for our athletes to defend titles, win medals and show their quality on a major international stage.

“Once again, we have demonstrated that athletics is a truly equal sport by selecting more women than men with four of those 26 having won European indoor gold while there are a further four who have medalled previously at the event.

“It is fantastic to have our biggest ever contingent of Scottish athletes for a major championships in their backyard and we look forward to watching every single member of the team thrive in front of a home crowd. Glasgow is the last major championships before the IAAF World Championships in Doha later in the year and we expect to be extremely competitive.”

Finally, having been unable to compete at the SPAR British Athletics Indoor Championships and not originally expecting to regain fitness in time for Glasgow, Andrew Pozzi’s selection is subject to the world indoor champion in the 60m hurdles proving his fitness ahead of the championships.

The full British team selected for the European Indoor Championships Glasgow 2019 is below.

Men

60m: Ojie Edoburun
400m: Cameron Chalmers, Alex Haydock-Wilson, Owen Smith
800m: Guy Learmonth, Joe Reid and Jamie Webb
1500m: Robbie Fitzgibbon, Elliot Giles and Neil Gourley
3000m: Andrew Butchart, Charlie Grice and Chris O’Hare
60m Hurdles: David King and Andrew Pozzi
High Jump: Chris Baker
Long Jump: Feron Sayers
Triple Jump: Nathan Douglas and Julian Reid
4x400m Relay: Joe Brier, Cameron Chalmers, Alex Haydock-Wilson, Owen Smith and Thomas Somers
Heptathlon: Tim Duckworth

Women

60m: Kristal Awuah, Rachel Miller and Asha Philip
400m: Amber Anning, Zoey Clark and Eilidh Doyle
800m: Shelayna Oskan-Clarke, Mari Smith and Adelle Tracey
1500m: Sarah McDonald, Laura Muir and Jemma Reekie
3000m: Melissa Courtney, Eilish McColgan and Laura Muir
High Jump: Morgan Lake
Pole Vault: Holly Bradshaw
Long Jump: Abigail Irozuru, Jazmin Sawyers and Jahisha Thomas
Triple Jump: Naomi Ogbeta
Shot Put: Sophie McKinna and Amelia Strickler
4x400m Relay: Amber Anning, Zoe Clark, Eilidh Doyle, Phillipa Lowe and Laviai Nielsen
Heptathlon: Katarina Johnson-Thompson

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The 2019 IAAF World Indoor Tour, a series of the six finest indoor meetings on the planet, kicks off with the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston on Saturday (January 26).

Staged over the course of 26 action-packed days, the series includes stops in Karlsruhe, Torun, Madrid and Birmingham, before reaching its final destination Düsseldorf on February 20.

The series winners will be crowned in the German city, where they will also be awarded prize bonuses of US$20,000 and wildcard entries for the 2020 World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China.

2019 marks the series’ third edition, but it’s already showing its widespread appeal. The Karlsruhe, Birmingham and Dusseldorf fixtures have sold out well in advance, the Polish meeting is on target to host yet another sell-out crowd of 5200 at Torun Arena, and Madrid is on target for a near-capacity crowd.

British and Irish distance interests in Boston

British distance runners have had great success over in the US, none more than Chris O’Hare in recent years. The 3:52 miler won the Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games last February amongst a whole host of other top-class performances in 2018. The British 1500m champion will race over 3000m in Boston.

Other British runners on the same startline will be Andy Butchart returning from injury and Andrew Heyes. Both could feature in the sharp end of the race but the man to beat will likely be Edward Cheserek. The Kenyan born athlete has been in the US since high school and is the most successful NCAA athlete in history.

In the women’s mile, Great Britain’s Hannah England and Ireland’s Ciara Mageean will both feature against strong domestic and international runners with the likes of Emma Coburn and Cory McGee toeing the line. England is a world medallist and Olympian who is also chair of British Athletics Athlete’s Commission, working hard to get the best for her fellow athletes in the future.

