Down in Portsmouth, the weekend was kickstarted with the Great South 5k Run. After a second-place finish last year, Sonja Vernikov returned with a title to claim. Vernikov did just that and stormed through the line to first place in a time of 17:36.

Following a tough battle with injury since the start of the year, Portsmouth’s own Rhiannon Dunlop made a fighting return to the road and proved her strength is back. Dunlop was second lady to the cross the line, taking home a shiny new 18 second road 5k PB of 17:41.

Completing the women’s podium was V50 athlete, Lucy Elliott of Winchester. In what was Elliott’s first 5k on the road since 2007, she ran an impressive 18:09 which puts her at the top of the V50 5k road rankings for 2019 so far!!

The men’s race along the Portsmouth promenade was just as speedy. Giving him the chance to spin his legs out ahead of next weekend’s Frankfurt Marathon, Paul Navesey ran himself to a first-place finish. Navesey clocked 14:56, proving speed is definitely not an issue for the marathon runner.

Just 10 seconds behind in 15:06 was James Heneghan. The U23 athlete ran an incredible 54 second road PB for second place. In third position was Portsmouth’s U20 runner, Sam Charig. In yet another PB time, Charig ran a 63 second lifetime best of 15:21.

McColgan dominates Great South Run

The main event took place on Sunday. The Simplyhealth Great South Run saw an abundance of strong, fast athletes take to Portsmouth’s roads over the 10-mile distance. Finishing off her season on a high, after a 10th place finish at the IAAF World Championships, Eilish McColgan dominated the women’s race.

The conditions couldn’t have been more different to those in Doha with a chilly start to the morning. Eilish took on the 10-mile challenge for the second time and defended her title from last year. McColgan ran a gutsy race, pushing the pace on from the get go, distancing herself from her opponents straight away.

After sustaining an impressive lead throughout, she smashed her mother previous best, clocking a Scottish record of 51:36 and putting herself second on the British all-time list behind Paula Radcliffe.

After a fight to the finish for second-place, it was Swansea athlete, Verity Ockenden, that secured the silver medal as she pushed away from Jenny Nesbitt in the final 200m. In what has been a successful year for Ockenden, she clocked a time of 55:15. In her 10-mile debut, the 2019 Inter Counties Cross Country champion, Jenny Nesbitt, crossed the finish line just behind Ockenden in 55:18. A very impressive debut performance!

Absolutely buzzing to come away with the win today! 3min PB and Scottish 10mile best.. Can’t believe it! Beating my mums record of 52mins from 22 years ago.

What a way to end my season! 2nd fastest brit of all time, just 25s or so from Paula’s British record! pic.twitter.com/IjAOgL0Abs

— Eilish McColgan (@EilishMccolgan) October 20, 2019

Scott beats a high quality men’s field

The men’s race was just as exciting. Whilst there was quite a pack in the early miles, it was Mark Scott who pushed away to become the 2019 Great South Run champion. Scott took the title from the 3-time winner, Chris Thompson, in a time of 46:57 with a clear lead.

After what can only be described as a breakthrough year for Ben Connor, he continued to prove his strength over the 10-mile race. Connor stormed his way to a second-place finish in 47:16. Emile Cairess gave one of the performances of the day, achieving an U23 British 10-mile record for third position. Cairess, who has been going from strength to strength crossed the line with 47:32 on the clock! Very impressive!

England team take on Toronto

Across the seas, was the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. Representing Team England was Nick Earl for the men, Johanna O’Regan and Katie Drew for the women. Also competing was Welsh athlete, Josh Griffiths.

At the halfway mark, it was Wales’ Griffiths who was leading for the British men in 13th place, followed by Earl in 18th. Griffiths did well to hold onto his position and finished just 1 minute outside of his PB in 2:15:20! Earl too held onto his 18th position and crossed the line in 2:18:03.

In the women’s race, O’Regan gave a strong performance doing England proud. The Riverside athlete finished 4th in her age category and an impressive 22nd woman overall in a time of 2:45:43 and Kate Drew finished in 26th in 2:49:31.

