soar running weekend roundup Archives | Fast Running https://fastrunning.com/all-about/soar-running-weekend-roundup Running news, opinion, races & training tips Wed, 03 Mar 2021 12:21:42 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.1 Runners battle the winds at SDW50 & Beachy Head – weekend roundup http://fastrunning.com/running-athletics-news/runners-battle-the-winds-at-sdw50-beachy-head-weekend-roundup/31074 Sun, 25 Oct 2020 17:08:34 +0000 https://fastrunning.com/?p=31074 This weekend was relatively quiet on the racing scene but the action included the South Downs 50 miler alongside a some quality racing over 5km, 10km half, and even full marathons. Centurion provides quality competition again Proving their ultra-endurance is second to none were all the athletes at the Centurion Running South Downs 50 miler. Over […]

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]]> This weekend was relatively quiet on the racing scene but the action included the South Downs 50 miler alongside a some quality racing over 5km, 10km half, and even full marathons.

Centurion provides quality competition again

Proving their ultra-endurance is second to none were all the athletes at the Centurion Running South Downs 50 miler. Over a scattered start which saw athletes set off between 6am and 8:30am, athletes were unable to tell where they stood until the finish.

The event takes place along the South Downs Way National Trail, beginning in Worthing and finishing in Eastbourne. The race opens with six miles of chalk footpaths and bridleways before they climb up to join the trail at Chanctonbury. The finish takes the participants around one lap of the track at Eastbourne to tease them with the lack of elevation involved in track running!

Centurion’s pedigree in ultra running always attracts high quality competition with the course record holders for this event being ultra running sensation Tom Evans and 2:39 marathoner and top ultra performer Julia Davis.

This year’s winner was Josh Barrow. Barrow had a relatively early start time just before 7am and finished at 13:00.5, meaning he negotiated the testing 50-mile route in a rapid 6 hours and 15 minutes in what was his first race above the marathon distance. He was followed by 69 minute half marathon man Ed Knudsen, who set off before him and finished before him, making it difficult to know where Barrow stood throughout the entire event. Knudsen had a finishing time of 6:18:57 followed by Tom Tweddell who had a cracking run to finish in 6:29:49 pushing multiple ultra winning athlete Jon Ellis into fourth place.

Michelle Maxwell managed to push on through the testing nature of the route and conditions to take the win in the women’s race. Maxwell, a coach at Chippenham Harriers was a 2nd placed finisher at this year’s Thames Tow Path 100 mile race. She managed to set a time of 8 hours 15 minutes and 49 seconds. The second woman to finish was Sharon Bolister in 8:23:59 ahead of Canada’s Kathleen Short in 8:25:00. Jodie Gauld was fourth.

Scott and Walsh on form at Even Splits 5km

The York Even Splits 5k Series gave athletes the opportunity to battle it out over the 5k distance. This event saw plenty of PB performances. The overall win was taken by Rob Scott of Richmond & Zetland in a new best time of 15:07, 7 seconds ahead of his old PB. Second place was secured by the U23 Durham Uni athlete, Callum Elson, who also added a new PB to his name with the exact same time as Scott’s. Elson also crossed the line in 15:07! Third place went to Daniel Franks (Wakefield) in 15:37.

Out of the women it was Jennifer Walsh (Leeds City) who claimed her place at the top of the podium in 16:47, not far off her previous PB. Walsh was closely followed by Charlotte Mason of City of York in a PB of 16:55. Third woman was Rebecca Winter of Ackworth in 17:59.

Runners battle the conditions at Beachy Head

At the Beachy Head marathon where wind whistled and blew against all the runners, revealing those who had true guts to get to the finish line. Over what is far from a fast, flat course, the first runners still managed to significantly dip under the 3 hour barrier. In a golden time of 2:40:09, Peter Huck (Barrow in Furness Striders), came across the finish line with a massive lead after conquering the tough conditions. Will Green (Lewes AC) was shortly behind Huck in 2:54:32 followed by James Turner (Brighton and Hove City AC), who also broke 3 hours, with a strong 2:57:47.

Proving her strength in the women’s event was Emma Davis. The Fulham Running Club athlete took home the gold medal in 3:24:23. Just behind her, representing Horsham Amphibians Triathlon Club, was Amy Harris. Harris ran an impressive 3:27:14 to finish just ahead of Bobby Searle (Brighton Phoenix) in 3:32:50.

In the half marathon event, the challenge was just as fierce as the competition. Representing Victoria Park Harriers, Stephen Fabes secured himself the position at the top of the podium with a 1:23:11 finishing time, just 22 seconds ahead of silver medal finisher Jason Lee (1:23:33, Lewes AC). Also proving his strength in the challenging event, was Marcin Gawel (Dabrowski Team) who finished in 1:26:13.

Fulham Running Club also dominated the women’s half marathon as Rose Penfold took the win in 1:32:53. Alexie Williams of Dulwich Runners was the second finisher in 1:35:30 followed by Sophie Coleman in 1:38:37.

Grundy and Swindell conquer Langdale

The Langdale marathon and half marathon also saw the arrival of some very challenging conditions. The marathon was a surprisingly close one with the win going to Dan Grundy (Trawden AC) in 3:11:18 with Steven Abell just 23 seconds behind. Ryan John Neve secured third place in 3:17:37. The first female finisher was Jennifer Swindell (Ackworth Road Runners) in 4:19:21 follows by Janine Webb and Hollie Ryder.

Over half the distance, Scott Nutter came out on top as he crossed the finish line in a sub 80-minute time of 1:18:18. The U20 Keswick athlete had a significant lead with second place going to Daniel Greenstein (Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers) in 1:21:31. The third medal was secured by Sam Upton (Witney Roadrunners) in 1:25:48. Out of the women, it was Laura Newland who took the win in 1:44:28. Kathleen Aubrey was the second female finisher in 1:49:18 with Elaine Stone shortly behind.

PBs defy the wind over 10km

Speeding it up over the shorter 10k distance was Dominic Jones at the Leicestershire 10k. Jones had a fabulous run to finish in the lead with a cracking time of 31:11. He managed to keep Simon Birch off his shoulder as he came in second in 31:42 which is a solid 21 second personal best time. Alex Hampson finished in 32:03 for third place.

Hannah Lord was the fastest woman of the day in a relatively close race. The Riverside runner crossed the line in 37:05 to earn herself a 49 second lifetime best time! The avid Parkrun attender has obviously benefitted from the hunger caused by a lack of racing. It was Kelly Butler of Birchfield Harriers who secured the silver medal position in a close time of 37:12. Also incredibly close behind was Nicole Swaffield in 37:16.

The strong 10k performances also saw Neil Kevern break the tape at Woodley 10k. Kevern also managed to dip under that 33-minute mark with a solid 32:54 time. Thomas Millard in third came frustratingly close to breaking 33-minutes as he clocked 33:01. So close!!

There were also some speedy times ran by the women with Lesley Locks taking home the win. Locks managed to pull out a fast time of 35:54 for first place. She was followed by Kirsty Walker (Reading AC) in 35:59 and Faiza Abdulla in 37:04.

Plenty of runners continued on on the 10k speed at the Dave MacDonald Haltemprice 10k in Anlaby. Kris Lecher of City of Hull AC, who boasts a PB of 30:16, took the win in Anlaby with a time of 31:50. Lecher had a massive lead ahead of second place finisher Runner Saether who clocked 33:33. It was Richard Harris (Northern Masters AC) who came in third in 33:52. The women’s win wen to Tegan Roberts in 40:01, continuing the success for City of Hull AC. Della Hatfield shortly followed behind, clocking 40:10 to finish ahead of Katie Seddon (41:16).

Harvey dominant at Dorney

Following on from a successful event a few weeks ago, racing continued at Dorney Lake over half, 10k and 5k distances. In the longest event of the day, the half marathon, Serpentine RC’s athlete, George Suthon dominated. Sutton clocked 1:12:39 for the 13.1 mile distance. London Frontrunner Alex Turner was next in 1:14:59 followed by Fergal Joyce in 1:20:59.

Rose Harvey did the women proud as she finished third overall in a rapid 1:15:03. This time was over a minute faster than her time set at the Victoria Park half last year. Cameron Hutton, also a London Frontrunner, was the second woman in 1:22:19 ahead of Jo Vickers (South London Harriers) in 1:22:55.