The men’s mile could be interesting with young Scottish athlete Josh Kerr competing, alongside one of America’s most promising college track stars, Justyn Knight, and the Beer Mile world record holder Corey Bellemore – who may be hampered by the lack of beer drinking with this event. New Zealander Nick Willis is in the mix too.

In the men’s 800m Guy Learmouth will be racing, amongst others, Boris Berian. If you’re not aware of Berian’s story it’s worth investigating how the Olympian and World Champ went from serving fast food to running fast for a living.

Who else is hitting the boards?

While many of the fields are still t0 be finalised, several are shaping up nicely.

World indoor champion Yomif Kejelcha, Olympic medallists Clayton Murphy and Hagos Gebrhiwet and IAAF Rising Star award winner Sydney McLaughlin are just a few of the stars who will help get the series underway on the US east coast.

Karlsruhe will feature Cuba’s rising long jump sensation Juan Miguel Echevarria, world and Olympic pole vault champion Ekaterini Stefanidi in the pole vault, and European high jump champion Mateusz Przybylko.

Echevarria returns to action in Torun four days later on a slate that includes double European champion Laura Muir, world indoor champions Pawel Maslak and Andrew Pozzi and three world champions in the pole vault: Sam Kendricks, Shawn Barber and Pawel Wojciechowski.

Later in the series, Muir is also set to compete in Birmingham among a host of world indoor medallists.

RELATED: Laura Muir set for return to the Arena Birmingham

A strong men’s 60m showdown will include world indoor silver medallist and Asian indoor record holder Su Bingtian taking on Reece Prescod, the European 100m silver medallist, and twice European indoor 60m champion Richard Kilty.

Meanwhile, some of the featured showdowns in Dusseldorf include Pozzi taking on Olympic silver medallist Orlando Ortega in the 60m hurdles, Stefanidi facing 2015 world champion Yarisley Silva in the pole vault, and the Ingebrigtsen brothers, double European champion Jakob, European silver medallist Henrik and 2017 world bronze medallist Filip in the 1500m.

Disciplines and scoring

The tour will feature 11 point-scoring disciplines (those that were not part of this year’s tour programme), five for men – 400m, 1500m, 60m hurdles, high jump, long jump – and six for women – 60m, 800m, 3000m/5000m, pole vault, triple jump and shot put.

Each athlete’s best three results will count towards their point score and the athlete with the most points in each discipline at the end of the tour will be declared the winner at the finale in Dusseldorf.

New competition order rule introduced in jumping and throwing events

The series will also introduce a rule change this year in the jumping and throwing events. In addition to the re-order in reverse ranking after the first three rounds, another re-order will be added after the fifth round.

2019 IAAF World Indoor Tour

January 26 – Boston
February 2 – Karlsruhe
February 6 – Torun
February 8 – Madrid
February 16 – Birmingham
February 20 – Dusseldorf

RELATED: Indoors: not just for the elites

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British metric mile stars Chris O’Hare, Charlie Da’Vall Grice and Jake Wightman, along with two lap specialists Adelle Tracey, Shelayna Oskan-Clarke and Lynsey Sharp, all advanced to their respective middle-distance finals at the European Championships on Wednesday (Aug 8).

GB’s 800m women were led by Tracey who went sub-two minutes for the first time in her career, clocking a personal best 1:59.86 to finish second in her heat.

“I think just being in the second heat had the advantage of seeing the first race,” said Tracey after breaking the two-minute barrier. “But in my head it didn’t change too much, I had to go and make it quick – it was a case of following the pace and leaving it on the track really.

“To break two minutes, well it’s massive…It’s such a relief, I’ve been doing some good sessions which is an indication that you can do it, but actually doing it is a massive thing in the 800m – that’s a bit of a barrier so it feels amazing. It feels awesome to come to a championship and perform at the best of my ability.”

Oskan-Clarke followed her home in fourth in a season’s best 2:00.39, qualifying as a fastest loser for the final, while Lynsey Sharp, in her heat, secured automatic qualification in second place, clocking 2:02.73.