England Team. Credit: Andy Hobdell

Davis continues her stunning form

Around the 4-lap course in Battersea park, the Self-transcendence Golden Leaf 10k took place. The men’s title went to Serpentine’s Chris Wright, in 31:12, a 21 second seasons best. Just behind Wright in the silver medal position was Paul Piper of West4Harriers. Piper had an astonishing race and ran himself to a 33 second life time best! Completing the men’s top 3, with a time of 32:16 was Paul Prothero.

Stealing the show in the women’s race was Clapham Chasers’ Steph Davis. After a phenomenal summer season clocking 33:07 at the Night of 10,000 PB’s, Davis’ strong form continues after a win at last weeks Oxford Half Marathon.

The Clapham athlete crossed the line in 33:21, 22 seconds faster than her previous best time. Davis told us, “Chinmoy races are great events, and I was delighted to run a PB as part of my marathon build. Also enjoyed winning a pineapple, as it’s my coaches favourite fruit!”.

Quick times in Cambridge

Also over the 10k distance was the Cambridge Town & Gown 10k. The run takes its competitors along a scenic route through many of Cambridge’s historic landmarks. However for our leading runner’s, the sheer speed at which the ran meant there was little time to take in the sights.

It was Cambridge & Coleridge AC who achieved mass domination across the board. After just missing out on breaking the 30-minute barrier, C&C’s Joseph Smith front man ran his way to this year’s gold medal in 30:01. A devastatingly close, but extremely impressive time which was a 1 minute 40 second PB for Smith.

Adding to the success of Cambridge & Coleridge was Ben Jones, who ran himself to an impressive 30 second lifetime best, clearly breaking the 32-minute barrier in 31:40. Concluding the men’s top three was Chris Darling in 32:01, another incredibly close performance.

In the women’s race, speedy times and lifetime bests were also in abundance. It was Georgina Schwiening of Cambridge Runners who secured first place and a 15 second personal best in 34:06, improving on her time from the Vitality 10,000 earlier in the year. The second female athlete was Emma Hodson of Cambridge University in 36:03, another PB by over a minute! The final medal went to High Harriers AC’s Rachel Doherty in 37:02.

In a weekend filled with 10k’s, The Hove Prom 10k took place. It was Matt Bradford of Lewes who took home the men’s title with the overall win in a time of 32:38. Only 4 seconds behind Bradford in second place was James Skinner. Skinner stormed across the line in 32:42, a 6 second lifetime best. Rounding up the men’s podium, was Richard Clayton in 33:12. A strong run from all three men.

It was Arena 80 AC that dominated the women’s race with the top two positions being secured by their athletes. Caroline Hoyte ran herself to a clear gold medal position finish in 36:15. Hoyte currently stands second on the 2019 V45 10k rankings for 2019 so far with a time of 35:30 behind Jo Pavey. Hoyte was followed by clubmate Tara Shanahan in 37:51. Shanahan was just 5 seconds of her best time for 2019. Completing the medal positions was Elspeth Turner of Horsham Blue Star Harriers in 38:17.

At the City of Preston 10k there were some speedy winning times. Mohammad Abu-Rezeq of Altrincham & District AC secured himself the men’s title in a rapid time of 30:59 in his 6th road 10k of the year. The champion of the women’s race in 35:49 was Kirsty Longley in her 8th road 10k of the year!!

Brits on the streets of Amsterdam

Over at the TCS Amsterdam Marathon Ross Skelton at a fine run to finish 17th in 2:19:03. Robert Wilson ran 2:27:08 and Nathan Harrison was the third Brit across the line in 2:28:33.

Hannah Oldroyd had a fantastic run clocking a negative split on her way to 2:44:53 to improve her PB of 2:45:39 set in London this year. Hannah’s performance saw her finish 11th female overall. Perhaps the performance of the day was Victoria Park Harrier Mary Hammond who destroyed her previous PB of 3:03 to run 2:49:25 to finish 15th. In what appears to be her first full year of running Hammond is clearly a huge talent. Rachel Davies was the third British female n a time of 3:00:39.