Going down the distances to the 10k, Kurtis Gibson did his club, Thames Hare & Hounds proud by securing himself the win in 31:34. Tim Lodge (Arena 80 AC) and Stephen Blake (Woking AC) followed in 31:55 and 32:30 respectively. London Heathside’s Evangelista Divetain took the win out of all the women, setting the standards high with a time of 38:07. Second female finisher was Ania Gabbies (Dacorum and Tring Road Runners) in 39:17. Alya Brooks came in third.

Proto leads the way

In the shortest event at Dorney Lake, it was female domination as Emily Proto (Lewes AC) stood her ground by taking the overall win! She clocked 17:32, at a venue renowned for being windy, just marginally faster than Matthew Allen of City of Norwich AC. Allen too clocked 17:32, but was given second place.

The second woman across the line, finishing fourth overall, was Hannah Pullen of Waverley Harriers in 17:56. The second male finisher was Ian Gutteridge (Datchet Dashers) in 17:46. The two bronze medal positions went to Gemma Buley in 19:10 and Matthew Davies in 18:12.

A beacon of XC hope

Proving that cross country may not be completely cancelled was the Tonbridge AC XC time trials. The event saw the clubs best athletes push themselves off the road. Out of the club, it was Matthew Taylor and Sophie Preston who ran the fastest times of the day with Taylor running 09:18 over the 3,000m cross country course. Preston clocked 11:04 which they predicted to equal 10:50 on the track.

Photo: Mark Hookway

 

Verity Hopkins followed Preston with a time of 11:37, 11 seconds ahead of the third fastest female, Grace MacAuley. Matthew Dubery came in second out the men in 9:26 closely followed by Rhys Page in 9:32.

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

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]]> Stunning Smith tames World Half, Davies & O’Regan motor in Bedford – weekend roundup http://fastrunning.com/running-athletics-news/stunning-smith-tames-world-half-davies-oregan-motor-in-bedford-weekend-roundup/31050 Sun, 18 Oct 2020 15:29:54 +0000 https://fastrunning.com/?p=31050 Gill Bland brings ou a busy set of results including some fantastic performances at the World Half Marathon Championships Sublime Smith leads fine GB display Despite the “current situation” we’ve been treated to some great running spectacles lately thanks to the London Marathon and Valencia World Record Day. This weekend didn’t disappoint either as the […]

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]]> Gill Bland brings ou a busy set of results including some fantastic performances at the World Half Marathon Championships

Sublime Smith leads fine GB display

Despite the “current situation” we’ve been treated to some great running spectacles lately thanks to the London Marathon and Valencia World Record Day. This weekend didn’t disappoint either as the World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia delivered fantastic racing and a women’s-only world record. Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya was the lady to set that new world record in 65:16. It was a fast race in general – Germany’s Melat Yisak Kejeta set a national record of 65:18 to take the silver medal and despite running what would have been a world record time going into this race, 65:19 was only enough for a third place for Ethiopia’s Yalemzerf Yehualaw.

Ireland’s Anne Marie McGynn ran a fantastic race to finish in 42nd place in a PB and new Irish record of 71:40. Samantha Harrison led home the GB women’s team in 71:53 with youngster Becky Briggs running a 73:08 Half Marathon debut and Clara Evans coming home in 73:11. Unfortunately Great Britain were not able to field a full women’s team, due to the injuries of Purdue, Davis, and Carruthers leaving them not in the form to be able to compete.

The men’s race was similarly exciting, with Joshua Cheptegei riding on the high of his 10,000m World Record as he faced his Half Marathon Debut. It was not all as simple as the previews would have led us to believe though – we’ll not spoil it for you and let you read the full report here to find out what happened. However, we can’t leave you hanging when it comes to the GB and IRL men’s results, which were absolutely storming!

Every single one of them set a new PB. Jake Smith obliterated his previous mark to run 60:31 for 18th place, a new Welsh record and third on the UK all time list behind Mo Farah and Callum Hawkins. In a fine run for 50th place Mo Aadan ran 62:41 in his fastest half marathon performance since 2018. Kristian Jones ran 63:03 for 60th place, Adam Craig was just two spots behind him in 63:12 and Tom Evans was 64th with 63:14. For Ireland, Kevin Seaward ran his second race this year and his second PB, finishing in 62:58 (58th place) and Hugh Armstrong placed 70th in 63:37.

 

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Feeling pretty sore and deflated right now. After a strong first 3km rolling the dice at the front of the race my hamstring started to cramp up and by the last 800m forced me to stop and walk to the finish. Every dog has its day and the positives to take from a negative experience are that I’m in a great place mentally, training is going really well and I’m enjoying the process. Now to follow my own advice that I tell my athletes – Rest Recover Regroup Reaccess This game is cruel sometimes but it’s why we love it when we succeed. Thank you to the meeting organisers for hosting a safe and secure event. Truly grateful to be able to toe a start line right now. Now time to sulk for a few hours ✌🏼 #londonrunning #nike #running #nikerunning #vaporflynext #run #breaking2 #vaporflyww #runningcommunity #runners #nikelondon #londonrunners #zoomfly #nikevaporfly #runnersofinstagram #coachingforsuccess #nikerun #onlinerunningcoach #runformentalhealth #mentalhealth #londonrunner #staymotivated #ukrunchat #runningmotivation #runcoach #runnersworld #teamprojectrun #motivation #runtolive

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Top quality results on the roads

Back in the UK the Cheshire 10k at Arley Hall saw Jess Judd setting a benchmark at the start of her next training block. She finished first in 32:32 ahead of Jip Vastenburg in 34:03 and Kirsty Longley (34:14). Longley’s results sees her move to 2nd on the UK v40 rankings for 2020. Ohmar Ahmed took the men’s victory in 29:24 with a strong fight for second and third resulting in a 29:36 for Chris Parr and 29:37 for Alex Brown. James Westlake and Rob Warner also ducked under 30 minutes to complete the top five.

The Velopark 10 mile hosted by Mornington Chasers saw the top 10 all go under the hour mark in the men’s race. Kent AC took the top spot thanks to Nathan Wilkins and a 55:09 finish. Cambridge Harriers’ Phil Dickens took second in 56:17 and Niall Gilchist third in 57:20 for Clapham Chasers. The women’s race was a clean sweep for the host club. Janine Makaronidis was first in 67:48, Danielle Smreczak second in 73:36 and Camilla Ray third in 73:52.

The Race Rapid Mallory Park 5k got the midlands in on the speed action as Sale Harriers athlete Aimee Pratt charged to the finish a massive PB of 15:53 leaving triathlete Sophie Coldwell to take second for Charnwood with a 14s improvement on her own previous best, (though she wasn’t the only one in her household running a PB this weekend). Cloe Hubbard rounded out the fast podium in 16:12 and another PB, for Newark AC. It was another triathlete, Harry Leleu, who took the men’s victory clocking 14:07 to just edge out Chris Perham of Poole AC (14:08). Third spot went to Seb Anthony in 14:20.

RunThrough were busy around the country this week with a whole slew of races on offer and boy did they deliver some great results. Kicking them off on Wednesday was the Olympic Park Chase the Moon 5k which saw Kurtis Gibson win in 14:58, Ahmed Abdulle second in 15:03 and Paul Quinton third in 16:33. In the women’s race it was Cara Huckstep who took the win in 19:57 ahead of Ellie Cumner (20:01) and Cyn Cano (20:12). Over 10k the podium belonged to Kate Rose (39:17), Laura Thompson (41:16) and Kat Owens (42:23) and for the men the medal spots went to Ewan Cameron (32:58) Simone Luciani (32:58) and George Day (33:28).

The Newbury Race Course 5k, 10k, and Half Marathon was also well attended and saw Jack Gregory race home in 15:46 for 5k followed by Lewis Banner (15:56) and William Levett (15:59). The women’s competition was similarly swift as all of the top three went well under 20 minutes. Grace Copeland led them home in 16:56 with Sophie Lloyd second in 17:19 and Emily proto third in 17:29. Samantha Amend was back out racing again in the 10k and was rewarded with a 37:37 win. Isabel Stubbs took silver in 39:00 and Laura Baylis followed her home in 40:21. It was Alastair Smith who broke the tape in the men’s race in a time of 32:58, keeping a competitive distance ahead of Mark Worringham (33:12) and Matt Risden (33:24).