In the men’s 1500m O’Hare made sure of qualification by kicking strongly in the final 200m and pulling away from the chasing pack to win in 3:49.06, with Da’Vall Grice following him into the final in the following heat, coming home second in 3:40.80.

Wightman’s 3:40.73 was the fastest time in qualification, holding off Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen to secure victory and make it a clean sweep for the British trio.

“I knew that’s what it would come down to eventually [a fast finish] and I was making sure I had enough space to run and not get tripped up and spiked and what not,” said O’Hare. I am happy with that.”

Da’Vall Grice added: “It was a relief to make it through and get automatically qualified. I saw the first heat was really slow, so that was a good sign, but you never know how your heat is going to be taken out.

“It is so hot out there. I put myself in a good position, it was really smooth, and I felt back to my best.”

The finals take place later this week and on Thursday morning 800m athletes Elliot Giles, Guy Learmonth and Daniel Rowden will attempt to advance to the men’s semi-finals.

Impressive senior debut in 10,000m

Alice Wright battled through a strong field to finish sixth in the final of the women’s 10,000m in 32:36.45. Wright put in a controlled 25 laps that saw her in touch with the leaders for long spells in the race and missed out on taking fifth position by just two seconds.

She said: “I wasn’t here for the experience, I really did want a medal but I knew it was going to be tough looking at the times going in. It’s gaining on those last two in the last lap. It wasn’t bad for my first senior vest, hopefully I can medal next time.

“I’ve had great consistency, we’ve been working on my strength and power really and those last couple of kilometres and few laps so hopefully I can be there next time. I’m greedy I want a medal. I’m not satisfied with sixth, it’s a good start.”

Elsewhere, Matthew Hudson-Smith, the fastest man in Europe this year, will be the only British 400m representative in the final later this week, while Eilidh Doyle continued her comeback from injury by qualifying for the final of the women’s 400m hurdles along with Meghan Beesley. In the sprints Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake and Adam Gemili advanced to the 200m final.

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Laura Muir, Chris O’Hare and Steph Twell all impressed as they won distance gold on the final day of the British Championships on Sunday (July 1), while fellow Scot Beth Dobbin lowered her own Scottish 200m record in a new championship best with victory in the women’s 200m final.

Muir went down in distance to work on her speed in the 800m, and stormed clear on the second lap to clinch an impressive 2:01.22 victory.

The 25-year-old was followed home by world indoor bronze medallist, Shelayna Oskan-Clarke in 2:01.94 as Adelle Tracey took the bronze medal in 2:02.00.

“I’m really happy because the strength in depth we have in the women’s 800m is so strong,” said a delighted Muir said afterwards. “I knew I had to attack the race and hold off until the end and I did that.

“I was feeling it in the last 50 metres but I wanted to get home in first place and I did that. I did well indoors but Berlin will be my first chance to win a senior outdoor medal.”

In the men’s 1500m O’Hare stormed clear of the field in the closing stages to claim victory in 3:46.72. The defending champion got the better of Edinburgh clubmate Jake Wightman who had made an earlier break for the title.

Photo: Andy Peat

Wightman crossed the line in 3:46.86 followed by fellow Scot Neil Gourley. The European under-23 championship fourth placer clinched his first senior medal with 3:46.87 for bronze, as Commonwealth fourth placer, Charles Da’Vall Grice finished fourth just behind in 3:46.99.

A delighted Twell collected her fifth title at the British Championships in a slow starting but fast-finishing 5000m, with a 16:07.24 win.

Photo: Andy Peat

Commonwealth 1500m bronze medallist, Melissa Courtney took the silver medal with 16:07.59, followed by 2017 runner-up, Eilish McColgan who registered 16:08.06.

Laura Weightman celebrated her birthday in style with the successful defence of her women’s 1500m title and stopped the Scottish clean sweep of the distance events on the final day in Birmingham.

