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. 

Who’s Racing? 

Women’s Races

Often we focus on the mens race and the fact that Mo Farah is back on track, but for us the women’s races provide just as much, if not more, intrigue and do not come with obvious choices for top-two spots. 

The European Cup squad comprises Eilish McColgan, Amy Eloise Markovc, Jenny Nesbitt, Jess Judd, Verity Ockenden and Samantha Harrison, whilst other athletes running as domestic entrants include

Other notable: Charlotte Arter, Clara Evans, Eleanor Bolton, Fast Running’s Hannah Irwin, Kate Avery and Mhairi MacLennan.

A favourite for the win?

Thanks to her 30:58.94 in California in February, Eilish McColgan goes in to the race as the fastest Brit.

For context, that time is the fastest 10,000m by a British athlete in nine years, since Jo Pavey and Julia Bleasdale at the London Olympics. I do not think it unreasonable to call the Scot the favourite to secure a Tokyo spot, and she told me this is the primary objective for a race where she has high hopes:

“I’m looking forward to racing on Saturday. There has been a lot of uncertainty about whether races would be going ahead or not which has made planning competitions a little tricky, but it’s great to see Birmingham hosting the event. Training has been going really well so I’m hoping I can have a strong run out”.

Photo: Bobby Gavin

I mentioned the impressiveness of Eilish’s run over the distance in February, which has been followed by a 14:52.44 5000m in April and a 4:03.89 1500m in May. It put her fifth on the UK all-time list and less than two seconds shy of the athlete in fourth, her mum Liz.

I asked if bettering that time is a motivator for the race, and it is certainly on the radar for 2021. “It’s definitely a huge motivator for me this year. I know I can break her PB and Scottish Record but 10,000m races are very few and far between. The focus this weekend will be to qualify for Tokyo and then my goals will be firmly set on running as fast as I can [over 10,000m]”. If she succeeds in taking the Scottish Record, it will mean she has bettered all of Liz’s PBs. An impressive feat!

How will Eilish relax before the biggest race of the year so far? A bit of music, Netflix and Line of Duty with her other half, former 800m runner Michael Rimmer. I am sure Ted Hastings will approve!

So Close to Olympic QT

Whilst Eilish is the only athlete to hold the Olympic standard, two have come very close – within less than a second – in the same race three weeks ago in California, Amy-Eloise Markovc and Jessica Judd, both in their debut over the distance on the track. 

It has been an excellent year for Amy-Eloise so far, having been crowned European Indoor Champion over 3000m back in March. That good form has been carried to the outdoor season, with the US-based athlete significantly improving her 5000m PB to 15:05.96 last weekend in Boston, an Olympic qualifying time.

Having fallen just 0.96 seconds shy of the Olympic qualifying time in California to go eighth on the British all-time list, I hope it will be a fast race to enable that PB to be rewritten. 

Jess Judd (102) is no stranger to racing well on the track. Photo: Brian Graves of MKAC

No track, no problem

I also hope it is a good race for Jessica Judd, who finished just behind Amy-Eloise in that race in California. It’s been a good start to the outdoor season for Jess, a solo 8:52 over 3000m at the Birmingham University track, followed by a stint of training and racing in the States which provided a new PB over 5000m (15:06.02, an Olympic Q) and of course 10,000m.

An impressive few weeks for the Blackburn athlete who didn’t have access to a track until mid-April, and who has a good mentality going into the race:

“I’m not putting any pressure on myself for the weekend; I still have to remember that I didn’t have access to a track until mid April so I’m just enjoying racing and training normally again! I loved racing in the US, … it was a good stepping stone for me so whatever happens this year I have achieved some PB’s, anything else is a bonus”.

How will she relax pre-race? A walk with her dog Bruce. I like the sound of that!

Making 2021 a stand-out year

Another athlete who has rewritten their 5000m PB in recent weeks to run under the 15:10 Tokyo mark is Verity Ockenden.

The Swansea athlete made her major championships debut at the European Indoors in March, where she came home with a much deserved bronze and new PB in the 3000m. A period in the States followed, including a 1500m PB (4:09.34) and 5000m (15:03.51), a 31 second improvement.

I asked Verity if that performance has given her a confidence boost ahead of Saturday:

“The 5000m PB has definitely cemented my self-belief and I feel that I am in just as good shape for the 10,000m. My aim is to gain selection for the Olympics. … Training has been really smooth with the added benefit of actually getting to spend some time under the supervision of my coach Tony (Houchin) for the last week of altitude training spent in the USA”.

TORUN, POLAND – MARCH 05: Gold medalist Amy-Eloise Markovc of Great Britain (R) and bronze medalist Verity Ockenden of Great Britain (L) celebrate after competing in the Women’s 3000 metres during the second session on Day 1 of European Athletics Indoor Championships at Arena Torun (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images for European Athletics)

This will be Verity’s second outing at the European Cup, having taken a team gold (and setting her PB) in 2019. Whilst a different venue and, without packed-out spectators cheering from lane 3, will those good memories provide motivation on Saturday?

“Although I love Highgate and it will certainly help give a positive vibe to the event having been successful at the European Cup with women’s team gold before, which I believe we are in a great position to replicate this year, I’ll be focusing entirely on the present and what I need to do in the moment to succeed”. A good approach indeed.

European Cut Veterans & Debutants

Jenny Nesbitt is relishing the chance to wear the British vest on Saturday, and also to be in a strong field after solo-run wins at the Comeback 5000 (15:46.62) and BMC Grand Prix (15:40.10) this season.

“I am really excited for the weekend. It feels like a long time since I have been to a race of such depth and significance and I’m so pleased to be on the start line! It is always an honour to represent Great Britain, and it feels like a while since my last opportunity to do so, so it’s even more special!”.

Jenny has also raced at four of the Highgate-based editions of the event (2015 through to 2018), two as part of the British squad for the European Cup. Her 32:38.45 PB was set at the 2018 edition. Does this add a special element to Saturday’s race?

“The European Cup (and Highgate!) hold a special place in my heart! This is the third European Cup team I’ve been on and the last two were really good experiences! I have heard Birmingham are pulling out all the stops, and the track is lovely to run on!”

Her goal is to secure the Welsh Commonwealth Games standard (32:30), with “anything else a bonus, but I would love to come away with a positive experience”. After a 32:44 run in a field of four in Newport in March, both feel like good targets.

Exciting prospects galore

I am also interested to see how Samantha Harrison runs after her hugely impressive 69:48 at the Cheshire Half Marathon, currently top of the UK rankings for 2021. Saturday will be her debut over the distance and only the ninth track race of her career!

Athletes running who have competed at previous Highgate-held races include Mhairi MacLennan (2017, 2018 and 2019), Charlotte Arter (2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019), Clara Evans (2017), who ran a 32:49.01 PB in Newport in March and Kate Avery (2016 and 2017).

Beth Kidger, fresh from the European Team Championships last week, and Fast Running’s own Hannah Irwin will be making her debut over the distance in the A race.

For the men’s preview check out the separate article here.

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 A race to get excited about appeared first on Fast Running.

Return of fast Friday

This week marked the fastest Friday in the UK for over five months. Athletes from all over the country took to Milton Keynes for the MK5K and Kent for the Bromley Twilight Invitational and battled it out, not only against one another, but also against the brutal wind brought by Storm Ellen.

In Milton Keynes, at the Results Base MK 5km PB Special some speedy British athletes took to the paths around Willen Lake to test themselves over the 5k distance. Despite the wind, they didn’t waiver and gave some gutsy performances nonetheless.

Owen battles conditions for a fine win

The UK Endurance Conference Elite women’s A wave race saw the return of recent 15:45 runner, Bronwen Owen. The athlete who trains alongside Beth Potter in Leeds, took to the front of the group from the outset.

After putting in a speedy first kilometre to get the upper hand on the wind, the tricky conditions meant times were slower than athletes had hoped.

Owen crossed the line just under 16-minutes in 15:55 with an eleven second lead on Eleanor Bolton. The Ribble Valley Harriers athlete was joined by Hoka Athlete, Claire Duck, for the majority of the race.

Duck clung onto Bolton and it was at the end that Bolton took second place with 16:06 followed by Duck in 16:09. Fourth place went to Izzy Fry in 16:17 after a very strong race. (Editors note – our humbled writer Hannah Irwin finished 5th with the only PB of her wave – 16:21).

Women’s Elite A Wave Credit: Brian Graves

Fast start for Ahmed secures victory

For the In the Fast Running Elite Men’s A Wave, the winner too was decided early on as Omar Ahmed went out hard in order to gain some time before being struck by the wind in the latter part of the race.

He stuck at the front, crossing over the finish line with an impressive time of 14:06. In second place was Bedford & County AC athlete, Dan Jarvis, who finished with a fine time of 14:14.

The third fastest time of the night was clocked by Henry McLuckie of Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers in 14:19. Thanks go to Elliot Hind, Paul Mizon and Mick Bromilow for organising such a safe, well-organised and exciting event for all the athletes who took part.

There were 28 waves in total with some fine performances throughout the full results can be found here.

Omar Ahmed. Credit: Brian Graves

Atkin sets PB in US as athletes fly ing Bromley

In America, at the Sunset Tour 5,000m, Sam Atkin competed on the track. Atkin came second in a fantastic new PB of 13:23.38, over 10 seconds off his previous best and moving him to 2nd on the UK rankings for 2020.

The speedy racing didn’t stop there. In Kent the Bromley Twilight Invitational saw the likes of Marc Scott and Jess Judd take to the track. Mark Hookway who organised the event and the night was definitely one filled with personal bests.

Marc Scott continued his winning streak in the 3000m on the track with a rapid time of 7:43.38. Whilst not a national record, this was Scott’s second fastest time ever. However, it wasn’t quite the clear-cut win Scott experienced at the Podium 5k as he was fighting to the line with James West, and only took the win by 0.41 seconds. West finished in 7:43.79 followed by Jonny Davies in 7:45.75, Alex Yee in 7:45.81 and Phil Sesemann in 7:52.42.