The longest distance of the day, the Half Marathon was owned by a brilliant result from James Bellward who smashed out a 69:21 for the win. Jack Boswell was second in 72:02 and Stephen Blake third in 72:18. Maturity showed its strength in the women’s race as V45-er Vicki Taylor claimed her crown in 84:23, beating Rebecca Tinnelly (1:29:49) and Jitka Hall (V40, 1:30:32).

Stunning performances from Davies and O’Regan at Bedford Autodrome Marathon

Finally, on Sunday it was the big one, the Running Grand Prix at Bedford Autodrome. The women’s marathon race was red-hot with the top seven all running sub three hours. It was great to see Jo O’Regan back racing 26.2 and in PB form, clocking a 2:41:31 to beat her best by over 40 seconds despite being well ahead of her nearest rival and not having a very exciting course! Laura Boehm nabbed second place in 2:45:29 and Becki Timmings who took third in 2:49:19.

The men’s race were not to be left in the shade either. Andrew Davies was streets ahead, finishing what must have been quite a lonely race in an awesome 2:17:12, taking a convincing victory over Paul Piper (2:24:26) and Chris Mason (2:25:36).


In the Half Marathon Kristian Watson (68:04) and Emma Hodson (77:01) were first home, bettering Phil Martin (68:23), Robert Elmore (70:55), Julia Bijl (78:19) and Georgina Watson (81:54). 10k results were: Samuel Roberts – 31:00, Michael Eccles – 31:08, Harry Tullet – 31:44 and Clare Thurgood – 36:24, Chloe Ridewood- 37:40, Ellie Sherriffs – 39:48. The swift times continued right through the distances with the 5k podium looking like this: Holly Dixon in first (16:12), Milly Dunger second (17:41), Lily Farr third (18:54) and for the men, George Gurney first (15:31), with Sam Sutherland in a photo finish for second in 15:38, just diving in ahead of Matt Kitching on chip time, who finished third in 15:39.

Blickling Half Marathon was won by Neil Adams in 1:17:04 and Leanne Finch in 1:25:05. Full results are still coming in and can be found here.

The Hercules Wimbledon 5k Relay event looks like it was a good chance for clubs to take on some team racing in the capital, given that most of the normal cross country seasons have been cancelled. If you’ve got access do let us have them. Otherwise we’ll just leave this insta-post here and let you imagine them.

 

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Feeling pretty sore and deflated right now. After a strong first 3km rolling the dice at the front of the race my hamstring started to cramp up and by the last 800m forced me to stop and walk to the finish. Every dog has its day and the positives to take from a negative experience are that I’m in a great place mentally, training is going really well and I’m enjoying the process. Now to follow my own advice that I tell my athletes – Rest Recover Regroup Reaccess This game is cruel sometimes but it’s why we love it when we succeed. Thank you to the meeting organisers for hosting a safe and secure event. Truly grateful to be able to toe a start line right now. Now time to sulk for a few hours ✌🏼 #londonrunning #nike #running #nikerunning #vaporflynext #run #breaking2 #vaporflyww #runningcommunity #runners #nikelondon #londonrunners #zoomfly #nikevaporfly #runnersofinstagram #coachingforsuccess #nikerun #onlinerunningcoach #runformentalhealth #mentalhealth #londonrunner #staymotivated #ukrunchat #runningmotivation #runcoach #runnersworld #teamprojectrun #motivation #runtolive

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If road races seem just a little too easy for you then perhaps you need to sign up for the Wansfell Uphill Only race next year. It’s only 2.5k long but climbs 400m and the organisers say that “if you can get close to, or even beat, your current time for 5k flat, that will be very good running!”.

This year’s hardcore racers-extraordinaire were Jacob and Scout Adkin who smashed the competition finishing in 13:53 and 15:50 respectively, with Scout taking 9th overall as well as the women’s win. Chris Richards was runner up in the men’s race in 14:47 followed by Rob Jebb in 14:51. Jess Bailey was second for the women in 17:54 ahead of Nichola Jackson (17:58)

The Maverick Adidas Terrex X-ULTRA Jurassic Coast “ultra” winners were Alex Van-Tuyl (4:32:50)and Marta Vigano (5:40:01), “long” victory went to Lewis Ryan (3:57:27) and Louisa Robbins (4:28:05) with Dale Seddon (1:14:43) and Jenny Marshall (1:29:55) taking the “middle” wins and Ed Bird (44:58) and Elissa O’Brien (55:07) first in the “short” distance.

And that brings us to the end of a rather fulsome week of racing. See you next weekend!

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]]> Cockram and Mellor Crowned British Marathon Champions in London http://fastrunning.com/running-athletics-news/cockram-and-mellor-crowned-british-marathon-champions-in-london/30961 Sun, 04 Oct 2020 17:07:16 +0000 https://fastrunning.com/?p=30961 Hannah Irwin brings you the SOAR Running Weekend Roundup with all eyes on London This weekend all eyes were on the marathon distance, specifically, The London Marathon. Athletes took part in the 40th and incredibly unique year of the event in search of PB’s, Olympic qualifying standards and British titles. Despite all the intense organisation […]

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]]> Hannah Irwin brings you the SOAR Running Weekend Roundup with all eyes on London

This weekend all eyes were on the marathon distance, specifically, The London Marathon. Athletes took part in the 40th and incredibly unique year of the event in search of PB’s, Olympic qualifying standards and British titles. Despite all the intense organisation that went into ensuring the race was covid secure, no level of organisation could hold off the typically wet British weather!

The London Marathon; considered a running event like no other that usually sees thousands upon thousands of people take to the streets of London, some in search of fast times or to raise money for charities close to their heart, others to cheer on those tackling the distance. However, in incredibly unique circumstances, The Cutty Sark, Tower Bridge and even Big Ben were all cut out of the course as elite athletes, from all over the globe, took to the streets around St. James’ Park to battle it out over the 26.2-mile distance.

In addition to the lack of monuments along the way, spectators and non-elite runners were forbidden from attending and asked to watch/run from home. Despite the lack of people there on the day, the virtual set up saw thousands of people, all over the world, take on their own marathons in order to raise money for some well-deserved charities.

The Best of British marathon running.

Around 19.6 laps of the 2.15km loop course, the elite women were the first to take to the roads at 7:15am. This event saw some of British marathon racing’s best elite women, consisting of Steph Twell, Lily Partridge, Tracy Barlow, Natasha Cockram, Tish Jones, Helen Davies and Naomi Mitchell, toe the line together.

The results.

Outside of the British field, it was world record holder, Brigid Kosgei, who battled it out for the win against world champion, Ruth Chepngetich, with Sara Hall running alone slightly behind. The athletes set out with intent and at the halfway point, which they reached in 68:15, they were still within the women’s only record time (2:17.01). As the field spread out, the medal positions became less certain. It was clear that Kosgei would take the win, and that she did, in an incredible 2:18.58. Whilst quite some way off of her best, she took a clear win and gave a solid run in tricky conditions.

The following medal positions took us all by surprise and were only decided in the finishing straight. World champion, Chepngetich appeared to be running on empty and it was in the final 150m that South Africa’s Sara Hall had an astonishing race, giving it her all (as shown by her grit) to overtake the champion and claim the silver medal position in 2:22.01. Thus, Chepngetich settled for third place (2:22.05).

Female British champion crowned.

Heading into the race, it was self-coached athlete, Steph Twell, who had the fastest PB on paper, of 2:26.40, which she set in Frankfurt last year. However, the field took us all by surprise, as the conditions meant it was anyone’s race. After pulling out around the halfway mark, due to an injury she has been battling, Steph Twell chose to call it a day. She gave a gutsy race, but it was evident that she wasn’t comfortable.

Going into the final quarter of the race, after Naomi Mitchell (Reading AC) pushed into the lead, Lily Partridge too decided that her marathon race needed to come to an early end as she struggled with the cold conditions. However, at this point, current British leaders Naomi Mitchell and Natasha Cockram had already pushed on in the tough conditions and Barlow was moving into third place.

