A Yorkshireman’s CV is not short of success. He’s competed at the Olympics, four World Championships (one indoors), two European Championships, a Commonwealth Games and multiple European Cross Country Championships.

Furthermore, his set of PBs place him high on the UK all-time lists at every distance. From 3000m to the half marathon he’s a dominant feature. This only confirms his status as one of the fastest runners Britain has ever produced.

Much of this has happened whilst based in the United States. Firstly at the University of Tulsa (during which he was crowned NCAA 10,000m Champion in 2017) before joining the Bowerman Track Club  in the same year. BTC was a Nike-sponsored training group led by Jerry Schumacher and based in Oregon.

Marc announced in December he would be leaving Bowerman for at-the-time unannounced pastures new and, earlier this week, it was announced that he had joined the famed NN Running Team. Speaking to me for Fast Running from his training base in Kenya, Marc shared the reasons for his move, his changing priorities, and ambitions for 2023 and beyond.

A Sparkling CV

The times that sit behind Scott’s career on the track speak for themselves. His proudest, and perhaps the most famous, is his 12:57.08 European Record for 5000m indoors set last February in Boston. It is a time that only seven men have bettered indoors, two his former BTC teammates in the same race, and only five Europeans have run faster outdoors.

Not to be overlooked is his outdoor PB (13:05.21) – only Mo Farah and Dave Moorcroft have run faster over twelve and a half laps – nor his 3000m (7:36.04) and 10,000m (27:10.41) bests which sit fifth and second on the respective British all-time lists.

Winning at the Bromley Twilight 3000m meet in SE London. Photo: James Rhodes

His biggest achievement on the track came just a few weeks after that 5000m, at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade – a bronze medal in the 3000m. It was only the second time a British male has medalled at the distance after Rob Denmark in 1991 (Laura Muir (2018), Yvonne Murray (1993) and Liz McColgan (1985) have done so on the women’s side). It was a performance that, clearly amazing in its own right, had potential to act as a springboard into a busy summer.

So Why Change?

Whilst I don’t want to speak out of turn, Marc will readily admit this summer didn’t go quite as planned. One of the athletes to run at all of the summer’s three major competitions, a World Championships in his adopted home state of Oregon ended with 14th in the 5000m, and Munich’s European Championships with 12th over 10,000m.

That’s not to suggest it could all be classed as a disappointment; for me, at least, his best performance of the summer was somewhat overlooked – a fine fourth-place finish in the Commonwealth Games 5000m (13:19.64), a time bettered outdoors just once in his career.

Furthermore, it was a rather esteemed trio ahead of him – the Olympic and World Championship bronze medallist Jacob Kiplimo and two of the fastest athletes in history over the distance; Nicholas Kipkorir Kimeli and Jacob Krop, eighth and sixth fastest all-time respectively.

Marc Scott leading the pacemaking at London Marathon 2022 Photo: James Rhodes

A change for the better?

You don’t need me to say that change is no bad thing and, as Marc himself notes, the track season was just one factor that led to his change in training set up and home location; ‘ultimately a few things came together at once and I was ready for a change in scenery. My visa expired, I didn’t want to move to Eugene and … a difficult summer track season’ (side note: having spent 12 days in Eugene last summer, I am not sure I could picture wanting to live there either).

In a world with numerous options for training, both home and abroad, it was the benefits of a well-supported group based (in HQ terms at least) in Europe, alongside the opportunity to train with some of the best athletes in the world. When we spoke for my Countdown to Tokyo piece prior to the Olympics, Marc noted that one of the benefits of Bowerman was working to a collective goal and racing alongside training partners, including American Grant Fisher and Canadian Moh Ahmed.

This is something Marc notes he will ‘definitely miss’ but is equally sure he ‘will feel a sense of belonging with NN once I wear the kit’. Interestingly, the team-based element of NN was not something he had thought about prior to joining, but as he notes ‘I didn’t think about this beforehand but it’s great that I can be amongst a team environment again, but in a slightly different setting’.

Training Opportunities

I mentioned training alongside some of the world’s best, and this is not an understatement. It is illustrious company that Scott will soon be calling his teammates; the five leading athletes on NN’s roster (Eliud Kipchoge, Kenenisa Bekele, Joshua Cheptegai, Letsebenet Gidey and Geoffrey Kamworor) own a combined 43 Olympic and World titles between them, as well as the current World Records for both 5000m and 10000m, women’s half marathon and men’s marathon.