England’s Commonwealth 5000m bronze medalist booked her place on the plane to Berlin with a perfectly executed tactical race to take gold in 4:08.80.

Photo: Andy Peat

Jemma Reekie stormed down the home straight to clinch silver ahead of a disappointed Sarah McDonald who had kicked early in the race but it wasn’t enough.

European junior champion Reekie clocked a personal best 4:09.10, but will now need to achieve the qualifying standard over the coming weeks to secure her selection for the European Championships, which take place in August.

Rosie Clarke added the 3000m steeplechase crown to her 2016 title with a dominant 9:45.83 run from 2017 winner and Commonwealth eighth placer, Iona Lake who recorded 10:08.61 for silver.

In a tactical race, 2017 champion Elliot Giles stormed away from the field to clinch the British 800m crown from European U23 silver medallist, Daniel Rowden in 1:50.28 to 1:50.43.

Last year’s runner-up, Guy Learmonth clocked 1:50.43 to pip 2012 victor, Andrew Osagie – 1:50.44.

Sprint action

Meanwhile, speeding to her fourth Scottish record of the summer, Beth Dobbin stole the show in the 200m, with a blistering 22.59 championship record.

Photo: Andy Peat

The 24-year-old has vastly improved on her 2017 sixth place finish and pipped Commonwealth sixth placer, Bianca Williams to the gold medal and British title in a thrilling finish by a whisker, with Williams – the 2017 fourth placer – clocking a 22.60 season’s best. Further behind, Jodie Williams replicated her position from twelve months ago in 22.78.

Scorching to a swift 20.24 championship record, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake captured the 200m national crown ahead of Olympic fourth placer, Adam Gemili, who clocked 20.26 just behind in a nail-biting finish. The 2016 victor was followed home by Commonwealth bronze medallist, Leon Reid, who ran 20.31  just hours after registering a 20.27 lifetime best in the heat.

After a lengthy competition lay-off with injury, four-time champion, Dai Greene enjoyed a popular 400m hurdles victory, storming to a 50.06 dominant win – his first in these championships in five years.

Behind, Commonwealth fourth-placer and the 2017 winner, Jack Green clocked 50.13, while Sebastian Rodger replicated his 2017 bronze medal position with 50.18.

Olympic finalist and world semi-finalist, Matthew Hudson-Smith claimed his third straight victory in these championships with a 44.68 season’s best from Rabah Yousif, who ran a 45.39 season’s best for silver, with Cameron Chalmers.

Last year’s bronze medallist, Anyika Onuora clinched a narrow 400m victory with 51.95 to Laviai Nielsen’s 51.99 clocking in a thrilling finish. 2017 fifth placer, Amy Allcock enjoyed a big personal best with 52.10 in third, whilst Zoey Clark finished close behind with 52.13.

Second last year but the winner in 2018, Meghan Beesley enjoyed an emphatic 400m hurdles win with 55.73. Taking the silver medal, former 400m flat runner, Kirsten Mcaslan recorded a 56.48 personal best, while 2017 bronze medallist Jessica Turner finished third again, this time in 57.10.

World indoor 60m hurdles champion, Andrew Pozzi made light work of the 110m hurdles field by storming away to an emphatic 13.61 victory, to add to his 2017 national crown.

5000m athlete Marc Scott was among the winners on Saturday (June 30) and a report from the first day of action can be found here.

The post Laura Muir among Scottish distance stars at British Championships appeared first on Fast Running.

Chris O’Hare says he would “love to see another 1-2-3 for Scots” at the British Championships as the nation’s best descend on Birmingham for two days (June 30 – July 1) of track and field action and battle for places on the European Championships team.

Edinburgh AC trio O’Hare, Josh Kerr and Jake Wightman claimed all the medals at the Alexander Stadium last year and were duly selected for the London 2017 World Championships.

Fellow Scot Neil Gourley was fourth – and only lost out by two hundredths to O’Hare in a specially-arranged 800m ‘warm-up’ at Grangemouth on Sunday.

