Belfast Brilliance

The highlight of this weekend’s cross country action came at the Northern Ireland International in Belfast, part of the World Athletics Silver Cross Country Tour which also incorporated the fourth stop of the British Athletics Cross Challenge, the Celtic Games and Home Countries International.

Making a surprise visit to Belfast, reigning World Cross Country Champion and two-time Olympic medallist Hellen Obiri led the senior women’s race from the outset and did not relinquish that lead, completing the 8km course in 26:44. There was a good battle behind, however, which saw Fast Running’s Hannah Irwin have an excellent race and move away from Mhairi MacLennan in the final home straight, with the duo completing the podium and taking the top two spots in the Cross Challenge.

Eleanor Bolton had a good race to move through the field and finish fourth, four seconds ahead of last month’s European Cross Country U20 Champion Megan Keith.

 

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After fourth and second place finishes in Cardiff and Milton Keynes, Zakariya Mahamed made it to the top of the Cross Challenge podium with a win in the senior men’s race. Mahamed was joined by Stuart McCallum and Italian IIlliass Ouani in a break midway through the 10km race, and a strong last lap saw the Southampton athlete finish seven seconds ahead of Ouani (29:49 to 29:56), with McCallum a further seven seconds back for third (30:03).

Scotland’s Hannah Ryding (U20 women), Sam Mills (U20 men), Connor Bell (U17 men), Lucy Foster (U17 women), Freya Woodhead (U15 girls), Jamie Wallace (U15 boys), Callum Dick (U13 boys) and Emer McKee (U13 girls).

Magnificent in Manchester

In my review of 2021, I gave a cheer to Bryggen Sports for organising one of the only indoor events in England last year, getting across the line (pun intended) just before the nationwide lockdown curtailed all racing opportunities.

This weekend it was once again Vicente Mohdal’s team who kicked off the indoor season with the Boxx United Manchester World Indoor Tour at Sportcity on Saturday. The event also had the honour of being the first event of the prestigious World Indoor Tour that culminates with the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade in March.

The highlight from a distance perspective came from Osain Perrin who bettered his own 3000m British U20 Record (7:54.41) and became the third fastest European U20 in history over the distance. His time was a four second improvement from his previous best run in Sheffield a fortnight ago and suggests a strong season is ahead for the Welshman. Qatari Mohamad Al Garni won the race with 7:52.68.

Photo credit: James Rhodes

Romania’s Claudia Bobocea took a commanding win in a 1500m that saw lifetime indoor bests for Jenny Selman (4:12.55, her second in as many races in 2022), Georgie Hartigan (4:14.06), Sabrina Sinha (4:21.09) and Maisie Grice (4:24.17). A strong last lap saw Piers Copeland take the men’s 1500m in 3:42.14, his third win on the Sportcity track in the past 12 months.

In winning the 3000m, Ciara Mageaan was rewarded with a World Indoors qualifying time (8:47.23). It was an impressive race for the Irish athlete based near Manchester, who’s 2:44 last kilometre saw her overtake long-time leader Luiza Gega in the final straight. Behind her, there were good runs for Verity Ockenden (8:51.17) and Jenny Nesbitt (8:54.99), with PBs for Revee Walcott Nolan (9:01.26) and Izzy Fry (9:02.16).

The fastest over 800m were Issy Boffey (2:03.11, her second fastest indoors) and Ben Greenwood (1:48.04, an indoor best). In all, 16 athletes set qualifying marks for the World Indoor Championships, a great start to the indoor season.

Photo credit: James Rhodes

Fast Indoors

It was not just Manchester that was providing indoor competitions over the weekend, however. In the capital, Lee Valley was playing host to the London Indoor Games, one of the largest indoor athletics competitions since before COVID-19 entered our dictionaries with over 850 athletes registered. The longest race distance of the weekend was 800m, where Ben Murphy (1:49.96) and Abigail Ives (2:06.07).

Taking place amidst COVID restrictions that limit the number of athletes allowed indoors at any one time to 30, Sunday’s Cardiff Met Non-Thomas Open included a series of races over 800m and 1500m. Highlights included outright PBs for Blake Moore (3:44.84) and Ellie Wallace (4:24.79), the fastest over 1500m.

Finally, to the British Masters 3000m Championships in Sheffield, hosted as part of a wider set of open competitions on the track and field. A four second margin of victory provided steeplechase specialist Daniel Eckersley (M35) with the fastest time of the afternoon (8:44.34), whilst an even bigger margin saw Alexis Dodd (W35) the fastest of eleven women in the field (10:52.74). Behind her was an impressive run by W60 Fiona Matheson in 11:01.55.

Speedway delivers again

It would be remiss of me to not start the road roundup at the Santa Pola Half Marathon, where Jess Piasecki ran a superb 67:20 to finish second. That time sees her move to third on the British all-time list, behind Paula Radcliffe and Liz McColgan, and is a two minute improvement on her best. Safe to say it has been a fantastic twelve months for Jess that have included the Tokyo Olympics and a 31:19 10km at the Leeds Abbey Dash.

Brilliant run from @jess_piasecki_ now 3rd on the GB all time half marathon list , GB girls distance running is so strong at the moment . Well done Jess #pb #halfmarathon #running #strongwomen pic.twitter.com/lecWoL2d8N

— liz mccolgan (@Lizmccolgan) January 23, 2022

The title of fastest domestic road race of the weekend goes to the Speedway 10k in Chepstow, just outside Bristol. Organised by Chepstow Harriers, the event has built a reputation for accommodating fast times; indeed, the previous edition in May 2021 saw a comfortable win for Jenny Nesbitt whilst Omar Ahmed was the quickest of 12 men who finished in under 30 minutes and 53 in under 32 minutes.

This year’s event was equally as fast, with victory going to steeplechaser Phil Norman, improving from his second-place finish at this event in January 2020. Not only did he improve his placing by one, but with a 29:11 clocking he improved his PB by one second. Not a bad way to start the year for the Woodford athlete in just his third race since the Tokyo Olympics. Behind him were good outings for Josh Griffiths (29:14), Jonathan Cornish (29:22 PB), Dan Nash (29:27) and Dominic James (29:30 PB). In all, 11 men ran sub-30 and 33 sub-32 taking advantage of what were perfect racing conditions.

Alex Eykelbosch took to the win for the women ahead of an equally impressive field where nine women ran sub 35 minutes and 20 ran sub 37. The Dacorum athlete delivered what must the considered the best performance of her senior career to clock 33:31. Clara Evans, with 2021 highlights including a 2:31:19 marathon and PBs over 5000 and 10000 on the track, has started the year where she left off, her 33:44 seeing her hold off strong competition from Olivia Tsim (33:48), Elle Twentyman (33:49), Kirsteen Welch (33:49) and Kate Drew (33:58) to claim second spot.

Alex Eykelbosch storms to victory. Photo: Tom Craggs

Fast in Farnborough (& Elsewhere)

Andrew Heyes (64:17) and Philippa Bowden (76:12) had good outings at the Farnborough Half Marathon on Sunday, bettering the winning times of Stephen Blake (1:11:03) and Lesley Locks (1:18:51) last year. It was not an easy win for the Hallamshire athlete Heyes, with the top three separated by just six seconds with Sean Chalmers (64:22) second and Jonathan Glen (64:23). Last year’s winner Lesley Locks was second of the female athletes (78:30), with Carla Molinaro (79:31) third.

Also on Sunday was the Carlisle Resolution 5k / 10k, where the 10k race was celebrating its tenth anniversary. With the races starting and finishing at Carlisle Racecourse, Melissa Albarran (38:38) and David Holmes (32:28) were first across the line in the 10k, Jules Hatcher (17:03) and Fiona Smith (19:45) doing the same over 5k.

Sunday also saw the Nigel Barge Memorial 10k held in and around the Garscube Estate in Glasgow, a race named after the soldier and keen athlete killed during World War II. Organised by Maryhill Harriers, it is one of the oldest road races in Scotland, having been first held in January 1943. This year’s event continued its fine tradition, with Finlay Todd (31:36) and Meredith Reid (37:01) taking the respective wins.

Ending the 10k round up, Ian Allen (34:59) and Charlotte Everard (44:23) went home quickest at the Tempo Winter Series 10k in Ilmington.

Imperial March

It was also a weekend for the less-frequently run imperial distances, with a flurry of five- and ten-mile races taking place across the country.

The Great South Run may provide the fastest 10 miles of the year; however, there are a host of lower key but well-established races over the distance that attract some excellent fields of club runners. One such example is Sunday’s Fred Hughes 10, organised by St Albans Striders, where Scott Cousins (50:12) and Alice Belcher (59:21) took wins over a tough course that incorporates a number of challenging hills.

Staying in the south but moving to the Canterbury 10. Organised by Invicta East Kent Athletics Club and sponsored by Pentland Homes, the race provided Charlie Brisley (49:39) and Helen Gaunt (60:04) with lifetime bests in finishing as the fastest athletes. It must be a lucky course for both, as they also won the previous edition last August!

Although certified as a multi-terrain race, the Romsey 5 provides a flat and fast three-lap course in the grounds of the Broadlands Estate in Hampshire, and Annie Mann (29:22) and Gary Armstrong (26:30) made the most of the conditions and course to cross the line first.