The winner of the men’s B race was James Gormley in a PB time of 7:57.77, with Tom Lancashire following in second in 8:03.27 and Frank Baddick third in 8:93.94.

May never again get to 22nd August in a Summer and see a men’s outdoor 3000m world list looking like this … pic.twitter.com/ybrTDE7Jmu

— Mark Hookway (@markhookway) August 22, 2020

Quirk wins as Ockenden maintains fine form

The women’s 3000m race was hot in competition as all top three finishers clocked personal bests. Amelia Quirk made her debut for the season in style with an impressive 17 second PB of 8:54.09 which earned her the win. Second place was secured by Verity Ockenden with a fine run of 8:56.72, also a PB by 14 seconds! It was Tonbridge’s Nicole Taylor who came in third in 9:12.18.

In the women’s B event, Almi Nerurkar ran herself to a lifetime best of 9:21.34, followed by the incredible Kate Avery in 9:22.43. Phoebe Barker finished third in 9:48.10.

The 1500m event was won with a clear margin by GB international, Jess Judd. It was Judd’s first outing over the distance, and she clocked 4:10.03 for the win. In second place was Beth Kidger of Brighton Phoenix in 4:15.22 followed by Sabrina Sinha (Cambridge Harriers) in third in a PB of 4:16.71.

For the men, the 1500m title was secured by Adam Clarke in a strong time of 3:41.57. In a tight race to the finish, it was Tom Dodd of Birchfield Harriers who knocked a second off his previous best time to finish second in 3:44.25. Ian Crowe-Wright took home third place in 3:44.69.

Credit: James Rhodes – instagram.com/jrhodesathletics

Lay and Mhalanga with fine displays in 800m

The 800m races at the Bromley event saw plenty of PB’s. The win in the men’s race went to Josh Lay (Rugby & Northampton) in a lifetime best time of 1:46.78, which is over a second faster than his previous time. Alex Botterill was second by a minute margin, also with a PB of 1:46.82. The third fastest time of the night was run by Yusuf Bizimana, which was also a PB. Bizimana crossed the line in 1:48.18.

In the women’s 800m A race, Issy Boffey of Enfield & Haringey took the win with an impressive PB of 2:02.10, however, it was B race winner, Khahisa Mhlanga, who ran the fastest time on the night was an incredible 2:01.91. Taking to the track to compete over the 800m distance for the first time in 2 years was Katie Snowden.

The Herne Hill athlete clocked 2:02.40 for second place in the A race. Third place finisher in the A event was Katie Kirk (Ulster Uni) in 2:02.98. Recent BMC winner, Georgie Hartigan, came second in the B race with a best time of 2:02.99 followed by Louise Shanahan (Cambridge) in 2:03.17, also a lifetime best!

Copeland breaks u/23 2000m record

This weekend at the Irena Szewińska Memorial in Bydgoszcz, Poland, Great Britain’s elite were out in full force with some impressive performances. For the middle-distance runners, it was the women’s 1500m that got the evening off to a rapid start. One of GB’s golden girls of the track, Jemma Reekie, proved her strength once again.

Reekie, the double European U23 champion, who clocked 2:31.11 in the 1000m in Monaco on Friday, ran 4:09.01 in the 1500m to claim victory at the World Athletics Continental Bronze event in Poland. She claimed a convincing win, finishing over 2 seconds ahead of Germany’s Caterina Granz. Fellow Brits, Amy Griffiths and Erin Wallace were also competing in the race and finished fourth and fifth respectively. Griffiths crossed the line in 4:12.38 and Erin Wallace earned herself a new personal best of 4:12.57.

The next event of the night to have British athletes competing in, continued the winning streak. Elliot Giles set off with intent in the men’s 800m and crossed the line in an incredible first place with a rapid time of 1:45.18, not far off his PB time. It was his training partner, and fellow Phx Track athlete, Kyle Langford, who was the next Briton in sixth place with a time 1:46.45. Langford was then followed by Guy Learmoth in 10th place with a strong time of 1:47.21.

It was the women’s 800m event that had spectators sitting on the edge of their seats in what was an incredibly close race. The top seven athletes all finished under 2:01, but it was Benin’s Noélie Yarigo who took home the win in 2:00.11. For the British athletes, Laura Muir was first across the line in 2:00.34 for third place, just after setting her national 1000m record in Monaco. Alex Bell finished in fourth place, just behind Muir in 2:00.34! A very close race!

The last track event of the night, which saw records being broken was the men’s 2000m. Britain’s U23 athlete, Piers Copeland, finished fourth in 4:57.61. This time not only classifies as an U23 national record, but also places Copeland seventh on the UK all-time list. Sol Sweeney of Great Britain was eighth overall in a time of 5:06, which is also a PB!

Story of @PiersCopeland1 @WimborneAC @Met_athletics @TeamThie @Nike 2000m in Poland. He’s now No. 1 UK All Time U23 2000m. Race winner is No. 2 on Aussie ‘All Time’ list & 2nd/3rd are national record holders, breaking records 29 & 55 years old respectively https://t.co/scDHWaJc48

— Ian Kennedy (@ian_kennedy4) August 20, 2020

World lead for Muir at Diamond League

The weekend was rounded off with the Stockholm Diamond League which saw plenty of our country’s best tear up the track with some speedy performances. Laura Muir produced a stunning display to set a world leading time of 3:57.86. In form form as well ahas been Laura Weightman who finished 2nd in 4:01.62 ahead of Melissa Courtney-Bryant setting a new PB with 4:01.81 and Eilish McColgan 4th in 4:03.74. Stunning racing.

𝙎𝙪𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙩 𝙧𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 @lauramuiruns runs a world lead in the women’s 1500m clocking 3:57.86 as she leads home 1-2-3 including @LauraWeightman & @mcourtneybryant pic.twitter.com/0OURxUOZwy

— British Athletics (@BritAthletics) August 23, 2020

The men’s 800m had been pitched by some as Brazier vs Burgin but in the end the American took a convincing win in 1:43.76 with British U20 athlete, who boasts a best time of 1:44.75, 6th in 1:46.02.

The British women’s 800m is riding high at the moment and victory was taken by one of the new stars of British athletics, Jemma Reekie in 1:59.68 with Alex Bell 4th in 2:02.25.

Timothy Cheruiyot was the winner of the men’s 1500m in 3:30.25. Neil Gourley finished 8th in 3:38.30 ahead of Charlie Da’Vall Grice in 11th with 3:41.75.

On the road again

The St Albans 10k also saw the return of athletes to the road over the longer 6.2-mile distance. Ollie Garrod of South London Harriers took home the win in 32:02 ahead of Oliver Carrington (Newark AC) who crossed the line in 32:11. The third-place finishing male was Ben Brown (Southampton AC) with a solid time of 32:15.

For the women, it was Hannah Rayden (St Albans AC) who ran an astonishing time of 33:36, almost 4 minutes ahead of second place. Alex Newman-Smith was the second female home in 37:29 followed by Samantha Amend (Belgrave Harriers) in 38:13.

SOAR are part of the UK club running scene and we are delighted to support the weekend roundup. To find out how we can help you match your club kit to your ambition check out this article or get in touch here.

The SOAR X TOUR is our way of staying true to the pursuit of summer speed. With a three-staged virtual races series, open to runners worldwide.

SOAR X TOUR sees racers test themselves over 1km, 1 mile and 5km consecutively over a 10 day period, with both stage and overall rankings and prizes up for grabs.

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British and course records tumble at Podium 5km

Renowned for its low-key setting and flat course conducive for fast times, the Podium 5k saw some of Britain’s best male and female runners test themselves post-lockdown.

The event was the first race back for most of the competitors, which made it all the more exciting to see how everyone would perform. The race’s simple mission is to provide a great opportunity for fast running, no fuss, no frills just high quality racing from a high quality field.

With the British Champs around the corner, many were using this event as an opportunity to assess their current fitness. Despite the possibility of some rusty performances due to this being many athletes’ first race, this didn’t happen!

Flying Scott breaks British Record

Marc Scott, who spent the entirety of lockdown in Oregon training with the Bowerman Track Club and clocked a huge 1500m personal best just a few weeks ago, had an absolutely storming run.

The athlete went into the race with the British record (13:27) in his sights, and quickly made this reality. Scott went out hard from the gun and crossed the line in an incredible time of 13:20, a massive improvement on the previous record held by Nick Goolab, which he broke back in February this year.

Scott led through the first kilometre in around 2:39 before Omar Ahmed took the lead through 2k in 5:22, followed by Scott and Alex Yee. Once again, at the 3km mark, Marc Scott came both front, passing through in around 8:03 with Yee and Ahmed on his tail.

It was at the fourth kilometre that Scott began to consolidate his lead and went through in 10:43, a couple of seconds behind Yee who was behind him. Scott crossed the line at 5k in 13:20, a British record and just 2 seconds outside of the European record held by France’s Jimmy Gressier.

Strong early pack at Podium 5km Credit: Pete Brown Photography

12 men run sub 14

Alex Yee crossed the line in second place in an impressive time of 13:26, also within the previous British record time. This time is not only a massive 5k road PB for Yee, but he also knocked 3 seconds off his best time for the 5,000m on the track.

Phil Seseman was in third place with yet another PB on the night. The Leeds City athlete knocked four seconds off his time and clocked 13:39 for the distance. It was ultra-runner, Tom Evans who was fourth in an incredible 13:41, which is his first ever race over the 5k distance on the road. His 5,000m was set back in 2017 where he clocked 15:01.

In fifth place was Omar Ahmed in 13:42 and Dewi Griffiths was sixth in 13:43. Ben Dijkstra, Jonathan Brownlee, Grant Sheldon, Frank Baddick, Chris Perry and Nathan Jones all dipped underneath the 14-minute barrier!!!

Potter breaks course record ahead of quality field

The women’s race was also packed with quality and saw many athletes go out hard, with the leading pack clocking a sub 3-minute first kilometre. For many, this appeared to make for a painful race, but it didn’t take away from some fast times being clocked.

