That occasion was a Sunday afternoon about five miles to the north, at the Alexander Stadium, and a farewell race over 3000m. It is fair to say those seven and a half laps, and the relatively tame field assembled, were designed for Mo to say goodbye to the British crowd with a win (which happened).

But, plot twist! It turns out it wasn’t a farewell; the four-time Olympic and six-time World Champion is returning to the track with eyes set on making his fourth Olympics.

Except, the setting for his return to Birmingham is a bit different.

Four years on from that sunny afternoon in Perry Barr, there has been a changing of the guard in the British endurance running scene, both male and female, and there is nothing tame about the field that will join Mo in toeing the line in a quest for Olympic selection.

Not only are there places in Tokyo up for grabs, the event also doubles up as the European 10,000m Cup, with some of Europe’s finest athletes taking to the track in Birmingham. It promises to be a fascinating evening of racing and to whet your appetite I take you on a tour of those competing, including some insights from those taking to the oval track for 25 laps.

What’s Happening?

Let’s start with a whistle stop run through of the evening and what is at stake. The races are two-fold, the European 10,000m Cup and the British Championships / Olympic Trials. There are individual and team medals up for grabs in the European Cup and, whilst there is plenty of interest in this, I have focused on the domestic competition to avoid presenting you with an essay of an article.

The first two Brits across the line, if they have the Olympic qualifier (31:25.00 for the women and 27:28.00 for the men), will automatically book their spot on the plane to Tokyo. There are also athletes with eyes on qualifying times for the Commonwealth Games.

Wavelight technology, alongside human pacemakers, will run just inside the Olympic qualifying standard in both races, with wavelights for set slower times also.

Men’s Races

The ‘star’ names of the men’s A race need no introduction, but I will give them one anyways – Mo Farah, Marc Scott and Jake Smith. More on them to come. Alongside Mo, Marc and Jake, the European Cup squad includes Emile Cairess, Matt Leach and Kristian Jones. Mahamed Mahamed, Mohamud Aadan, Hugo Milner, Tom Anderson and James Hunt are also in the A race as domestic entrants.

“I’ll Be Back!”

If there is one British distance athlete who needs no introduction, it is Mo Farah. Since ‘retiring’ from the track in 2017, he has won three Great North Runs, two Big Halfs and the Chicago Marathon in a European Record, and bettered Steve Jones’ longstanding marathon British Record in London in 2018.

With the exception of a one-hour race in Brussels last year (where he set the World Record), it is almost four years since he raced on a track. Whilst age is just a number, it will be fascinating to see if the 38 year old can still conjure up the speed that brought him the British Record, two Olympic, three World and two European titles over 25 laps.

Photo: James Rhodes

Close Competition

It is likely that his biggest domestic competition will come from Marc Scott. The US-based athlete, part of the Bowerman Track Club, has been in fantastic form in recent months, setting career-best performances over 3000m (7:36.08), 5000m (13:05.13) and 10,000m (27:10.41), the latter placing him second on the British all-time list behind Farah.

The two have raced each other twice, last year’s Antrim Coast Half Marathon and over 3000m at the 2017 Anniversary Games, with Mo crossing the line ahead both times. However, as Marc told me, he feels he’s is in the shape of his life and will be looking to book his spot on the plane to Tokyo:

“My goal is to win the race, nothing else! I’m feeling really confident ahead of the race, I couldn’t have asked for a better build up. I have been in Park City, Utah for six weeks at altitude with Bowerman so it was great having us all go after the same goals together. We have six guys who have the 10k [Olympic} standard so we had a nice group to train with”.

Marc’s 27:10.41 in California in February, under the guidance of coach Jerry Schumacher, was the fastest by a British athlete since Mo ran 26:46.57 ten years ago, and the manner in which it was run – going through halfway in 13:44 – adds to its impressiveness. Naturally this was a confidence boost for the upcoming races: “The 27:10 did give me a huge boost considering it was a big negative split. It just shows there is more in the tank and that’s what will be needed on Saturday and in Tokyo!”

As Marc himself says, “I’m in a good place right now”, and it will be fascinating to see how his race unfolds.

No pacing duties for Jake Smith this weekend Credit: Mick Hall

Marathon Maverick

Whilst the event has been touted as a battle between Mo and Marc, I am intrigued to see what Jake Smith can and will do. The ‘marathon maverick’, as named by his coach James Thie, has been making headlines over the past twelve months with his performances.

There is a lot I could mention, but it would be remiss of me to not highlight his 60:31 at the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships in Poland last September alongside his unplanned, non-hydrated and all-round incredible marathon debut in Cheshire in April.

It is not everyday someone is due to pace to 25km, but decides to carry on and win the race, taking on no water or fuel. If that wasn’t impressive enough, it was only four days after setting a 1500m PB. Plus his time of 2:11.00 – 30 seconds inside the Olympic qualifying mark – adds an extra layer of marvel. If only the race wasn’t a few weeks after the marathon squad for Tokyo had been selected!

Anyways, back to the race ahead. As Jake told me:

“Saturday is the big one, I’m so excited and nervous for it and have been waiting for this day to come for months. I probably have said this before during other training blocks, but I haven’t trained this hard before a race and have been running great sessions. The goal is to run as quickly as possible and the aim will be to sit on those pacemakers trying to run close to the [Olympic qualifying] time”.

Has his coach, who raced Mo Farah seven times on the track, provided any advice ahead of the race? “James has been a brilliant coach during this training block and he has just told me to ‘think of it as a time trial. You run best when in control and having pacers plus lights there will help so much’”.

A bit of S.W.A.T. and Brooklyn Nine-Nine on Netflix alongside a nap will be the relaxation method of choice for the marathon maverick ahead of his biggest race of the year.

Cairess is no stranger to a sprint finish Photo: JHMSport

PBs Expected

The European Cup team is completed by Emile Cairess, Kristian Jones and Matt Leach. The Leeds City athlete Cairess will be making his European Cup debt having set a 28:14.30 PB over 25 laps in Newport in February and dipped under eight minutes for the first time over 3000m indoors. Kristian also set a PB (28:33.17) in that race in Newport, and has also run well over 5000m this year (13:49.33 in Cardiff and 13:53.25 at the Trafford BMC GP).

Matt Leach joins the team following the withdrawal of Sam Atkin, who has decided to not to travel from the States to compete. That is not to take anything away from the Bedford athlete; he has run PBs over 1500m (3:44.55) and 5000m (13:46.26) this season, alongside a 28:41,21 10,000m last month.

Domestic Competition

There are a number of other Brits taking to the A race outside of the European Cup team, including Mo Aadan, in his first race since his marathon debut in Kew Gardens in March, and Tom Anderson who last week gained his maiden British  vest at the European Team Championships. There are plenty of

Close battles are almost guaranteed in the men’s B race, which goes off at 19:45. Alongside a host of European athletes, the field includes Ellis Cross, Jack Gray, Josh Griffiths, Ollie Lockley, Joshua Grace, Omar Ahmed, Matt Clowes, Calum Johnson and Fast 10’s Nigel Martin.