One other athlete he will be joining is fellow Brit Jake Smith, who joined NN last year. The two have yet to speak (‘it was all pretty quiet until the announcement’), although they have raced each other seven times to date – Marc getting the better on all occasions. It is undoubtedly exciting to see two British athletes in a group amongst distance greats.

Having seen the set up and organisation in Nijmegen [in the Netherlands, where NN is based], there are exciting prospects ahead; Marc has yet to meet the team but is excited to be doing so when he moves to Kaptagat in a few weeks. At present, he plans on being in Kenya for the next eight weeks ‘then intermittently throughout the season as we build up for racing’, splitting his time with being in the UK.

Scott at World Indoors leading the charge Credit: James Rhodes

Shifting Priorities

Whilst the NN squad comprises masters of both the roads and track, it is known primarily for its domination of the road running calendar in recent years. Does this suggest a change in priorities towards the tarmac over the track? Absolutely.

That’s not to say it is something entirely new to Marc’s repertoire; his road races to date strongly suggest it to be a good move. His 5k best (13:20) is the British Record, and his 28:03 10k PB, set in 2021, is a time only Mo Farah, Emile Cairess and Callum Hawkins have bettered in his lifetime. Wins at the Great Manchester Run, Great South Run (his only ten mile race), Podium 5k and Ribble Valley have proved his worth domestically.

Perhaps his forays into the longer distances provide the greatest intrigue and set the scene for the future. A 60:39 half marathon debut in Antrim in 2020, finishing behind Mo Farah, catapulted him – at the time – to third on the UK all-time list.

This was followed up with 60:35 at the short course in Antrim a year later and the biggest win of his career – the Great North Run (61:22). It might not have been the usual course, but it saw him enter the history books and join Mike McLeod, Steve Kenyon and Mo Farah as the only British winners of the men’s elite race in its 40-plus year history.

Particularly, when one thinks of Patrick Sang – himself an Olympic medallist in the steeplechase – as a coach, the mind immediately turns to Eliud Kipchoge. A partnership that has brought about so much success over the marathon, it is natural to ask the question on whether we will see Marc take on 26.2 miles.

2023 Goals

Changing priorities may be the overarching aim, but how about the short-term goals as we look towards the 2023 season? Will it be a road-focused year, or might we see him on the track at August’s World Championships in Budapest?

“I want to debut in the marathon in 2023 and also break 60 minutes in the half. Budapest isn’t really in the pipeline right now but things can always change”. A push from me was met with silence as to whether that marathon might be one in the capital in April, noting he has paced at the last two editions.

This year also sees the inaugural World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga (Latvia) at the end of September. Incorporating races over the mile, 5k and half marathon, the latter being the World Half Marathon Championships (the last edition of which (2020) was where Marc’s new teammate Jake Smith ran 60:31), it seems perfectly suited to Marc’s career goals and ‘would definitely be something I would be interested in’.

Looking towards the potential for his second Olympics next year in Paris, Marc has noted elsewhere his ambition of obtaining the marathon qualifying standard (2:08:10), something only Mo Farah and Steve Jones have done before. It’s a tall order but, based on his career to date, not one I’d bet against.

Ending on a lighter note, it isn’t all top-tier elite racing, though. If you have read this whilst in the middle of cross country league season, it may please you to know Marc made an appearance in the Surrey League in November – something he called ‘super fun and relaxed’. It’s always great to see some of our best take to the more local races.

Whatever happens next, there are exciting times ahead for British distance running.

The post Great Scott! appeared first on Fast Running.

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.

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.

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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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With the restrictions of lockdown slowly starting to lift, we can start look back on what the experience has taught us. During such unknown and uncertain times there are many things that we had to change in relation to running.

We also had to alter many aspects of normal life in ways that were beyond our control. Of course there are many things we will never return to unless we have to. Despite this there will be some lessons which we can take forward.

Plenty of people have found themselves appreciating the little things in life and finding joy from things they never would have considered previously. Others have used the time to experiment with their training and make changes they have always thought of doing.

This may have included incorporating cross training into your week, structuring your week differently, or allowing more time for recovery. With the return of some aspects of normality, what positive lessons have you learnt from lockdown? And which of these will you take forward?

The true reason

Something I am sure many of us have started to think is what running truly means to us. We are so used to chasing races and results, that it can be easy to lose sight of what the sport really means to us.