By 2km the group had broken up and Beth Potter had pushed ahead, passing through in 6:02, just a few seconds ahead of Adidas athlete, Jess Judd. Potter then continued to lead through the 3k (in 9:09) and 4k mark (in 12:17) with a 10 second gap ahead of Judd.

Beth Potter extended her lead to 12 seconds and was first across the line, taking the course record away from previous holder, Laura Weightman in an impressive 15:24. This time also place Potter 5th on the UK road 5k all-time list.

The podium at Podium. Credit: Dave Norman / RunningLive

Potter’s last road 5k PB was clocked back in 2014 when she ran 16:59. She has officially obliterated that previous best by over 90s!! Potter also holds a track 5,000 PB of 15:28, so her road PB suggests she could be in for a big track PB too at some point.

Finishing second was Blackburn Harriers’ Jess Judd in a strong time of 15:36. It has also been a while since Judd too ran a 5k on the road. Until last night, Judd’s best remained at 18:44, which she set back in 2008. She does however hold an impressive track 5,000m time of 15:16. Judd went out hard with Potter, but it was clear from early on that Potter had that extra edge.

The third-place finisher was Verity Ockenden of Swansea AC in an impressive 15:37, just 3 seconds off her track best. Her previous 5k time of 16:02 from last year, shows just how much consistent hard work can pay off as she has knocked 25 seconds off in one year.

Owen in fine form

A standout performance was given by Leeds City’s Bronwen Owen who came in fourth. Owen made her intentions clear from the start and went out at a quick pace, stopping the clock at 15:45, 34 seconds faster than her 5,000m track best from last year.

After an absolutely storming cross country season, where she finished 1st U23 at the European trials and secured her spot on the GB team in Lisbon, Owen had the base for a solid year. She knew what she was capable of and went out to prove it.

Cambridge & Coleridge’s Holly Archer also had a sensational run, pulling away from the group she had settled in with and chasing down those in front. She crossed the line with a time of 15:52, her first official sub-16 5k time. Archer took a solid 12 seconds off her previous best from last year.

Lizzie Bird and Eleanor Bolton both also crossed the line in sub-16 times of 15:53 and 15:56 respectively.

There were four other races on the night with some stunning times throughout. Check out the full results at this link.

Preston 5

Also on the road this weekend, was the Preston 5 and 10 mile. This event is renowned for attracting some speedy athletes, particularly in the 5-mile race.

In slightly different fashion to previous years, the race was run as a time trial event, with athletes setting off at different times one at a time. This meant it was inevitable that times would be slightly slower, especially given that the wind decided to make an appearance, but there were still some impressive performances.

The overall win in the 5-mile was secured by Southport Waterloo AC’s Ben Johnson. Johnson had a clear lead and crossed the line in a strong 24:40, just 18 seconds off his previous best which I clocked last year.

Following behind in second place was Joe Monk of Preston Harriers. Monk took a solid 9 seconds off his personal best by running 25:00 flat. Monk had a strong lead ahead of third place finisher Joshua Hale (Wirral AC) who crossed the line in 26:25

The women’s event was a similar story to the men’s as Kirsty Longley (Liverpool Pembroke & Sefton H AC) took the win in 28:28 just 32 seconds ahead of second place. It was AFD’s Laura Gent who ran a solid time for her 5-mile debut of 29:00. In third place, with a time of 31:50, was Finty Royle (Chorley ATC).

Preston 10

Over double the distance, it was Michael Young of West Cheshire AC who came to the fore, crossing the finish line in 55:32. Blain Rooney was second in 55:46 and David Birtwistle in 57:26.

The winning woman had a stormer of a race, not only winning her event but also coming third overall! It was Emily Kearney of Wirral AC who took home gold in 56:33 in her 10-mile debut.

Behind Kearney in second place was GB marathoner, Tracy Barlow. Barlow clocked a solid time of 58:25, also in her first 10-mile race. Rachel Brown (Border Harriers) secured herself a podium position in 1:00:50.

PB for Hartigan at BMC

The BMC Stretford once again came to the rescue for the 800m runners. Athletes were still required to stay in their lanes; however, it is possible that at next week’s BMC event, this rule may be dropped. Despite athletes having to stay in lanes, there were some impressive times.

For the men, it was Tom Dodd (Birchfield Harriers) who narrowly took the win in the A race, running a solid 1:51.06 to improve on his time and position from last week’s event. In second place, in a PB time of 1:51.19, was Henry Johnson. The U20, Houghton Harriers athlete took exactly a second off his previous time from last year. The 3rd fastest time was set by the winner of the B race, Thomas Niner, in a strong 1:53.20.

In the women’s event, it was once again Georgie Hartigan (Birchfield Harriers) who set the fastest women’s time of the night. Hartigan didn’t disappoint as she not only secured the win, but also clocked a lifetime best of 2:04.35 improving on her previous PB of 2:04.60 set last week.

The second female to cross the line was Mick Judd coached athlete, Khahisa Mhlanga (Herts Phoenix) in a speedy 2:05.53. Sabrina Sinha, the winner of the women’s B race, had the third fastest time on the night. Sinha, the Cambridge Harrier athlete, ran a season best of 2:08.23.

Happy to open the season with a win and a pb tonight. Thank you to @BritishMilers for putting on a great meet under difficult circumstances https://t.co/GNVUpByZao

— Georgie Hartigan (@georgiehartigan) July 25, 2020

Peacock and Davies win Tatton Park 10km

Reappearing once again in the race calendar, was the RunThrough Tatton Park 10k. Given the lack of 10k events that are occurring at the moment, the event saw some particularly speedy times.

In order to abide by the RunBritain guidelines, the event ensured athletes were set off in waves, based on their estimated finishing times and other rules were implemented.

A cracking performance came from Adam Peacock of Bromsgrave & Reddich who ran himself to an impressive 9 second PB of 31:53. Peacock had a strong 42 second lead ahead Karl Welborn (BRAT) who clocked 32:24, followed by Edd Flynn who is listed as third despite running the same time of 32:24. It is likely this recording of results is due to the socially distant start process as the gun times do vary quite significantly.

For the women, Carla Davies ran herself to a win in a chip time of 36:53. The Preston athlete had a strong lead ahead of second place. It was Katie Lysons who secured herself the silver medal position in 39:22 followed by Isabelle Burke in 42:30.

@RunThroughUK great run after being out for so long!! Ran with @rltopley well organised, excellent marshals ! COVID-19 precautions worked well. Great event #ukrunchat #awesomeaugust #run pic.twitter.com/aFPAitmT2I

— Tom Grant (@tomwgrant) August 9, 2020

Runners praised the measures put in place by organisers

Sarah Webster lights up Manx Marathon

Athletes took to the roads to race over the longer distances at the Isle of Man Half and Full Marathon. With visitors or returnees to the island still needing to quarantine for 14 days it was no surprise Manx homegrown athletes dominated.

Christian Varley had the upper hand in today’s event and ran himself to the win with a solid time of 2:36:51. This was over 7-minutes quicker than Varley’s previous lifetime best over the 26.2 distance!! It was Orran Smith who came in at second place in 2:39:44. Third place was achieved by Mark Burman of Manx Harriers in a strong 2:43:31.

Sarah Webster of Northern AC had an astonishing run to finish fourth overall and win the women’s event. She crossed the line in 2:46:22, less than 2-minutes off of her PB. An impressive place to be for your first race back after lockdown! Vicky Carre (Guernsey) came in second in 3:20:56, a huge 3.5-minute personal best! The third female finisher in 3:37:41 was Helen Taylor of Western AC.

The half marathon event was also not short of some speedy times. Taking the win in 68:18 was Alan Corlett of Manx Harriers with a huge 8-minute lead! Corlett boasts a strong personal best of 66:33. Andrew Nash was second in 76:47 followed by Nigel Quaye in 77:25.

The first female finisher, in 1:31:07 was Eleanor Miklos (Manx Fell Runners) followed by Megan Thomas and Dawn Atherton in 1:31:10 and 1:35:17 respectively.

SOAR are part of the UK club running scene and we are delighted to suppiort the weekend roundup. To find out how we can help you match your club kit to your ambition check out this article or get in touch here.

The SOAR X TOUR is our way of staying true to the pursuit of summer speed. With a three-staged virtual races series, open to runners worldwide.

SOAR X TOUR sees racers test themselves over 1km, 1 mile and 5km consecutively over a 10 day period, with both stage and overall rankings and prizes up for grabs.

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Wightman breaks British 1000m Record

Across the world in America, Jake Wightman put his name in the British record books this weekend at the Boston New Balance Indoor Grand Prix.

Wightman competed over the 1,000m distance, crossing the line in second place with a record-breaking time of 2:17.51. The record had been standing since Matt Yates ran 2:27.86 in 1992. Wightman was pipped on the line by USA’s Bryce Hoppel by a 10th of a second!

Also at the Indoor Grand Prix, in the Leonard Memorial Men’s Mile, Chris O’Hare came out on top. O’Hare clocked an impressive 3:59.62 to take the win from New Zealand’s Nick Willis.

1000m Congrats to the win, the PB and becoming the 3rd fastest American in history @brycehoppel (2:17.41) and big @jakeswightman for breaking the British Record @jakeswightman (2:17.51) @NBIndoorGP pic.twitter.com/FMWwqD4hPa

— Global Athletics (@gamupdates) January 26, 2020

A different sort of indoor running.

Hungary’s Zoltán Csécsei set a new world record last week by running 286.8km in 24hrs on a treadmill. Csécsei, who was 2nd at the historic Spartathlon and top 10 at the world 24hr Championships in 2019, takes a big leap in performance and will likely enter his next 24hr race brimming with confidence. He’ll at least know he can cope with boredom better than most.

Good old English mud

This weekend, athletes took to the home of cross country to compete in the ever testing and challenging conditions at Parliament hill. Thousands of athletes ran through the mud in the South of England Cross Country Championships.

Taking home the win in the senior women’s race, after a strong race running for England in Seville last weekend, was Reading AC’s Jess Gibbon. Gibbon had a solid 20 second lead on Tonbridge AC’s Nicole Taylor. After battling with an injury, Taylor made her return in fine form to prove her strength and determination. Completing the podium was Herts Phoenix AC’s Elizabeth Janes, just one second behind Taylor.