Sticking with five miles, James Deane (24:59) and Gemma Collier (29:12) took wins at the 28th edition of the Linda Franks Race in Cheltenham.

The Kids Are Alright

By my count, there were eight School XC Championships taking place across the country this weekend, including Berkshire, Hampshire, Kent, Surrey, Somerset, West Midlands, Hereford & Worcestershire and Northant. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, results are online only for a small handful and, in the interests of fairness for all and given the extent of racing elsewhere, I have not included these today.

Not All About the Kids

At the other end of the age spectrum, there were also a couple of competitions in the mud dedicated for masters athletes. Wimbledon Common played host to the Vets AC Open Championships, with men and women running together across the five-mile course. Richard McDowell recorded an emphatic victory, finishing the five mile course over 45 seconds ahead of the rest of the field. Gina Galbraith was afforded a similar margin amongst the women racing.

At the same time as racing was underway in Wimbledon, the Sussex Masters Championships were kicking off about 40 miles to the south at Coombes Farm in Lancing. With the two genders running separately but over the same five-mile course that included 400 feet of elevation gain and, according to the course description a cattle grid. Results were not online at the time of publication (but I had already written this paragraph, so left it in!).

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There were a few jaws on the floor at the results of the Lisbon Half Marathon where Jacob Kiplimo set a new World Record of 57:31.

The surprise was less at the fact that the record was broke – Kiplimo is the reigning half marathon world champion and won a bronze medal at the Olympics over 10,000 meters – no, it was that way he went after it that set athletics fans chattering this morning.

After going through 5k in 13:40 and 10k in 27:05 he hit the 15k mark at a pace that would have had him finish in under 57 minutes. That’s some gutsy running. No wonder then that he finished a whole two minutes ahead of his nearest rival (Tsehay Gemechu) and slowed a bit towards the end, completing the race one second faster than Kibiwott Kandie’s existing record which was set last December in Valencia.

All eyes will be on Valencia again in two weeks’ time to see if that record is going to fall once more.

Photo: maratonaportugal.com

Piasecki continues fine form

Jess Piasecki may have been a bit hidden by the headlines, but her performance must not go unnoticed. A 69:44 placed her eighth in a top notch field. That’s a sizeable chunk off her existing best at the distance and continues her run of good form.

The winner was Tsehay Gemechu Beyan from Ethiopia in 66:06. Jack Bowles was the first from the UK in the men’s race in a time of 76:13.

A huge hat tip also goes to Tom Doney who ran a PB of 2:30:59 at Verona Marathon to take third place.

Cross Country All Over the Place

The Penlaven Arena in Brecon played host to the Welsh Inter Regional Championships which saw all ages from Primary through to Masters taking place. The Senior Women’s 6k XC race saw Lauren Cooper bring home the win in 22:13 for Parc Bryn Bach which contributed to the Eastern region taking to overall victory. Megan Carter-Davies was second in 22:39 and Katrin Reischmann third in 23:04 – both ladies run for Swansea and the Western region who placed second in the team rankings.

The Senior Men had 9.3k to contend with and overall it was the Southern region that won out. Matt Edwards of Cardiff AAC played his part finishing first in 29:45 with daylight between him and Phillip Matthews (30:02 – East) and Dewi Griffiths (30:26 – West).

RESULT/CANLYNIAD Brecon/Aberhonddu 20/11/21
SENIOR & MASTER MEN / DYNION – Overall

1⃣ Matt Edwards – South Wales 29:45
2⃣ Phillip Matthews – East Wales 30:02
3⃣ Dewi Griffiths – West Wales 30:26
4⃣ Larry Ryan – South Wales 30:51 pic.twitter.com/4eYt08h1YV

— @welshathletics (@WelshAthletics) November 20, 2021

Cross Country is in full swing in the UK, but we also saw some UK athletes racing in NCAA XC this week. Charles Hicks placed fourth in the Division I championship race, charging through the 10k course in 28:48 and finishing in what is reportedly the best placing by a Brit since 2003. Scott Beattie was next from our shores, running 29:46 for 58th place.

The women’s race was 6k, with Bella Williams topping the Power of 10 list in 20:08 for 51st place. In Division II Toni Moore was top lady in 21:12, racing for Omagh / Lee University and Callum Elson first gent in 32:22.

In France, Oliver Heaslip was in action at the Cross Colvic Elite and finished in tenth place, clocking 25:54 over a 7.5k course.

Ghafari and Dixon win London Champs

Highgate Harriers’ Seyed Taha Ghafari won the 10k men’s race at the London XC Championships in an eye watering 33:57 – a time that would be impressed on the road let alone on that classic Parliament Hill course! Ahmed Abdulle was second for Ilford AC in 34:03 and Michael Cameron took third for Thames Valley harriers in 35:18.

The women’s race covered 6k and it was Holly Dixon who raced home first, clocking 22:19 for Cambridge Harriers. There was a little daylight before second placer Georgia Holden powered through to take the runner-up spot in 22:41, chased down but Hannah Cox in 22:48.

Photo: Lenny Martin

Eastern Counties AA Cross Country Championships took place in Horseheath, Cambridgeshire. Michael Gilbert was first over the line in 40:30 beating Sam Boreham in 40:58. Further results pending publication.

At the Midland Counties 5/7 Mile Championships (XC) it was a win for the home-team as Martha Coyle of Notts AC won the 5 mile edition in 30:55, with Tamara Freeman (32:28) and Ella Taylor (32:37) comfortably behind. Over 7 miles George Beardmore of Worcester took 35:42 for first finisher, holding off Jack gray (35:43) and Merhawi Tkue (38:52).

On the Roads

Sound the course record klaxon for Anna Bracegirdle who placed tenth overall at the Conwy Half Anna Bracegirdle in a brilliant time of 77:48. As a gauge of how good that run was, it’s worth noting that the next lady home was Carla Green in a creditable 85:11 and then Claire Walton in 86:58. Gary Priestly took the crown in the men’s race, breaking the tape in 70:28 ahead of Michael Young’s 72:12 and Tom Roberts in 72:32

Sri Chinmoy held their final race of 2021 in perfect conditions in Battersea Park this weekend. Nick Bester took the win at the Golden Leaf 10k, Matching his PB to take the win in a perfectly judged 32:22 with a two second negative split.

 

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In second was Andrew Annett of Mourne Runners in 31:36 and third was Charlie Sandison (Fulham RC) in 31:48. Nick Hooker also went sub-32, taking fourth in 31:54. In total, 25 men went sub 35.

The women’s race saw Annie Birch (London City) and Hannah Pullen (Waverly Harriers) working together for some for the way. In the end, Birch pulled away to take the win in a PB of 35:24, showing great form ahead of Valencia Marathon in two weeks’ time where she is targeting 2:45.

Pullen held on for the runner up spot, also running a PB of 35:32 and the final podium place was taken by Daniella Maggs of Belgrave Harriers in 39:05 (PB).

Chelmsford AC hosted the Essex 10 Road Running Championships. Fresh from taking the 10 Mile County title at Stebbing Remembrance 10 Mile race last week, Scott Cousins of Springfield Striders was the favourite heading into the race and didn’t disappoint as held off the Tonbridge AC pair of Daniel Bradley (2nd in 31:21) and Stephen Strange (3rd in 31:33) to win the race and the County title in 30:47.

Veteran Liz Davies made it a Springfield Striders double by winning the women’s race in 36:22. With Laura Thomas of Ipswich Jaffa taking 2nd in 37:06 and Charlotte Bishop of Basildon AC finishing 3rd in 37:53.

The Leicestershire 10k in Prestwold starts off on a racecourse before covering a little trail and a few lumps, but is generally known as a good course. Capitalising on good conditions (albeit with a slight wind), Henry Lupton raced home first in 32:45, leaving his victory in no doubt. Matthew Scarsbrook was second in 33:07 and Ian Bailey in 34:25. Becky White took the women’s win in 40:42

The Norman Woodcock Relays hosted by Elswick Harriers was reportedly a blustery affair, run around Newcastle Racecourse. Tyndale Harriers A came away with gold honours thanks to a total time of 25:34 and some great runs from Charlie Daley (8:24), Jess Sails (9:00) and Harry Courtney (8:10). Morpeth Harriers A nabbed silver in 25:46 and Dlaydon Harriers bronze in 26:11.

Riverside Runners’ St Neots Half Marathon had a strong women’s field – Ellen Mcleod smashed her PB by over three minutes, running 81:17 for a well-deserved win. Triathlete Lucie Custance took second in 82:17 and Emily Jeanes third in 83:14. Dulwich Runners went 1-2 in the men’s race thanks to Timothy Bowen’s 72:17 and Shane O’Neill’s 72:53. Graham Jones of Marshal Milton Keynes AC raced in to take third in 73:46

Castle Coombe “Chilly” 10k saw a four minute PB for Vicks Kenny of 35:39 to claim victory. It was also good to see Charlotte Taylor-Green back in action, taking second in 36:10 after a tough year. Elizabeth Diamond was third in 37:54. For the gents it was Felix Rusby who sped home to a confident win in 33:08, well in front of Phil Burden (33:54) and Terry Emmett (34:43).