Timetable

17:30 – Elite para 1500m

18:00 – Men’s domestic 10,000m

19:00 – Women’s 10,000m including European Cup B race

19:45 – Men’s 10,000m including European Cup B race

20:30 – Women’s 10,000m including European Cup A race & British Olympic trials

21:15 – Men’s 10,000m including European Cup A race & British Olympic trials

How to Follow

Full start lists can be found at https://data.opentrack.run/en-gb/x/2021/GBR/not/event. The races will be streamed live on the British Athletics website, and I will be trackside bringing updates via twitter (@james_athletics).

The post Back to the track Mo? appeared first on Fast Running.

In the first part of our interview Thie explained the importance of being adaptable in order to guide and support athletes through an incredibly Challenging year. We pick up where we left off with a Team Thie man who has had a stunning year.

Stellar year for Smith

Jake Smith is one of James Thie’s athletes who has had a stellar year. Smith clocked a phenomenal 60:31 at the World Half Marathon Championships in Poland last month, but what are the coaching secrets behind his success?

“Jake has been a relatively logical journey. He came to Cardiff Met (university) having done a lot or unstructured training and he was sort of a maverick looking after himself, so the simple thing from a coaching point of view was giving him structure.

The other thing he lacked was leg turnover. He had a massive engine and the legs just couldn’t keep going. We worked on short hills for his running economy. He was chasing the guys, and getting blown out the back, but he kept coming back.

 

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In the first year he couldn’t quite work out recovery, everything had to be done hard and if he wasn’t working hard, he felt he could’ve done better. In the first summer he was toast with thee or four races to go and they kept getting progressively worse, so we decided to give him 10 days of absolutely no running.

After one day back, he did the classic, can I do a local 5k next week? He ran a 20 second personal best. It showed him that all that training came into play and rest and recovery became a key smart focus.”

Early step up

“He also made the journey to half marathon relatively early. He ran 64 minutes as a second year, and we just found a distance that he really identified with, and his mechanics/how he runs just clicks.

He ran 62 minutes last November and then 60:30 at the world half this year. His progression has been staged, so the sessions have remained the same but got quicker, the volume has gradually gone up, and structure has been important.

Jake has an amazing pain tolerance and ability to switch off and focus, but he is so innocent when he races. He went through 10k in 28:20, which is phenomenally fast, but he was just enjoying it and willing to see how hard he could go. I just want him to remain as honest and innocent to that type of running as possible.”

King of consistency

Thie says consistency has been a true factor in contributing to Smith’s success. Could the longer period of uninterrupted training over lockdown have been the reason so many athletes are performing well. Here’s what the Cardiff-based coach has to say.

“This is absolutely individual… I could probably put people in both camps and in between. The shape people have got into have been absolutely phenomenal. For some, it meant when racing came back around that we had slightly overcooked it, but it’s hard to get it 100% right when you don’t know when races are.

I have learnt this from the first pandemic, that you just have to be patient. Some had a couple of hits with racing and got PB’s every time, others just weren’t feeling the desire to race when it did come around. For some it went well, but for others it didn’t go to plan.

No athlete is the same, but what did surprise me was how positive a lot of athletes were, and it was actually running that kept people mentally in a good place and got them through lockdown. I’ve had no one quit running from lockdown.”

Impact on youth

For some, this period of long training has meant saying goodbye to key age-group success stories, but could this be a source of inspiration?

“I feel sorry for the younger age groups. You are only a top U17, U20, U23 once, and for some people you only get one chance at that Euro Cross or age group championships, or even English Schools, and some people haven’t had this.

For some of our university students it has been very hit and miss with everything since March, from family life, to academics, to training, and they have had the toughest experience of most, so it is important to create a positive environment for those coming to us.

It was great to see some of them thriving off being in a group on the track again rather than going around the streets on their own. I just feel the longer we aren’t allowed to compete properly, the longer we aren’t able to give people those opportunities they need. This may be the thing that decides whether they keep going or give up on the sport.”

However, this is a learning curve, says Thie, “We have amazing role models, who have had numerous setbacks, so we can learn from them. The pandemic has allowed us to appreciate the finer things in the sport. It is just turning the psychology and not dwelling on things too much, but accepting it is ok to feel drained and a bit helpless at times because of the situation. Everything is out of our control and very frustrating.

If there are dips in training it may not be down to training, it may be mental tiredness. My athletes over Christmas are just going to have a week or so where it is a little less structured, as you don’t want to get run down over Christmas, especially when you are mixing with others. It will be a nice chance to get out, not worry whether there is a track nearby or a good hill. It will give people a chance to get out and run, but be ready to go for 2021, which is still going to be a big year.”

Friends in the sport

We asked James if being international athlete, has given him a level of unteachable knowledge that has allowed him to progress as a coach?

“I was lucky as an athlete as I maximised by experience in the sport, which maybe cost me some of my performance. Others were focused on their own performance, but I made a lot of friends, but that has put me in good stead now as I know people all over the world. They are friends for life, and we link in and learn from each other.

Having been an international athlete it gives me an insight into major championships and training with some of the best athletes and coaches. My last coach was Mark Roland (Oregon TC head coach), so I learnt from some of the best. It was helpful in teaching me that there is no magic wand, there is no short cut, it is all about hard work over long, long periods of time.

Having athletes of all abilities, event groups, genders, distances, has allowed me to learn about volume but also individual quality. Volume is so important for the aerobic base, but thoroughbreds need a good amount of quality work too.

We need those key ingredients, but with individual tweaks. When you get this right as a coach, and you have tweaked it and made it absolutely right, this is when you pat yourself on the back as a coach.”

Privileged relationship

As a coach, a lot of athletes put their sporting futures in your hands and trust you to aid their progression. Thie tells us how important this is to him.

“I feel so privileged when an athlete asks me to coach them. There is a real quality in someone trusting you enough that they believe you can help them, so I am always open to helping those who I think I can. I don’t think there is a much better feeling.

When our sport goes well it is great, but then on the flip side, when it doesn’t go quite so well, when athletes are injured, ill or not performing, those are the ones that keep me up at night. If I can turn that around, that is the biggest satisfaction.

When you bring someone back from injury, or recover their enjoyment for the sport, those are the coaching gems. I love a challenge, but it’s the ones you have helped make and made believe in themselves that I get most satisfaction from, rather than polishing a Rolls Royce as such.”

A busy year ahead

2021 is going to be a year to remember (hopefully), and one where many of us are hoping to make developments. How does the coach of TeamThie hope to progress?

“I never stop learning, and I am doing a taught doctorate in sports coaching. I am two thirds (3 years) into that. So alongside my family, a full time job, coaching, articles, and circuits, that pushes my academic limit. It allows me to have an introspective look at endurance running as a coach, and I would love to publish that and help other coaches who have multiple roles and responsibilities.

I am continuing to learn and develop, so those of my athletes that ever complain about working late into the evening, I am with them there doing the same thing. I am lucky to push myself athletically and mentally, but I enjoy being on that limit and pushing myself in all ways to develop as a coach.”

We know that whatever 2021 brings James, and the athletes he coaches, will be are the forefront of British distance running.

Want to run faster? For just £30 per month athletes are provided with a Final Surge plan for each day of the week, coaching advice from Robbie Britton and Tom Craggs, as well as access to the unique Fast Running Performance community.

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James Thie is the current World Masters Indoor Champion over the 800m, 1500m & 3000m and was 4th in the IAAF World Indoor Championships in 2004.  He is now helping others to become the best they can be.