Adam Hickey (Southend AC) won the challenging 15km men’s race after an impressive third place finish at the equally testing Run Stirling event. The GB athlete took the win by a clear margin from Alex Lepretre (Highgate) who finished second. The final medal winner was Dylan Evans of Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers.

Credit: Daniel Lewis

The Midland Cross Country Championships saw some fast names out in force in Loughborough. Gemma Steel (Charnwood), bronze medallist at the European Cross Country Champs in 2013, was crowned champion, retaining her title. Steel was shortly followed by Cloe Hubbard (Newark AC) who improved on her finishing position from last year by four places. In third place was Steel’s clubmate, Juliet Potter.

In the men’s race, it was Omar Ahmed of Birchfield Harriers who took home the victorious winning title after a second-place finish last year. The second male across the line was triathlete Ben Dijkstra (Leicester Coritanian AC) ahead of Kadar Omar Abdullahi, Ahmed’s clubmate.

In the Northern Cross Country Championships, Jess Judd, winner of the Euro trials in Liverpool, ran a fantastic race to cross the line first. The Blackburn Harrier athlete had a 25 second lead. It was Georgia Taylor-Brown of Sale Harriers Manchester who earned herself the silver medal ahead of Mhairi Maclennan of Preston Harriers.

Gateshead Harrier Calum Johnson secured himself the position at the top of the podium in the men’s race. It was Joe Steward from East Cheshire Harriers who narrowly landed himself the silver medal just 16 seconds behind Johnson. With just one second between second and third, it was Linton Taylor of Leeds City AC who took home the bronze medal.

In the warmth and ‘comfort’ of the indoor track was the Welsh Indoor Senior Championships. The men’s 1500m win went to Swansea’s Jonathon Hopkins in 3:52.17, his fastest time in three years. In the women’s event, over the same distance, Kate Seary took home the win in a solid 4:37.50.

Back on the road

This year’s winner at the Farnborough Winter Half was Casper Hojsgaard Jensen. Jensen won in a strong 1:10:38, taking the gold medal from West 4 athlete, Chris Mason. Mason was not far behind in 1:10:52, a 32 second lifetime best. In third was Russell Murphy (AFD), also with a personal best time of 1:13:04.

Tracey Barlow gave a strong performance to earn herself a convincing win. Barlow crossed the finish line in 1:15:39, just over a minute and a half lead. It was the Swansea and Welsh athlete, Sophie Harris who came in second in 1:17:15, nearly 3 minutes faster than her previous best time! A close 6 seconds behind was Heather Noone (Woodbridge) with another huge PB of 1:17:22.

Tracy Barlow with Race Director Mike Gratton. Credit: Vashti Macdonald-Clink

The BAM Nuttall Freethorpe Ten saw some speedy times clocked by both the men and women. Ash Harrell of City of Norwich made his 10 mile debut a good one, clocking 50:13 for the win. Harrell was followed by Alan Darby (Ely) in 53:29, a solid 32 second lifetime best. To complete the podium, Michael Eccles of Bure Valley crossed the line in 54:15.

For the women, Danielle Nimmock, also of City of Norwich was first home in 58:56. Charlotte Rose was second in 1:01:03 ahead of Amy Beck in 1:03:29.

Lily Partridge was out racing in Seville Half Marathon and we await official results….

In the IEKAC Pentland Homes Canterbury 10 Miler, plenty of runners took to the roads. It was Abel Tsegay (Invicta East Kent) who secured himself the position at the top of the podium with a winning streak for 5 years consecutively. Tsegay stopped the clock at 52:29, a 3-minute lead. The first female finisher was Helen Gaunt (Tonbridge) in 1:03:56, just 9 seconds off her PB time.

At this weekend’s RunThrough Brixton 10k event, Andrew Inglis of Cambridge Harriers took home the win in 33:49. The first woman to cross the line was Emmie Le Merchand in 41:00.

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Scott and Judd lead home a fantastic field at Ribble Valley

It was the Ribble Valley 10k that was the highlight of the end of the year period with some very speedy performances across the board from some high class athletes. The race also incorporated the Northern 10k road championships.

The event saw 12 men run under 30 minutes and 9 women go under the 35-minute mark. It was Jess Judd and Marc Scott who secured the titles at this years. After coming second to Beth Potter at last years’ event, Judd proved her strength and improved her position. Judd was first woman to cross the line in an impressive 32:17, a huge 25 second road personal best.

This places her 6th on the women’s UK 10k rankings, one place behind Charlotte Purdue. Judd was followed by Rachael Franklin (Manx) who had a huge race to take just under 90s off her lifetime best over the 10k distance. Franklin ran a fantastic 33:24, just 3 seconds ahead of third place. Claiming the bronze medal was Cambridge and Coleridge’s Holly Archer in her first 10k of the year. Archer ended her year on a high with a 58 second PB! A solid year for Archer!

For the men, the top three all came home in under 29-minutes. Marc Scott stole the show in the men’s race with yet another PB at the event. Scott knocked 25 seconds off his previous road best time with a finishing time of 28:32. Scott has also recently moved club to Cambridge & Coleridge; a good day out for C&C!

It was triathlete and Leicester AC athlete, Ben Dijkstra who came in second in 28:53 in his 10k debut. Rounding off the men’s podium, also in his 10k debut, was Charlie Da’Vall Grice (Brighton Phoenix). Da’Vall Grice ran a very strong 28:54 – quality winter work for the 1500m man.

10k PB’s for the two of us, and Bruce slept through the whole thing 29:45 and 32:17 on what we hope this time is an official 10k, and in proper old school trainers #adidas worth the 7hour drive in the end and grateful to end the year with a PB after a lovely christmas pic.twitter.com/K98dDeP8Ek

— Jess Judd (@jessjuddxx) December 29, 2019

Superb Sesemann in Paris as 5 Brits run sub 29

The Corrida des Houilles is one of Europe’s fastest 10km races. Daniel Ebenyo clocked 27:12 to win this afternoon but in 8th place was Phillip Sesemann in a stunning 28:24 taking over 30 seconds off his PB. Another four Brits ran sub 29 – Emilie Cairess 17th (29 second PB for 28:38), Ben Connor 18th (19 second PB – 28:37), Josh Griffiths 19th (16 second PB – 28:41) and Kieran Clements 24th (23 second PB – 28:52). Matt Bergin crossed the line 37th in 29:29 and James Hunt 58th in 30:30. Norah Jeruto won the women’s race in 30:31 with Charlotte Taylor-Green 22nd in 35:22.

The race attracts top African and European talent with a separate elite race taking place after the mass race earlier in the day. The gently undulating course over laps of the Paris suburb was the location for Julian Wanders European 10km record.

Pallant & McGrath win Clevedon Boxing Day Race

The four mile Clevedon Boxing Day Race always sees a highly competitive field with clubs in Bristol and Cardiff always turning out good numbers. There was an excellent depth in this year’s race again with Bristol & West’s Felix McGrath taking the win in 20:51 ahead of team mate Andrew Chambers (21:02) and North Somerset AC man James Rodgers third in 21:35.

World Junior 1500m medallist Emma Pallant is one of the top triathletes in the world and is a two time world elite duathlon champion. Pallant has a proud winning record at this race and claimed the title again this year in 23:07. She was challenged all the way to the line a high quality women’s field with Bristol & West’s Stephanie Barnes (23:16) 2nd and 2:31 marathoner Jenny Spink 3rd (23:19).

Emma Pallant saw off a high quality filed to win again. Credit: www.garyclark.photography

A busy week for Jamaal

The Serpentine Last Friday of the Month 5k saw 34 athletes run under the 18-minute mark. The winning time was set by Seyfu Jamaal of London Heathside in 14:42. After a year of considerable racing, Jamaal set a personal best over the distance, ending his season on a high. It is astounding to note that Jamaal ran identical 15:08 parkrun’s either side of the race on Christmas Day and the Saturday after the race! Club mate Jem O’Flaherty ran himself to a second place finish in 15:11, a 17 second lifetime best for the distance. Coming in third for Bideford AAC was Jack Hutchens in 15:25.

The top three women also came in with speedy times, all under 19-minutes. Melissah Gibson of Ealing Eagles ran herself to a gold medal in 17:54, a huge 90s PB. Sarah Hanley was 2nd in 17:56 with 18:10 for April James-Welsh of South London Harriers in 3rd ahead of Megan De Silva (Ranelagh Harriers) who crossed the line in 18:26.

Annabel Simpson & Jamie Crowe set quick times at Tilli 10km

The Tilli 10k also took place this weekend. The majority of the race follows the Devon Way before peeling off for a 1km loop and then rejoining the Way and heading towards the finish. This year saw a high quality field turn out with two sub-30 minute times.

It was Lamar University athlete, Jamie Crowe, that took home the gold. After an impressive 8th place finish at the Liverpool Euro Trials at Sefton Park, Crowe proved his quality on the roads too. He crossed the line in a blistering time of 29:19, a huge 24 second personal best. In second place was Grant Sheldon of Cambuslang in another impressively quick time of 29:49. Sheldon set his personal back earlier in the year at the Scottish 10k champs where he finished second. Rounding off the men’s podium was Alastair Hay, shortly behind Sheldon in 31:00.

There was also some very high quality running in the women’s race with the top three finishers all dipping under the 37-minute mark. U23 Glasgow Uni athlete, Annabel Simpson, ran a strong race to earn herself the win in a cracking time of 34:56, just 14 seconds off her personal best. Just 10 seconds behind Simpson in 35:06 was Fiona Brian (Metro Aberdeen). Brian boasts an impressive 2:42:51 personal best over the marathon distance. The third female finisher was Claire Bruce (Metro Aberdeen) in 36:38, her best time of 2019.

Great morning at the brilliant Tilli 10k! Big thanks to @phracingclub for putting on a really slick 10k! Top event

Wins for @Jamescrowe7 in a super fast 29:20* and @belliesimpson in 34:55*. TRS well represented with both of us + wives + plenty listeners out in force!