In the Amsterdam Half Marathon five of the top 10 were British or Irish athletes. Sean Renfer was the finished 5th in 69:34 just ahead of 6th placed Jonathan Johnson who ran 69:52. Luke Grenfell-Shaw was 7th in a time of 70:27. Claire Hughes was the first British female in 84:45 narrowly ahead of Emily Cousens in 84:55 with Susie Starr finishing in 85:02.

Wycombe and Wimbledon win the Southern XC Relays

Through the mud and over the hills, the South of England Cross-Country Relays took place at Wormwood Scrubs. For the second year in a row, it was Wycombe Phoenix Harriers that took home the win. The winning trio consisted of Mel Wilkins, Alexandra Cook, and Zoe Doyle, with Mel Wilkins running the fastest leg of the day followed by Zoe Doyle.

In the men’s race, it was Hercules Wimbledon that trudged through the mud and water to a first-place finish. The 4-man strong team was led by Will Woodcock followed by Charlie Eastaugh, Finn Johnson, and Ross Franks. It was Alexander Lepêtre of Highgate Harriers that took the fastest leg, followed by Wimbledon’s Ross Franks.

Congrats to the lads for winning the @SEAACompetition xc relays at Wormwood scrubs today @AthleticsWeekly #letsgoHerc #uptheherc #hercarmy #herculeswimbledon pic.twitter.com/Y8GXrrgaIM

— Hercules Wimbledon (@hercarmy) October 19, 2019

Marathons and Half Marathons across the UK

Over the slightly longer distance this weekend, was the Chiswick Half Marathon. The race ventures through one of West London’s most scenic areas in what is a flat, but challenging course. Plenty of runners proved they were up to the challenge. It was the men’s title, in a time of 1:10:54, that went to Serpentine’s Tony Payne. The runner-up was Bradley Smith in 1:13:36 ahead of third place finisher, Nigel Rackham, in 1:16:59.

Datchet’s Jill Collett ran a strong race to achieve a first-place finish. Collett stopped the clock on 1:22:00 as she ran across the finish line. Following Collett with a time of 1:23:10, was Harriet Freeman of London City AC before another one of Serpentine’s athletes, Annie Emmerson in 1:24:28.

On one of a few marathons of the weekend, the Abingdon Marathon marked the 38th year since its inception. Serpentine’s Jonathon Poole came home in first place in his first marathon of the year, therefore guaranteeing himself a best time for 2019. Poole clocked 2:29:52, just under an impressive 6 minutes ahead of second place. The silver medal went to Sean Edwards of Lytchett Manor Striders in 2:35;46, shortly followed by the Army AA Marathon champion, Gareth Crossley, in 2:39:45.

In her marathon debut, Emma Navesey appeared to be no novice at the 26.2-mile distance. Navesey lead in her brother’s (Paul Navesey) footsteps, proving marathon success runs in the family, and earning herself a gold medal in 2:57:07! Shortly behind the Haywards Heath Harriers athlete was Lisa Rooney of Collingwood AC in 2:58:27. Rounding off the women’s podium was Becky Tovey in a 13-minute personal best of 3:03:16. An impressive performance heading into the final few months of the year.

Impressive performances in Yorkshire

At the Asda Foundation Yorkshire Marathon, there were plenty of fast marathon times clocked, alongside representation from one of Fast Running’s own. The first female finisher was Charlene Jacobs-Conradie with a time of 2:46:50, a cracking 6 minutes faster than her previous best time! Following on from Jacobs-Conradie was Sarah Hill with yet another PB of the weekend in 2:52:21. Third place was obtained by Kate Owens with a superb time of 2:55:14. Fast Running’s Gill Bland was among these runners, giving a strong performance and clocking 2:56:07. Time for Gill to rest up now ahead of Valencia!!

The first male to cross the line at the Yorkshire Marathon was Mark Buckingham in 2hrs 21mins and 42 secs, followed by Daniel Kestrel in 2:24:47, dipping just 8 seconds under his personal best. Richard McDowell completed the men’s podium with a solid 2hrs and 25mins.