“I’m ready now to go again next week and the good thing is I am definitely in much better shape than I was in Australia for the Commonwealths,” he says. “It is going to be very exciting, that is for sure, and I’d love to see another 1-2-3 for Scots – or even a 1-2-3-4 like last year.”

English Olympian Charlie Da’Vall Grice is in better form than a year ago, however, and O’Hare for his part is looking to seal a Berlin slot to help bound back from eighth place at Gold Coast 2018 1500m final, where Wightman took bronze.

“Charlie is in better form than a year ago, though, so that’s a big danger and there will be others,” he explains. “You just don’t know how it can pan out but I suppose the good thing is it prepares those selected for Berlin itself.”

O’Hare clocked 1.48.35 on Sunday at Grangemouth with Gourley at 1.48.37 with two of the quickest 800m times by Scots in in Scotland for a number of years.

“It was a good race and a good test,” says the 27 year-old, who closed a gap in the final 100m for a season Best run. “I had to work really hard to get back at Neil and I wanted it as competitive as that – because that’s the ideal preparation for next week. The time isn’t significant but it was decent on the day because it was pretty windy on the back straight in particular.”

Meanwhile, Olympian Frank Clement has outlined his admiration for this generation over 1500m by insisting they are the best for four decades.

“There’s no doubt at all it is a great era for our men in the 1500m,” says Clement, who was fourth in the 1978 Commonwealths and in the Olympics over 1500m. “To have four or five guys so high in the British rankings reflects well on them as individuals and on the sport.

“Josh Kerr has shown great form in America in the past couple of years, Jake Wightman’s double bid at the Commonwealths was very good and Chris O’Hare proved in Oslo a couple of weeks ago he is ready to bounce back again.

“All of them are under 3.36 for this year already and people maybe have to appreciate that’s pretty fast. It could be that one of them will have to post 3.33 or 3.34 to top the Scottish rankings for 2018 – it will be fascinating to watch that later this year, never mind what happens in terms of the selection for GB for the Euros in Berlin.

“I look at what they are doing and feel they are all pushing each other on and getting competitive.

“I hope is that they don’t get scared or anxious about racing each other. I think head-to-head meetings will bring the best out of them. It became very rare for Seb Coe and Steve Ovett to race each other and that was a pity.”

Action from the guest race at Grangemouth on Sunday (June 24) where Chris O’Hare competed in his first race in Scotland for more than three years ahead of this weekend British Championships in Birmingham.

The post Chris O’Hare: “I’d love to see another 1-2-3 for Scots” appeared first on Fast Running.

Dina Asher-Smith clocked 10.92 to set a new British 100m record at the Bislett Games in Oslo on Thursday evening (June 7).

The 22 year-old, who won a 200m bronze medal at Commonwealth Games for England in April, finished narrowly second to Murielle Ahouré who won in 10.91.

Asher-Smith first broke the 11 second mark in 2015 when she ran 10.99 at the Anniversary Games in London.

Last month in Eugene, Asher-Smith ran 11.06 to record what was the third fastest time of her career before Thursday.

🕪

10.92 – you smashed it, @dinaashersmith #osloDL pic.twitter.com/aiAXVIifYO

— British Athletics (@BritAthletics) June 7, 2018

Elsewhere at the Bislett Games, which incorporated the fifth Diamond League of the season, Chris O’Hare won an exciting men’s 1500m race in 3:35.96. O’Hare finished ahead of USA’s Robby Andrews in 3:36.05 with 17 year-old Jakob Ingebrigtsen third across the line in a PB time of 3:36.06.

GB’s 19 year-old Jake Heyward clocked a PB 3:39.84 to finish ninth and moves to third on the British U20 all-time list.

Heyward overtakes Steve Cram and joins Graham Williamson and Niall Brooks as the only British U20 athletes to break the 3:40 mark.