 

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Ultra-Fun

If race circuits and on 10k don’t quite cut the mustard for you then look no further than the Madeira Island Ultra Trail which makes XC look like child’s play.

The 115k option at MIUT always has a strong field, being part of the ULTRA-TRAIL® WORLD TOUR and a qualifying race for Western States 100. Sophie Grant was out for a “bonus race” and did rather well, caming home 6th in 19:38:47.

Charles Houston of Hunters Bog Trotters was 5th in the 42k option in 4:00:28
Other UK runners taking part were as follows:

115k : Sam Walsh (22:05:01) and Nuno Santos (23:23:14)
85k: Thomas Iles (14:10:36), James Anderson (14:18:59), Christopher Nelmes (17:43:33)

We’re waiting on results from the Merebrook 15k and the Hadleigh 10 and 5 mile. There was so much fantastic racing going on this weekend that if we haven’t covered it, it’s not because it wasn’t worthy but rather because we have to stop somewhere!

The post Brits perform at NCAAs & Piasecki performs in Valencia appeared first on Fast Running.

Hot on the heels of last week’s Gold Standard meet in Birmingham the British Milers Club was back for their Loughborough Grand Prix yesterday. Ben Greenwood won the 1500m in style as he took  a massive seven seconds of his personal best, crossing the line in 3:41.75 and edging out Ireland’s Darragh McElhinney who ran 4:41.76 and James Heneghan of Cardiff with 3:42.53. The race saw eight men run sub 3:45.00. Across the A, B, C and D races 26 men ran inside 3:50.00.

In the women’s race Ellie Baker rewrote her best for the second time this year, taking another two seconds off to take victory in 4:11.33. Georgie Hartigan was next over the line in 4:12.33 and Sabrina Sinha took third place in 4:14.20, also a PB. cross the four women’s 1500m races 20 athletes ran inside 4:30.00.

A great night at the @BritishMilers Grand Prix in Loughborough. Brilliant to see @_patrickdever go sub 4 in the Gandy Mile.The @LboroAthletics & @LboroSport did the Gandy man proud tonight.Enjoyed being part of the experience working on the Already looking forward to nxt yr pic.twitter.com/VP62ip6mIt

— Lewis Moses (@lewmoses9) July 24, 2021

Earlier in the day, many had gathered to remember endurance coach George Gandy who passed away earlier this year. It was only fitting then there was also some racing to celebrate his life and honour of winning the inaugural George Gandy Memorial Mile went to Patrick Dever in a new track record of 3:58.63. He was chased home by Tom Mortimer in 4:02.24 and Benjamin West in 4:05.22. The race saw PBs for 11 of the 13 starters.

 

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If you were watching the live stream then your heart would have gone out to Jenny Nesbitt who ran a commanding 5000m and finished first in a tantalising 15:34.86. Jenny has been pretty clear in her goal of running the Commonwealth Games qualifying time of 15:30:00 and her head in hands moment after crossing the line showed just very real (but good natured) frustration she felt. It is that combination of love for the sport but drive to compete which makes her the athlete she is. Abbie Donnelly was second in 15:53.25, followed over the line by Hanna Irwin in 16:11.69.

Hugo Milner led the way in a men’s podium which was full of PB’s. The Derby and Harvard Uni  athlete’s winning time of 13:44.46 was a huge eight second PB and beat Ferghal Curtain who ran 13:49.91 and Sam Stevens who finished in 13:55.87.

Full results can be found here

 

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Regional track action

Earlier in the week BMC regional races were held at Chester-le-Street on Monday. There was only the 1500m on offer in the regionals and Cameron Deverill (U17 Giffnock North) was the man of the night, taking his win in a PB of 3:55.83. Christopher Perkins was runner up, with 3:56.67 for Birtley with Kieran Reay of Tyne Bridge taking third in 3:56.96. There were very few ladies competing, but Millie Howard of Harrogate didn’t let that stop her and ran the fastest female time of the night in 4:20.35.

Elsewhere on the track at the Ashford Athletic Open Meeting  Louis Small ran 8:49.51 for the win over 3000m

There was a fair bit of Masters and Veterans action this week. On Saturday at the Ayleshire Athletics Arena in Kilmarnock it was time for the  scottishathletics Masters 5000m Track Championships (including Open 5000m). The top three men all came away with PBs on top of their podium spots. Gala Harriers’ Callum Tharme took gold in 14:49.96, Lewis Rodgers finished in the silver position with 14:53.28 and Peter Avent walked away with Bronze and a time of 15:11.4. The women’s race was more spread out –  Inverclyde ACs Nynke Mulholland comfortably took the championship title in 17:49.06 beating Kara McKenzie-Tair in 18:02.03 and Fiona Matheson’s impressive V60 run of 18:38.65

Meanwhile in England the Veterans AC 5000m Championship in Wimbledon saw two ladies dip under 20minutes – Anna Critchlow (V50) who won in 19:08.72 and Ginevra Stonely (V45) a little behind her in 19:32.85. The men’s race had a clear winner in V40 Richard McDowell who ran 15:35.46, leaving Ben Paviour and Andy Bond to battle for second and third, with Paviour finishing in 16:24.97 and Bond in 16:25.32. The Northern Masters 5000m track championship also took pace this week but results are pending.

Road roundup

There was plenty of action on the roads generally this week. Earlier today the  Helena Tipping 10k took place in Wrexham. Samantha Harrison continued her run excellent form by winning the women’s race in 32:56, beating Sophie Woo (34:55) and Sara Willhoit (35:05).As with last year’s race, there was one man who ducked under the thirty minute mark. This time it was Matt Clowes who ran 29:53 for the victory, with Nigel Martin and Daniel Connolly taking the runner up spots in 30:31 and 30:55.

 

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Natasha Cockram took a fine win against strong competition at the ASICS 10k in London. Her time of 33:37 was enough to take victory ahead of Lauren Heyes (33:52) and Verity Ockenden (34:44) in second and third.

Andrew Heyes took the men’s victory in 29:25 also beating a very strong field with Josh Griffiths second in 30:05 and Scott Overall third in 30:26.

During the week the Bedford Harriers Doug Anderson 5km saw Jack Goodwin run off with the prize in 14:50 – nearly two minutes ahead of Mohammed Elbayan’s time of 16:14.  There was an even more convincing with at the Runlwade 10k where U20 Fintan Kavanagh left the competition for  dead. Sittingbourne’s Kavanagh finished 5 minutes head of the rest of the field, breaking the tape in 35:16. The Romney Marsh 10k also took place but results are pending –

The Draycote Water Midweek 5 & 10k  wasn’t a veterans race on paper but in practice, maturity won out. Finlay Finlay (really?) saw off the competition to take a 10k win for the V40s in 34:53 and Julie Robertson represented for the V60s beating all the other ladies in her time of 46:27. Over the shorter distance the M50s took the victory thanks to Mark Baker’s 21:24 and Sara Northover’s 23:38.

RunThrough had their usual slew of races. Midweek honours wend the Ian Allen at Chase The Sun Coventry where he broke the tape in 33:40 and Katherine Robinson who was seventh overall and first lady in 42:11. At the equivalent race in Clapham Sophia Tuckerwon the women’s race in 44:46 and Ben Carr bagged the men’s victory in 35:43. There was also a 5k option there, which saw Dave Edwards finish first in 17:25 and Jessika Ferreira in 21:57.

Run through Newbury Racecourse was a multi-distance affair. Over 5k Michael Beckett led the field home in 16:20 and Kathy Leach did the same for the ladies in 22:38. Stepping up to 10k, it was David Bell and Phillipa Bowden who went home winner, in their times of 33:49 and 34:41 respectively. And finally for Newbury, James Turner won the Half Marathon option in 74:53 and Sophie Carter came home eight overall and first woman in 87:27.

Run Aintree Half Marathon on Sunday saw Simon Crawford win his race by five minutes, finishing in 1:11:13 while Catherine Charlton won hers in 01:24:40. In the 10k Rebecca Concannon was first lady and sixth overall in 37:05. Ciaran Ferris was first home for the men in 32:51. The 5k victory went to Matthew Wall in 16:11 and Louise Cumber (V50) who was eight overall in 19:10.

Bedford Motor Circuit Grand Prix had an even bigger range of races.Winners were as follows: Marathon – Ty Farrer 2:37:09 and Julie Warner 3:06:41, 20 miles – Julia Bijl 01:52:23 and Elvedin Bektic 01:45:23, 16 miles – Will Cooper 1:40:18 and Sally Green 2:03:20, Half Marathon – Becki Timmings 81:35 and Karl Welborn 69:35, 10k – Chris Darling 31:09 and Claire Thurgood 38:54, 5k – Sophie Harris 16:23 and David Hudson 15:28.

The big race on the trails this weekend was the Lakeland 100 / 50. Mark Derbyshire and Anna Troup  were first back to Coniston in 19:10:27 and 25:09:20 for the hundred, while the fifty was won by Runar Sather in 0741:11 and Emma Stuart in 9:18:19.

Aly Dixon was teaching her legs new tricks this week as she tried her hand at trail racing,  winning the Willow Miner Race (5.7 miles) in 42:19, with Graeme Watt winning men’s honours in 38:11.