For many of us however, the love we have for the sport is so much more important than race results. For Scotland’s Mhairi Maclennan, lockdown has improved her outlook on running.

“For me, lockdown has sort of been a blessing in disguise. It has given me the time and space to step back and breathe, to step off the treadmill and focus on my health as well as re-evaluating what running means for me in my life. I think a lot of athletes are rationalising the purpose of their running when we find ourselves in a place where material goals and tangible success is removed and therefore redundant.”

I for one, told myself at the start of lockdown that I wanted to regain my love for the sport. I never fell out of love with it, but I found myself getting more and more worked up before sessions and putting too much pressure on myself. As a result, running was becoming a source of stress rather than joy at times.

I found the release of pressure lockdown brought allowed me to regain my passion. It helped me remember why I got into it in the first place. It wasn’t purely because I enjoyed working towards results.Lockdown has helped show me that I truly loved the sport (I won’t deny racing is one of the most exciting parts of it!).

MacLennan at Podium 5km in 2018 Photo: Pete Brown

Motivation tester

One thing lockdown has done is test our motivation. Something few of us experience, except when injured, is the inability to race even when we want to. Racing often drives us and it can be hard at times to feel motivated without it.

Whilst on the odd occasion it is ok to listen to yourself and not force yourself to do what you don’t want to do, you don’t want to get into the habit of it.

It is important to stick to your usual routine, so it doesn’t come as a shock when normality returns. There may be no racing on the horizon at the minute, but we want to be ready when it does return. So keep pushing on.

13:08 5000m man Marc Scott says how important it is to do just that. “My first lesson of lockdown is to keep training. We are going to be allowed to compete when the time is right, and you want to be ready when that may be.”

Despite this Scott highlights the importance of still applying common sense;

“It’s important that we realise the severity of the virus and help to keep one another safe by following all guidelines in regard to training with one another.”

Ultimately, there is no point pushing the limits of what we have been told is safe potentially putting yourself and others at risk.

Don’t hold back

With the increasing amount of time on our hands, lockdown has allowed us to focus on the things we might previously have neglected and give our all to becoming the best version of ourselves.

Olympic Marathoner and owner of Run Stars, Sonia Samuels, says lockdown has taught us all not to hold back in becoming the athlete we want to be. Embrace doing all the extra 1%’s and try to establish a routine that you may be able to take forward. If you want something, go after it, but most importantly remember why you love it.

“Lockdown is a unique opportunity for athletes to regenerate and work on their weaknesses and strengths. A chance to become the athlete they want to be;

• s&c rehab for ongoing niggles or just general strength improvements
• work on base fitness without having the pressure to race
• improve or try out new areas/ ideas in training
• work on mental preparation for performing in future races and workouts
• explore new running routes we wouldn’t normally do.

Lockdown allows us to reflect on why we run and what we love about the sport. We can have an appreciation of what running brings to our lives both physically and mentally.”

 

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Making my @gozwift debut. Thumbs up from me. @sammo800m #zwift #getfit #getactive #challenge #bikelife #rideyourbike

A post shared by Sonia Samuels (@soniajsamuels) on Apr 28, 2020 at 12:45pm PDT

 New experiences in lockdown for Samuels

These are only a few lessons that lockdown may have taught us. Whatever yours are, are you going to use them to shape yourself as an athlete into the future?

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. 

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Scott runs a stunning European indoor 5000m record

Over in the US, at the Boston University Last Chance Invitational, Marc Scott had an absolutely storming run in the 5,000m. Not only did he set a British indoor record, but a European indoor record too! Scott ran a hard race in a high-quality field and took home 2nd place in a fantastic 13:08.87 to beat the previous record set by Mo Farah.

Cambridge and Coleridge’s Holly Archer was also competing in Boston and  rounded her indoor season off in the 1500m where she ran a fantastic four second PB of 4:13.62.

It’s been a fantastic indoor season for British athletes and James West added some icing to an already impressive cake by placing himself 7th on the UK 1500mi all-time list with 3:36.93. He placed 4th overall in the race and set was is believed to be a NCAA record as well! Impressive running in Boston all round.

 

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So this guy just ran a British and European indoor record for the 5km of 13:08.87 which takes down Mo Farah’s record of 13.09.16! . . . No way I could follow up on that!! I ran a 4 second PB of 4:13.62! (Little disappointed) but this is the third race in 7 days with a flight to Glasgow and Boston so Im happy to be where I’m at in February!