As the race unfurled it was a battle between Cockram and Mitchell, but in the end Cockram had the slight edge. On what looked like very tired legs, Natasha Cockram, Welsh record holder, crossed the line to crown herself British Marathon Champion in 2:33.19, and place 13th overall! Just five seconds behind her, in 2:33.24, a massive personal best by over four minutes was Noami Mitchell.

Mitchell ran what can only be described as the race of her life to secure the silver medal. Tracy Barlow gave a strong race to claim 15th position and third Brit in 2:34.42 after putting up with torrential downpours at some points of the race, making up some ground on Cockram and Mitchell on the final lap. Tish Jones (Belgrave Harriers) came home in 2:36.25.

Men’s battle.

In the men’s race, after the initial Kipchoge versus Bekele battle was off as Bekele withdrew due to injury, it was ‘assumed’ that Kipchoge would take the win. However, from the start, it was clear ALL podium positions were up for grabs by any of the impressive field as Kipchoge was faced with a bad day at the office. The British men’s start list, alike the women’s, was a very stacked one, including Ben Connor, Johnny Mellor, Chris Thompson, Fast10 runner Jack Gray and Ollie Lockley.

With 15 minutes to go, Kipchoge was no longer in contention for the win. As the lead group drew further ahead, it was down to a group of 6. It was just in the final 500m that three athletes pushed on, taking on the battle in style of a track race. Down the home straight, Shura Kitata and Vincent Kipchumba were stride on stride as they dug deep and strove for the finish line, but it was Kitata that had that little bit of extra strength over Kipchumba and took the win in 2:05.41 and 2:05.42 respectively. Third place was claimed by Sisay Lemma as he dropped off in the final 200m.

The Brits, being paced by Sir Mo Farah in the second group, managed to stay together for a large part of the race. Working closely alongside one another, battling through the tough rain and wind, the leading British males went through the halfway mark in 1:05.18. As the race progressed, it became clear Connor and Mellor were the best of the Brits on the day.

Using each other to push for the line, it was Mellor who came out on top, charging ahead of Connor in the final lap. Mellor (Liverpool AC), who already has an Olympic qualifying time, crowned himself British Champion, crossing the line in 2:10.38, once again within the QT. Ben Connor (Derby AC) who made his marathon debut, was openly in search of that Olympic time. The New Balance athlete didn’t disappoint as he stumbled across the finish in 2:11.20, 10 seconds inside the required Olympic standard.

Third Brit to run through the finish banner was Swansea’s Josh Griffiths in a new best time! Griffiths knocked over a minute off of his previous time, running an impressive 2:13.11. Fourth Brit, in 19th overall, was marathon master, Chris Thompson (AFD), in 2:13.32. Charlie Hulson followed just seconds behind Thomspon with a solid 2:13.34, also a rapid best time. Next Brit in his second ever marathon was Southend’s Adam Hickey in 2:17.38.

Making their marathon debuts were some more of GB’s greatest distance athletes. Josh Lunn of Bedford & County was among these to tackle his first 26.2-mile event. Lunn secured an impressive debut time of 2:17.59 for 7th Brit and 25th overall. 8th Brit and multiple Isle of Man record holder, Ollie Lockley did himself proud in his second marathon. Lockley, who boasts a half PB of 63:01 stopped the clock on 2:19.40, a whopping almost 5-minutes fastest than his previous time in 2017. This also breaks the 47-year old IOM record!

Paul Martelletti of GB, who has become a master of the ultra-distances finished behind Lockley in 2:20.02. 10th placing Brit was the phenomenal Jack Gray of C&C who, alike Lockley, also made his marathon debut. Gray, who battled with injury a few weeks back, proved his determination by clocking 2:20.26.

More in our Irish roundup but a word here too for Steve Scullion who had a stunning race clocking 2:09:49 looking serene and running a large part of the race solo.

Wheelchair race.

In the wheelchair event, yet another win was uncertain. Unfortunately for the eight-time winner, David Weir, the opportunity to win his ninth title was taken from him by Canada’s Brent Lakatos. Weir said, ‘It was very tough conditions… I knew it would be a sprinter’s race. I knew Brent Lakatos would be the strongest over the sprints.’

The winner of the women’s race was won by Nikita Den Boer, and sadly for Britain’s Shelly Woods, two-time champion who was racing London for the first time in four years since the birth of her son, had to drop out.

Battling conditions the theme of the day.

Also in London, over the slightly shorter distance was the Queen Elizabeth Park 10k. Taking the win was John Henry in 35:14 and Gabriella Moriarty in 38:11.

In yet again brutal weather, the open and windy Dorney Lake Marathon saw some determined and tough runners grind it out. Will Mackay of Bedford & County AC secured himself the win with a time of 2:26:14. A minute behind in second place was Jack Blaiklock of Thames Hare & Hounds in 2:27:17 followed by Chris Richardson (Metro Aberdeen) in 2:27:41.

Sara Willhoit (Shrewsbury AC) was the first woman to run across the finishing line in 2:49:30, an impressive 4-minute lifetime best. Second woman was Jessica Welborn (Serpentine) in 2:51:31 and third place went to Anna Hollingworth in 2:54:21.

Away from London, was the Isle of Wight Marathon. The event saw Ross Skelton take the win in 2:28:30, an impressive 7-minutes faster than the previous record. It also saw Skelton have a major negative split, going through the second half in 71 minutes, in what Terry Skelton described as ‘some of the worst conditions I’ve ever seen!’. Further results weren’t published at time of writing.

At the Big Flat Runway Series Marathon at Elvington Michael Wright of Central AC was the winner in 2:25:45 from Scott Harrington of Otley AC (2:28:59) and BRAT’s Karl Welborn (2:30:39). The winning woman was Alice Smith of Pontefract AC with 3:12:25 from Hazel Wyness (Metro Aberdeen) in 3:14:22 and Bernadette Pelster (Black Pear Joggers) in 3:18:42.

More laps.

On the track, in the last open meeting of the season run by Harrow AC, was a mile and 3k open meet. In the 3,000m event, there was a world record attempt by David Clarke, adding extra excitement to the event! Clarke chased after the M60 record which stands at 9:29.47. Finishing with a time of 9:34.65, Clarke narrowly missed on achieving the record, however it is obvious the ability is there, and it is only a matter of time! Good luck David!

The fastest 3,000m female runner was British champs 800m bronze medallist, Khai Mhlanga, with a rapid time of 9.18.09. Nick Hughes came in with the second fastest of 9:47.59 ahead of Lucy Ashe in 10:06.81.

Mark Lepps & Harrow AC

For the men, it was Ryan Burling who took home the win in 8:25.75, less than two seconds ahead of second place, U20 athlete Will Barnicoat (8:27.28). Securing the bronze medal position was Antonio Silva in 8:36.12.

For the mile distance, the overall win went to Mukhtar Musa who clocked 4:22.42 over the line. Joseph Chamberlain had a solid race to come in second place in 4:28.80. It was Louis Hodge who took third in 4:31.52.

On the women’s podium it was teenage domination as two U15 athletes claimed the top two finishing spots. Francesca Baxter took the win with 5:21.12 ahead of Maddie Hughes in 5:23.25. Running the third fastest time was Lucy Henson with a time of 5:31.08.

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]]> SOAR Running Weekend Roundup http://fastrunning.com/events-and-races/weekend-round-ups/soar-running-weekend-roundup/30816 Sun, 13 Sep 2020 07:53:07 +0000 https://fastrunning.com/?p=30816 GB athletes show great form in Ostrava and Poznan. Farah and Partridge take all-comer’s records in Antrim. The SOAR Running weekend roundup is brought to you by Gill Bland Scott shines as Farah and Partridge win in Antrim The Antrim Coast Half Marathon was perhaps the most talked about event of the week not only […]

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]]> GB athletes show great form in Ostrava and Poznan. Farah and Partridge take all-comer’s records in Antrim. The SOAR Running weekend roundup is brought to you by Gill Bland

Scott shines as Farah and Partridge win in Antrim

The Antrim Coast Half Marathon was perhaps the most talked about event of the week not only thanks to one Sir Mo Farah making an appearance, but also due to the fantastic home grown field on the start list.