Trail runners are a different bread!!

I'm only smiling here because I can finally see tarmac!!

It was nice to get out of my comfort zone and try something different though.

Thanks @elvetstriders for a 'great' race.

PS I didn't even see the Willow Miner or his wife!! https://t.co/O1tFh3L24S

— Aly Dixon (@alydixon262) July 22, 2021

The post George Gandy honoured at the BMC – weekend roundup appeared first on Fast Running.

Born to Run (in the USA)

It’s not often that I start my write ups with news from the United States, or by merging two Bruce Springsteen songs together, but the Sound Running Track Meet held in the early hours of Friday and Saturday nights (UK time) provided plenty of talking points and outstanding performances. The event was billed a bit of an innovator for track and field, with a Pay Per View subscription to watch both days of action with all profits going to the competing athletes. Good news for the 28 Brits in action.

Action kicked off on Friday with 10,000m and some incredible debuts over the distance by European Indoor Champion over 3,000m Amy-Eloise Markovc and Jess Judd, who finished in fifth and sixth with 31:25.91 and 31:25.98 respectively. Both now sit in the top 10 on the UK all-time list. Agonisingly, however, both were less than a second shy of an Olympic qualifier.

That is not to take anything away from two superb debuts; that is the first time Amy-Eloise has competitively raced the distance in any form, and whilst Jess has run seven times on the road, it is over 50 seconds faster than her 32:16 road best set at the Trafford 10k last March. More impressive, perhaps, is that it comes only five days after Jess improved her 5000m PB by over 10 seconds to go inside the Olympic qualifying time. A fitting tune up for the European 10,000m Cup and Olympic Trials in three weeks in Birmingham, where both Amy-Eloise and Jess are due to race.

 

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Steph Twell continued her return from injury with 33:25.15 in the same race as she looks forward to the Olympic marathon in three months time. Matt Leach ran 28:41.24 in the men’s race, his second fastest time over the distance in his first 25-lap race since the 2019 Night of the 10,000m PBs, whilst David Melville ran a 29:00.26 PB.

The good performances continued on Saturday over 800m, 1500m and 5000m. In her second competition since taking bronze at the European Indoor Championships, the 5000m provided an incredible race for Verity Ockenden as she took over half a minute off her PB to run 15:03.51. Not only that, it is well inside the Olympics qualifying standard (15:10.00) and moves her from 51st to 13th on the UK all-time list. Verity is also expected to run at the European 10,000m Cup / Olympic Trials in what will undoubtedly be a fascinating race.

There were also good performances for the men over twelve and a half laps, as Andrew Butchart ran 13:20.39 for second in his first outdoor track race since the 2019 World Championships, whilst Josh Kerr improved his PB by five seconds with 13:23.78 for fifth.

 

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The 1500m races also did not disappoint, the highlight of which was a victory and big PB for Herne Hill Harriers’ Katie Snowden, who took over three seconds off her lifetime best – set only six days ago at the USATF Golden Games – with 4:02.98, an Olympic qualifier. It was a combination of the time, the nature of her victory (an impressive 62.4 second last 400m) and the athletes she beat; these included Olympic finalist Kate Grace, 2015 World Championship 800m bronze medallist Melissa Bishop-Nriagu, steeplechase 2017 World Champion and Olympic bronze medallist Emma Coburn and four-time NCAA Champion Jessica Hull. Also in the field were Jemma Reekie (4:05.09 for eighth) and European Indoor medallist Holly Archer (4:11.98 for thirteenth).

Snowden in action in 2020. Photo: James Rhodes

Jake Heyward made an impressive return to racing with 3:36.24 for second behind Olympic Champion Matthew Centrowitz, improving his 2018 PB. A good season opener for the Cardiff athlete after a tough time with injury. Behind him Marc Scott, perhaps now best known for his longer distance exploits, overtook four guys on the last lap to run 3:36.28 for third, his second fastest 1500m and an undoubted confidence booster ahead of three weeks’ time. George Mills recorded his fastest opener with 3:40.11 for ninth.

Finally, good performances continued over two laps with Laura Muir (1:58.71) and Adelle Tracey (1:59.84) both running under two minutes for first and third respectively, both just shy of the times they ran at the Golden Games last Sunday. Ellie Baker continued her impressive form with 2:01.82 in the ‘B’ race, a race in which Hannah Segrave ran 2:02.72.
Kyle Langford (1:47.00), Guy Learmonth (1:47.90) and Charlie Grice (1:49.26) rounded out the British distance athletes in action.

 

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Bests in Birmingham

Closer to home, the week saw a flurry of track action. Wednesday saw the second of the University of Birmingham’s Track and Field Series, which also hosted BMC Gold Standard races over 800m and 1500m. Having seen some standout performances at the first event of the year last month, expectations were high and the athletes did not disappoint.

The 800m provided a ‘home’ win for Mari Smith as the Birmingham-based athlete crossed the line in 2:06.01, an improvement on her run at the Trafford Grand Prix last weekend. Paced by reigning European U20 Champion Issy Boffey, fresh from her 1500m PB in Trafford and about an hour after running a 400m PB, Mari finished over three seconds ahead of U20 Indienne King (2:09.15, PB) and U17 Kiera Brady-Jones (2:09.18).

Mari Smith. Credit: James Rhodes.

Half of the eight-man field set PBs in the men’s race over two laps, with the fastest time recorded by reigning European U20 Champion Oliver Dustin in his first race of the year. The Border athlete was a shade outside his PB with 1:47.08, his second fastest time over the distance. It was an impressive victory for the U23 athlete in only his second 800m since August 2019. It was a close battle for second and third, with Thomas Randolph (1:48.00) and Rocco Zamman-Browne (1:48.07) both rewarded with new PBs.

The metric mile proved to be a fast race with the first seven across the line setting new lifetime bests and 11 of 16 in the field setting PBs. The top four were separated by less than a second, but it was Mark Pearce who took victory with 3:44.43. It was Mark’s second PB of the week, having done so over 5000m in Trafford. Not a bad week’s work, and a nice bonus for his coach Luke Gunn, the evening’s Event Director.

The women’s race over 1500m saw Maisie Grice better her best over the distance for the second time in five days. Having run a four second PB last weekend, Maisie improved by a further second with 4:23.18. The U23 athlete built a commanding lead from the early laps and crossed the line over five seconds ahead of the field. It was another Birmingham University athlete Yasmin Austridge who finished second (4:28.25) also in a PB. Portsmouth’s Ellie Farrow took third (4:28.67), with half of the field setting lifetime bests.

In the open races, there were fast times for Max Heyden (14:18.48) and Elisha Tait (16:56.38) in winning the 5000m, both in new PBs. Shout out to competition director Charlie Davis who, as well as overseeing the majority of the evening’s events, came away with a 14:28.26 PB.

Racing in the Streets

Yes, that is another Springsteen reference, as road racing continues at pace. Notably this weekend saw the Reunion 5k in Kempton Park, part of the government’s Events Research Programme and seen as a step towards the potential return of mass-participation sporting events. Two races were held, one with social distancing measures in place (runners setting off in pairs every three seconds) and the second a mass start as in days prior to COVID, with no social distancing. rules in place at all. Ollie Garrod and Georgina Parker recorded the fastest times across the two races, crossing the line in 15:28 and 18:53 respectively.

In the home of this year’s Olympic Marathon trials there were good times run at the Richmond Runfest-organised AIR:RUN 10k on Saturday and Kew Gardens 10k on Sunday. Saturday’s races saw a comfortable win for Samantha Amend in 37:24, ahead of Lizzie Keep (37:42) and Hannah Novakovic (37:46). A good performance for the Belgrave Harrier just three weeks after setting a British Record for 100 miles on the track. The men’s race saw Oliver Bridge (33:13), Pierre Meslet (33:36) and Stuart Farmer (33:44) take the top three spots.

There was an impressive time for Paulos Surafel in Sunday’s race, finishing almost three and a half minutes ahead of the field with 29:57 – particularly impressive given the many tight turns on the course. Lawnmaster Ramisier (33:22) and Cameron Dockerill (33:41) took second and third respectively. The honours for fastest woman went to Jo Vickers thanks to her 38:05, over a minute ahead of England Marathon runner Danielle Nimmock (39:15) who had a fine run at 4.5 months pregnant. Louise Mills was third with 39:34.

Sunday saw the ‘Acclaim Limited’ Open 20 Mile Road Run take place on the Isle of Man and, whilst we are awaiting for official results, Ollie Lockley ran an impressive 1:42:47 to take the win. That equates to 5:08 miles.

Ollie Lockley. Photo: Erika Kelly

RunThrough’s races continue to roll in, with five events happening over the past week. Sunday’s Birmingham Running Festival hosted races over the 5km, 10km and half marathon distances. It was Ian Allen (33:15) and Emily Grimwade (41:15) who took victories over 10km, with the honours going to Hermione Green (19:58) and Matthew Missen (17:37) over the shorter distance. Victoria Williams and Jonathan Tindall took wins over the half in 1:26:44 and 1:16:39 respectively.