A post shared by Holly Archer (@hollyaarcher) on Feb 28, 2020 at 4:44pm PST

Front running Thompson gets his reward

One of the highlights of the weekend was The Big Half, where athletes were competing for spots in the World Half Marathon Championships in Poland next month. The top 3 male and female finishers were automatically selected (providing they achieved the qualification standard) and 2 others will be chosen to complete the two teams of five.

Ethiopian legend Kenenisa Bekele was put to the test by Chris Thompson early in the race as the AFD man led through half way. Bekele though asserted his dominance and came out on top pushing on in the latter stages to break the course record in 60:22.

Thompson finished 2nd securing a World Half place ahead of a flying Jake Smith. The 21-year-old athlete had an absolutely storming run to finished 3rd overall in 62:00 breaking his own British u/23 record. Ross Millington finished 4th in a PB of 62:33 ahead of the next Brit Mohamud Aadan – 6th in 63:21. Omar Ahmed (7th in 63:33) and Josh Griffiths (8th in 63:57) rounded off those running sub 64.

Athletes running sub 65 were Adam Clarke (64:05), Weynay Ghebreselasie (64:19), Frank Baddick (64:39) and Derek Hawkins (64:51).

Partridge leads strong British field

There was a  hard fought battle in the women’s race. Samantha Harrison held the lead until the 8-mile point when she was met by Birchfield’s Lily Partridge. After working alongside each other it was Partridge that had the upper hand and pushed away from to claim the win in a rapid 70:50. It was a measured and controlled performance from the Alan Storey coached athlete and a fine time in breezy conditions.

Shortly behind was Harrison in 71:01, 42 seconds quicker than her time from Barcelona Half two weeks ago. A first GB vest is rich reward for a gutsy, aggressive run from the ever improving Notts athlete.

Building on what was an been an incredible 12 months for Steph Davis the Clapham Chaser came home in 3rd with a time of 71:15. The Clapham Chasers athlete confirmed her first ever GB vest in style with a lifetime best by over 1 minute 45 seconds. In fourth place was Hayley Carruthers in 71:49, followed by Eleanor Davis (Preston) in 72:35, only one second off of her lifetime best.

After a fine recent run to finish 2nd at Granollers Half Lucy Reid will be delighted with a huge PB of 72:49 for 6th. There were fine displays from other athletes clocking sub 75 – Clara Evans (7th – 73:14), Jenny Spink (8th – 74:19), Fiona Brian (9th – 74:23), Breege Connolly (10th – 74:40) and Rebecca Murray (11th – 74:49).

 

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@lilypartridge 1:10:50⁣ @samanthaharrison95 1:11:01⁣ @steph_davis26 1:11:15⁣ ⁣ 3 fantastic British runners make up the podium in the Elite Women’s Race!⁣ ⁣ #BigHalf #MovedByLondon

A post shared by The Vitality Big Half (@officialbighalf) on Mar 1, 2020 at 3:05am PST

Quality field contests Trafford 10km

Trafford 10k caters for all abilities but always ensures a fantastic option for those looking for fast times. It definitely attracts top athletes, and this year was no different. Taking home the win for the women and shaving a second off her PB was Jess Judd who clocked 32:16. Judd is in fine form after a recent 2nd placed finish at the National XC Champs.

The adidas athlete fought hard in the wind and managed to steal the win from Eilish Mccolgan who made a late decision to enter the race finishing in 32:25. After an absolutely storming cross country season, Bronwen Owen put her legs to the test on the road. The Leeds City AC athlete set a new PB of 33:30, taking over a minute off her best from last year.

In the men’s race, James Hunt of Cardiff ran himself to a convincing win with a 30 second lead in 29:44. Despite the conditions, Hunt also ran a 14 second best time. After winning the Welsh National Cross Country Championships last weekend, Hunt too is evidently noticing the benefits of the cross season.

In a sprint to the line, it was Stockport Harrier’s athlete Andrew Davies who landed himself in second place with a strong time of 30:14, his best since 2017. Hunt’s clubmate, Rowan Axe, came third in 30:16 to round off the podium positions. 14 men ran sub 31 and 23 women ran sub 37 in a high quality race in challenging conditions.