It had the added spice of giving us a glimpse of what shape those due to run London Marathon were in.

Farah predictably took the win in 60:27 – not the British record that had been touted, but a very decent time given the stresses that a 1hr track race (and world record) would have put on his legs last week.

Perhaps the real story of the day though was an impressive Half Marathon debut by another Nike athlete – Bowerman Track Club / Cambridge & Coleridge’s Marc Scott. Scott was right up with Farah until the last mile, when his trademark killer-kick proved too much to handle, but 60:39 and third on the British all-time list is a pretty tasty debut.

Antrim Coast Half. Credit: Steve Donegan Photography

Third place went to Ben Connor who ran a fantastic PB of 60:55 to earn his spot just behind Scott on the all-time list and Stephen Scullion was fourth in 61:08, taking the Northern Irish record in the process.

5th place went to Kev Seaward in a new PB of 63:05. There were many PBs throughout the field including Josh Griffiths (63:08), Adam Craig (63:24), Tom Evans (63:19) and Adam Hickey (64:37) as 17th athletes ran inside 66 minutes with 13 of them either a PB or a debut.

V60 runner Tommy Hughes was another impressive tale from the race, breaking the over 60 world record to finish in 71:09.

Antrim Coast Half. Credit: Steve Donegan Photography

Partridge shows form before marathon

Lily Partridge showed good form ahead of London Marathon, running a convincing win in 71:36 (a NI all-comer’s record). Samantha Harrison came back fighting after her disappointment with her 5000m at the British Championship, to race hard and strong and take second place in 71:58.

Wales’s Clara Evans had a great day, taking third in a PB of 71:21. Becky Briggs (City of Hull) also PB’d for fourth place in 72:54 as did  44 year old Kirsty Longley in 75:27 (Liverpool Pembroke Sefton) who pulled away from a strong group of athletws including Jessica Craig.

Antrim Coast Half. Credit: Steve Donegan Photography

Sadly a few of the women’s field had to drop out before or during the race including Steph Davis who had been a part of a strong early group with Harrison, Partridge, Briggs and pacemaker Holly Archer. Aly Dixon was disappointed but characteristically balanced in her-post race analysis as she pulled out with glute and nerve related pain around five miles.

A full Vlog will be available from the race organisers over coming days.

Middle distance talent shines again

At the 59th Ostrava Golden Spike, GB athletes had a great evening’s work. Over 1500m Faith Kipyegon (KEN) set a new meeting record, winning in 3:59.05 but Britain’s Laura Weightman ran another brilliant race to place second in 4:01.96 with Gemma Reekie right behind her in 4:03.25.

Eilish McColgan had a tough one, which looks like it may have been thanks to time of the month, finishing 7s slower than she ran the previous week to place 11th in 4:12.07. Eilish – we feel your pain but please don’t “rip out [your] own ovaries”!!

 

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Eurgh.. Me and running aren’t friends right now. In fact, it’s not so much running but more my own body that I’m in a huff with 😂 Of course I’m disappointed with my race in Ostrava – it was 7s slower than I ran just the previous week but the way I was feeling just reinforced that something isn’t right. It also coincided with my time of the month… which meant that after the race I was ready to rip my own ovaries out 🤣 It’s crazy to think that even in 2020, there’s really no clear cut advice as to how to manage your hormones and performance. 🤷🏼‍♀️ And there is certainly no, one-fits-all solution either! I’ve had some stinking runs over the years and my only ever DNFs were caused by feeling like a wee baluga whale! 🐳 The only positive I can take out of last night, is that it’s really given me a kick up the arse to start researching more about what options are available to control my symptoms – rather than just battering through ibuprofen, saying a wee prayer and hoping for the best! 🙏 It’s been SO interesting chatting to other elite athletes and hearing their own experiences over the past few weeks. Thanks @adelletracey @shelayna @lauraweightman1 @gabrielastafford @em_sisson_ and @runkerryrun shared a great post last week too. 💛 It’s so important we broach topics like this, share advice and discuss the good, the bad, the ugly! How do others manage their periods and training!? What works best for you⁉ I’m all ears. 👂#realtalk . . . #girlproblems #runnerproblems #ukrunchat #runninggirls #ostrava #runners #athlete

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Joking aside, that’s a difficult issue to manage and we hope she gets the best science and support behind her so she can keep on fulfilling her huge talent. Over 5000m Melissa Courtney-Bryant was in action and with Sifa Hassan taking it out hard, she fought well amidst a strong field to run 15:16.50 for 6th place.

Stunning kick brings Wightman PB

In the men’s races, Jake Weightman took the win over 800m in a stunning new PB of 1:44.18. Elliot Giles was next for GB in sixth place with 1:45.51. Guy Leamouth took eight in 1:46 flat. It was a double win for GB over the distance as Laura Muir ran a season’s best of 1:58.84 to take gold in her race too.

Elsewhere on the european track circuit, Piers Copeland ran a quality race to take the win over 1500m at the Poznań Athletics Grand Prix in 3:37.51. Newly crowned British Champion George Mills was 5th in 3:38.06 in a field which included the likes of Lewandowski & Kzscot.

Alex Bell took the win in the 800m against a strong field in 2:01.60 with Adelle Tracey 3rd in 2:01.71.

Highgate Open sees strong performances

Closer to home, clubs continued to host their own track meets, pitting athletes against each other over 1500 and 3000m. Highgate Harriers track at Parliament Hill got a hammering on Wednesday evening.

Good conditions allowed PBs for the top three gents in the 1500m – VP&TH’s Luca Minale took the fastest time of the night with his 4:03.1. St Alban’s Striders’ Zachary Segal was second in 4:09.00 and Jonny Brook (St Mary’s Richmond) was third in 4:11.3.

In the women’s 1500m it was great to see such a breadth of runners out there smashing out fast times – youngster Abigail Reid (U15, WGEL) was fastest in 04:50.8, followed by V40 Kate Carter (Wimbledon Windmilers) in 5:14.6. Third went to home-girl Lauren Russell (U15, Highgate Harriers) in 5:19.2.

The competition at the top end of the 3000m men’s field was fierce but it was Highgate’s own Roger Pooleman who ran a convincing victory, charging home in 8:18.9. Brighton Phoenix’s Leo Brewer grabbed a new PB and second place thanks to his 8:22.1. Only three tenths of a second separated the battle of the Alex’s for third and fourth but it was Crossland who won out taking the bronze spot in 8:24.6 (with an honourable mention for Alexandre Lepetre with 8:24.9).

The women’s field was less well represented but Basildon’s Gemma Kersey made sure there was some class at the top, running 9:12.4. Next in line was Gill Bland (Harrow AC) squeaking in under 11 mins with a 10:59.2 (though wearing what I later realised were not track-legal shoes – so I’ll be getting the result removed) . Third place went to Jemima Bowen of Guildford and Godalming with a gutsy run of 11:00.1 in a tough field for her section of the race.

Niner continues strong form

On the same evening at Worthing Track Night Thomas Niner of Brighton and Hove won the 1500m in 3:53.43, followed by club mate Tom Eames (3:55.00) and WSE&H’s Dylan Spencer (3:56.56).

Almi Nerurkar (U20) of Brighton Phoenix topped the women’s race with a 4:20.86 PB. Leah Harris of Worthing was next up in 4:39.15 and Poppy Palmer-Malins (U17) from Brighton Phoenix had the third fastest time of the night with 4:47.83.

Charnwood AC also held an event which saw Annabek Morton take top honours over 1500m in a PB of 4:43.34 (Horsham Blue Star) with Rosie Ashmore (U15, Wreake & Soar Valley ) joining the PB club in 4:52.54 and clubmate Imogen Saunders (U13) taking the third place in 5:06.37.

For the gents, Rushcliffe’s Joseph Tuffin was top in 3:53.20 followed by Lian Rawlings (U20, Oswestry) in a PB of 3:56.63 and Harry Leleu (Chichester) in 3:58.64 – also a PB. Over 3000m V40 Alastair Watson (Notts) took the win in 8:37.33 with Nick Hardy (Tipton) safely behind in 8:53.16 and James Wardle (Rushcliffe) third in 8:55.62.