Saturday racing around Battersea Park saw victories for Andrius Jaksevicius (31:41) and Julia Bijl (35:33) over the four lap 10km and Hannah Pullen (17:12) and Nat Rowland (15:57) over the shorter distance. Johannes Arens and Alice Heather-Hayes recorded the fastest times at the Colchester Zoo Stampede 10k with 33:25 and 38:30 respectively.

Wednesday’s Olympic Park Chase the Sun provided wins for Andrew Barrington (32:47) and Kathryn Spring (39:49) over 10km and George Gurney (15:32) and Katie Brown (16:51) over 5km on a newly measured course around the London Stadium. The Heaton Park equivalent saw fastest times recorded by Jayne Lawton (41:38) and Kieran Smith (35:52) over 10km, David Hinmde (18:43) and Eve Pannone (19:42) over 5km and Ashley Buckley (57:49) and Jenny Pilling (72:39) over 10 miles.

Finally, Sunday also saw the Worcester Full and Half Marathon take place, organised by Tempo Events. The marathons were won by Tomasz Pokorniecki in 2:56:32 and Gemma Mallett in 3:15:24, whilst the half distance saw fastest times run by Hannah Welling (1:30:26) and Ben Kruze (1:12:54).

Walk On By

The European Race Walking Team Championships took place on Sunday in Podebrady in the Czech Republic, with four Brits in action. Tom Bosworth finished 15th in the 20km walk with 1:22:27, whilst Cameron Corbishley crossed the line in 18th less than 30 seconds later, setting a new PB of 1:22:50.

In the women’s race at the same distance there was a PB for Heather Lewis (1:34:13) to finish seventeenth, whilst Bethan Davies finished 31st with a time of 1:37:09.

Back to the Track

BMC Regional races were held on Wednesday as part of the Thames Valley Harriers’ Open Meeting, with the standout performance coming from Revee Walcott-Nolan, who improved her 800m PB by over half a second with 2:01.06. A hugely impressive time, but still only good enough for seventh on the UK list for 2021, such is the depth over two laps.

 

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Other fast times recorded in the BMC races were by Finn McNally (8:20.16) and Gemma Kersey (9:19.58) over 3000m and Ben Murphy (1:51.36) over 800m. In the open races, wins were recorded by Samuel Burnell (8:59.34) and U15 athlete Izzy Perry (10:49.11) in a new lifetime best over 3000m, Martin Turton (4:06.60) and Lauren Church (4:45.96) at 1500m, both setting PBs, and Alexa Parker (2:19.09) and Thomas O’Reilly (2:01.11) over two laps.

A series of races between 800m and 3000m were held as part of the Loughborough Open on Wednesday. Kilbarchan’s Jack Patton (8:14.55) and Megan Marchant (10:27.71) recorded the fastest 3000m performances of the night, whilst over 800m Nicole Montgomery (2:13.68) and Josh Fiddaman (1:54.77) both set PBs in taking wins. The men’s 1500m was an impressive affair with the entire field, all of whom are studying at Loughborough, setting PBs, including race winner Sam Stevens (3:48.93). The women’s race was won by Sophie Tooley (4:38.98).

The series of open meetings hosted by Harrow AC continued on Thursday with two 3000m races, the fastest times recorded by two U17 athletes – Kai Chilvers (9:11.54) and Maddie Hughes (10:20.29), both of whom set PBs.

The Peterborough & Nene Valley May Open Meeting on Sunday saw fastest runs over 1500m set by Sam Knee Robinson in 4:08.2 and U15 athlete Gabby Bilbie with 5:00.7. Sunday also saw the second South London Athletics Network Open Meeting take place, including races over 5000m and 1500m. In wet conditions Anontio Silva (15:02.66) and Grace Batchelor (19:12.82) recorded the fastest performances over 12.5 laps, whilst SLH’s Christo Chilton (4:14.06) and Hercules Wimbledon’s Georgina Clarke (4:48.66) took the honours over the 1500m. There was also a small PB for me in the 1500m (4:26.80).

Saturday’s West Suffolk Steeplechase Festival in Bury St Edmonds provided PBs for Michael Cameron (9:06.4) and Maisie Grice (10:12.0) over the 3000m steeplechase, the latter setting her third PB of the week. There were also wins for Henry Dover (4:13.0) and Jessica Norkett (4:56.3) over 1500m alongside Max Berry (2:00.1) and Eliza Hayden (2:19.0)over 800m.

Marathons in Milan

Whilst it does not involve any British athletes, it would be remiss to mention the winner of the elite-only Milan Marathon – Kenya’s Titus Ekiru, who ran a hugely impressive 2:02:57. That is the fastest marathon since Kenenisa Bekele and Birhanu Lesesse at the 2019 Berlin Marathon, and equal fifth fastest of all time. Between 2014 and 2018, that precise time was the World Record (until Eliud Kipchoge rewrote history with 2:01:39). The top six all ran under 2:05.

Ethiopia’s Hiwot Gebrekidan took victory in the women’s race with 2:19:35, a four-minute PB, and a three minute margin over second placed Racheal Jemutai Mutgaa. Both race winners broke the Italian all-comers’ records, with the fastest 26.2 mile performances on Italian soil.

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The big event of Saturday was the first BMC Grand Prix of the year, which took place in Trafford. As has been the case in the past, there were some swift times at this season opener. A cold wet evening did not deter the athletes – 123 ran PB’s, five ran U20 European Championship Standard times and four ran the U23 Standard.

Over 1500m Sarah Healy, Ireland junior international, took gold in 4:11.98 with Erin Wallace (Giffnock North) claiming silver in a U23 Euro standard of 4:13.02 and Revee Walcott-Nolan (Luton) bronze in 4:14.62. Jeremy Dempsey clocked a huge PB of over eight seconds to take victory in the mens A race running 3:42.49. James Thie coached athlete James Heneghan also ran a big PB breaking 3:45 for the first time with 3:43.10 with Ethan Hussey also running an excellent PB of 3:43.17.

In the 5000m Jenny Nesbitt (Cardiff) was in winning form yet again. It was a pretty solo race up front for her after the pacer dropped out and Kate Avery made the call not to complete the race. Nesbitt says she is still “searching for that race that clicks”. Nonetheless she broke the tape in 15:40.10 to take a convincing victory over Beth Kidger of Brighton Phoenix, who finished in 15:53.60 and Mhairi Mclennan of Preston Harriers who took third in 15:55.40. A special FR hat-tip goes to our own Hannah Irwin (Cambridge & Coleridge) who broke 16 minutes for the first time, doing so in style to finish fourth with 15:56.07 on the clock. Eleanor Bolton (Ribble Valley Harriers) ran a PB and Euro U23 qualifier of 15:58.38 which gained her fifth place.

Tom Mortimer (U23 Stroud) comfortably succeeded in his goal of running a U23 Euro Champs standard and topped the men’s 5000m podium in a PB of 13:39.79. Jonathan Davies (U23 Reading AC) was second in 13:53.06, and Kristian Jones was third (Swansea) in 13:53.25. Henry McCluckie (Shaftsbury Barnet) ran well inside the U20 Euro qualifying time (14:25.00), placing ninth 14:06.70

In the 800m races it was Alex Bell (Pudsey and Bramley) who laid down a swift marker with her first race over the distance this year. She won in 2:00.14. Archie Davis (Brighton Phoenix) won the men’s race in 1:46.65.

Full results for all the distances can be found here.

Alex Bell. Credit: James Rhodes.

Open meet roundup

Around the country there were various other track meets happening earlier in the week. The Medway & Maidstone Open Meeting on Monday night saw Nicole Taylor (Tonbridge /BrightonuNI) place 5th and quickest lady for the 3000m in 9:30.68, with Tewelde Menges (Medway & Maidstone) running 9.11.11 for the overall win.

Wednesday’s Cambridge Local Open Competition gave Jeremy Dempsy (Shaftesbury Barnet / Cambridge Uni) the chance to take a convincing victory over the same distance with his 8:09.1 being a solid 45seconds clear of his nearest competitor. Libby Brown took top lady cor CUAC with a 10:44.5 on the clock.

In the Yeovil Distance, Steeplechase & Jumps Open on Saturday Christian Green of Wells City won the 3000m in a PB of 9:26.12 and Hannah Blundy (U17 Wells City/Yeovil) ran the fastest women’s time with her own PB of 10:06.7. In the Bracknell Club Championships T20 athlete Daniel Wolff (Epsom & Ewell) won the mixed 3000m in 9:38.0 to beat Morgan Mkambula’s PB of 10:16.2 (A,F&D). Sophoe Thomas (Wycombe) was the only lady in the field, finishing fourth in 11:39.0.

The Aldershot, Farnham & District Open Meet 5000m was won by Jamie Grose (Poole AC) in 15:27.8 and Niamh Brown (A,F & D) in 17:35.7. It was great to see Louise Small back racing after a long period out with a torn achilles.

 

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At the Battersea Park Friday Night Under the Lights 5k Jack Rowe (A,F&D) was standout class in a high quality field, racing home to victory in 13:36. That’s faster than his track PB over the same distance (13:37.85) and will give him his first official road result.

James Rowe was well clear of John Sanderson (14:06.9) and Andy Coley-Maud (14:08.1). The event saw some of London’s finest club runners competing with 39 men breaking 15 minutes.