Amazing morning at our Trafford 10K. 2021 48 hour early bird now open, just £13/£15 including a bespoke medal, OTE flapjack, chip timing plus a rapid, closed road course!! Well done to each and everyone who ran our helped make today special. pic.twitter.com/bNSJBBnDKm

— Run North West store & events (@RunnorthwestRun) March 1, 2020

Roundup of the roads

Back over the half marathon distance was the Warwick Half at Warwick racecourse. The men’s victory went to Ian Allen of Spa Striders in a strong 69:41 ahead of Richard Shephard (72:55) and Ben Kruze (73:07). For the women, Laura Peil too took home the win in 81:36 from Jo McCandless (82:17) and Claire Fitzpatrick (85:19).

In the Eastbourne Half Marathon, Billy Mead of Leighton Buzzard AC gave a strong performance throughout the race to secure a time of 76:50. The winner in the women’s race was Katie Sloane who had a solid run and crossed the line in 85:29.

At the St. Helen’s 10k Matt Crehan won in 31:26 just 4 seconds outside his course record from 2018, which is a quick time considering the 300ft of climbing en route. Crehan was followed home by St. Helens Sutton A.C. team mates Jon-Jo Doherty and Charlie Roberts. The ladies winner was Crehan’s fiancee and para-athlete Jade Smith in 39:46, who beat St. Helens’ Strider Rachel Fairclough and Hannah Whittaker on the day.

At the Serpentine Last Friday of the Month 5K Susan McDonald won in 18:52 narrowly beating Juliette Braithwaite (18:55) with Fast Running’s Gill Bland 3rd in 19:25. For the men Oliver Newton secured a convincing win in 15:52 ahead of Sage Pearce-Higgins (16:11) and Andrew Inglis (16:13).

The OMC Motor Group Ron Hill Accrington 10k was won by Luc Burnip in 34:20 and Sophie Pilkington in 42:10. Victoria Park 10km was won by Andrea Berquez in 39:14 and Paul Grange in 33:26.

Final stages of XC season

Cross country took a back seat this weekend with only a few races occurring as the season comes towards its end. In the Mid Lancs Cross Country League, the women’s race was dominated by Emily Japp. The Blackpool Wyre & Fylde AC athlete took the win by over 30 seconds. For the men, it was U20 athlete, Jacob Cann (Lancaster Uni RC) who took home the win with a fine run.

The Start Fitness North Eastern Harrier League cross country race took place at Alnwick Castle. The win in the senior men’s race was secured by Samuel Charlton of Wallsend Harriers. The women’s race was a very similar story as Wallsend also took home the win by a significant distance. It was senior athlete Alex Hemsley was crowned the winner.

Outside of British success, Galen Rupp dominated the men’s US Olympic Marathon Trial in Atlanta, cementing his place to represent USA in Tokyo this summer. Rupp will be joined by Jacob Riley and Abdi Abdirahman. For the women, Aliphine Tuliamuk was first to secure her place on the US team, followed by Molly Seidel, who was running her first ever marathon! The third place went to Sally Kipyego.

We were expecting to see some quick running at Paris Half Marathon but the race became the latest to fall victim to cancellations due to Coronavirus.

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The post World half spots decided & Scott Euro indoor record – weekend roundup appeared first on Fast Running.

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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The post Scott retains and Judd claims title at Ribble Valley 10k – weekend roundup appeared first on Fast Running.

Britain’s top cross country runners will race at Loughborough’s Prestwold Hall on Saturday (March 9), with many eyeing a spot on the GB team for the World Cross Country Championships later this month.

Making the team for the biannual global championships will be the main goal. However, there are also Inter-Counties and overall British Athletics Cross Challenge titles to be decided.

The race distance was equalled to 10km for senior men and women at the last World Cross Country Championships, and this weekend, both men and women will run the same distance for the first time at the Inter-Counties ahead of the Aarhus hosted event.

Mahamed Mahamed, who is the defending Inter-Counties champion, delivered a golden performance at the English National two weeks ago to add the senior men’s national crown to the under-20 title he won a year ago.

Photo: Andy Peat

The Southampton athlete will aim to secure his spot on the plane to Aarhus this weekend and among the top names he’ll face are Marc Scott, Ross Millington and possibly Charlie Hulson.

All three competed for GB at December’s European Cross Country Championships, with US-based Scott the first British finisher in ninth place.

Millington will also fancy his chances on Saturday after winning the Euro Trials in Liverpool, while Hulson won the first Cross Challenge fixture in Cardiff last October.