U20 Maya Todd McIntyre led the women home in a PB of 9:42.11 for Rushcliffe, with Hannah Robinson (Birchfield Harriers) having the next fastest time in 9:57.02 and Akuce Perkins (Wolvs & Bilston) running 10:12.69.

The Roger Bannister Track was host for Harrow AC’s 3000m meet which saw Alex Eykeibosch (Dacorum & Tring) smash out a new PB of 9:27.28 in an otherwise all-male field for her starting group. Another PB was logged by Brighton Phoenix’s Tara Bage who clocked 9:38.88 in the same race that Herne Hill’s Phoebe Anderson (U20) ran 9:57.18.

The men’s field saw a raft of sub 9’s and even more PB’s, with Alex Melloy topping the list of speedsters thanks to his 8:22.60 (U17, Cambridge & Coleridge). Bedford & County took second and third with an 8:23.04 from Alfred Yabsley and 8:23.76 from Matt Bray.

10km on the roads sees win for GB’s Barlow

At the Spring Handicap 10k in Douglas, Isle of Man, dave Bignell (western) took the win in 35:16 keeping a good distance between him and clubmate Richard Shipway (v50) who finished in 37:16 – a dead heat with Manx’s Jahn Quaye. It was Manx Harriers who topped the women’s results thanks to Ciara Hardisty who finished in 40:30. Dawn Atherton was second in 41:25 and Joanne Schade third in 43:40.

The Kew Gardens 10k took place over two days, giving runners the chance to do a real race and have a whistle-stop botanical tour! Whilst the course wasn’t suited to fast times with the many twists and turns it certaintly provided some strong racing in beautiful condtions.

On the Saturday it was Daniel Mulryan who left the trees trembling as he blasted home in 30:51 followed by Callum Rowlinson in 31:12 and Ronny Wilson in 31:36.

The women’s field was a quality one, with GB marathoner Tracy Barlow home first in 34:54 and Ali Lavender comfortably behind in 35:15. Third place went to Jessica Welborn in 37:11.

On Sunday Lesley Locks took the women’s win in 36:05, leaving Jackie Skinner in second (36:28) and Sarah Johnson third (36:51). Seyfu Jamaal broke the tape in the men’s race in 30:14 ahead of James Hall (32:15) and Colin Thomas (32:38).

Ellis and Swanton-Rouvelin win CW50

On the trails, the Centurion CW50 got some good weather and some solid results. Jon Ellis was the proud recipient of a chunky winners trophy after covering the 50 mile course through the Chilterns in 6:22:25. Ed Knudsen was runner up in 6:42:43 and Matthew Brown in third with 7:21:50.

Jon Ellis. Stuart March Photography for Centurion Running

Laura Swanton-Rouvelin ran a super race to come home fifth overall and first in the women’s race in 7:37:29 just ahead of Alice Hector who was 6th OA in 7:46:27 and Charley Jennings (18th OA) in 8:27:43.

Laura Swanton-Rouvelin. Stuart March Photography for Centurion Running

The Pilgrims Marathon near Farnham is known for its picturesque course and today was a lovely day for runners to tackle the full or half distance. Results are still tbc at time of writing.

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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]]> The SOAR Running weekend roundup http://fastrunning.com/events-and-races/weekend-round-ups/the-soar-running-weekend-roundup-5/30769 Sun, 06 Sep 2020 16:25:08 +0000 https://fastrunning.com/?p=30769 British Champions crowned and world records fall as Hannah Irwin brings you the SOAR weekend roundup Mo Farah breaks world hour record Mo Farah was in Brussels in attempt to break the one-hour world record held by Haile Gebrselassie. The record had stood since 2007 at 21.285km (13.255 miles). Going into the event, 37-year old […]

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]]> British Champions crowned and world records fall as Hannah Irwin brings you the SOAR weekend roundup

Mo Farah breaks world hour record

Mo Farah was in Brussels in attempt to break the one-hour world record held by Haile Gebrselassie. The record had stood since 2007 at 21.285km (13.255 miles). Going into the event, 37-year old Farah believed he was in a good place to be able to break the previous record and he was right. Sir Mo covered 21.330km, which is just under 54 laps of the track! An impressive achievement and the first world record for the four-time Olympic champion.

Sifan Hassan also broke the women’s record, covering 18.930km! This is the equivalent to just over 47 laps of the track! Hassan won world titles over both 1500m and 10,000 and set world record marks for the mile (4:12.33) and 5km on the road (14:44) in 2019. The Dutch athlete said;

“An hour is long; it takes a lot of concentration and focus. After the first half I found my rythm. I’m really happy with this record!”

In Prague the women’s only half marathon word record was broken by Peres Jepchirchir – you can catch a full replay here. Running over a 1.3km loop in perfect conditions Jepchirchir clocked a stunning 65:34. The 2016 World Half Marathon Champion said;

“I am just happy and proud. Although I thought for a while that I could run at the limit of 65 minutes, I am also really happy with the time and especially the new record,”

British Champions crowned

This weekend saw British Athletics Outdoor Championships taking place. Having been postponed twice due to COVID-19, the event was finally able to take place through the enforcement of strict social distancing guidelines.

Despite the surreal environment, the event allowed athletes to get back on the track, some who hadn’t raced on the track for over a year, and put their training to the test in a championship environment.

Rowden & Hodgkinson claim 800m titles

A thrilling 800m race saw a battle right to the line. The first lap played to the advantage of favourite, Jake Wightman, as they went through the halfway point in 51 seconds. From then on Wightman led the pack. Coming around the final bend and into the home straight Daniel Rowden had put himself in a strong position to be able to execute his strong finishing kick.

In the final 50m of the race, Rowden pushed ahead of Wightman, taking the national title in an impressive 1:45.94. Wightman came in a close second with a time of 1:46.26 ahead of Yusuf Bizimana in 1:47.94.

 

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British Champion! 🇬🇧🇬🇧 Grateful for all the support. It’s honestly meant the world! We thank God Onwards and upwards ✊🏽 📷 @britishathletics

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The women’s 800m final demonstrated the current depth of British middle distance running. With some of the UKs leading athletes not racing it was a chance for young talent to step forwards. With 200m to go it became a battle between Ellie Baker and youngster Keely Hodgkinson.

Down the home straight Baker put in a strong surge, but it was Hodgkinson’s immense speed that allowed her to push on ahead, increasing the distance between her and the rest of the field to take the win in 2:03.24. Isabelle Boffey (Enfield) then dug deep and came across the line in second place with a time of 2:04.73 ahead of Ellie Baker (Shaftesbury).

Judd claims first senior British title

Tactical racing was to the fore in the women’s 5000m. The race went out slow with a 3:24 first kilometre, meaning everyone was in the mix at the open of the race. Leading into the 800m mark was Bronwen Owen who decided she wasn’t going to sit back and relax and began to push on the pace.

Bronwen pushed the pace until just before 4km when Jess Judd decided it was her turn to add in an extra surge to the pace. The lead group then narrowed down to just Judd, Verity Ockenden and Amelia Quirk. With just 400m to go Judd showed the 1500m speed we know her to hold by pushing out a 63 second last lap.

She crossed the line in a strong time of 15:37. Judd was closely followed by Swansea superstar, Verity Ockenden, who crossed the line with 15:41 on the clock. In third place was Amelia Quirk with a PB of 15:43! A matter of minutes after the 5,000, Jess Judd went into the 1500m heats and took the winning spot in heat two, with a time of 4:16.37.

World records were also set in the women’s 5,000m as Hannah Taunton broke the T20 record in a strong time of 17:17.30.

After crossing the line, Taunton said: “It was good but very hard running on my own out there. But I really enjoyed the experience as it was my first one [British Champs]. It is so special to get a T20 world record. When I came into this race, I thought about how a few years ago I just wanted to run on a track 5k and now I am here at the British Championships.”

In form Scott claims men’s title

The men’s 5,000m saw recent 5k Road British record holder Marc Scott toe the line, alongside the likes of Jake Smith and Jonny Davies. It wasn’t long into the race before the field began to spread out with Smith making it an honest race and pushing the pace on.