Naomi Taschimowitz smashed her road 5km PB to take the women’s win in 16:15.8, beating Naomi Mitchell (Reading AC) who was back in the game after her appearance at the GB marathon trials last month. She has clearly recovered well as she finished in 16:18.0 – another PB. Michelle Pearson (Belgrave / Australia) was third in 16:26.5. Again the depth of the racing was fantastic with 23 women breaking 18 minutes.

Jack Rowe. Credit: James Rhodes.

The Hatfield 5 mile race has moved around rather a lot and eventually took place not in Hatfield but Bovingdon. Our roving reporter Nicky Payne (Ealing Southall) tells us that the drift-racing track felt oddly sticky under foot which must have been rather disconcerting for the four laps required! Scott Cousins was first home in 25:11 to take the win for Springfield Striders, beating Michael Waddington (25:18) and Will Bowran (25:32). Marathoner Georgia Schweining (Cambridge Runners) ran 27:03 to secure her victory, well clear of Alex Eykelosch (Dacorum & Tring, 28:10) and Kay Pritchard (Cambridge and Coleridge, 29:04).

On Monday Adam Hickey (Southend) was a tantalising three seconds off his PB, topping the podium in 29:56 at the Whitstable 10k and leaving Joshua Teece (Central Park) in his wake to take second in 33:23, followed by Cole Gibbens (Invicta Kent) who set a PB of 34:44. Hickey also raced the 5km in Battersea 4 days later, finishing 5th. Unattached athlete Lisa Reid was the winner of the women’s field in 43:55 with Sheryl Stoakes (also unattached) running a PB to represent the V40s in second place and Mary Ward (V50 Tring RC third in 44:26).

Global and ‘Golden’ events

As is customary now, we turn our eyes to the USA to see what the Brits have been up to over there this week. Nathan Baker ( Middlesbrough (Mandale)/Milligan College) did the double at the Montreat Last Chance, winning the 1500m in 3:54.33 and the 5000m in 15:23.58. In Oregan, Roisin Flanagan (Omagh / Adams State Uni) ran 15:47.57 for the win over 5000m at the Portland Twilight meet and Gilbert Grundy (Guildford & Godalming) made it a double for the runners from across the pond, taking his win over the same distance in a PB of 14:05.58. Anna Tait (Victoria Park Glasgow / San Francisco Uni) was sixth in the 1500m, with a time of 4:25.84.

Later today, Laura Muir will be celebrating her birthday by running the 800m alongside Jemma Reekie at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold event – The USATF Golden Games at Mt. SAC. Eilish McColgan will be in action over 1500m and GB Olympic Marathon squad member Steph Twell will be testing her turnover in the 5000m.

It was interesting to see the Hokkaido Sapporo Marathon Festival and Ready Steady Tokyo events go ahead this week as key testers for the Olympics. Hillary Kipkoech (KEN) won the men’s half marathon in Sapporo in 1:00:46 – his first official race over the distance. Mao Ichiyama won the women’s event in 1:08:28 to set a new best over the distance. The Ready Steady Tokyo even took place at the National Stadium and was part of the World Athletics Gold Tours (as is the Golden Games, see above). It can be watched back here and full results are here. For GB, Rabah Yousif was running the 400m and finished fifth in 46.69.

At the Gold Gala Fernanda Ribeiro in Portugal Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay ran an astounding 29:29.42 to place fifth on the world all-time list in her first ever official 10,000m. The race also saw Kalkidan Gezahegne take the seventh place on the list with her time of 29:50.77. With only five in the field, there was a huge spread of times which made for tough conditions further back as athletes were inevitably lapped. GB’s Lily Partridge ran 34:11.90.

Home on the trails

Back in the UK and out on the (rainy) trails, Richard McDowell set the fastest 100miles at any of Centurion’s events, completing the Thames Path 100 in 13:43.42. Lorna Spayne was the first lady to reach Oxford in 20:02.31.

Richard Mcdowell. Credit: Stuart March.

Rebecca Bunting took a punt and ran the Endurance Life South Devon Coastal Trail Series road shoes. It wasn’t until later she found out exactly how much that had paid off (due to a covid-staggared race start) as she won the marathon distance outright, finishing in 3:57:5 to beat Victoria Ratcliffe who was second overall in 4:19:29. Laura Swanton-Rouvelin was fourth and third lady in 4:23:17. The men’s podium places were third, fifth and seventh overall, and were occupied by Mark Ellis (4:21:44), Richard Dixon (4:34:48) and Alex Painting (4:36:21).

Commonwealth Games Bronze medallist Robbie Simpson won the Ultra X 50km on the banks of Loch Ness in 3:57:23. GB ultra trail runner Meryl Cooper was the winning woman taking victory by a full 28 minutes running a stunning 4:30:29.

The Maverick Race Original Surrey long distance was won by Brogan McCawley in 1:26:21 and Andrea Berquez in 1:43:25. Amy-Jo Clarke took the women’s win over the middle distance in 49:40 with Ross Wilkes topping the men’s times in 42:31 and victory over the short option went to Sophie Parsons (28:12) and Nik Darlington (24:48).

The post Athletes impress at BMC GP & all the action from the roads & trails – weekend roundup appeared first on Fast Running.

Watch out, the road times are falling

We start the roundup this week with a result that isn’t in the UK or a UK athlete, but would be remiss not to report it as it gives us a taste of what is to come and adds some useful context to recent performances.

Beth Potter’s seemingly out-of-the-blue World Record beating time at the Podium 5k last month shocked everyone. But perhaps it’s time we started re-assessing our expectations because Karoline Grøvdal from Norway also beat the official WR (14:43, Beatrice Chepkoech) by five seconds this week as she blasted home in 14:39 at the Maarud Gaard street race, organised by the Norwegian sports team Ull/Kis.

A steeplechaser by trade, Grøvdal beat Potter’s time by two seconds and her own track best of 14:51.66. It remains to be seen whether the time will be ratified, but it can’t be long before the record is officially re-written.

 

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Mid Cheshire 5km & Speedway 10km deliver again

No world records but plenty of swift times were clocked, as we travel around this week’s road racing action in the UK.

The Speedway 10k in Chepstow this morning had a top quality field which saw the top eleven men all go under thirty minutes. Omar Ahmed (Birchfield) took home a great win, finishing in 29:18 ahead of triathlete Grant Sheldon (Cambuslang Harriers) who was second in 29:28 and Josh Grace (AFD) third in 29:34.

Credit: Chloe Crossman

Jenny Nesbitt (Cardiff AC) has had a great run of track performances lately but today it was time to hit the tarmac. She was not happy with the time but she topped the women’s podium in 33:20. Chloe Richardson (Birchfield) ran her first recorded road 10k to finish second in 34:26 and Phillipa Williams (Bristol & West) was third in 35:30.

Not a good day for me. No excuses, onto the next https://t.co/sqxg2nwyeX

— Jenny Nesbitt (@jennynesbitt) May 2, 2021

After the success of the RunCheshire Elite Marathon last weekend the organisers had another busy time of it, as the Mid Cheshire 5k saw a strong field competing in their well attended series.

The women’s race was a brilliant fight to the tape with the top three finishing within three seconds of each other. Mollie Williams of Stockport Harriers broke it in a ten second PB of 16:25, keeping at bay the Vale Royal AC duo of Tessa McCormick (16:26) and Holly Weedall (16:28).

The top two men also had a battle to the finish with Alexander Brown of Morpeth Harriers grabbing the win in a 12 second PB of 14:11 ahead of Jonny Mellor (Liverpool Harriers) in an exciting sprint finish. Mellor was just one second behind him – it’s great to see him back at the racing after his frustrating and rather freak gout-bout meaning he missed out on the GB Marathon Trials and maybe an Olympic team spot. Mellor’s clubmate David Devine had a great race, finishing third in a new best of 14:24.

 

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Double celebration for Harrell

The Snetterton Race Track 10k and 5k near Norwich saw a comfortable victory over 10k for Highgate‘s Ash Harrell who finished nearly half a minute ahead of his nearest rival in 31:55. It was a weekend of celebration for Harrell who also got engaged to his partner Leisha, congratulations both! Ipswich Jaffa’s Heather Noone was 14th overall and first woman home in 35:38.

In the 5k there was a hometown victory for City of Norwich AC’s Amy Beck in 18:13 and then one mark to the other side of the local derby, thanks to Ipswich Harriers’ James Reeder and a 15:22 finish.

We’re not sure if the Gravesend Floodlit 10k and 5k series would actually need to be lit by now, but that’s what they call it so let’s go with it. Alexander Barber (Swanley & District AC) and Charlotte Wood (Dartford RR) weren’t blinded by the lights, winning their 10ks in 34:04 and 45:18 respectively. There wasn’t a 5k this time.

Granger & Naomi Taschimowitz shine at Newbury

RunThrough took a more passive approach to visibility as runners took part in Chase The Sun Brixton. That chase resulted in wins for Georgina Turner (38:23) and Dave Edwards (34:54) in the 10k and Margaret King (24:15) and Ryan Willmott (17:06) in the 5k.

At the equivalent race in the Midlands, Chase The Sun Tatton 10k saw success for David Barratt (31:13) and Lucy Cooke (38:27).