As head performance coach for endurance at Cardiff Met University he coaches both students, up-coming athletes and established runners. Many of his athletes have achieved international status and with James’ guidance are continuing to flourish.

Orchestrating through the chaos

As an athlete it has been tough at times training without knowing what exactly you are working towards, but for the coaches out there it has been even tougher. They have had to orchestrate training and set athletes in the right direction, without any specific targets to structure training towards.

James Thie has first-hand experience adjusting to the times for his athletes.

He says “It is still that mentality of keeping athletes happy and healthy, and bubbling over at 95%. For some it is a good opportunity to push on a bit as there is less pressure. There is no absolute trial race and less travelling to cause stress, so for some they can extend training.

Now is a real opportunity for those that focus and stay positive, when they come out the other end, to make big steps. People are making underground progressions that we aren’t aware of. We aren’t witnessing the jumps people are making as there are no races to see their progress. It is going to be an exciting few years to see who has made that jump, because I think there will be some people who do make that big transition.”

Adaptability is key

Thie is the Director of Athletics at Cardiff Met University, so knows exactly how student-athletes have been coping. We asked him how the pandemic has affected their training and wellbeing.

“Going back to March, everyone was in the same boat. It all came on pretty quickly, with the pandemic, lockdown, and the shutdown of the summer racing season. We are lucky as endurance runners that we could adapt pretty quickly. One thing I really noticed, is the way it affected jumpers, throwers, and sprinters, where facilities are fundamental.

The distance runners I coach were able to adapt more easily. There were no tracks or gyms, but I adapted training to this. I started doing online circuits, time trials and different challenges. I definitely saw the way it impacted different people. There was and is also the impact of Covid-fatigue (the mental effect of the pandemic).

Some people were desperate to race when lockdown was lifted, whereas others just didn’t feel there mentally. I think the main challenge came in September and October, when we had expected things to be getting better, but they were in fact getting worse. The lack of planning and motivation was setting us backwards, and all over the place. As a coach you look at races to form blocks, but we’ve been in limbo and uncertainty.”

Editors note – You can catch up with James’ widly popular circuit sessions over at the Team Thie YouTube Channel.

 

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The power of good company

Something lockdown has really done for all of us, is cause us to appreciate the things we took for granted.

“In Wales at the moment,” says Thie, “we can now train on the track in groups, and all athletes were buzzing off it. We truly missed this. We never thought we wouldn’t be able to get on a track, or go to the gym, or train in groups, but it has really made us appreciate these small things.

For some of the guys, getting back on the track was like Christmas. It really showed some why they run and why they compete, but for others it has been really tough, specifically other sports.”

Being present, virtually

In the current climate, when a lot of things seem to be virtual, maintaining communication is vital. James told us how he keeps in touch with all his athletes and ensures they stayed engaged.

“I am lucky, but it also makes things tough at times, but I do look after a lot of athletes. I use the Training Peaks app, as I can see people’s training when it pops up if their watch is linked to it. I can see their adaptation to training, their speeds and heart rates for efforts. However, that interaction is key.

Even those that live near to me, I only see them once or twice a week, so receiving feedback after sessions or runs is helpful. For a lot of athletes, it depends on their personality. If some are quiet that is not good, but for others, if they’re quiet it just means they are getting on with it. It is about touching base and having at least a couple of moments of contact in each week. It is important to keep tweaking and monitoring things.”

Winter fortune

“We are in a fortunate period at the moment where everyone is similarly progressing, whether they are an 800m/1500m runner, or half marathon and beyond.

There are certain key ingredients at the moment, such as shorter hills, longer hills, long reps, short reps and just tweaking it depending on the athletes training load, development, or competition calendar over the next couple of months.

It is less complicated now, but it gets more complicated after Christmas when training becomes a lot more bespoke for everyone as they are all racing. Some are racing indoors, some on the road, some cross country, others want to peak in March or are chasing Olympic qualifiers. I need to be careful with athletes depending on the feedback I receive and how they are coping with the changes.

It is about tweaking it so people don’t get over fatigued or leave good sessions in training. For example, Jake Smith, he had to peak on that exact day (World Half), and it was the only race in sight, so we had to plan for that day, and that is when it gets more specific and complicated.”

…and on that note we shall leave this half of our interview. Catch the second half this week where Thie discusses Smith’s progression, the impact of COVID-19 on young athletes and what 2021 will bring him personally.

Want to run faster? For just £30 per month athletes are provided with a Final Surge plan for each day of the week, coaching advice from Robbie Britton and Tom Craggs, as well as access to the unique Fast Running Performance community.

If you would like more information on joining the project, click here. 

The post Orchestrating through the Chaos appeared first on Fast Running.

The 24th edition of the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships took place on the re-arranged date in Gdynia, Northern Poland on Saturday. Races used a 5.5km loop starting in the City Centre with the finish area utilising a purpose built surface on the City’s Beach on Gdansk Bay on the Southern Coast of the Baltic Sea.

First up was the women’s race, with cool temperatures of around 8oc when the 105 starters hit the roads, perfect for the blistering starting pace.

Ethiopia’s Ababel Yeshaneh was among the favourites for the title following her 64:31 world record at Ras Al Kaimah in February.

Other favourites included previous World Champions Peres Jepchirchir (2016), defending Champion Netsanet Gudetta, former world record holder Joyceline Jepkosgei and the hugely talented Rosemary Wanjiru who is the fastest debutant in history with 65:34 but is yet to claim a global title.

Championships are often known for their cagey racing but with so many of the world’s best in the field, fast times were expected with former World Record Holder Jepchirchir hinting in the pre-race press conference that world records could be possible.

Big group on World Record pace

A group of 12 athletes passed the 5km mark in 15:20 with 2016 Champion Jepchirchir and former world record holder Jepkosgei at the very front. The 10km mark was passed in 30:47 with seven athletes remaining in the leading group.

With around half a lap left to run, Yeshanah and Jepkosgei fell forcing a decisive move from 2016 Champion Jepchirchir, Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw and Germany’s Melat Kejeta.

With a well timed sprint to the finish, it was a victory for Peres Jepchirchir in 65:16 to regain her title from Cardiff in 2016. After being on the front for most of the pack running, it was great to see the hard work put in by the Kenyan athlete throughout the race pay off in the final stages.

Kejeta claimed a Silver medal in 65:18 for with a European record for the German and with Ethiopian Yehualaw claiming Bronze in 65:19. All three podium finishers went under Jepchirchir’s women’s only World Record set in Prague in September.

Ethiopia claimed team victory in the women’s race with Kenya second and Germany finishing a surprise third.

Young British team gaining valuable champs experience.

Samantha Harrison was the leading Briton from start to finish, with the Charnwood AC athlete finishing in a time of 71:53 and in 47th place.

‘’I was really happy with that’’ said Harrison. ‘’The course was much tougher than I anticipated it being and it really took it out of your legs. I started off well but as the race wore on it all just started to take its toll’’.

‘’I’m happy with it for my senior debut, I gave it all that I could and I’m happy to be inside the top 50 on my first appearance in a British vest’’.