Midway through the race, Scott put the other athletes to the test as he put a 20m gap between him and Jack Rowe in second place. He managed to keep the pace all the way to the line as he crossed in a time of 13:32.98 to crown himself British Champion. The silver medal was claimed by Rowe of AFD in 13:37.85 followed by Tom Mortimer (Stroud) 13:43.47.

Mills and Weightman claim 1500m titles

For the men it was another tactical race. The pace was slow  o start with a 68 second first lap. The field stayed close to one another which saw many athletes at risk of being boxed in or running in lanes 2 and 3. However, with 600m to go Neil Gourley came to the front of the field and began to wind up the pace. It was, however, indoor 800m champion, George Mills who had placed himself perfectly and managed to give an extra kick coming down the finishing straight to overtake Gourley and claim the gold.

In the women’s 1500m, it was Laura Weightman who showed her class, taking home her 5th British Champs title. The race was tactical, with Jess Judd picking up the pace with 2 laps to go. It was in the last 300m that Laura Weightman pushed the accelerator and proved her strength. She crossed the finish line in 4:09.76.

After achieving her first ever senior British title in the 5,000m yesterday, Jess Judd came back and attacked the 1500m. She wasn’t to be dismissed as she crossed the line in 2nd place with a time of 4:12.35. What an incredible achievement! After a long journey back from injury, Katie Snowden regained her form and came in third after a strong race. The Herne Hill athlete stopped the clock on 4:14 dead.

British stars race overseas

Several of Britain’s best known endurance talent raced overseas this weekend away from the champs.

At the Meeting de Marseille, Team Young once again proved their strength with both Laura Muir and Jemma Reekie setting meet records over the 800m and 1500m respectively. Muir once again ran herself to a clear win in 2.00.16, over 1 second ahead of second place. The second British athlete across the line, in fourth place, was Adelle Tracey with a solid time of 2:01.86. In eighth place was Shelayna Oskan-Clarke in a strong 2:04.54.

Similarly to Muir, in the 1500m, it was Reekie who ran an impressive, yet close race, to take the win in 4:02.20 ahead of Claudia Bobocea. Eilish McColgan was fourth in her third race of the season with a strong 4:05.59.

In the men’s 800m race, GB’s men came to the fore. Behind Ferguson-Cheruiyot Rotich, in second place, was Elliot Giles. It was a close race between Rotich and Giles, but the British athlete wasn’t far behind. Giles crossed the line in 1:44.68, just 0.34 seconds behind the winner. Guy Learmonth was second Brit and third overall in a strong 1:46.57. Phx Trk athlete, Kyle Langford was 7th in 1:47.55. In the 1500m Piers Copeland set yet another stunning PB with 3:37:00 in the 1500m.

In Poland, both Eilish Mccolgan and Laura Muir battled it out over the 1500m distance, but we are awaiting results.

Back on home soil

Over the slightly longer distance of… 100 miles was the Centurion Thames Path 100. The race runs along the Thames Path from Richmond, London to the centre of Oxford and includes a total of 1900ft of climbing. This year athletes were set off on a scattered start over 2 hours.

The quickest overall finisher was Russell Arnold, who clocked 14 hours 13 minutes and 40 seconds! For the women’s event, it was Samantha Amend who was first with the GB ultra runner clocking an impressive 16 hours 28 minutes and 8 seconds.

Strong field turns out for RunThrough 5km

Runthrough were back in action with their event in Battersea Park this weekend. Taking the 10km win with an impressive finishing time of 30:48 was Matt Dickinson of Clapham Chasers. Dickinson’s time was a huge 40 second personal best!

Coming in second place, in 31:42, was Ewan Cameron (VPHTHAC) ahead of Chris McGurk of Kent AC in 31:55. For the women, it was Julia Bijl who ran herself to the win in 35:34, shortly followed by Tara Bage who clocked 35:58. The 3rd placed fimisher was April James-Welsh in 38:18.

It was the 5km though which saw some very impressively fast times with strogn depth. For the men the top three finishers all managed well under the 15-minute barrier. It was Crawley AC’s, James Westlake, who managed to take the win with a solid 14:29! That is a whole 12 seconds faster than his previous lifetime best.

Following behind Westlake was Kevin Moore of Brighton and Hove AC in 14:39. Moore also had a previous best of 14:41, so managed to narrowly dip under it to set a new PB. Joshua Burgess of Lewes AC was third in 14:52. The mass turnout of AB Training Group athletes saw 12 men run sub 16 minutes.

James Westlake. Photo: Tom Craggs

Georgia Bell took the win in the women’s event with a solid 16:34, also her 5k debut. Second place went to AFD athlete, Laura Gent, in a season’s best time of 17:02, followed by Laura Boehm in 17:17. The women’s field was equally strong with 16 women running under 19 minutes.

Tooting Bec 3000m took place mid week. The event seeded people according to time and saw some speedy times. The winner, Dominic Nolan (Croydon), crossed the line with an impressive lead. He stopped the clock on 8:27.48, ahead of Dulwich’s Jack Ramm who ran 8:43.97 for second place. It was Edward Chuck, also of Dulwich, who came in third with a solid time of 8:46.15.

The first woman to complete the 7.5 lap distance was Leah Harris of Worthing. Harris knocked 5 seconds off her personal best, setting a new time of 9:42.78. Shortly behind in 9:48.11 was Katie Olding of Thames Valley Harriers. Third place was secured by Arena80 athlete, Caroline Hoyte in 10:18.98.

Mitchell wins at Dorney Lake

A 5k, 10k and half marathon took place at Dorney Lake catering for plenty of athletes. There were some speedy times ran over all distances, however the course measurements were questionable as the course had to be redirected to be made safer.

The 5k event saw Alex Miell-Ingram take the win with a strong time of 15:29. It was James Maloney who took second place with 15:32, followed by Neil Kevern in 15:35. For the women, it was Vicki Taylor who ran herself to the top of the podium with a time of 18:37, followed by Zoe Weiler and Bea Lafreniere in 21:14 and 21:42 respectively.

By a significant margin, Ben Kruze took home the win in the 10k event with a solid 32:33, almost 2 minutes ahead of second place. Helen Pool was the winner of the women’s race in 42:09.

The half marathon distance saw Naomi Mitchell of Reading AC run a glorious race to take the win, also placing her joint 3rd overall. Mitchell crosses the line in an impressive 1:16:53. The winner of the men’s race in 1:15:04 was Chris Mullin.

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.

The post The SOAR Running weekend roundup appeared first on Fast Running.

]]> The SOAR Running weekend roundup http://fastrunning.com/running-athletics-news/the-soar-running-weekend-roundup-4/30711 Sun, 30 Aug 2020 15:38:30 +0000 https://fastrunning.com/?p=30711 Gill Bland brings you results from yet another ‘fast Friday’ and more impressive performances on the track in our SOAR Running weekend roundup. The week started well with Jemma Reekie continuing her winning streak with a 3rd victory in 6 days to take gold over 800m at the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial in Chorzów. Her time […]

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]]> Gill Bland brings you results from yet another ‘fast Friday’ and more impressive performances on the track in our SOAR Running weekend roundup.

The week started well with Jemma Reekie continuing her winning streak with a 3rd victory in 6 days to take gold over 800m at the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial in Chorzów. Her time of 1:58.63 is a GB U/23 record and world lead time as she continues here sensational form.

Elsewhere on the international stage, plenty of Brits were in action at the Göteborg Friidrott Grand Prix. Melissa Courtney-Bryant (Poole AC) nabbed gold, covering 1500m in 4:05.07, with Australia’s Jessica Hull in second(4:05.47) and Katie Snowden (HerneHill /Notts AC) finding form again to place third (4:09.63). Rosie Clarke was 7th in 4:11.42.

In the men’s 800m Daniel Rowden (WGEL) showed that his form is continuing to rise. In 2018 he became the youngest Briton in 34 years to run sub 1:45 for the distance and this week he ran a blistering 1:44.74 to win in Sweden, after judging the race perfectly to take the lead after the final bend. The home favourite Andread Krawmer placed second (1:45.03) but the Brits nabbed third again thanks to Piers Copeland’s PB of 1:46.24. Guy Learmouth was 6th in 1:46.32.