Another athlete who will be right in the mix is Sam Stabler – a runner-up in Loughborough 12 months ago. Stabler returned to action in January after injury setbacks to take maximum Cross Challenge points at the Nothern Ireland International Cross Country.

Other leading entries in the senior men’s race include Scottish National Cross Country champion Adam Craig, who has been in excellent form, Andrew Heyes, Adam Hickey, Alex Teuten, Midlands champion Jack Gray, John Millar and Patrick Dever.

Kate Avery and recently crowned English National champion Emily Hosker-Thornhill head the entries in the senior women’s race.

Avery has been the most consistent performer this season across the Cross Challenge series following strong performances in all four events, including the top prizes in Milton Keynes and Cardiff.

Denmark’s Anna Moller, who is ineligible in the Cross Challenge, was the sole athlete ahead of Avery in Cardiff, with Hosker-Thornhill next across the finish line.

Prior to her superb win at the English National, Aldershot’s Hosker-Thornhill was the first British finisher at the Northern Ireland International Cross Country.

Photo: Pete Brown

British Euro cross representatives Jess Piasecki and Verity Ockenden will also be in contention, while fellow team silver medalist in Tilburg, Pippa Woolven, is set to miss out due to illness.

Piasecki finished second and third at Milton Keynes and Liverpool during the Cross Challenge series, while Ockenden also starred in Liverpool taking the runner-up spot.

Other runners hoping to be in the mix include Jess Judd, Mhairi Maclennan, Welsh cross country champion Jenny Nesbitt, Louise Small and Naomi Taschimowitz.

Also among the leading entries are four of the top six placed athletes at Prestwold Hall last year; Gemma Steel, Abbie Donnelly, Claire Duck and Amy Griffiths.

Ahead of Saturday, Mahamed and Hulson share the top spot in the senior men’s Cross Challenge series, while Avery heads the women’s standing.

After some confusion about the number of senior athletes going to the World Cross Country Championships, British Athletics clarified its intentions to send full teams, up to six per team, with the top two in each senior race guaranteed selection.

Meanwhile, in the junior races, the top three finishers gain automatic qualification for Aarhus.

After winning the English National under-20 crown Rory Leonard is the standout entry in the men’s race. Among those joining him on Saturday are Zak Mahamed, Matt Willis, Jack Meijer and Benjamin West.

In the junior women’s race, Grace Brock is a strong favourite after an impressive cross country season that included silver at the English National a fortnight ago.

The Cornwall athlete currently leads the Cross Challenge standings and her challengers this weekend include Amelia Samuels, Becky Briggs, Grace Copeland, Eloise Walker and Naomi Lang.

The men’s under-20 event at 11.00am is the first race of the day, with the action in Loughborough concluding with the senior men’s race at 2:45pm.

Event timetable

11.00am: Under-20 men – 8km
11.30am: Under-13 boys – 3km
11.45am: Senior women – 10km
12.35pm: Under-15 boys – 4km
12.55pm: Under-17 women – 5km
1.15pm: Under-20 women – 6km
1.40pm: Under-13 girls – 3km
2.00pm: Under-17 men – 6km
2.20pm: Under-15 girls – 4km
2.45pm: Senior men – 10km

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The post Cross country runners ready for Inter-Counties battle appeared first on Fast Running.

Olympic athletes took a star turn at the reliably speedy Ribble Valley 10k on Sunday (December 30), when Marc Scott and Beth Potter took the top prizes in new course records.

Scott narrowly missed out on a lifetime PB when he ran 28:58 to utterly annihilate his winning time from 2017 and smash Jonny Mellor’s previous course best of 29:10 from 2011.

The Richmond & Zetland star has been in the form of his life this year, finishing 9th at the recent European Cross Country Championships and fifth in the summer championships 5000m.

Mellor was a worthy runner up in a still impressive 29:19. The 10k represented the Liverpool Harriers’ first race since posting a strong 2:16:09 in the New York Marathon in November. 

Preston’s Patrick Dever was third in 29:24, a time which saw him clock his first sub-30 minute 10k – what a way to do it, a 38 second PB!

Tonbridge’s Henry Pearce was just two seconds behind in 29:26 to run an end of year PB in what was only his second outing over the distance on a correctly measured course.

Looking further down the field there was an U20 rankings topping run by 17 year-old Rory Leonard from Morpeth Hariers, who ran a scintillating 30:39 to finish 12th overall. Just three seconds and one position behind was Jess Judd’s boyfriend, Rob Warner from Blackburn Harriers, while Leeds City’s Derek Hawkins was 15th in a season’s best 30:48.