Becky Briggs was the second British finisher in 73:08 on her senior debut for Great Britain and Northern Ireland and as the youngest athlete in the race. ‘’I’m only 20 but what an amazing experience to be in the same race as some of these girls, especially when they’re breaking the world record like they have done today’’.

Clara Evans finished just behind in 65th place with 73:11.

Ann Marie-Mcglynn revised her own Northern Ireland record to 71:40, representing Ireland.

Jacob Kiplimo joins a long list of Federico Rosa represented athletes to win on the big stage Photo: World Athletics

Upset in the men’s event

Debutant Joshua Cheptegei began as the overwhelming favourite in the men’s race after setting World records on his last three outings with 26:11.00 for 10,000m in Valencia, 12:35.36 for 5,000m at the Meeting Hercules and 12:51 for 5km in Monaco back in February.

In the absence of defending Champion Geoffrey Kamworor who is recovering from being hit by a motorcyclist whilst training in Kenya, 19 year old Jacob Kiplimo was thought to be among the main challengers.

Kenya’s Kibiwott Kandie (P.B. 58:38) and Ethiopia’s Guye Idemo Adola (59:06) were amongst the other main protagonists.

It became apparent early on that chasing world records wasn’t a priority for the leading African athletes which included Ugandan Cheptegei in his longest race to date.

Early warm up for some of the leaders

European Record Holder Julien Wanders (59:13) of Switzerland took out the early frontrunning with Briton Jake Smith also right at the front of the field in the early kilometres.

5km was passed in 14:19 with much of the field still intact. That group thinned to around 20 athletes just under the 20 minute mark and still featuring leading Briton Smith. 10km then came in 28:23 with Smith still in attendance.

It was indeed Kiplimo that made a decisive move at just under the 50 minute mark to surge clear of second placed Kandie with further daylight back to Ethiopia’s Amedework Walelegn and Cheptegei.

Kiplimo relied on his track pace, proved with a 12:48 clocking over 5,000m this summer to pull away from Kandie and to stun the world with a first senior global title in a world u20 best of 58:49. This was also a Championships best and a Ugandan national record by over a minute.

Kibiwott Kandie was next to finish in 58:54 with Walelegn claiming the Bronze medal in 59:08. Despite the upset, it was still a great debut for Cheptegei who was fourth in 59:21.

Kenya regained the team title from Cardiff, overcoming defending Champions Ethiopia and with Uganda claiming their first team medals at the Championships since 2004 with Bronze.

The British mens team pose with recent 5000 & 10000m WR breaker Joshua Cheptegei. Photo: British Athletics

Smith jumps up UK rankings

Jake Smith came home as the second European athlete in 18th place with an eye watering 60:31 setting a new national record for Wales, re-moulding Steve Jones’ record of 61:14. His time also sends Smith to third on the UK all the lists behind Mo Farah and Callum Hawkins.

Smith commented saying; ‘’When I came down that final straight and saw what I was at the 20km mark, I couldn’t believe it. I got a 10km PB along the way and I was with the main group when I did that and it was so good. In that last lap, I caught one of the Turkish guys and just worked with him and I knew once we were at the top of the hill, it was downhill all the way’’.

‘’I put everything into the downhill and tried to hang on as much as I could. I started crying happy tears on the home straight because I just couldn’t believe it’’.

‘’I couldn’t ask for a better team, we all get on so well and we were warming up as a group and I couldn’t ask for anyone else to share this with’’.

Mohamud Aadan was the second British man in 50th with 62:41 just 10 seconds of his P.B. from the Commonwealth Half Marathon Championships in 2018.

Kristian Jones claimed a new best of 63:05 in 60th place with fellow Celt Adam Craig 62nd in a new best of 63:12. Ultra-distance man Tom Evans finished 64th in a P.B. of 63:14. There was also a new P.B. for Loughborough based Irishman Kevin Seaward in 62:58.

Want to run faster? For just £30 per month athletes are provided with a Final Surge plan for each day of the week, coaching advice from Robbie Britton and Tom Craggs, as well as access to the unique Fast Running Performance community.

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The re-arranged event takes place in Gdynia, Northern Poland. The race originally set to host mass races will now take place exclusively for the International fields of just under 300 athletes. The course will use four laps of 5.5km, finishing on a purpose built surface on the City’s Beach in Gdansk Bay on the Southern Coast of the Baltic Sea.

This will be the first World Athletics Series Event to take place since the Covid-19 lockdowns. ‘’It is clear that the entire community – athletes, national federations, coaches, athlete representatives – have risen to the challenge,” said Jacob Larsen, World Athletics director of Competition and Events (via World Athletics). “It is evident that this is something everybody wants to happen – and indeed are making it happen’’.

Cheptegei coming in with decent form

Joshua Cheptegei will be the resounding favourite for the men’s race. The Ugandan Athlete has set World records for 5,000m (12:35.36) and 10,000m (26:11.00) in recent months and a 5km World Record (12:51) falling to him in Monaco back in February. In fact the 24 year old has lowered world records at every one of his races this year making a new world record on Saturday a definite possibility.

A battle with World Half Marathon Champion Geoffrey Kamworor was originally expected in March but never happened with the event being postponed due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.

World Record holder Kamworor (WR: 58:00) is not named in the Kenyan Team so the greatest opposition will likely come from Compatriot Jacob Kiplimo who will also make his Half Marathon debut in Gdynia.

19 year old Kiplimo finished second to Cheptegei at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Aarhus on the day that Kamworor was de-throned as World Champion. Two years earlier he had claimed the global crown in the Junior Men’s race.

Instead the Kenyan Challenge will be led by Kibiwott Kandie who has a 58:38 best making him the fastest in the field and as the fifth fastest of all-time, should not be counted out. Abraham Cheroben of Bahrain is the second fastest with a best of 58:40.

Guye Idemo Adola will head the Ethiopian Team with a P.B. of 59:06 and a Bronze medal at the Championships in Copenhagen from 2014 to his name.

Kaan Kigen Ozbilen (P.B: 59:48) of Turkey is the fastest European entrant with his P.B. recorded at Ras Al Khaimah in 2019.

Jake Smith racing in Paris.

British team reduced by injuries

British hopes have been affected by a series of withdrawals, reducing the men’s team to five athletes.

Jake Smith will be the fastest Briton on Paper with a time of 62:00 recorded when finishing third at the Vitality Big Half in March behind Kenenisa Bekele and Chris Thompson. This was a third outing over the distance for the 22 year old who debuted with 64:03 in 2018, going on to run 62:03 at the Boulogne Billancourt Half marathon last November.

The Cardiff based athlete born in Bermuda then recorded a 28:00 time trial for 10,000m in July to test fitness coming out of the Covid-19 lockdown and followed up with a fourth place at the Muller British Championships over 5,000m in September.

Mohamud Aadan set his lifetime best of 62:30 on his way to seventh at the Commonwealth Half Marathon championships in Cardiff back in 2018.

Orienteers and ultra runners with some leg speed

Scottish based Welshman Kristian Jones has become a regular in British Teams of recent years and takes a 63:09 best in to the Championships, recorded at the Barcelona Half Marathon early in 2020. His most notable win to date was a victory at the British Athletics Stirling Cross Challenge in February.