In the 10-mile event Matt Kitching ran through the line in first place in a time of 53:10 and Sharon Barlow won the women’s race in 58:56.

Our top three females are home! In first place was Charlene Jacobs-Conradie with a time of 2hrs 46mins 50secs, followed by Sarah Hill clocking a time of 2hrs 52mins 21secs and third place was claimed by Kate Owens with a time of 2hrs 55mins and 14secs. Amazing running! #YorkMara pic.twitter.com/C5Gp8h8nzz

— The Yorkshire Marathon (@RunYorkshire) October 20, 2019

In the Chelmsford Marathon it was Alex Manton who took the winner’s title, crossing the line in 2:39:02. The women’s winner, with an impressive 10-minute lead, was Emma Prideaux in 2:53:01. Prideaux proved her strong form by running herself to a 3-mintue personal best.

At the Chesterfield Half Marathon Richard Start secured first place with a time of 71:52 and Susan Lewis ran herself to the top of the women’s podium in 84:29.

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The post McColgan dominates GSR & England Team compete in Toronto – weekend roundup appeared first on Fast Running.

Carruthers was selected for England in last year’s Toronto Waterfront marathon. This year she will set her sights on the fast Frankfurt course after her 2:33:59 in London this year. After a sparkling few months the Birchfield runner will be looking to make her mark before Olympic year.

Manchester Marathon winner Jenny Spink joins Carruthers in the Frankfurt team. Girona based Spink will be looking to build on her PB of 2:35:19 having run for England in Toronto in 2015. Jenny recently shared her training diary with us.

Evergreen Nick Torry will be a popular selection after his superb 2:16:21 in London. Torry was 13th in the 2014 Commonwealth Games Marathon. His London time moved in to 4th on the UK all time V40 rankings. Lincoln Wellington man Scott has been rewarded for his excellent 2:16:57 in Frankfurt last year with selection again for the 2019 race.

Brighton reward for Navesey & Le Grice

Brighton marathon winner Peter Le Grice and runner up Paul Navesey are selected with both in fine form in 2019. Le Grice took nearly 5 minutes of his marathon PB to win on the south coast in 2:16:22. With a third place finish at Bath Half and a fine 10km PB the Bristol man looks to have a bright future in the marathon. Paul Navesey achieved his selection with an excellent 2:18:16. The Crawley athlete has been in fantastic form in 2019 with PBs at 5km, 10km and half marathon in the build up to Brighton.

Earl the man to watch in Toronto

Nick Earl achieved one of the standout British performances of the year so far when running 2:14:38 at Lake Biwa Marathon in Japan. He is selected to run in Toronto alongside Rob Corney of Reading Road Runners, Johanna O’Regan and Louise Small.

Australia based Earl ran 65:24 to win the challenging Cadbury Half Marathon in Hobart and Canberra Marathon in April. Corney’s selection recognises his huge PB of 2:19:13 in Brighton after running a break through 49:43 to win Bramley 10 in February.

AFD’s Louise Small set a time of 2:39:43 on debut in London. The Mick Woods coached athlete is one of the most familiar faces on the UK track and cross country circuit. Johanna O’Regan has seen remarkable progression over the last three years. From a 3:39 in 2017 to her qualifying performance of 2:42:15 in London. Riverside Runner O’Regan ran 3 marathons in four weeks in April, all sub 2:50.

RELATED: The IAU World 50km Championship team has been announced

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The post England Teams Announced for Autumn Marathon Season appeared first on Fast Running.

After being forced to pull out mid-race on his 26.2 mile debut at the London Marathon earlier this year, Tonbridge AC’s Henry Pearce bounced back to run a fantastic 2:19:23 at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in October.

Pearce’s achievement is all the more notable for the fact he not only works full time alongside running over 100 miles a week – he also studies most evenings too!

The trainee accountant certainly packs as much as he possibly can into his life living in central London. While the 24 year-old is unsure of what’s next race-wise, he’s keen to strike a happy harmony with training and a city career.