Laura Muir was less than a second outside her 800m personal best finishing fifth in a European-leading time of 1:59.09 as Caster Semenya claimed victory in 1:57.25.

On Wednesday, Irish sprinter Phil Healy also broke the women’s national 100m record with a 11.28 run at a graded meeting in Santry’s Morton Stadium, Dublin.

The post Dina Asher-Smith clocks British 100m record appeared first on Fast Running.

While the elite mile times were down on previous years’ records, the Westminster Mile broke a global tape when more than 8000 finishers crossed the line throughout the day’s proceedings, making it the biggest ever timed mile event in the world.

8048 finishers completed the Vitality Westminster Mile on the streets of London, meaning it is now officially bigger than the previous world leader, the New York Mile.

Edinburgh’s Chris O’Hare won the British Mile Championships in 4:04 ahead of Brighton Phoenix’s Charlie Da’Vall Grice, who was given exactly the same time, while Birchfield’s Elliott Giles took third just ahead of Bracknell’s Zak Seddon in 4:05, with Edinburgh’s Jake Wightman fifth after making an earlier bid for victory.

Poole’s Melissa Courtney won the senior women’s race in 4:35 from Birchfield’s Sarah McDonald’s 4:36, and Epsom & Ewell’s Rosie Clarke was third in 4:38. The consistently excellent Hannah England of Oxford City was fourth in 4:42.

Photo: Vitality Westminster Mile

The U20 women’s race was won by West Suffolk’s Emily Moyes in 5:03, while Middlesborough’s Josh Allen took victory in the men’s U20 event in 4:26.

Cambridge & Coleridge’s Thomas Keen was a clear winner in the U17 race, taking a very impressive victory in 4:15 to follow up a top class season on the country and now the track and road. Dorking & Mole Valley’s Elsa Palmer took U17 women’s glory in 5:09.

In the first ever masters races, V35 Joe Ashley was first across the line in 4:33, while Charlene Jacobs-Conradie, also a V35, took the women’s race in 5:19.

Edinburgh Marathon

Kenya’s Joel Kipkemboi Kiptoo won the Scottish capital’s biggest endurance event in an event record time of 2:13:33, with his winning result breaking the previous record by more than two minutes.

Jeffrey Stein’s 2:21:21 was good enough for second place, some 8 minutes adrift of Kiptoo, while Michael Crawley took third prize with 2:24:43.

WINNER of the 2018 Edinburgh Marathon is Joel Kipkemboi Kiptoo from Kenya with a provisional winning time of 02:13:33! He just smashed the previous record set in 2005 by 2 minutes, incredible!#edinburghmarathon #emf2018 pic.twitter.com/9rYBP33io9

— Edinburgh Marathon (@MrHairyHaggis) May 27, 2018

Kiptoo’s compatriot Caroline Jepchirchir clinched the women’s title in 2:47:35, beating off competition from Hunters Bog Trotter’s V35 Shona McIntosh, who ran 2:49:07 for second, and third placed V35 Tracy Millmore from Birtley AC, who ran 2:52:14.

Edinburgh Half Marathon

City of Derry and Ireland’s Breege Connolly won a hard fought battle with Annabel Simpson, with V40 Connolly’s 76:09 eventually beating her rival by just 22 seconds. Connolly posted a superb 2:37:24 result at last year’s Valencia marathon, just two seconds shy of her 2015 PB.

Glasgow’s Simpson’s 76:31 was a highly impressive debut over the distance following her 56:30 10M PB last year. Central’s Fanni Gyurko’s 78:32 clocking represented another strong performance for the Hungarian star.

Spain’s Severino Felipe Gomez took the win in 70:37 ahead of Mexico’s Arturo Gonzalez and Gateshead’s Conrad Franks, who posted times of 70:53 and 70:55 respectively.

Edinburgh 5k and 10k

Hyde Park Harriers’ Amy Young won the women’s 5k in 19:36 with Rotherham’s Arron Larkin taking the men’s race in 16:25. Enfield & Haringey’s Michael Christoforou took the win in 31:37 while Hana Randakova’s 38:49 was good enough to take the first women’s prize.