*TBC pic.twitter.com/mNb8BVfKgh

— Tartan Running Shorts (@Tartanshorts) December 28, 2019

Boxing Day also saw the Round the Lakes 10k in Poole. Despite extremely windy conditions, athletes did not fail to give strong performances. William Bryan of Southampton Athletics Club was first over the line in a cracking time of 32:14. Bryan was closely followed by Thames Valley’s Dan Mulryan in 32:30. Rounding off the podium with yet another Southampton athlete was Sam Costley in 32:39, not far off his personal best time for this year.

The women’s race win went to Juliet Champion of Poole AC in a strong 40:26. The following two positions were secured by Caroline Stanzel (Poole AC) and Karen Rushton (Winchester AC) respectively.

The hilly multi-terrain seven mile Chevin Chase is always a popular race with a strong field. Sale Harriers’ Hannah Brown put in a very strong display to win in 46:22 nearly two minutes clear of second placed Becky Penty (48:19) with Salford Harrier Ruth Jones third in 48:58.

Ilkley Harriers dominated the men’s race taking the top four spots with Jack Wood the overall winner (38:55) ahead of team mates Nathan Edmondson (39:09) and Jack Cummings (39:18).

Rounding up the roads

The Brocagh Bay 10km also saw the winner take home the gold with a clear lead. Colin Heron ran himself to victory in a time of 32:41. It was the top two women who had storming races for Armagh AC, finishing 3rd and 4th overall. Danielle Fegan ran herself to the overall bronze medal and was the first female finisher in a time of 35:55 in her first and last 10k of 2019. Fegan was followed by club mate Natalie Hall, in 37:43.

There were also some speedy performances over other 5k races. The Brocagh Bay 5km saw Loughview AC’s Ethan Dunn take home the gold medal with a time of 16:40. Elaine McGuckin was the winner of the women’s race in 18:29 in her 5k debut.

The Cavan 5k was won by Ben Brunton with a strong time of 15:46. Niall Smith was next across the line in 16:44 and Shane McCaul was third in 17:12. Catriona Mullen had an absolutely storming race to finish in third place overall. She stopped the clock at 17:07. Irish marathon legend Catriona McKiernan claimed the second place finish in 17:46 and Rachel Birt completed the top three in 18:28.

At the hilly Leyland Boxing Day 10km Carmel Edwards (39:11) took the win ahead of Victoria Park Harrier Annaka Charters (40:23) and Alice Alcock (40:37). The overall winner was Christopher Richards (32:16) well clear of Richard Burney (34:23) and Chris Wright (35:21).

In keeping with the festivities was the Ayrodynamic Turkey Trot 5k. The top three male finishers were all U17 athletes putting in excellent performances. Reuben MacDonald (Giffnock North) ran an impressive race to finish first in his 5k debut. He clocked a time of 16:21, 9 seconds ahead of Cameron Green (16:30). The third place finish went to Jonathon Downey in 17:14, also in his 5k debut. It was Hannah Terrance who secured the win for the ladies. Terrance knocked a whole 2 minutes off her lifetime best set back in 2010. Under 15 Iona Stroma Hubbard was second in 20:14 with Morven Hubbard 3rd in 20:28.

The Turkey Trot also saw a 10km race taking place. In a run that was definitely more than a trot, Alasdair Campbell took home the winning title in a time of 31:44. Campbell was followed by Greg Templeton in a solid 33:24 and Colin Whitby in 33:27.

First woman across the finish line, with a time of 39:09, was Jill Smylie of Giffnock North. Next was Amy Vincent of Edinburgh AC, in an impressive PB time of 39:53. Completing the women’s top three was Lucinda Beresford (Westerlands Cross Country Club) in 40:06.

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Piasecki wins Florence Marathon to move 3rd on UK AT list

At Florence Marathon Jess Piasecki finally made her marathon debut and she did it in fine style. The Stockport athlete not only won the race by 78 seconds in a 74:31/70:58 negative split but also ran her way into the GB record books. It was a hugely popular result for Piasecki who picked up an injury mid race at the 2015 Frankfurt Marathon when looking on course for a sub 2:30 clocking.

Her 2:25:29 sees her edge past Charlotte Purdue’s 2:25:38 earlier this year at London to place 3rd on the British all-time list. That leaves the two pre-selected two Tokyo 2020 places as tough to beat but with a quality line up of Brits at Valencia Marathon lets wait and see. The final lady will need to run the qualifying time and place 1st Brit at London. It’s a tight turnaround but it makes for a compelling prospect for those of us watching!

Paul Molyneux clocked his fastest marathon time for three years running 2:22:55 to finish 8th overall. Also running sub 2:30 was Pete Robinson of Springfield Striders who clocked 2:28:41 in his 4th marathon of the year. Vicky Unsworth was the next British female over the line with the Liverpool Harrier running 3:01:02.

Further down the field it looks like the course was changed due to a gas leak leading it 700m short for some of the later finishers.

Isn’t it great when a long term plan comes together.

Thanks to all who have helped along the way pic.twitter.com/ouzyIdab4c

— Jessica Piasecki (@JessCoulson90) November 24, 2019

Euro Cross Trial at Sefton Park

It was the third installment of the British Athletics Cross Challenge series at Sefton Park this Saturday. The race also served as the trials for the Spar European Cross Country Championships, resulting in a fine field and a top notch day of racing.

In the U15 race Kiya Dee of Highworth kept her 100% record by winning in a time of 10:59, though not without a little tussle with Vale Royal’s Grace Roberts. Conditions became increasingly boggy throughout the day but that didn’t deter our hardened athletes.

A soggy set of spikes and a Euro XC champs place now belongs to Saskia Millard of Herne Hill Harriers thanks to her 15:32 finish. She’ll be joined in Lisbon by the rest of the top 5 finishers in her race (see below) who all automatically qualify.

Judd surpised after fine win

In the Senior Women’s race Jess Judd stormed ahead to take the lead from early on, much to her own surprise! She had plenty of time to slow down for the tape as her nearest rival, Charlotte Arter, finished 10 seconds behind her.

The previous match’s winner, Kate Avery was 3rd and the remaining place on the team was taken by Amy Griffiths. Bronwen Owen, Cari Hughes, Amelia Quirk and Eleanor Bolton all qualified for Lisbon in the u/23 team. Judd, Arter, Avery and Griffiths all cliched senior spots.

In the senior women’s race it was @jessjuddxx who crossed in first place and she was clearly delighted having secured her spot on the plane to Lisbon with victory in a wet and windy Liverpool this morning.#MuddyBrilliant pic.twitter.com/UmCjPGGW4V

— British Athletics (@BritAthletics) November 23, 2019

Connor continues his fantastic 2019

MK winner Mohammed Mohammed was again in fine form but it was British 10000m Champion Ben Connor to claimed a convincing win. Alex Yee and Adam Hickey also booked their spots on the Euro Cross squad.

Ultra marathon man Tom Evans clinched the third senior spot within his 6th place overall with Kristian Jones taking the fourth spot a couple of seconds back in 7th. U/23 qualifying men were Mahamed, Yee, Cairess and Sol Sweeney. The senior team will be made up by Connor, Hickey, Evans and Jones.

A full list of category winners can be found at the bottom of this report.

Credit: Alex Donald

Over the pond, Preston’s Patrick Dever forwent the mud of Liverpool to race for the University of Tulsa in the NCAA Cross Country championships. He finished 11th in the Men’s D1 race, running 10k in 30:59.4.

On the UK roads

The Run Through team were in action at their Battersea Park 5 & 10k on Saturday. Charlotte Mason (18:34), Kate Carter (18:58) and Laura Donnelly (21:30) topped the 5k for the ladies. James Share (15:28), Charles Pearson (15:47) and Adam Tapley (15:57) were the three fastest gents. In the 10k it was podium-time for Ludvig Johanssen (33:11), Barnaby Walker (33:51) and Mario Maresca (34:14) with Rebecca Newstead (34:44), Mollie Macve (34:51) and Katy Rashbrook (34:51) doing it for the ladies.

Leopoldo Burguete won the Wolverton 5 in Milton Keynes finishing in 24:11 ahead of Liam Dee in 24:22. According to Elliot Hind Burguete was the first MKAC man to win in 55 year history of the race!! Paul Mizon was third also cracking 25 minutes with 24:44.

Rafaela Fonseca of Rugby & Northampton was the women’s winning in 28:43 with Elle Roche of MKAC second in 29:30. 3rd place went to Martha Hall (30:27) of Garden City Runners.

Great win for Leopoldo Burguete at the Wolverton 5 in MK. Finishing in 24.11 ahead of Liam Dee (24.22). First MKAC man to win in 55 year history of the race!! Podium completed by Paul Mizon (24.44). I came 7th in PB 26.04. @FastRunning @AthleticsWeekly Pic Brian Graves. pic.twitter.com/DwrU4aSzuq

— Running Elliot (@runningelliot) November 24, 2019

Gloucester 10km saw two men run sub 30. Jonathan Hopkins of Swansea Harriers was the winner in 29:27 ahead of Peter Le Grice (29:53) with Tom Merson (30:07) rounding off the podium. Rachel Felton was the first women running 34:37 with Cornwall’s Heidi Tregenza 2nd in 35:47 and Carys Hughes 3rd in 36:02.

Doncaster 10k saw Nick Martin break the tape in 31:27 and V40 runner Jenny Blizzard race home in 36:10 for victory. Women’s-only club, Bournemouth Joggers hosted their open-to-all Boscombe 10k – Caroline Stanzel of Poole Runners was first lady back in a whisker over 40 minutes (40:02) and the overall winner was Bournemouth AC’s Rob McTaggart in 33:47.

There were some seriously impressive performances at Hatfield 5 with a tightly fought race won by England marathoner Dani Nimmock in 27:21 edging out Annabel Gummow of Winchester who clocked 27:31 with Gemma Kersey also running sub 28 with 27:51. Ash Harrell was the overall winner in 24:36, with Mark Spiller 2nd in 27:13 and Rowan Daly 3rd in 27:15.