At Newbury Racecourse runners tackled the tricky, twisty gravel course over 5km, 10km and half marathon. 2011 u/23 Euro Cross silver medallist Naomi Taschimowitz raced over 5km taking the victory in 16:47. The men’s winner was Ben Cumberland who clocked 15:35.

The 10km saw Thames Hare & Hounds’ Jack Blaiklock cross the line in 32:41 to win with the women’s winner, Amy Killick, running 36:44. Jen Granger of Southampton AC won the half marathon in 79:30 with Ryan Coombs the fastest man running 75:38.

At the Wimbledon Common Half Marathon Dave Edwards was the winner in 78:55 with Felicity Harrison the winning woman in 90:18.

Results from the red rubber ring

Whilst things were more locked down, lots of local clubs stepped up to run track races in waves over short distances so that athletes had a chance to test themselves in a safe arena. It’s great to see this continuing now that more established or larger races are started to happen again.

Kicking off the action on Tuesday this week was Rugby & Northampton’s Moulton Race Night where the home club dominated thanks to Madeleine Jacks (U17) taking the top spot in the women’s times with 11:04.9 and Haydn Arnall (U23) with 8:52.2 for the men.

On Wednesday the Cambridge Local Open Competition covered a range of distances. The 800m proved an exciting one with Angus Harrington (Blackheath & Bromley/Cambridge Uni) and Jeremy Dempsey (Shaftesbury Barnet/Cambridge Uni) tying on time with 1:50.6, though Dempsy got a PB too.

Ellie Loosley (U17 Cambridge & Coleridge) was the fastest woman in 2:25.2 in her race, which had a full field. James Edgerton (Cambridge Uni Hare & Hounds), who was in action in Harrow last week, moved up a distance with success, taking the 5000m win in a PB of 14:38.8 and Phoebe Barker (Tonbridge/Cambridge Uni) was first lady in 17:04.0.

Wednesday was the night for running in circles, and in Jarrow the North East Grand Prix 1 was a winner for Henry Johnson (Houghton Harriers U20) who covered the 1500m in 3:53.69 and Ines Curran (U20 Gateshead) who ran 4:38.35.

Host club dominate at Aldershot Open

On the same night AFD hosted the Aldershot Open. Matthew Snowdon (Ipswich U23) ran the standout performance, smashing through four minutes for the first time to win the 1500m in a huge PB of 3:49.8. In a mixed race and her first attempt at the distance since 2016, Elena Carey (U23 Bracknell AC/Brunel Uni London) bagged herself the women’s fastest time of 4:35.2 and a new best.

In the 3000m Lilly Coward (Invicta East Kent/St. Mary’s Uni) was also going back to a distance she’d not competed in for some time and came away with top woman in 9:25.3. Jack Boswell (AFD) was first in the men’s race with 8:45.0.

In the 2000m walk Nicholas Hart (U20 AFD) was first in a PB of 9:36.4 and Abigail Jennings (AFD U23) in 9:40.6. Verity Snook coaches the top three (Lois Carty was third lady) and all athletes competing in the walk were from AFD.

On Thursday night our attention turned to Harrow AC’s Spring Open series where Luca Stubbs (Shaftsbury Barnet U20) went sub-two minutes for the first time in a convincing 800m win. Nicole McGovern (U17 Shaftsbury Barnet) was first lady and 2nd in her mixed race in a PB of 2:14.36.

After a DNF in the 3000m last week, Jack Dickson( Kingston & Poly) made a convincing return to the venue with a win in the 1500m and a time of 4:01:18. Martha Collings (Woking U20) was fastest woman in 4:37.12.

Update from the States

Slightly further afield, Fresno, California saw a slew of British athletes representing their American colleges in the West Coast Relays on Thursday and Friday. In the 1500m Jonathan Shields (Sheffield & Dearne/Boise State Uni) was 8th overall in 3:44.52, Bedford County’s Matt Leach placed 9th in a PB of 3.44.65 ahead of Tonbridge AC’s Chris Olley who finished moments later in 3:44.66. In the women’s race, Elise Thorner (Wells City/New Mexico Uni/Yeovil) got the 4th spot overall in a PB of 4:20.92.

In the 5000m invitational race, Thomas George (Birchfield H/Missouri) ran a blistering 14:09.44, finishing 23rd in the handpicked, speedy field. In the open 5000m, Nathan Dunn was 5th in a PB of 14:10.95 (Preston/Boise State Uni), Jack Leitch also ran a PB (14:18.49) for Worthing/Boise State Uni and Logan Rees added to the PB tally with a 14:26.49 (Fife/Boise State U)

After a couple of excellent recent 1500m PBs, Sarah Chapman also ran a 5000m best of 15:49.69 (Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow/Missouri). Over 10000m Poppy Tank ran a fantastic 32:52.65 (PB) representing City of Plymouth/University of Utah.

Finishing the UK Open meets

On Saturday Guildford and Godalming hosted the SLAN ‘Coming out’ Track & Field Open in Coulsdon. The 3000m win went to Harley Norman (South London Harriers U20) in 8:55.59 and Lisa Rooney (Collingwood AC V40) in a PB of 10:22.8.

The 800m was a chance for youngster Keeran Sriskandarajah (Herne Hill Harriers U15) to show his racing mettle, winning in 2:03.30. Youth won out in the women’s field too as Lilah Unwin (Reigate Priory AC U15) was first in a PB of 2:17.48

Earlier today the Worthing Open meet saw Cameron Allan (Houghton Harriers) run a 31 second PB over 3000m, finishing in 8:07.73. Beth Kidger of Brighton Phoenix ran brilliantly to take the fastest women’s time and ninth overall in 9:17.72.

At the longer end of things

The Country to Capital took the 43 mile route back from Wendover to London, Paddington on Saturday. Zoe Salt only needed 5:52:48 to cover the distance, in a close finish just seven seconds ahead of Miki Neant.

Thomas Beedell had a much more comfortable margin, taking the men’s win in 5:15:00 with no one close for another 13 minutes.

The North Downs Ridge 50k finished in a vineyard which sounds like a recipe for either delight or disaster, I’m not sure which. Paul O’Sullivan was fastest male in 3:40:30 and Samantha Davies fastest female in 4:28:57

The post Speedway & Mid Cheshire deliver again appeared first on Fast Running.

On Monday the PB 5k in Ardingly lived up to its name with the top 8 all running new bests.

Ellis Cross (A,F&D) broke the tape in a rapid 14:05 and a close finish against Daniel Jarvis (Bedford & County) who was just two seconds behind. At a slightly safer distance was Hamis Reilly (Medway & Maidstone U20) who ran 14:17 for third.

However, Sarah Astin (City of Norwich) didn’t need to run a PB to win her race – finishing in 16:13 and ten seconds clear of Belgrave’s Michelle Pearson (PB of 16:23). Chasing them both down for the final podium spot and another new best was Charlotte Alexander (U20 Herne Hill) who finished in 16:28.

Also worth a mention is Pippa Roessler’s time of 16:36 which puts her third on the All Time list for U17s, ahead of Andrea Whitcombe and Non Stanford.

 

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Weightman dominates Fast 5km again

Monday was clearly the day for Ronseal-eque races (just me?). The Fast 5k saw Laura Weightman (Morpeth) convincingly win the women’s race in 15:30, well ahead of an excellent run from Stockport’s Jip Vastenburg who PB’d in 15:59 and Kate Waugh (Birtley) who also PB’d with 16:15 on the clock.

A,F&D topped the men’s leaderboard again thanks to a 14:05 from Richard Allen but Hugo Milner (Derby) and Andrew Smith (Leeds) should be happy with their 14:13 and 14:16 runs which give them brand new targets to beat in the future.

3rd place for @JipVastenburg tonight amongst some World Class ladies @EventsOTN #5km
@AthleticsWeekly pic.twitter.com/ZS5RgFUOJe

— TeamNBMCR (@TeamNBMCR) April 5, 2021

The BMC 5k wasn’t quite so swift across the board, but there were some excellent runs nonetheless. Rob Samuel won in 14:20, from Tom Lancashire in second with 14:33 in cold conditions. Thomas Archer’s 14.38 win in the B race took him to 5th on the UK all time U17 list.

Irish 1500m record holder Ciara Mageaan eased away with a 6:08 last 2k to win the women’s race in 16:10 from training partner Izzy Fry (16:15) and Sarah Astin (16:16).

Strong fields feature in Wimbledon

On Sunday, Hercules Wimbledon hosted their own 5k and a 5k Masters competition. In the Senior men’s race a quality field kept the podium places all under 15 minutes. Ellis Cross (Aldershot) came top in 14:33.7 to beat Tim Lefory (14:47.2, THH) and Josh Grace (14:48.4, Aldershot).

Belgrave Harriers’ Michelle Pearson was first home in the women’s race, squeaking under 17 with a 16:59.2 on the clock. The battle for the remaining medals was fierce but in the end Suzie Monk (Guidlford) won out in 17:43.4, just beating Emily Wicks (A,F&D) in 17:45.2.

Full results of the Masters race can be found here but overall, it was Hayley Cargil (F35) who took home the women’s trophy in 19:02.5 ahead of Isobel Rea (19:53.4 F45) and Helen Pool (19:55 F45). Andy Bond won it for the men in 16:38.5 (M45), easily holding off Ben Paviour (M45 17:14.7) and Robin Jones (M45 17:17.)