Tom Evans P.B. of 63:15 came at the Antrim Coast Half Marathon in September. This was just the latest eye-catching performance for the Ultra distance Specialist. Evans has medalled at the IAU World Trail running Championships and the infamous Marathon Des Sables. Evans proved that he was an athlete comfortable over any distance with a 13:41 clocking at the Podium 5k and a Bronze medal at the CAU Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships back in February.

Adam Craig (63:24) has come in to the team as a replacement for fellow Scotsman Callum Hawkins. This will mean a debut for Great Britain & Northern Ireland on the roads for the Inverclyde AC Athlete in just his second outing over the distance.

26.03.16 – IAAF/Cardiff University World Half Marathon Championships 2016 – Elite womens runners on Roald Dahl Plas.

The women’s race is exciting

The women’s race will be more likely to see a competitive battle between former champions and some of the fastest athletes in history.

The Kenyan team will boast 2016 Champion Peres Jepchirchir (65:06) and former World record Holder Joyceline Jepkosgei (64.51). Rosemary Wanjiru (65.34) is the next fastest on an extremely strong Kenyan team with a 10km best of 29:50 set in Valencia.

Netsanet Gudetta (65:45) of Ethiopia is the defending Champion setting a women’s only world record of 66:11 in Valencia. That record fell to Jepchirchir with 65:34 in an elite only event in Prague last month.

Her compatriot Ababel Yeshaneh is faster yet with a 64:31 clocking to smash the world record held by Jepkosgei in a race where second placed Brigid Kosgei also dipped under the previous best mark.

Debuts for British women

Samantha Harrison is the fastest British challenger having clocked an impressive 71:01 to finish second at the Vitality Big Half in March after leading the race for some time.

Harrison, who describes running as ‘’her happy place’’ only began racing seriously in September 2018 and in late 2019 described a main goal for 2020 to be gaining selection for the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships.

Clara Evans is set to make her debut for the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Team, selected off the strength of a 72:21 lifetime best set at the Antrim Coast Half Marathon in September.

Becky Briggs will make her senior debut for Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Poland. The 20 year old set her best of 72:54 in Northern Ireland last month, taking her to seventh in the British U23 all-time lists and becoming the third fastest U23 in Europe this year.

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The U23 athlete had an astounding run on the track over the 10,000m distance. Smith’s official PB stands at 29:01, but his 28:00 time trial suggests the 2021 Tokyo Olympics may be in sight.

Smith was helped along by the pacing and support of his fellow Cardiff club mates. You can relive his fabulous run on his Instagram feed.

Cross training gains

I spoke to Smith about how his training had changed in the build-up to the time trial as a result of lockdown. He told us,

“As we were only allowed out once, I introduced some cross training into my training. I bought a cross trainer (elliptical) and an indoor turbo bike. On normal double days instead, I would do a single run and either a turbo or elliptical in the evening.

I enjoyed this type of training so much as it was different plus it puts less stress on the body. I also introduced shorter reps to try and increase my leg turnover so for longer races the pace should hopefully feel slightly easier.”

Top pacing

Building up to the time trial Smith remarked

“I had done some good sessions but didn’t think I would ever get close to 28 minutes. From my training all I wanted to do was break 28:20 as I feel that is a massive achievement and barrier.

Fortunately, the pacers (Ciaran Lewis, James Heneghan and John Howorth) were amazing and hit every split exactly right. When I went through 5k in 13:59 I knew I was running quicker than I ever had done and just tried to hold that pace for as long as possible.”

Race prep

Due to the absence of official racing, Smith prepared for the time trial as if it was his own personal race. He didn’t put too much pressure on the situation and relaxed into enjoying the event;

“I prepared for the 10km time trial exactly like a race. It was a lot more chilled compared to a race as I had my best mates pacing and supporting me. I only ran 4 miles the day before then on the day of the time trial went for a small jog in the morning before just relaxing for the majority of the day.

When I got to the track, I just stayed relaxed and started when the track was less busy. After initially being disappointed with his finishing time, it then sunk in what he had actually achieved!”

 

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Am so happy with my 10k TT last night running 28:00.5 on the track. Couldn’t have asked for better pacers @ciaranlewis97 @jamesheneghan and @john_howorth . Wouldn’t have been able to run that time without them. Now for a few days of rest before starting the next block of training!!!

A post shared by Jake Smith (@jakesmith_lsdp) on Jul 2, 2020 at 11:30am PDT

Tough final 3km

I asked Smith how he felt throughout the ‘race’ itself;

“For the first 7km I felt amazing. Ciaran Lewis was running anywhere from 400m-800m, trying to jump in when he thought was best to do and the other two, James Heneghan and John Howorth, were swapping at every 800m.

Up until the 7km mark I felt quite relaxed, although with about 7 laps to go I really started to struggle and was asking the pacers to slow down at times. Unfortunately, my 9th km was the slowest which wouldn’t have helped at all. When I crossed the finish line at first, I was gutted as I just missed out on breaking 28 minutes. Then about 30 minutes after the time trial I was so happy and could not believe what I had just achieved.”

Setting sights high

The time trial itself has left Jake hungry for more, with goals previously seen as unrealistic now within his reach. It would have placed Jake 9th on the all-time U23 list for 10,000m, and only 14 seconds off placing at the top of the list. As it stands, the Olympic qualifying time is 27:28, therefore Smith needs to knock 1.28 seconds per lap of the track to hit the mark.

Whilst it is still considered a big chunk to knock off at that level, Smith’s progress appears to be rapidly improving, and in a race environment, who knows what he could be capable of. Smith qualified for the World Half Marathon Championships in Poland at the Big Half earlier this year, clocking 62:00 and breaking the British U23 half marathon record.

 

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3rd place at Big Half, 2nd Brit in a new pb time of 62:00. Never thought I’d be standing on a podium with these two @hamudphotos @jrhodesathletics @officialbighalf

A post shared by Jake Smith (@jakesmith_lsdp) on Mar 1, 2020 at 11:11am PST

Due to the pandemic, the World Half was postponed to October, therefore Smith has plenty of time to get himself in PB shape for his senior GB debut. I asked him about his future goals and whether he is aiming for Olympic qualification after the World Half;

“In terms of goals moving forwards, I have the World Half Marathon Champs in October and I really do want to run a quick time there.I really want to run a quick 5km and after this half marathon I am thinking of coming down distances and giving myself a shot at anywhere from 3000m-10,000m.

Seeing that qualification standard (Olympic) has really motivated me and after the half marathon I am thinking of focusing more on the 10k. I will sit down with my coach James Thie and discuss the best possible training needed to run that time.

I don’t think I would be where I am today without his guidance. He made a joke after the time trial saying all you need to do is run 1.28 seconds quicker each lap, so I guess I have to try that.”

There are some exciting times ahead of Jake, but to make us all feel better, he did say he struggled to walk the next day!

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Thompson was a shade outside his personal best as he took the British title at Sunday’s Vitality Big Half in 61:07, finishing second to Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) having disputed the lead for the first five miles, and the 38-year-old Briton earns his first British vest on the road, 22 years after making his track debut at the World Junior Championships.

Fresh from lowering the British Under-23 record for the half marathon to 62:00 in London, Jake Smith will also represent Great Britain & Northern Ireland on the roads for the first time, having made his British track debut at last year’s European Under-23 Championships in Gävle, Sweden.