Stornoway 10k

Andrew Woodroffe clinched victory in 33:43, ahead of Stornoway’s U20 Kyle Munro’s 36:53 and Inverness’s V40 Jonny Macleod’s 37:29. Katherine Neilly’s 44:21 clocking won the women’s race, with London City AC’s Jane Maciver and Stornoway’s U20 Joanna Giles coming in second and third in 46:00 and 48:02 respectively.

Stornoway Half Marathon

Bedford’s Will Mackay took the top spoils in 73:23, with Hunters Bog Trotters’ Ewan Crawford and Will Bowers from Ochil Hill Runners taking second and third in 77:24 and 80:11 respectively.

Giffnock North’s Nicole Scott scored a PB when taking the women’s race in 92:12, ahead of Mairi Gougeon’s 93:35 and Stornoway’s Marina Murray’s 96:38.

Kirkcudbright Half Marathon

Grangemouth Tri Club’s Eliot Sedman’s 77:39 was enough for victory ahead of Otley AC’s Mark Hall and Pudsey & Bramley AC’s Gary Bailey, who posted times of 80:29 and 80:57 respectively.

Dumfries RC’s Lisa Finlay took the women’s race in 86:46, with Hardrock Hoodlums’ Donna Burnett’s 93:49 earning her the second prize ahead of Barnsley’s Beth Massey’s 97:02. The top three women were notably all V40s.

Dorchester Marathon

While the full results were unavailable at the time of this report (with the unofficial results currently showing rather incredulously a woman called Hilary Yuille winning overall in 2:20, and another woman (a V50) called Alaine Harman running 2:29 in 4th overall!), the official winner overall was the indomitable Steve Way, who posted a new course record of 2:28:28.

The course record was also broken in the women’s race with Hayley Merifield clocking 3:24:27.

The post Runners impress from Westminster Mile to Edinburgh Marathon appeared first on Fast Running.

Chris O’Hare, Jake Wightman and Charlie Grice lead the men’s entries, while the women’s race boasts five Commonwealth Games finalists including Sarah McDonald and Melissa Courtney.

The cream of Britain’s male middle-distance runners will attempt to break the historic four-minute barrier at the Vitality Westminster Mile to pay their respects to the legendary Sir Roger Bannister – the first man to run under the magical mark.

Bannister – who famously broke the four-minute mile barrier in 1954 – died in March, aged 88, and the latest generation of British middle-distance stars want to commemorate his passing by emulating his landmark achievement at the Vitality Westminster Mile on Sunday (May 27).

Commonwealth Games 1500m bronze medallist Jake Wightman (Edinburgh AC) and his fellow finalists Charlie Grice (Brighton Phoenix) and Chris O’Hare (Edinburgh AC) are the leading contenders to run sub-four in a star-studded field.

The women’s race promises to be equally as entertaining with five Commonwealth Games finalists in the field including Melissa Courtney who won a bronze medal in the 1500m on the Gold Coast. Up against her will be fellow 1500m finalists Sarah McDonald and Jess Judd plus 3000m steeplechase fourth placer Rosie Clarke.

No athlete has run under four minutes over the course since the event was first held in 2013, with two-time winner Nick Goolab going closest when he clocked 4:01 to win in 2016. Goolab is set to return fresh from clocking a personal best 13:50 to win Ipswich 5k on Saturday night (May 12).

Wightman, who is currently training at altitude in Flagstaff, Arizona, said: “After a month at altitude I hope to be in the sort of shape to run under four minutes at the Vitality Westminster Mile and I think, with the passing of Sir Roger Bannister, this year it would be nice for that to happen. It will be added motivation.

“You always want to test yourself against the best and I think the quality of the field as a whole will mean a sub-four clocking is definitely possible so we need to get after it.”