The previous women’s course record of 32:30 dated way back to 2004 when Olympic steeplechaser Helen Cliterhoe set the Lancashire roads alight.

That time has finally been well and truly eclipsed by fellow championships performer Beth Potter, who took the women’s crown in 32:07.

The Shaftesbury Barnet Scot juggles elite running with international triathlon racing, making her near-minute PB over the 10k distance all the more incredible.

Potter hasn’t competed at all over any terrain since finishing 18th in the Commonwealth Games 10,000m earlier this year, but now places second on the UK rankings for 2018 behind only Eilish McColgan.

Photo: Pete Brown

Blackburn’s Jess Judd posted a lightning quick 32:42 debut to finish second and go fifth in the rankings before the year is out. Judd also competed on the Gold Coast in April where she finished 14th in the 1500m, but unlike Potter has raced prolifically since then.

Gemma Steel was third in 33:53 in her first race outing on the roads in more than two months. 

The victorious Scott’s girlfriend, Holly Archer from Cambridge & Coleridge, is a class act in her own right, finishing fourth in a stacked field. Archer scored a new 10k PB when clocking 34:25.

While international mountain runner and Commonwealth marathon bronze medallist Robbie Simpson’s win at the Tilli 10k in Scotland (December 29) was one that could be fairly confidently predicted – despite the Scotsman having had some time out from road racing – it was still an impressive victory for the Deeside Runner.

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Delighted to win the Tilli 10k today after a long time has passed since my last proper race win! Nice to end the year getting back to fitness again. Really enjoyed the course and the sunshine! #10k #roadrunner #wintertraining #wintersun

A post shared by Robbie Simpson (@fatsimpson) on Dec 29, 2018 at 5:29am PST

Simpson took victory in the Scottish town’s inaugural 10k in 30:44, heading off second placed Kevin Blackney from London Western by 11 seconds. Blackney also just happens to be the Canadian Championships 10,000m runner up, so his was a great scalp to take.

Dundee Hawkhill Harriers’ James Donald was a clear third in 31:32.

Huge kudos must also go to the indomitable V55 ace, Fiona Matheson from Falkirk Victoria Harriers, who took the women’s top prize in 37:50. Incredibly that’s not even her fastest time this year, which came at the Great Scottish 10k where she ran a superb 37:07!

Matheson was too quick for the rest of the significantly younger podium placers, with PH Racing Club’s Alison McGill (38:00) and Kristin Lownie (39:08) taking second and third respectively. 

The RunThrough Lee Valley Velo Park Half Marathon on Saturday (December 29) saw a fine battle at the sharp end of the men’s race between the eventual winner, Belgrave Harriers’ Konstantinos Touse and Peterborough’s Simon Fell.

Fell led the race for the first 11 miles, doing well to carve as fast a racing line as possible between the runners competing in the four other events happening at the same time on the one mile loop course.

Gunning for a sub-75 minute clocking as a last gasp attempt to achieve the championship qualifying mark for next year’s London Marathon following a period of injury, Fell missed the time by an agonising 33 seconds.

Touse overtook Fell in the last two miles, winning in 74:57, while UTS Running Club’s Andrew Flemming took the third prize in 79:26.

Eton Manor AC’s Naomi Dews was the first woman across the line after also weaving her way through all manner of competitors, including families walking the course and parents pushing running buggies. Her time of 93:18 is therefore to be highly commended.

Hogweed Trotters’ V40 Sharon Wilkie took second in 96:07, while Annabel Cooper was third in 97:08.

The RunThrough Lee Valley Velo Park 10k saw a glorious and still fairly unusual overall victory by a female athlete, when Agram Zagreb AC’s Sandra Srut trumped all her male competitors in a time of 36:34. She beat the second woman by nearly 10 minutes! 

Marc Morat Rufi’s 37:04 was good enough to take the men’s race by nearly four minutes.

In the RunThrough Lee Valley Velo Park 10M race on the same course, Victoria Park Harriers’ V35 Stephen Fabes and Collingwood AC’s V45 Shun-Lai Chan were victorious in 59:14 and 79:10 respectively.

The traditional end of year Cambridge Harriers 7.5 Cross Country Championships (December 29) saw another win for the home club’s impressively consistent Dean Lacy in a time of 45:51. 