Having finished as the third and fourth British athletes home at the trial, both Ross Millington and Mohamud Aadan declined selection for the championship.

Progressive selection policy

With the selection policy stating that automatic selection can be offered to the next eligible athlete if declined by auto-qualifiers (in part due to hard work by members of the Athlete’s Commission), 2017 British Marathon gold medallist Josh Griffiths earns his first British vest in almost three years courtesy of his eighth-place showing at the trials.

Doha team member Ben Connor, who has already clocked 61:34 for the distance in 2020, will look to improve on his individual 64^th place finish at the 2018 instalment of the championships in Valencia, while Matt Leach, who has twice run for Britain in the European 10,000m cup, completes the senior men’s team.

On the women’s side, Partridge earns her first British vest since the 2018 European Championships in Berlin and will look to better her 70:31 personal best clocking, set in 2015, when she takes to the start line in Poland. Sarah Inglis, who moved 13^th on the all-time British list with a strong run in Houston in January, also gains selection.

British debuts are handed to Samantha Harrison and Stephanie Davis, who clocked respective personal bests of 71:01 and 71:15 for second and third-place finishes at the Big Half, with fourth place finisher, Hayley Carruthers, also earning her first British vest.

Good to see a full squad going

Ahead of the championship, team leader Chris Jones said: “The full squad of 10 for the World Athletics Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia showcases some of Great Britain’s most in-form athletes over the distance, exemplified by the performances at the trials and the form we have seen already this season.

“The team we have selected shows a good range of previous British international experience and features new names to the international scene and I hope this strength will be reflected in the overall outcome.

“The championships will serve as an excellent opportunity for athletes to continue their upward trajectory on the roads and I hope that we can achieve a strong team position overall.”

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Kenyan Cherono will represent Kenya at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and won both Boston and Chicago marathon’s in 2019 and has a fantastic winning record over the 26.2 distance.

Ethiopian Bekele needs no introduction and is widely considered the greatest distance runner of all time. Whilst that can be argued he is certainly a favourite amongst running purists, a three time Olympic gold medalist and multiple World XC Champion. He narrowly missed out on a marathon world record last year running 2:01:41 at Berlin Marathon.

Kenenisa Bekele faces Eluid Kipchoge in the London Marathon and Cherono will be back to defend his Boston title earlier in April.

Brits battle for World Half vests

British Athletics will be looking to pick a team of five men and five women to race in the World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia, Poland on 29th March.

The selection policy states that the first three eligible athletes at the Big Half will be offered automatic selection provided they have the required standard (they will have if they finish within the first three Brits!).

Head to head in women’s race before VLM

Many of the contenders pushing for Tokyo 2020 marathon vests will line up on Sunday. Despite the likes of Steph Twell, Jess Piasecki, Charlotte Arter and Charlotte Purdue being absent from the published line up we will get the see the current form of Lily Partridge, Steph Davis and Hayley Carruthers.

Partridge is the fastest athlete in the field on paper and has returned to some strong form after a 2019 hit by injury. Having recently moved to Birchfield Harriers Partridge finished 3rd at the recent EDP Medio Maratón de Sevilla in 71:31.

Hayley Carruthers is always a name to watch over the half marathon distance the Birchfield Harrier set a best of 71:03 at the Great North Run in September. We are excited to see the rapidly improving Samantha Harrison race. Having set a PB of 71:43 at the recently Barcelona Half Marathon she will be a strong contender for one of the automatic spots on the team.

Steph Davis will also attract a lot of attention after her stunning 2:27:40 marathon in Valencia. She will be looking to make a serious revision to her half marathon best of 72:57 and will so be amongst the overall favourites.

Eleanor Whyman-Davis is another of our ones to watch for the race with a best of 72:34 we feel she could be considered a real contender for the team. In a strong field of British women the likes of Clara Evans, Rebecca Murray, Jenny Spink and Dani Nimmock will ensure it will be a highly competitive team on the plane to Poland.

 

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Final week of training banked before @officialbighalf…it’s taper time . . . #bighalf #vitalitybighalf #halfmarathon #london #running #marathonrunner #marathontraining #longdistancerunner #tapertime #raceweek #claphamchasers

A post shared by Steph Davis (@steph_davis26) on Feb 23, 2020 at 6:08am PST

Strong British men’s field

Both the men’s and women’s competition will be tight. For the men Ross Millington, Mo Aadan and Jake Smith will line up amongst the favourites and they can expect strong challenges from the experience of Chris Thompson, Derek Hawkins and Andy Vernon. Millington will be running his first half since the 2017 NYC Half and many will be interest to see what shape the talent Stockport man is in.

We expect that Fast10 members Ollie Lockley and Jack Gray will be in the mix after both had excellent half marathon performances at Valencia Half in October. Another athlete who has been in fine form over shorter distances is Adam Clarke, with a 10km best of 28:38 set in December his speed will make him a contender.

Sub 2:15 marathon men Josh Griffiths, Robbie Simpson and Charlie Hulson will be looking to capitalise on their endurance and excellent 2019 performances and it is great to see Dewi Griffiths returning to regular racing.

Paulos Surafel is gradually building experience over long distances and is an exciting talent for the future, and another athlete who will look t make a serious revision to his current PB.

Jake Smith on his way to a PB in Paris

Editors note: Elite fields as publicised on race website – there may be additions or withdrawals.

Full elite men’s field

Kenenisa Bekele Ethiopia – 60.09
Lawrence Cherono Kenya – 60.46
Chris Thompson Great Britain – 61.00
Dewi Griffiths Great Britain – 61.33
Jake Smith Great Britain – 62.02
Marius Kipserem Kenya – 62.20
Mohamud Aadan Great Britain – 62.30
Ross Millington Great Britain – 62.40
Andy Vernon Great Britain – 62.46
Ollie Lockley Great Britain – 63.01
Jack Gray Great Britain – 63.15
Josh Griffiths Great Britain – 64.33
Daniel Studley Great Britain – 63.58
Derek Hawkins Great Britain – 63.53
Robbie Simpson Great Britain – 64.27
Derek Rae (T46) Great Britain – 68.22
Adam Clarke Great Britain – 68.35
Paulos Surafel Great Britain – 64.12
Charlie Hulson Great Britain – 64.28

Full elite women’s field

Lily Partridge Great Britain – 70:31
Hayley Carruthers Great Britain – 71.03
Samantha Harrison Great Britain – 71.43
Eleanor Davis Great Britain – 72.34
Clara Evans Great Britain – 72.49
Stephanie Davis Great Britain – 72.57
Rebecca Murray Great Britain – 72.59
Jenny Spink Great Britain – 73.01
Dani Nimmock Great Britain – 74.13

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The post Cherono & Bekele race as Brits battle for World Half qualification appeared first on Fast Running.

This weekend saw an absolutely huge run from the Cardiff’s U23 athlete, Jake Smith, at the Boulogne-Billancourt Half Marathon in France. Smith ran himself to not only a 2-minute half marathon PB, but also knocked 1 minute off the U23 British record. Smith ran an incredible 62:02 for the half marathon distance which saw him finish 5th with Kipkoech Felix winning in 60:12. In a return to form after his withdrawal from Frankfurt Marathon Josh Lunn ran a fine 65:08 for 10th.