At the Eynsham 10k Daniel Hamilton of San Domenico RC ran a 32-flat to take the win and Vale of Aylesbury’s Sophie Delderfield found 37:25 swift enough for victory. The Jigsaw 10k at Dunsfold Park in Surrey was the site success for v50 speedster Elspeth Turner who finished in 38:06, though she has a 37:24 season’s best over the distance. It would seem reasonable to guess that 10k isn’t the distance of choice for 26.2 RC’s Tim Bartholomew, so he can be happy with his top spot in 35:09.

Hertfordshire Half saw Yorkshire Marathon winner Charlene Jacobs-Conradie (Luton AC) back in golden form, winning in 1:22:36. Hercules Wimbledon took the men’s crown in 1:11:25 thanks to Alex Milne. Silverstone was host to a range of distances on Sunday.

The Silverstone Half currently has some strange chip time results but in the Silverstone 5k, Keiran White (16:38) and Louise Balloch (19:24) were top. Silverstone 10k winners were James Dales (34:03) and Cat Cummings (38:37).

Finally and much more briefly, the Migo Mile took place at Queen’s Park, Glasgow. We’re still waiting on results but we do know that Male and female course record were broken and the overall winning time was 4:57.

Full British Cross Challenge results

U11 Boys, 2k

1st Charlie Collins  06:53, 2nd Fred Jones (Wolverhampton & Bilston) 06:59, 3rd William Coles (Carmathen) 07:07

U11 Girls, 2k

1st Molly Carvell (WESPA) 07:30, 2nd Valerie Teare (Liverpool Harriers) 07:40, 3rd Lexi Ellis (WESPA) 07:46

U13 Girls, 3k

1st Zoe Gilbody (Chiltern Harriers) 11:06, 2nd Abigail Reid (Woodford Green Essex Ladies) 11:19, 3rd Shaikira King (Wreake & Soar Valley) 11:35

U13 Boys, 3k

1st Aiden Collier (Chiltern Harriers) 10:41, 2nd Oliver Patton (Kilbarchan) 10:54, 3rd Craig Shennan (Giffnock North) 10:58

U15 Boys, 4k

1st Lewis Sullivan (St Edmunds) 9:50, 2nd Benjamin Peck (Thetford) 9:58, 3rd Joshua Blevins (North Shields Poly) 10:01

U15 Girls, 3k

1st Kiya Dee ( Highworth) 10:59, 2nd Grace Roberts (Vale Royal) 11:02, 3rd Elsie Robinson (Saffron AC) 11:09

U17 Women, 4.4k (run with Junior Women)

1st Anna Hedley (City of Lisburn) 15:59, 2nd Maya Todd McIntyre (Rushcliffe) 16:30, 3rd Hannah Anderson (East Kilbride) 16:35

IAAF Junior Women (U20 on 31.12.18), 4.4k (top 5 qualify)

1st Saskia Millard (Herne Hill Harriers) 15:32, 2nd Izzy Fry (Newbury AC), 3rd 15:33, Megan Keith (Inverness Harriers AAC) 15:34, 4th Amelia Samuels (Wolverhampton & Bilston AC) 15:41, 5th Olivia Mason (Border Harriers) 15:47.

U17 Men, 5.5k

1st Louis Small (Ashford AC) 18:26, 2nd Sam Martin (Guildford & Godalming) 18:31, 3rd Johnny Livingstone (Exeter Harriers) 18:33

IAAF Junior Men (U20 on 31.12.18), 6.7k (top 5 qualify) 

1st Matt Willis 21:13 (Wales /WrexhamAAC), 2nd Charlie Hicks (University of Stanford) 21:28, 3rd Zak Mahamed 21:31 (Southampton AC), 4th Hamish Armitt (Giffock North AAC) 21:34, 5th Will Barnicoat (Windsor Slough E & H AC)21:35

Senior Women including U23 Women’s European Trial, 8.1k (top 4 qualify)

1st Jess Judd (Blackburn Harriers) 28:22, 2nd Charlotte Arter (Cardiff AAC) 28:32, 3rd Kate Avery (Shildon Running & AAC) 28:40, 4th Amy Griffiths (Aldershot, Farnham & District AC) 28:43, 5th Abbie Donnelly (Lincoln Wellington) 28:34, 6th Jenny Nesbitt (Cardiff AAC) 28:47, 7th Bronwen Owen (Leeds) 28:57.

Senior Men including U23 Women’s European Trial, 9.8k (top 4 qualify)

1st Ben Connor (Derby AC) 30:22, 2nd Mohamad Mohamad (Southampton AC) 30:27, 3rd Alex Yee (Kent AC) 30:25, 4th Adam Hickey (Southend-on-Sea) 30:50, 5th Emilie Cairess (Leeds) 31:00, 6th Tom Evans (Lewis AC) 31:03, 7th Kris Jones (Swansea) 31:05.

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Charlie Da’Vall Grice (club: Brighton Phoenix; coach: Jon Bigg) helps headline the British team with his third appearance at the Championships, less than two weeks after his move into fourth on the all-time UK list for the 1500m after a huge personal best of 3:30.62 at the Monaco Diamond League.

Fresh from his own personal best at the Müller Anniversary Games at the weekend, European indoor silver medallist Jamie Webb (Liverpool Harriers; Adrian Webb) will run the 800m while European indoor champion Shelayna Oskan-Clarke (Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow; Bigg) will make her European Team Championships debut in the women’s 800m.

Verastile Judd races the 1500m

Jessica Judd (Blackburn; Mick Judd), who claimed the World Student Games 5,000m title this month, is another to have run a personal best over the weekend and earns selection for the Championships in the 1500m having made her senior British debut at the 2013 event in Gateshead, winning the 800m.

Grice, Webb, Oskan-Clarke and Judd are four of 20 athletes chosen for the Championships to have achieved a qualifying standard for the IAAF World Championships in Doha later this year including Rosie Clarke in the steeplechase.

Zac Seddon gets a spot in the team after running a big personal best of 8:21.28 in the steeplechase at the Diamond League in Rome in June. Seddon was one of a number of British athletes to run a sub four mile at the Anniversary Games last weekend.

No men’s 5,000m athlete?

Sarah Inglis is named in the team to run in the 5,00om after setting a fantastic new PB of 15:25.01 on Saturday ath the KBC Nacht meeting in Belgium. A notable omission from the announcement is a men’s athlete in the 5,000m.

British Athletics’ statement say’s that a selection will be announced as soon as possible but it is unclear as to why an athlete has not been selected at this stage with seven British athletes already having run under 13:40.00 this year.

It will be interesting to see if an athlete performing well at this weekend’s MK5000m Special and England Champs will be considered.

British Athletics Performance Director Neil Black said:

“For some of the athletes selected the event presents them with an opportunity to test themselves in a team environment against high-quality international competition, while for others it offers an opportunity for them to put themselves in the mix for selection for the IAAF World Championships later this year.

“We have seen some fantastic performances at the European Under-20 and Under-23 Championships over the past two weeks and it is great to see athletes being given the opportunity to show what they can do at senior level. We want to finish as high in the team standings as possible in Bydgoszcz and we look forward to seeing what our athletes can deliver.”

The endurance athletes selected in the British team for the European Team Championships Bydgoszcz 2019:

MEN:

800m

Jamie Webb (Liverpool Harriers; Adrian Webb)

1500m

Charlie Da’Vall Grice (Brighton Phoenix; Jon Bigg)

3000m

James West (Tonbridge; Ben Thomas)

5000m

TBC

3000m Steeplechase

Zak Seddon (Bracknell; Jeff Seddon)

WOMEN:

800m

Shelayna Oskan-Clarke (Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow; Jon Bigg)

1500m

Jessica Judd (Blackburn; Mick Judd)

3000m

Emily Hosker-Thornhill (Aldershot Farnham & District; Mick Woods)

5000m

Sarah Inglis (Lothian; Mark Bomba)

3000m Steeplechase

Rosie Clarke (Epsom & Ewell; David Harmer)

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The post British Athletics annouce the European Team Champs Squad, but who will run the 5000m? appeared first on Fast Running.

The Monaco Diamond League saw some very impressive performances with PB’s across the board. Scotland’s Laura Muir ran a PB over the 800m to claim third place in a time of 1:58.42, with fellow Scot Lynsey Sharp only 0.32 seconds behind, also a PB.

The personal bests continued in the ‘Brave like Gabe Mile’, honouring the former American runner Gabe Grunewald, who sadly died from cancer last month. Brit, Laura Weightman, came in second with a lifetime best of 4:17.60, whilst Ciara Mageean of Northern Ireland also PB’d, crossing the line in 4:19.03. The Welsh athlete, and recent sub 15 5,000 runner, Melissa Courtney, finished in a cracking 4:27.76.

History was also made as Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands clocked a new world record, crossing the line in 4:12.33 to take the record from Russia’s Svetlana Masterkova.

It was Charlie Grice though who stole the show moving to fourth on the British 1500m all time list with 3:30.36 and fourth place. His sensational performance sees him move ahead of British distance running legend Steve Ovett.

Also on the track, Jess Judd proved her strength by winning gold at the World University Games in Naples in the 5,000m, improving on her bronze from two years ago.

Judd beat Canada’s Nicole Hutchinson and the Dutch athlete Julia Van Velthoven by an impressive six seconds! Despite the hot and humid conditions Judd was able to cling onto front place and claim the win.

Success for Brits at the European Under 23 Champs

The success continued in Gävle in the European U23 championships. The 21-year-old Jake Smith ran a huge PB, clocking 29:01 over 10,000m. This placed Smith second in the UK U23 rankings for the event.

Also making an impression in Gävle was Piers Copeland with his 1500 silver in an incredible 3:50.89. Copeland surpassed his personal expectations and was shocked to receive silver after the scoreboard did not initially place him second.

Copeland said: “I feel ecstatic. I really didn’t expect to get a medal […] I am over the moon […] I threw everything into it and managed to get the silver. Copeland showed his impressive ability to pull out a serious finishing kick. We recently caught up with Piers and his sister Grace and their coach Bob Smith.