Lacy took the win by just four seconds from club mate and teenager, Bayley Massey, while Dartford’s Chris Biddle was third some way back in 47:21.

Plumstead Runners’ Nicole Bonnett was the first woman home in 58:27, finishing about 100 metres clear of Cambridge Harriers’ V50 runner up, Susan Dixon, who clocked 59:02.  

Dartford’s Sally Kyle was third lady in 61:58.

There was anger and confusion at the Gloucester 10M (December 30) when the leading pack of runners were sent the wrong way after the first mile.

No further details were available at the time of going to press, but Dave Newport from nearby Cheltenham Harriers said ‘it was carnage’ on Twitter.

Last but certainly by no means least was a European record performance and top British runs at the Houilles 10k in France (December 30).

Switzerland’s Julian Wanders ran an outstanding 27:25 to win from an incredibly competitive field, bettering his previous best 27:32 from October. 

Record d’Europe Enoooooorme Julien #houilles pic.twitter.com/Zrrmh1v6pq

— Corrida de Houilles (@corridahouilles) December 30, 2018

GB’s Dewi Griffiths was 12th in 28:49, followed by Luke Traynor in 13th in 28:51. Kieran Clements ran a 25 second PB to clock a 29:15 result in 16th, while Josh Griffiths was just one place behind in 17th in 29:31.

There were some incredible times posted at parkruns across the UK over the weekend too, with Alex Yee running 13:57 and Grace Brock posting a superb 16:32 PB to head this week’s Top 10 rankings.

Read the full parkrun report here.

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The post Marc Scott and Beth Potter win Ribble Valley 10k – weekend round-up appeared first on Fast Running.

A string of impressive performances throughout the year showed why Marc Scott is one of Great Britain’s most talented long distance runners.

The 25 year-old won 5000m gold at the British Championshionships in June before finishing a strong fifth over the distance at the European Championships in August. His time of 13:23.14 in Berlin was the fastest 5000m by a UK athlete in 2018.

On the roads, Scott also recorded the fastest 5k in the UK this year after a superb 13:45 at the Mid Chesire 5k in August. It was, in fact, the quickest time since 2012 by a British athlete.

RELATED: Marc Scott is the UK’s fastest over 5k this year… but he wants more

The Bowerman Track Club athlete also ran the UK’s fourth fastest 10k in 2018, clocking 28:57 to win the Trafford 10k in September.

A top three finish at the Liverpool Cross Challenge secured his spot on the GB team for December’s European Cross Country Championships, where he was the top finishing British athlete in ninth place.

Now at the end of the year, will the Richmond and Zetland athlete enjoy a deserving break over Christmas? Fast Running caught up with Scott to find out.

Fast Running: Will you train on Christmas Day?

Marc Scott: Yes I always do. It gives you a great appetite to eat lots of turkey afterwards.

This year I’ll be doing the Bury parkrun with my girlfriend and her family, just a steady run out with a good warm up and cool down.

FR: What about Boxing Day?

MS: Boxing Day will be a standard Wednesday’s training for me. This will be 70 minutes in the morning and a 35 minute run in the evening.

FR: Have you ever run a race over the Christmas period?

MS: Just last weekend I raced a local Poultry Run, that’s usually on the calendar (only due to the prizes) and then I am planning to target the Ribble Valley 10k on December 30.

It’s a good race to put a marker down and see how things are going after the festive period. You usually get a good bunch of runners going for quick times.

FR: What is the best running related present you have received at Christmas?

MS: The best present I have received is ‘Sneakerballs Shoe Fresheners’. There’s not a runner out there who wouldn’t make good use out of these!

FR: What is your favourite childhood memory of Christmas?

MS: Waking up to a mountain of presents on Christmas morning.

FR: Do you have a funny Christmas memory that stands out?

MS: There’s too many, one doesn’t stand out but there is usually a lot of laughter at home.

FR: Who are you spending Christmas Day with?

MS: I’ll be spending half the day with my girlfriend and her family and then we will travel up North back home to see my family for the rest of the day.

FR: What is your favourite food at Christmas?

MS: Pigs in Blankets and then on Christmas evening I love turkey rolls with salad cream.

FR: Will you be doing the cooking?

MS: No haha. My dad is usually the chef at Christmas!

RELATED: A runner’s Christmas: Jenny Nesbitt

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patron. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

The post A runner’s Christmas: Marc Scott appeared first on Fast Running.