Huge run by @JakeSmith_run today in Paris- 62:02 half marathon to take 1min from the @BritAthletics U23 record! #LoveItWhenAPlanComesTogether pic.twitter.com/iwwfNGAcWU

— James Thie (@TeamThie) November 17, 2019

In the World Mountain Running Championships, the British team had some storming results, coming home with 4 medals between them. In the men and women’s long-distance races, GB’s Charlotte Morgan finished 7th and Jonathon Albon an impressive 4th!

Over the classic distance, Phillips Williams had a phenomenal run, finishing 3rd overall, doing her nation proud. The senior women’s team also secured themselves the bronze team medal! The junior men’s team also had huge success, with Joe Dugdale claiming gold and the 3-man junior team also claiming gold.

We will have a full report on the World Mountain Running Championships over coming days.

The Braids 10k XC kickstarted the weekend’s results with some quick times through the mud and over the hills in Edinburgh University’s open event. Kris Jones claimed the victory in the men’s race, clocking a rapid 29:58 for the distance. The Swansea athlete gave a strong performance after finishing 5th in last weekend’s Scottish National Short Course Championships. Next to cross the line in 2nd place was Kevin wood in 31:42 followed by Ewan Brown, just 22 seconds behind.

The women’s race saw Leeds Uni’s Jemima Elgood take home gold in a cracking 36:19. Elgood has been in strong form after achieving a 34:41 PB at the Leeds Abbey Dash this year. Elgood was followed home by Hunters Bog Trotters’ Jill Stephen in 37:58, an impressive performance on a muddy course. Rounding off the women’s podium was Hannah Stroud in 39:30.

British & Irish Masters XC titles decided

There were some great performances as England dominated in the British and Irish International Grand Masters Cross Country in Aintree. Out of a total 18 individual titles up for grabs across all the different age groups, England took home 10 of them. A few stand out performances came from Nigel Gates in the M65 race as he improved on his silver medal from last year, taking home gold. David Butler secured a hat-trick in the M55 race, claiming his third consecutive win. Peter Giles had the biggest win of the day, leading the M75 race by nearly 2 minutes! Mark McKinstry ran a super fast 24:51 over the 8km course to retain his M35 title.

The women’s performances were just as impressive. A few noteworthy performances included England’s Kirsty Longley, who after a 33:40 10k time at Leeds Abbey Dash a few weeks ago, took home the win in the W40 event with Michelle Sandison claiming the W35 title. Claire Martin landed herself a 25-second lead in the W45 category. England were also successful winners in the W55 and W60 event, with British Masters athlete, Clare Elms being the W55 winner. England’s Angela Copson was also among the winners on the day in the W70 category.

Back on the road.

On the road, the results this weekend were just as impressive. The Derby 10 mile saw some quick names lining up. Ben Connor ran a strong race all the way to the end when there was a fight for the gold medal as second place’s Dougie Musson did not give in. Derby’s own, Connor, crossed the line at 49:42 ahead of Musson (Notts) in 49:45, just 15 seconds outside of his personal best. Third place was achieved by Bedford & County’s Jonathon Janes in 51:54, in his debut over the distance. Connor’s performance is particularly impressive as it looks like he ran the race as a strucutred session;

Good run out today @derby10mile. Helped me get through a session of in/out miles Thanks to the organisers for putting on a great race despite the weather issues throughout the week.
Onto liverpool https://t.co/9z4JWkTPyZ pic.twitter.com/9jE0fC8DgT

— BEN CONNOR (@bdconnor) November 17, 2019

Getting the win in the women’s race in Derby was Natalie Bunce from Holme Pierrepont. Bunce ran an impressive 1:02:46 in what was also her 10-mile debut. Echoing the men’s race with a close finish, Tracy Hinxman took home the silver medal in 01:02:48. Third place went to Alice Thackray in 01:02:56.

The famous Brampton to Carlisle 10 mile race always sees quick times on the overall downhill gradient. This year was no different with a tight battle between Charlie Hulson and Philip Sesemann. In the end it was Liverpool Harrier Hulson who came out on top clocking 47:24 with Leeds man Sesemann a few seconds back in second with 47:45. Marc Brown of Salford Harriers also broke the 50 minute barrier with 49:41 for third.

Alison Lavender continued her fantastic recent form to cross the line as the winning women running 56:00 with a much more comfortable margin of victory than Hulson with her nearest challenger being Annabel Simpson in 58:09. Tracy Millmore of Birtley AC was third in 59:25.

Credit: Dave Norman

Speedy times were present at the Preston 10. Stockport Harrier, Andrew Davies, had a strong race resulting in the win in a time of 49:10. It was then Matthew Crehan of St. Helens Sutton AC and Michael Cayton of Ribble Valley Harriers who followed in 2nd and third respectively. The race was close, but it was Crehan who took silver in 49:32 and Cayton bronze in 49:35.

For the women, Swansea Harriers’ Elinor Kirk came out on top with a noteworthy 55:51, and a 40-second lifetime best. Following behind Kirk in second place was Emily Japp (Blackpool Wyre & Fylde AC) in 56:45, just under 4-minutes faster than her previous best time! It was then Laura Hesketh who was third woman home in 59:06 for Clayton-le-Moors Harriers.

Down on the south coast was the Brighton 10k. On what was a morning with perfect conditions, fast times were in abundance. Finn McNally was the strongest athlete on the day and claimed himself the win in 30:23. The Brighton Phoenix athlete ran a seasons best by 16 seconds. Following McNally was Michael Kallenberg, back in some great form recently. Kallenberg (Cardiff) finished in second-position with a time of 30:44. Completing the men’s podium was U23 athlete Archie Davis in 31:14 for his first 10k of the year.

The female athletes matched the men with some high-quality performances. Beth Kidger was the first woman home in her club town in 34:20. Kidger held a strong lead with second place’s Chloe Richardson following in 35:10. It was Maisie Trafford of Arena 80 who claimed the final top 3 position in 35:31. A speedy race down in Brighton!

Finn McNally
@archiedavis4
@bethkidger
Good day at the office for our elites at the home patch @Brighton_10K. pic.twitter.com/l9QLVhEpcc

— Phoenix (@brightonphoenix) November 17, 2019

Also over the 10k distance, the Adidas City Runs Fulham 10k took place. It was Hercules Wimbledon’s William Woodcock who won the overall title in 31:47. This was a huge 63 second lifetime best for the runner. Settling for second, only eight seconds behind Woodcock was Patrick Leonard. Markhim Lonsdale was the third male runner, stopping the clock at 32:05 as he crossed the line. It was interesting to see Lonsdale, one of Britain’s fastest ever juniors over 800m racing the longer distances.

The Fulham 10k did not disappoint for the women either as Katy Gomes ran a time of 34:29 for the win. Jackie Skinner had a strong race to finish in second place. Skinner also ran a huge PB by over a minute of 36:23. The final woman in the top 3 was Ania Gabb (Dacroum & Tring) with yet another big personal best of 38:48.