Wightman, Grice and O’Hare have all run well inside four minutes on the road with Wightman’s personal best (PB) of 3:52.9, set at the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile last year, the quickest. O’Hare has a road best of 3:53 and Grice a PB of 3:57. But both Grice and O’Hare have pedigree on the Westminster Mile course with Grice winning in 2013 and O’Hare in 2014.

Grice, who was fourth, one place behind Wightman, in the Commonwealth Games 1500m final, said: “I’m really excited to race the Westminster Mile this year. I got the win there in 2013 and I remember it was a really big deal for me because it was one of the first senior races I won.

“I am sure this year will be a great race, domestically we are very strong right now, so hopefully we can get a sub-four clocking.”

As well as the trio of the country’s leading milers, the Vitality Westminster Mile field will also include the reigning indoor and outdoor British 800m champion Elliot Giles.

The race starts on The Mall and does a lap of St James’s Park, turning right down Horse Guard’s Road and then Birdcage Walk before finishing in front of Buckingham Palace.

Wightman, who described his bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games as a ‘huge milestone in my career’, added: “It’s important for me to start the (summer) season well and the Vitality Westminster Mile seems like a great place to do it. It’s always nice opening up in the UK and I’m looking forward to soaking up what looks like a great atmosphere.”

As well as the senior races, there will be British Athletics One Mile Road Race championships in the under-13 to under-20 age groups. There will also be, for the first time this year, a Vitality Masters Mile open to runners aged 35 and over.

Sir Mo Farah will also be at the event to run with families in the Family Waves, with people getting the chance to #RunWithMo

The programme also includes family races, school races and The Olympians Mile which brings together athletes who have competed for Great Britain in any sport in an Olympic Games.

Elite men’s field

Jake Wightman (Edinburgh AC)
Charlie Grice (Brighton Phoenix)
Chris O’Hare (Edinburgh AC)
Tom Marshall (Cardiff AC)
Ieuan Thomas (Cardiff AC)
Steve Mitchell (Bristol West)
Nick Goolab (Belgrave Harriers)
Michael Wilsmore (Bristol)
Rowan Axe (Cardiff AC)
Tom Hook (City of Norwich AC)
Shaun Wyllie (Bracknell AC)
Robbie Fitzgibbon (Brighton Phoenix)
Zak Seddon (Bracknell AC)
Phil Sesemann (Blackheath & Bromley AC)
John Ashcroft (Liverpool Harriers)
Sean Molloy (Tonbridge AC)
Jack Hallas (Birchfield Harriers)
Rob Umeokafor (Birchfield Harriers)
Jonathan Davies (Reading AC)
Jake Heyward (Cardiff AC)
Elliot Giles (Birchfield Harriers)
Will Fuller (Blackheath & Bromley AC)
Jamie Webb (Liverpool Harriers)
Dale Clutterbuck (Newham & Essex Beagles)
Harvey Dixon (Aldershot Farnham & District AC)
Anthony Wightman (Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers)
Tom Horton (Hallamshire Harriers)

Elite women’s field

Jade Williams (Amman Valley)
Charlotte Taylor Green (Bristol & West)
Jenna Hill (Sale Harriers)
Sarah McDonald (Birchfield Harriers)
Rosie Clarke (Epsom & Ewell)
Amy Griffiths (Aldershot & Farnham District AC)
Harrier Knowles-Jones (Warrington AC)
Jess Judd (Chelmsford AC)
Hannah England (Oxford City)
Lily Coward (Invicta)
Sophie Connor (Shaftesbury Barnet)
Tamara Armoush (Birchfield Harriers)
Revee Walcott-Nolan (Luton)
Hannah Viner (Highgate)
Sarah Astin (City of Norwich)
Melissa Courtney (Poole AC)
Georgie Hartigan (Birchfield Harriers)
Holly Archer (Cambridge & Coleridge)
Claire Tarplee (Solihull)
Beth Kidger (Brighton Phoenix)

The post Britain’s best to commemorate Bannister at Vitality Westminster Mile appeared first on Fast Running.