“The key is whether I can balance running with other life commitments,” he tells Fast Running. “I’m going to think it through properly, but I’m leaning more towards giving it a proper shot and balancing work alongside it.”

Alan Storey’s coaching success 

The fact the relatively new kid on the elite running block is even able to consider other options is a sign of how far he’s come since being taken under coach Alan Storey’s wing in January.

Pearce has always been a talented athlete. He enjoyed great success on the track last year in particular, posting PBs of 8:26.80, 14:11.10 and 29:41.12 for 3000m, 5000m and 10,000m while studying in America.

His marathon breakthrough is a testament to Storey’s ability to get the best out of his undoubted endurance capabilities. 

“With Alan’s experience and coaching philosophy, the training is a perfect fit for progressing my running career,” he says. “This is especially true of my move to the marathon distance.

“We communicate regularly by Whatsapp, email and on the phone, despite him living down in Bath.”

A year of back to back PBs 

Storey helped the Tonbridge AC star run a debut 49:54 clocking – and victory – at the Bramley 10 in February, before going onto firmly establish himself amongst the best in the country in March.

Pearce sped to a huge six minute half marathon PB at the Big Half in London, posting a 65:49 result in the British Championship race.

Since then there’s been no stopping the tall Kentish athlete.

The month before Toronto he ran a 29:33 debut at the Cardiff 10k before going onto win the Ipswich half marathon just two weeks later in 66:02.

It was his trip to Canada with fellow Team England members James Westlake, Hayley Carruthers and Helen Davies that was to prove the making of Pearce, though.

England selection for Toronto after London marathon DNF

How did he feel when he discovered he’d been selected for the race ‘on merit’, despite dropping out of London earlier in the year?

Photo: provided by Henry Pearce

“I felt incredibly privileged to be picked to run for England, as I was in essence selected off potential, so I’m so thankful and grateful to the selectors,” he enthuses.

“The DNF in London is still a mystery to me. It could have been the heat, hayfever, nerves of the occasion, or even something going slightly wrong in the build-up. 

“I was way off target pace at halfway, overheating and heading for big trouble. That was when me and Alan decided it was best to step off the course. It was the right thing to do. I probably would have caused great harm to myself otherwise.

“It took a while to recover from in a mental sense though. I’d worked so hard and for so long at something for the race just to completely fall apart. I was questioning what I was doing for a while.

“Luckily, the selection came along, which provided plenty of motivation!”

Preparations were perfect for Toronto

That motivation clearly helped him run those late summer PBs, setting him up nicely for a timely confidence boosting lead up to Toronto.

Pearce says he knew he was in good shape, was recovering from training sessions well and hitting all the prescribed paces and times set by coach Storey. 

He adds: “It was just a matter of executing all of that training on race day in order to record my first time down on paper.”

The fact he was to swap the searing heat of the London marathon for the bitterly cold Canadian autumn didn’t phase him either.

“I actually prefer cold conditions” he jokes.

Pearce says the wind was more of a factor on race day “as the course is incredibly exposed on the front of Lake Ontario”.

He adds: “I tried to keep to my prescribed pace, but had to run alone from 11k onwards. That made the closing 8k of the race incredibly tough, as they were directly into the wind! 

“I feared those last few miles of the race as it was heading into the unknown, but now that I’ve done it I know I can do it in the future.”

Training solo

The British international cross country athlete is no stranger to running alone, as he does all his training solo.

He says it makes him better able to deal with the demands racing can throw at him.

“I’m not too bothered about training alone,” he asserts. “I feel it gets you mentally stronger for the marathon distance. 

“I train on my own because it’s hard to fit in with others doing similar training around my full time hours.

“In the build up to Toronto I was sometimes having to do 1.5-2 hour sessions on my own at 6am!”

Those early morning and evening runs have continued post-Toronto, with studying taking up most evenings too. 

Full time work and 100+ mile training weeks

“When I’m in full training there isn’t much time to do anything else! It’s very full on, but I like being busy,” he says. “In my downtime, I like meeting up with friends and watching and playing sports. When I’m older I hope to play a lot more golf!