In the women’s 800m Keely Hodgkinson (Leigh) won silver in a PB of 2:01.78, just behind Raevyn Rogers of the USA (2:01.24). Mari Smith (Birchfield) finished in 2:05.65). Jonny Davies (Reading AC) also placed 9th in the men’s 5000m in 13:31.24

Just missing the roundup last week, the Sunset Tour 5k took place late on Sunday evening at a “secret location” (Lake Balboa) in California. GB’s Sam Atkin took second place in 13:23.28 in the men’s race, running a new PB to finish behind Edward Cheserek (13:21.78). Amy Eloise-Neal (Wakefield) who runs for Reebok Boston, was ninth in the women’s race in 15:44.93

Steyn & Craig win Mid Cheshire 5km as Harrison clocks a fabulous debut

Friday evening saw the return of the Mid Cheshire 5k. South Africa’s Gerda Steyn took on a much shorter race than we would normally see her running – the Comrades Champion, who represents Nedbank Running Club, finished first. She was understandably pleased with her 15:44 win given that it was her first time racing in six months.

Gerda Steyn. Photo: Mick Hall for Mid Cheshire 5km

Equally chuffed was Samantha Harrison (Charnwood AC) who took second place in 15:48. She was bound to set a PB given that it was her first ever 5k race (she only started racing at the end of 2018), but that’s a hefty PB to set, regardless!

Third place by time went to Sophie Wood from Sale Harriers. Her 16:30 in the B race took her well ahead of the next time run in the A race. Under 21 Holly Weedall ran 16:35, Abigail Haworth and Kirsty Longley both clocked 16:36. Longley’s time saw her move to 2nd in the UK V40 rankings for 2020 behind Aly Dixon. 7th place went to Lucy Niemz in a big PB of 16:40.

The men’s races were more to-form with the A-wave racers taking the podium spots by time as well as position. Adam Craig of Team NBR MCR won in 13:52. Omar Ahmed from Birchfield Harriers took second in 14:08 and Sale Harriers MCR took third thanks to Nigel Martin’s 14:09. Also sub 14:20 were Edward Shepherd (14:10), Richard Allen (14:13) and Josh Grave (14:19).

Giles & Tracey in fine form at BMC

The BMC Gold Standard meet in Lee Valley saw Birchfield’s Elliot Giles take the win over 1500m with 3:41.29 on the clock. Brighton Phoenix took second and third thanks to George Mills (3:41.23) and Archie Davis (3:44.75).

Adelle Tracy was in action in the women’s race, breaking the tape in 4:12.62 and a convincing victory over Beth Kidger (4:17.31) and Gamma Kersey (4:16.34).

Over 3000m, U20 Henry McLuckie ran a PB of 8:15.91 to top the podium for Shaftesbury Barnet. Robbie Fitzgibbon (Brighton Phoenix) was next in 8:17.31) and WSE&H’s Blake Moore also ran himself a tasty PB to take third in 8:21.03.

The ladies had to run their 3000m in a mixed race – Alice Garner (U20 AF&D) ran a 10:01.04 and Annabel Morton (U23 Horsham Blue Star) joined the PB brigade with her 10:04.22. Hannah Nuttall also PB’d over the 3000m steeple (10:31.43).

Meanwhile, walking, not running Callum Wilkinson broke the long standing British 10000m record with a time many a club runner would be happy to clock – 39:52.05!

RunThrough restarts regular road racing in London

Lee Valley got plenty of pounding this weekend, with the Velo Park hosting Run Through’s Half marathon, 10k, and 5k today (Sunday). Over the two Half Marathon waves it was Edgars Sumkis who finished the multi-lapped course first in 1:08:42 – a very safe distance ahead of his nearest rivals Dave Edwards (1:15:36) and Jack Tattum (1:15:50).

Sarah Sawyer brought it home for the ladies in 1:28:47. Jenna Wilknson followed her up with a 1:29:05 and Maya Hilton ran 1:29:42.

In the 10k Andy Bond ran himself a 33:42 win, to beat Phil Dicken (34:24) and Andrew Merry (36:24). Ellie Cookson can also go home with a champion’s smile, thanks to her 39:31 finish. She was also the only lady to duck under the 40 minute mark, leaving Sarah Black (41:16) and Ellie-May Brooks (41:52) a safe distance behind.

Keeping on the “Ellie” theme, it was Ellie Osmond who clocked 18:45 over 5k to storm home with a gaping lead. Laura Donnelly was second in 20:49 and Ultra-fan Laurence Letki-Nicolay finished her race in 24:09 to take third.

For the men, it was Garry Mellish and Max Duckworth battling it out, with Gary just pipping it in 16:55 leaving Max to take runner up in 16:59. Jay Belham didn’t join the battle but can be happy with third in 17:27.

Earlier in the wek Run Through Chase The Sun Tatton Park 10k saw Ali Lavender back in action over the distance. She set a 34:03 PB back at the start of the year and returned to win this race extremely comfortably in 35:31. Carla Davies was second in 37:15 and Julia Matheson third in 38:31. Callum Rowlinson took the men’s win in 33:23 ahead of Gavin Browne (33:55) and Matthew Orford (34:32)

Local clubs are doing a great job of hosting events in whatever format they can. Nuneaton’s Night of 800m PB’s saw Birchfield Harriers’ U20 Ryan Shields run the fastest time of the evening with a 1:59.0 and U15 Zoe Gilbody (Wolvs and Bilston) take the women’s honours in 2:23.6.

Harrow AC also continued their track series this week and Shaftesbury Barnet’s Finn Harvey took the chance to race seriously and was rewarded with a 1:57.4 win and a new 800m PB. Holly Henderson (Chiltern, U17) was fastest female over the distance in 2:24.9.

PBs also fell over 1500m as Alex Alston (4:06.3), Martin Turton (4:09.1) and Harry Brodie (4:09.5) all rewrote their Power of 10 records and stood atop the podium. AF&D’s Maisie Grace topped the women’s times in 4:29.9.

Ultra running goes virtually global

The IAU 6H Global Solidarity Run was this weekend and British Athletics selected 12 debutant athletes to run for six hours in their local areas.

With only Sarah Cameron in France able to compete within an actual race on the correct weekend, the 24hr runner was able to win with 44 miles (70.49km). So a 100% race victory rate for the team.

Selected with just over a month to prepare, all 12 athletes answered British Athletics call and performed brilliantly. Jo Murphy (47.66 miles, 76.70km) and Ry Webb (55.06 miles, 88.61km) ran the furthest distance within the allotted time.

The team ran on a mixture of track and short tarmac loops, expect for 2019 British 100k Champ Charlie Harpur, who used his six hours to set an excellent 5:33 FKT on the 75km (46.6 miles) Peddars Way. Harpur suggested that the point to point choice might have been better if it weren’t for the 45kmph headwinds (or if he’d gone the other direction).

Completing the ladies team were Jo Newens (45.6 miles, 73.39km), Sophie Mullins (47.45 miles, 76.37km), Lynne Allen (75.3km, 46.8 miles), Betty Bohane (40.7 miles, 65.5km) and Melissa Venables (70.9km, 44.32 miles) who had just recently won the Centurion North Downs Way 100 mile race as well.

The men’s team also included Ollie Garrod (50.4 miles, 81.1km), Dave Andrews (48.59 miles, 78.19km) and Rob Payne (54.89 miles, 88.34km).

Rob Payne keeping it local and happy to be finished after a fine run.

A more complete insight will follow in the next few days. 

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.

The post The SOAR Running weekend roundup appeared first on Fast Running.

]]> The SOAR Running Weekend Roundup http://fastrunning.com/events-and-races/weekend-round-ups/the-soar-running-weekend-roundup-3/30655 Sun, 23 Aug 2020 16:12:05 +0000 https://fastrunning.com/?p=30655 This weekend was yet again another astonishing one in the athletics world with records and PBs being broken across age groups. SOAR Running and Hannah Irwin bring you the details.  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 […]

The post The SOAR Running Weekend Roundup appeared first on Fast Running.

]]> This weekend was yet again another astonishing one in the athletics world with records and PBs being broken across age groups. SOAR Running and Hannah Irwin bring you the details. 

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.

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!

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.

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.

The post The SOAR Running Weekend Roundup appeared first on Fast Running.

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