In the 800m, the GB women stole the show. Jemma Reekie was first across the line, gaining another gold for Great Britain in a rapid 2:05.19 as she let out an incredible surge in the last 200m. Reekie said, “I knew I had to kick in to cross the finish line, because the other girls were right behind me”. Ellie Baker stormed across the line just behind Reekie, gaining her place on the podium. Baker ran a solid time of 2:06.33.

Reekie also doubled up as the 1500m champion, storming across the finish line to take gold.

The final victory for GB came in the penultimate track final in the 200m men’s race. Boldizsar clocked 20.89, storming his way to a victory after a very strong, solid finish.

Piers Copeland Photo credit: Grace Copeland

Navesey proves his strength in the build-up to Frankfurt.

The Brighton Phoenix 10k saw some cracking performances take actions. Gold went to Paul Navesey in a time of 31:00, proving his strong form leading up to Frankfurt marathon.

Hercules Wimbledon’s Jonny Cornish was pushed to limit in order to sustain his position, but managed to do so, crossing the line in second place, just four seconds ahead of James Turner (31:35) who narrowly took home bronze. Cornish said ‘I had to pick it up in the last few km to keep my position. I was a way off Paul in first.’

The women’s race was similarly a close one with the top three women finishing within less than 30 seconds of each other. Elspeth Turner of Horsham Blue Star Harriers took the win in a time of 37:26. Following Turner in 37:46 was Tara Shanahan just in front of Brighton & Hove’s Martha Coyle.

The Timberhonger 10k saw an impressive domination in the men’s race from Birmingham Running, Athletics and Triathlon Club. James Marshall took the win in a time of 33:17, whilst Daniel Robinson and Johnny Cullen came in second and third in 34:27 and 34:56 respectively, making their club proud.

Navesey wins Phoenix 10km. Photo credit: Lance Bellers

The Torfaen Mic Morris 10k saw some rapid times from both the men and the women. Chris Carpanini was the first men to cross the line in a time of 30:28, claiming gold. Swansea Harriers’ Matthew Rees took home silver in 31:15, an incredible 57 second PB. The third man across the finish was Andy Hunt in 31:36.

The women had a similarly successful race with Chepstow Harriers’ Katy Roy running 36:48 to take gold. Not far behind, from Parc Bryn Bach, was Nicola Jukes in 37:16. To round off the women’s podium, Heather Graz took third in a time of 38:29.

The Ilkley Half Marathon saw wins for Jack Cummings in 71:24 and Caroline Turner in 85:04.

Welch and Swinburn win British Mountain Trials

High up in the hills the Snowdonia Trail Marathon took place, incorporating the British trial for the world mountain championships. The sun didn’t quite shine but it stayed dry for the runners. In the women’s race, Kirsteen Welch stormed ahead, claiming the win by just under three minutes. Second across the line was Sarah Willhoit shortly followed by Georgia Tindley.

The men’s race was a lot closer than the women’s over the marathon distance. The Northumberland Fell Runners athlete, Nick Swinburn, took the win in 3:18.10. Just over a minute behind was Sebastain Batchelor, followed by Jack Wood in third.

The high quality field included 2:20 marathon runner Russell Bentley, who led for much of race before the climb up Snowdon and 2:21 man Nikki Johnstone who finished seventh.

The event also saw an ultra, half marathon and 10km race taking place. The ultra was won by Mark Darbyshire (5:23:53) and Becky Atkinson (6:45:26). The half winners were Joe Dale (1:51:19) and Josie Lloyd (2:11:14) and the 10km was won by Elliot Cox (44:56) and Katie Reynolds (54:06).

Kirsteen Welch on the Snowdon Ascent. Photo credit: Tom Craggs

Wrong turn leads to ultra disqualification

At the 100km Race to the Stones ultra race Tom Fairbrother was first over the line in 8 hours 35 minutes. Despite being interviewed as the winner Fairbrother was later disqualified for taking a wrong turn (which led him off course but running over a mile extra).

The win was awarded to Tim Pigott who crossed the line in 8:43:54. Speaking on his Instagram account Pigott said

“1st place at ‘Race to the Stones’ 100km trail race today…It needs noting that there was a person ahead of me but he made an epic route error ending up going along the main road- it’s a trail race- and was DQ’d – his performance up to this point was seriously impressive and I’m gutted he didn’t get the race and finish he deserved. I have been focussed on this race for over a year, so very happy how it all came together.”

Swedish athlete Anna Louise Klintman won the women’s race in 9:44:54 ahead of Jordan Foster who was second in 10:01:34.

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The weekend also saw speedy 10k’s at the Speedway 10k, Richmond, Pilling, and Nottingham and a handful of British runners getting World Champs qualifying times in just one 1500m race in the US.

Fast10’s Hannah Irwin was not only racing over 5000m this weekend but brings you the weekend round up for UK athletes at home and abroad.

Friday night out

Friday’s Podium 5k road race saw some cracking performances, with 33 people running 16:35 and under, despite being faced with truly wet British weather conditions.

Ben Connor took gold in a time of 13:54, 48 seconds ahead of second place. The St. Helens & Sutton athlete, Matthew Crehan, ran the exact same time of 14:42 as he did at the Fast Friday 5,000, even with the conditions not being favourable. One second behind in third place, was Morpeth’s Nick McCormick in 14:43.

Photo: David Belshaw

In Scotland the race was run over 5 miles at the Black Rock 5. Both the men and women pulled out brilliant performances. Lamar university student, Jamie Crowe, ran his first 5-mile race since 2013, running a four minute, 21 second PB of 22:05. Behind Crowe, in 22:44, was James Donald followed by Neil Renault in 23:23.

The former European Junior 1500m Champion, Morag Millar, ran to the top of the podium. Millar ran a strong race to cross the line in 25:25, 36 seconds ahead of second place, Stephanie Pennycook. Third across the line was Central AC’s Natalie Stewart in a time of 27:32.

Saturday night at the races

Saturday was filled with races on the track and road, including the BMC Grand Prix in Loughborough, the Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon, the Dartford midnight half marathon and the Pilling 10k.

Saturday’s BMC Grand Prix saw plenty of outstanding performances.

The U20 Halifax athlete, Max Burgin showed his strength over the 800m distance. Burgin set a new PB of 1:46.80 in a race he front ran from the gun, placing himself seventh in the all-time U20 rankings.

The Judd sisters dominated the Women’s A 5000m race. Jess ran her first PB in 2 years, to set a cracking time of 15:31 to take first place. Jodie, the younger Judd, was the first U23 to cross the line in a time of 16:04, one second inside of the U23 European qualifying time! The Swansea athlete, Verity Ockenden continued to prove her form, running 15:47 to place herself second to the elder Judd. [Weekend roundup author Hannah also ran an excellent PB of 16:36 at the event – Editor]

The Men’s 5000m race also had an impressive field. The St. Mary’s athlete, Emile Cairess, took the win in 13:50 to get himself a four second PB. Cairess was closely followed by Ellis Cross in 13:52 with another PB. Jake Shelley took bronze, crossing the finish line with a time of 13:56.

Also on the track an outstanding performance was given by Edinburgh AC’s Josh Kerr at the Brave Like Gabe men’s 1500m. Kerr crossed the line in 3:33:60 to get the win and break Steve Cram’s British U23 best! There was also a 3:35.95 PB for fellow Scot Neil Gourley and 3:35.74 for James West [who “bitch-kicked Gourley in the home straight”, whatever that means – Editor]

All three ran inside the qualifying time for the 1500m for the World Championships, which is a great sign for British middle distance running.

Over four times the distance, Steph Twell took to the road in the Czech Republic at the Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon. Twell finished in fifth, crossing the line in 75:57. The 2:30 marathoner and recent winner of the Vitality London 10,000 led until halfway through the race, but faded in the second half.

Photo: Leigh Quinnel

Closer to home

The Dartford Midnight Half also took place on Saturday. Annaka Charters of Victoria Park Harriers dominated the race, finishing with a massive PB of 1:25:00, in an outright win.

The Pilling 10k, part of the Lancashire Race Series, saw Simon Croft of the Red Rose RR claim first prize in a time of 34:01, just under two-minutes ahead of Border Harriers’ Steven Berry. First woman across the line in a time of 43:59, was Blackburn Harriers’ Rachel Gavin, followed by Heather Travis in 45:05.

The fast and flat Speedway 10k did not disappoint. The rain managed to hold off to allow a very classy field of athletes to perform. At the top of the men’s podium, in an impressive 29:55 was Cardiff’s Matt Clowes. Behind him in second place was the Swansea athlete, Josh Griffiths. Griffiths clocked 30:12 whilst James Hunt ran 30:44 to come in third.

The first lady across the line was Lauren Cooper in a huge PB time. Cooper ran a 1 minute 34 second personal best to achieve a time of 34:54. The second lady home in 36:14 was Alaw Beynon-Thomas.

Also over the 10k distance, as part of the Surrey Road League was the Ranelagh Richmond 10k. Epsom’s Ollie Garrod claimed first place in 32:22, followed by Simon Baines of Thames Hare & Hounds in a time of 32:45 and Nick Marriage in third in 33:31.

The women’s race was won by Liz Davies with a significant lead. Davies just popped under 35-minutes, running 34:58 for the 10k distance. In second was Emily Wicks in 36:20 and third place went to Alice McGushin in 37:26.

In Nottingham, the Run For All- Nottingham 10k took place. Patrick Townsend of Notts AC took gold in the men’s race in 34:40, whilst Nicole Swaffield was first female across the line in 38:30.

On the trails

The long running Seven Hills of Edinburgh is described as “a combination of road-running, cross-country, hill-running, and urban orienteering [with] 14.3 miles in length and with 2200 feet of ascent/descent”. The men’s winner was New Zealand international runner Sam McCutcheon in 1:37:21, running for Corstorphine AAC and the women’s winner was Irish international Nicola Duncan running for Carnethy in a time of 2:05:46.

Photo: Peter MacDonald

parkrun

Danielle Hodgkinson and Omer Ahmed are your quickest parkrunners this weekend (June 15). Check out the full rankings here.