The County Down 5km saw some excellent performances. Returning after his recent Frankfurt Marathon run Eoin Hughes took the men’s win with 15:09 to see off the challenge of Omagh man Eoin Mullan by one second in a tight finish. Gareth Lyons was third with 15:46. Northern Ireland & Ulster 1500m Champion Rachel Gibson ran a new 5km PB to win in 16:50 ahead of Catherine O’Connor who ran 17:50 for second with Mari Troeng third in 18:44. ANother notable performance as racing machine Tommy Hughes. Approaching his 60th birthday the Olympian ran 16:13 in another record breaking performance.

In the Matthew Walker 10k it was previous European Cross Country silver medalist, Gemma Steel than claimed the women’s gold medal. Steel ran 36:47 for the clear win. Highgate’s Chris Rainford was the men’s winner in a time of 32:56, with yet another strong margin of victory.

The Runthrough Victoria Park 5k, 10k, and half marathon took place with some speedy times to note over all the distances.

To start the event off, the 5k winners were on top form. Patrick Townsend of Notts took home the win in the men’s race, securing himself an 11 second PB of 15:28. The women’s gold medal position was claimed by Anne Hansen in a time of 18:49.

Over double the distance in the 10k event, Nick Harris-Fry secured himself the overall win. The Orion athlete ran a powerful race, crossing the finish line in 32:56, a 56 second PB! A great position to be in at the close of the year and has he prepares for Valencia Marathon in two weeks. Following Harris-Fry was Rodrigo Santos in 33:15 and James Stewart in 33:21 second and third respectively with a close finish.

For the women, it was Fiona Eagle who secured the gold medal in 38:35. Eagle was shortly followed by Kent’s Eliza Grant in her first ever sub 40 10k (39:12). The bronze medal went to Marina Johnson in 40:30.

A race over twice the distance (well slightly more) was the Runthrough Victoria Park half marathon. The Cambridge Harrier, Ben Shearer, was the strongest runner on the day, storming to the top of the podium. Shearer ran a solid 69:30. The second male across the line was Victoria Park & Tower Hamlet’s own Ewan Cameron. Cameron followed shortly behind Shearer in 69:51. The third male runner, in 72:28, was Matt Wood.

In the women’s event Rose Harvey of Clapham Chasers had an absolutely cracking run. Harvey secured the win in an impressive 3 minute 55 second lifetime best of 76:04. Rose Harvey was followed by club mate, Lucie Custance, who crossed the finish in 83:23. Completing the top three women, just one second behind Custance, was Laura Carsen.

Also over the 21km distance was the Gosport Half Marathon. Louise Damen won the women’s title for Winchester & District AC by just over one and a half minutes. Damen ran 76:52 for her first half in seven years. The Commonwealth Games marathon runner also has many GB cross country vests to her name and in 2013 held both the English XC champs and UK Inter-Counties XC titles! Second female across the line was Jen Granger of Southampton in 78:34, over a 15-minute improvement on her time since 2013! It was Worthing & District Harriers’ Sarah Kingston who claimed the bronze medal with a time of 81:05.

The mens winner was Daniel Eckersley who ran 69:41 to just edge out Elliot Robinson 69:54 with local man Max Costley a few seconds further back in third with 70:14.

Just outside of Sheffield and Rotherham in the Rother Valley Country Park was the Rother Valley Running Festival, spanning the whole weekend.

There were plenty of winners at the event, starting with the ultra-marathon. Helen Hygate landed herself the women’s win in a time of 4:57:09 and James Wilson took home gold for the men in 3:47:53 with a new men’s record for the event.

Over the marathon distance, it was Lorna Hulme of Dudley and Stourbridge Harriers who claimed the winning title. Hulme also ran herself to a new course record of 3:08:23. George Ravenhall was yet another winner on the day in 2:36:40.

David Stewart won the half marathon event at the running festival this weekend. Stewart stopped the clock at 1:16:36. For the women, Ackworth Road Runner, Sarah Hunter, took home the gold medal with a solid 1:26:49, beating her own course record set last year! Hunter knocked 2 minutes 17 seconds off her own previous time.

The Long Sutton 10k was yet another 10k to occur this weekend. Iain Bailey claimed the overall title in 33:14 and Juliet Potter took home the win for the women in 35:35. At the Adnams Southwold 10k, Peter Miller won in 33:42 and Juliette Watkinson was first female finisher in 39:03.

Back in the mud.

Back in the cross country mud was the Welsh Inter-Regional Championships in Brecon. The senior women’s title was obtained by Alaw Beynon-Thomas on what was a wet, grey, and rainy day, followed by Lucy Marland with Megan Carter-Davies third.

Matthew Edwards had a strong race, fixing himself the winning position as he ran through the tape well clear of Ewan Short in second with Luke Williams third.

Credit: Welsh Athletics

At the home of English Cross Country in Parliament Hill were the London Cross Country Champs. As always, the course lived up to its muddy, and hilly, reputation. The women’s race took place over a distance of 6k, but the shorter distance didn’t mean it was any the sweeter. First-place went to Rebecca Piggott of London Heathside, who also secured both the men and women’s team gold medal.

The men were faced with the slightly longer distance of 10k at hilly Parliament hill. It was Seyfu Jamaal who took the victory title for the men as well as being first U20, continuing on the success for London Heathside.

Great afternoon at Parliament Hill with @SEAACompetition for the London XC champs. Gold for Rebecca Piggott, Gold for Seyfu Jamaal, and Gold for both men and women’s @LondonHeathside teams. And Seyfu also first U20. pic.twitter.com/0UERTorIb0

— Jacob Howe (@JacobMHowe) November 16, 2019

Mixing up the terrains.

Natalie White had a strong race across the seas in Italy. At the 21km Balcone Del Biellese Trail race, in what can only be described as brutal weather, White took home the win. Through incessant rain and slippery conditions, she stormed home in a cracking time of 1:58:59. In the 37km event Robbie Britton came 2nd, with an excellent performance on his return to running after a recent step into long distance bike racing.

Down in the west country the multi-terrain Drogo 10 saw some competitive racing with Chichester stalwart James Baker winning in 61:37 ahead of Sam Hopton (64:18) and Sam Kelly (64:29). Elizabeth Dyson was the wining woman in 73:56 with Elizabeth Kendon 2nd (74:18) narrowly pushing Charlotte Benning (74:55) into 3rd. GB trail runner Jo Meek was 4th in 75:43.

In the Peak District, the tough Kendal Mountain Festival 10k trail race saw some gutsy performances from both men and women. The trail run took place around Kendal with plenty of natural obstacles, including 4.5km of climbing throughout! Out of the women, it was Emma Clayton who secured herself an impressive lead. The Leeds City athlete had a strong race and crossed the line in 44:09. The next female athlete across the finish line was AFD’s Sally Ratcliffe. After a solid run at last weekend’s Milton Keynes Cross Challenge, Ratcliffe continued to prove her winter strength with a second-place finish in 46:51. In third position was Harriet Wingfield, just 8 seconds outside of second-place.

In the men’s race and taking the overall win was Tom Adams of Ilkley. The athlete boasts an impressive 31:25 10k road PB and translated this into a strong performance on the trails. Adams secured himself the win in 38:17. It was Chris Richards who achieved a silver medal finishing position in 39:02. Ambleside AC’s Jack Wright completed the podium positions coming in third. Some super results on a tough course.

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The post Jake Smith smashes GB u/23 HM record – weekend roundup appeared first on Fast Running.