“My biggest fear comes from not recovering and getting enough sleep. The training part strangely doesn’t seem that bad compared to the rest of the day.”

The rest of the day must be pretty challenging considering the effort Pearce puts into an average week’s training.

Pearce’s training sessions

“A big week will be 110-115 miles,” he reveals. “That will include around three sessions and seven or eight easy runs. Those sessions will include efforts like: 15x1km (off 75secs recovery), 1 mile, 10x400m, 1 mile, or a two hour run at 5:50 minute/mile.

“However, it changes all the time. Generally, I have a down week every few weeks, and sessions will also be set on days where it fits in with work and other commitments.

“Alan always listens to how I’m feeling and how I’m recovering, adjusting the week accordingly. I don’t do any cross training unless an injury crops up. I also don’t do much strength and conditioning, but it’s something I’ll look to add into my training very soon.

“My favourite sessions are definitely the longer tempo type rep session work. Long runs of up to 2 hours 15 minutes at a good pace are what I really enjoy. That’s one of the reasons I stepped up to the marathon.

“Fuel-wise I eat a balanced diet, but also tend to treat myself quite a bit at times! I take a very relaxed approach to nutrition, although carb-loading in the lead up to a marathon is a thing for sure.”

Loughborough University and studying Stateside

The Loughborough University Management Science graduate is glad of his time studying Stateside, where he earned a Masters in Accounting at Tulsa.

“Both universities were great for my athletics at differing points in my life,” he reveals. “I stayed in the UK for my undergraduate degree because I wanted to compete at home with the aim of gaining international representation. 

“The facilities at Loughborough are great. I was coached by George Gandy during my time there and my running came on well. 

“I then had the choice to work full time or take up a scholarship in the US. The choice was a no brainer for me. 

“The likes of Chris O’Hare, Marc Scott and Luke Traynor went to Tulsa. They were brought on greatly by the athletics programme, so Tulsa seemed a perfect fit for what I was looking for. 

“University sport in the States is set up in a much more professional manner than in the UK. I feel incredibly privileged to have experienced it. 

I would advise other athletes to do their research before heading out, though. Make sure you’ll be able to transition well into the new training programme.”

American highway – student adventure road trips 

Pearce’s time in the US wasn’t all plain sailing, however.  As is traditional for foreign students looking for adventures abroad, he thought nothing of buying an old clapped out car for a road trip along with two other young bucks.

Sadly their planned journey from Tulsa down to New Orleans was cut short when the banger broke down in a small village in North Louisiana. 

Refusing to be defeated, the trio hired another car to complete the trip, only to arrive in New Orleans at 11pm to discover they’d booked the hostel for the wrong weekend! 

He adds with a laugh: “Luckily some athletes from the University of Tulane put us up for a few days!”

Tonbridge AC’s rise to the top

It could certainly be argued that that American adventure has been topped since he’s returned to British shores with his achievements in the Tonbridge AC vest.

Tonbridge have grown into one of the UK’s most successful clubs under the guidance of long term coach, Mark Hookway, who also forms part of the Trackside Podcast team.

Pearce is glowing in his praise for the club he’s been a member of since 2009.

“It’s great being part of such a strong athletics club,” he says. “I feel incredibly fortunate to have been introduced to the club by my maths teacher at school in Tonbridge. 

“Although many of the older athletes are now dotted around the country and the world, people still make the trips to races. 

“The club has been developed and brought together by an incredible amount of hard work from Mark. All of us athletes at Tonbridge AC realise the club would not be where it is today without him.”

A marathon future

Pearce is allowing himself to recover fully after his marathon efforts in Toronto before he considers his next racing venture.

However, he is in no doubt that he’s found his favourite competitive distance.

“Having had a taste of the marathon it definitely seems my preferred option in the longer term,” he reveals. “At the age of 24, I feel there is much more progression to be had at the distance. It’s where my strength and potential lies.”

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The post Bouncing back from a debut DNF to running a 2:19 marathon appeared first on Fast Running.