RELATED: 7 ways to run faster at parkrun

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The post Ben Connor & Jess Judd shine over the 5k distance, whilst Josh Kerr breaks British U23 record – Weekend roundup appeared first on Fast Running.

Two- time 1500m Olympian Laura Weightman is proving she is just as talented on the roads with her recent success in 10k races highlighting her endurance is as strong as her speed.

The Steve Cram-coached 27 year-old ran the fastest time for a British woman on the roads in the Netherlands’ Parelloop 10k – 31:39 – since Gemma Steel’s 31:26 from 2014.

Only Paula Radcliffe, Lizz Nuttall (nee McColgan) and Wendy Sly have run faster than the pair.

Cambridge & Coleridge’s Jack Gray was in imperious form once again when running for England in Parelloop with a 29:21 PB to finish first Brit.

Also in fantastic form is Thames Valley’s Paulos Surafel who was the next Brit behind Gray in a PB 29:46, while Liverpool Harriers’ Dejene Gezimu (30:05), Enfield & Haringey’s Will Mycroft (30:09) and Lincoln Wellington’s Lucian Allison (30:26) made up a very strong England team.

Wallsend’s Danielle Hodgkinson led the England team’s women home with a PB 34:13. The girls packed well behind, with Leeds City’s Lucy Crookes (34:35) and CONAC’s Dani Nimmock (35:13) ensuring their trip abroad was a successful one.

GB ace and Blackburn Harrier Jess Judd was also in PB form at the Cheshire 10k on Saturday (March 23) when she won in a lifetime best equalling time of 32:42.

Judd’s time was also a course record, while her partner Rob Warner did well to run a 30:17 PB to just miss the top three.

Clayton Harriers’ Laura Hesketh’s 34:37 result would normally win most races but here was only good enough for second. Laura Jane Smith was third in 35:24, making this a very competitive 10k.

Mo Abu Rezeq won the men’s race in a superb 29:18 from Leeds City’s Phil Sesmann, while Stockport’s Patrick Martin also ran well under 30 minutes with a 29:48 clocking.

Birchfield Harriers’ women’s team utterly dominated proceedings at the Derby Runner Midland 6 Stage Road Relays on Saturday (March 23) at Sutton Park, taking the title by more than 10 minutes.

The Birmingham-based club beat off valiant competition from Wolves & Bilston, who themselves narrowly held off Bristol & West by a far closer margin.

It was London marathon bound Hayley Carruthers who got Birchfield off to a storming start, clocking a fast 28:52 for the 5.3m first leg. This proved to be the fastest long leg of the day by 105 seconds, with the club’s Becky Straw second fastest and Bryony Gunn and Amelia Straw taking the first two fastest short legs.

Carruthers handed over to club mate Georgie Hartigan with a huge two minutes-plus cushion, and Rebecca Straw, Carlie Baldwin, Jessie Lutwyche and Bryony Gunn all ensured Birchfield retained the title from last year’s event.

The battle for the men’s Midland 12 Stage Relays gold was a much tighter affair, with Bristol & West ultimately clinching victory from Birchfield by just 13 seconds.

It was Cheltenham & County Harriers’ Phil Wylie who ‘won’ the first long leg in the second fastest time of the day, his 26:20 beaten by Notts AC’s consistently excellent Doug Musson’s 25:59. 

Notts AC were rewarded with team bronze on the day after ‘winning’ eight of the 12 stages, dropping down to third only in the last three legs.

Birchfield fought hard with Bristol & West, helped by the former’s GB stars Elliot Giles and Omar Ahmed, who ran the two fastest short legs of the day with times of 14:59 and 15:14 respectively.

However, it was Bristol & West who triumphed at Sutton Park, only once dropping out of the top three teams during the event.

At the Northern Road Relays in Wirral, Rotherham’s women took team gold from Leeds City and Leigh Harriers while Leeds City’s men won from Sheffield & Dearne AC and Salford Harriers on Sunday (March 24). No further results were available at the time of publishing the weekend report.

Southern Road Relay team gold medals went to Herne Hill Harriers’ women and Aldershot, Farnham & District’s men at Milton Keynes on Sunday (March 24).

HHH’s winning time was 2:06.37 from Cambridge & Coleridge’s 2:09.04. Thames Valley Harriers took third in 2:10.40.

The fastest short leg medal went to HHH’s Katie Snowden in 16:48 while TVH’s GB marathoner Tracy Barlow ran 26:58 to record the quickest long leg. Many thanks to Tonbridge AC’s Mark Hookway for his help with these results.

Away from the relays there was an international air of magic at the Run Garioch Half Marathon in Inverurie on Sunday (March 24), with Commonwealth Games marathon bronze medallist Robbie Simpson winning easily.

The Deeside Runner took victory in 72:40 from JSK’s Tom Roche’s 76:14, while Garioch RR’s David Barclay joined Roche in the winning V40 ranks with his 79:52 clocking for third.

It was a tighter affair at the sharp end of the women’s race with a brilliant victory for AAAC’s Veronique Oldham, the V50 taking the win in 89:23. Close behind was Lynsay’s Lynsay Hay with an 89:44 result, while Rebecca Young also made the podium in 93:16.

There were stupendously fast times clocked at the Wilmslow Half Marathon on Sunday (March 24), with Sale Harriers’ Nigel Martin and Wakefield’s Julie Briscoe emerging the winners in a very competitive race.

Martin’s time in victory was a very quick 65:26 from Notts AC’s super vet Alastair Watson, who clocked 66:13. Southport Waterloo’s Ben Johnson posted a 66:26 time for third, with the top seven beating 70 minutes.

Briscoe just seems to be getting better and better, and today confirmed that with the V40 clocking 77:01 for the win. Finishing fast behind her was Northern’s Sarah Webster from the Isle of Man with a 77:14 PB, while Shrewsbury’s Sara Willhoit also ran very well for third in 78:13.

Onto the trails and Notts AC’s Ben Livesey and Bournemouth’s Georgia Woods were the victors at the UK Trail Running Championships incorporated into the Forest of Dean Half Marathon on Sunday (March 24).

Both athletes recorded impressive times considering the terrain, with Livesey clocking 70:44 and Woods 81:51.

Taunton AC’s Adam Stokes was second in 73:57 while the City of Stoke’s Andrew McQue took third in 78:07.

Woods was a convincing winner, with second and third place going to Westbury Harriers’ Emma Dalton’s 88:25 and Vicky Tester’s 88:35.

The Colchester Half Marathon also saw some classy performances, with international marathoner Helen Davies and Ramadan Osman taking the top spoils on Sunday (March 24). 

Davies is impressive in her consistency and speed, and won easily here in 73:50. Rachel Sweatt also ran very well to post a 79:53 result for second, while Jackie Stretton took third in 83:16.

Ramadan Osman finished just over a minute ahead of his closest rival to take the men’s win in 68:45. Chris Burgoyne was second in 69:47 while Stephen Strange was third in 72:19.

Heather Noone just held off Rachael Mulvery for victory at the Hastings Half Marathon in 81:42 to Mulvey’s 82:14. Megan Taylor was some way back in 87:07 for third.

Josseli Polini also had a fierce fight to the line to take the men’s win in 70:56 from Gary Foster’s 71:17, while Rhys Boorman took third in 73:45.

Moving up a tad in distance, the British 50k and 100k Championships took place on Sunday (March 24) at North Inches Park in Perth, Scotland.

Taking the British 50k women’s title was Hannah Oldroyd in 3:28:07 ahead of Beth Pascal’s 3:35:19.

Italy’s Paolo Natali took the win in the men’s 50k in 3:02:14 but it was Kerry Liam-Wilson who finished first Brit and took the Scottish title in 3:13:45. 

England’s Charlies Harpur was victorious in the men’s 100k in 6:44:05 from Scotland’s Rob Turner’s 6:51:36. Turner’s fellow countryman Kyle Greig was close behind in third overall in 6:54:29. 

Harpur’s result was another great race for the Mid Essex athlete following his sub-3 hour 50k earlier this year.

In addition, with at least three men beating the seven hour barrier it bodes well for the current position and future prospects of ultra running in Britain, and for the strong level of competition at these championships.

Sophie Mullins was an overjoyed 100k women’s victor in 8:03:39, with Morgan Windram second in 8:21:36.

Dropping back down to the 10k, Sam Yearling and Marie Faithful took the top prizes at the Tamar Bridge 10k in Plymouth on Sunday (March 24).

Faithful ran a strong 38:54 to win from Cornwall AC’s Ruby Orchard’s 39:39. Katie Deards’ 41:06 earned her the third prize.

Plymouth Harriers’ Yearling won the men’s in 36:00, the U20 beating off older competition in Luke Blakeston (36:28) and Exeter Harriers’ Dominic Spayne (36:46).

Colin Snook took men’s victory at the Weston Super Half Marathon on Sunday (March 24) with a 72:04 result, while Bristol & West’s Charlotte Taylor-Green ran a superb 75:46 to win the women’s race.

She was fourth overall and took a fine scalp in Rachel Felton, who was second in 79:29. Serane Stone was third in 82:03.

Cornwall’s Snook held off Taunton’s Andrew Smith (74:33) and Weston AC’s Kieron Summers (74:44) for the win.

Another fast half marathon on Sunday was the London Landmarks Half, which saw podium topping runs from Seyfu Jamaal (68:14) and Catriona Paterson (83:07).

Justine Lynch ran well for second in 87:02 to only just hold off Kate Carter by a mere six seconds!

Michele Bucci was second in the men’s race in 74:03, nearly six minutes behind Jamaal, while Daniel Shane was third in 74:48.

There were some incredible times at parkruns across the UK on Saturday too (March 23), with Hastings AC’s Lizzie Clarke and Middlesborough AC’s Josh Cowperthwaite the country’s fastest this week with 16:39 and 14:39 results respectively.

Find out who else made the UK top 10 here.

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The post Laura Weightman runs UK’s 5th fastest 10k in Parelloop – weekend round-up appeared first on Fast Running.