The Middlesborough Endeavour Graded 5k has a tasty looking start list, but we are still awaiting official results and will update asap. We’ll also keep an eye out for the Blackheath & Bromley Spring Middle Distance Open Graded Meeting results.

Going longer over 10k

The RunThrough Tatton 10K is not known for being a PB course but the women proved otherwise on Saturday. First place went to Bury’s Hannah Price in an 11 second PB time 36:22, that’s hot off the back of her 17:18 at the recent Podium 5k race.

Rebecca Twardochleb (Newcastle U23) finished runner up in 37:12, also running a 52 second PB and Chrolton’s Amy Weyers kept the PB streak going with her third place time of 38:41.

For the men, it was Blackburn’s Ben Fish who raced home first in 31:49, beating Ian Mcbride (Bury) who beat his previous best to finish in 32:11. Scott Nixon came home third in 32:40.

The Chertsey House Series 10k took place in Guernsey earlier in the week with (understandably) a pretty local field. Richard Friedrick (Guernsey/Germany) was victorious in 32:00, besting James Priest who PB’d to run 32:10. U23 Sam Galpin was a safe distance behind in his own new record of 33:53.

The women’s race all hovered under and around the 40 minute mark and Rosie Williams was the one to get safely under it, finishing in 39:31 for the win. Megan Chapple raced home in 39:43 and Nicole Petit just missed out on that sub 40, clocking 40:02 for the final podium place.

Fine performances on the track in the UK and US

The Trafford Open Meet had two mixed heats of 3,000 the first of which saw Ellen Kearney (Wirral AC U20) finish first lady in 10:01.76. The fastest time overall came from George Lewis in the second heat, taking the win for East Cheshire in 8:43.89.

Over 5,000m Connor Mills topped the podium in 15:13.11 pipping Euan Brown to the line (15:13.12) as the pair made it a 1-2 for Hallamshire Harriers Sheffield AC. Elliot Smith (Newcastle AC U20) placed third in 15:37.20. The only woman in the field, Lauren McNeil gave a strong performance, finishing in 17:01.32 for Hallamshire Harriers Sheffield AC (she recently clocked 16:49 at the Podium5k).

Bromley 3000m saw a fine performance from Holly Dixon running 9:40.88 with Joshua Prendergast the fastest man clocking 8:57.90. Our own James Rhodes was in action in the 800m running 2:12.11.

British Athletes were also in action across the world. In Eastern Iowa at the NAIA Cross Country Championships Middlesborough’s Natahan Baker ranked 11th, covering the 8k route in 24:52 for Milligan College. Liam Barnsby was representing Baker Uni/Inverness and placed 82nd in 26:01 and Wirral’s Arran Kearney logged a 29:15 for Bethel Uni.

Preston’s Kian Davis was representing Oklahoma State Uni on Friday at the Joe Walker Invitational in Oxford, Missouri and did so rather nicely, winning the 1500m thanks to a new best of 3:47.63. Lewis Mills (Blackheath and Bromley)was also racing and placed 9th in a PB of 4:00.68.

In an earlier heat Cameron Field (Liverpool) ran 3:47.00 and Stephanie Moss (Sale Harriers) was 12th in her heat in 4:28.86. Preston are clearly sending their athletes far and wide with great success, as Charlotte Cook also bettered all her previous efforts when she ran 2:09.48 to place 4th for Uni of Central Florida at the USF Invitational. Hannah Seagrave (Middlesborough) was back in action at the Miramar Invitational and finished in 2:04:73 over 800m for seventh place.

Men’s 1500-Meter Invite | Heat 1

1. Kian Davis (Oklahoma State) – 3:47.63
2. Jantz Tostenson (Georgetown) – 3:48.51
3. Jack Crull (Bradley) – 3:50.32 pic.twitter.com/8Ovtdrro9I

— Ole Miss Track&Field (@OleMissTrack) April 11, 2021

Overseas on the roads

James Drakeford has clearly got used to the conditions in Taiwan and represented Bourneville Harriers well at the Liangkuo Cup Half Marathon in Dongshi, getting bronze in 76:41

Away from flat tracks and roads, it was brilliant to see Jenny Spink out racing again. She was one of eight elite athletes who set out to beat the 1988 men’s and 1994 women’s records for the Coll de Pal vertical roadrace in Spain.

Sara Alonso, Eli Gordon, Jenny Spink, Bárbara Ramon, Xavi Tomasa, Roger Roca, Daniel Osanz and Aleix Domènech all went for it and in the end, Sara and Daniel did beat the record.. ..but so did the rest of the women’s team too. This was despite Jenny’s build up being hampered by a knee injury. The previous mark of 1:47:59 was thoroughly destroyed with Sara Alonso setting the new mark at 1h40 and with Jenny completing the 19.6k and 1,300m elevation gain in a storming 1 hour and 42 minutes.

 

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Back in the UK there was a little out-of-season XC action in the form of the ATW XC Series Race 3. Chiltern Harriers won out thanks to Richard Slade who finished in 27:17. Emily Jeanes brought it home for Trent Park RC in 33:01.

In the longer distances, it should of course have been the NN Mission Marathon in Hamburg this weekend which was due to host, amongst a stellar line-up, one Eliud Kipchoge. However, we will have to wait another week to see how that one pans out.

There were no GB athletes (understandably) in the Xiamen Marathon & Tuscany Camp Global Elite Race which took place at Ampugnano Airport, but it’s worth reporting on just to get an idea of the current form of top athletes around the world as we build to the Olympics.

Kiptanui Erickiprono of Kenya won the race in 2:04:57, ten seconds ahead of his nearest rival. Compatriot Tanui Andelajemesunde topped the women’s race in 2:20:08, with the top seventeen all finishing inside the Olympic qualifying time.

The Canberra Times Marathon is due to post results soon.

A little more, er, local but joyful nonetheless was the Kent Spring Marathon which was won by Mathieu Lavedrine in 2:48:44 and Sharon Bollister in 3:22:05. The Half was won by Sophie McGoldrick in 1:34:15 and Alexander Barber in 1:15:13. We’re waiting on results from the Rutland Spring Half Marathon.

The post Flying performances in fast 5kms – weekend roundup appeared first on Fast Running.

The NCAA Division I and II Indoor Championships took place this weekend in America. At the DI competition in Fayetteville AR, Finley Mclear (Exeter), who won the Euro U20 Bronze, ran 1:45.91 for second place in the 800m to be beaten by only 0.01 second by Charlie Hunter of Oregon – this is why I’ll never run silly short distances – well, that and my legs don’t move that fast.

Tom Dodd (Birchfield Harriers) and Yusuf Bizimana (VP&TH) both made the mile final, clocking 3:58:65 and 3:59:55 for seventh and eight place respectively. For the first two laps Bizimana shared the lead with an Oregon athlete called Cole Hocker. Why should you care about that? Well, Hocker not only went on to win the race in a blistering 3:53.71 but an hour later he logged a 7:46.15 win over 3000m as well. Some cool-down.

 

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In the DII competition held in Birmingham AL, James Young (Morpeth) won the Men’s Mile race in a PB of 4:00:40. Toni Moore (Omagh) ran 17:28:26 to place 12th in the women’s 5000m, a run which may be a touch disappointing for her after a 16:55 at the end of February at the gulf Southern Champs which saw her win the Mile and 5000 and place third in the 3000.

Mark Vile has updated us on a fantastic performance Seb Anthony to finish 2nd at the Div 2 championships running a PB of 1:48 for the 800m, ranking him 7th all time in Div 2.

Britton gets stuck in at Italian XC Championships

It is green eyes of envy that we report on the Italian National Cross Country Championships, as XC season disappears without starting in the UK. World half marathon champ Jacob Kiplimo looked composed as he took a comfortable victory in the senior men’s race.

Fast Running’s own Robbie Britton was in action finishing the 10.4km course in 36:00 has he continues his own return to running. His local club A.S.D. Climb Runners qualified for their first national champs and his team mates Francesco Nicola and Lorenzo Gardini both ran strong races in 96th and 141st respectively.

The long running, mountain man said “I finished 134th, but I am just happy I wasn’t lapped by Kiplimo. We had a nice hail storm come in for the last lap or so, made it a bit muddier at least”. Highlights of the race can be found here.

Hills, but not much mud for Britton. You can tell we were a little short on photos this week when our editor features twice.  Photo: Enzo Mersi (Climb Runners)

Conway & Thackery impress in Australia

There were a few other UK athletes scattered around competing in their current localities – Danielle Rowlinson (Wolves & Bilston) clocked a 17:58:50 PB for 22nd place in the Ben Brown Invitational in Fullerton CA. Meanwhile, in the Myrte Beach Collegiate Challenge in South Carolina, Tess Masselink (Tavistock) took the 5000m win in 18:04.80 to beat her fellow Charleston Cougar and compatriot, Rhian Purves (Gosforth) who finished third in 18:39.89. Amber Scott (Mansfield) was also in action over 3000m and took the silver spot in 10:59.01.

Australia is able to race more freely than most countries at the moment and while they may be some way away, the Richmond Harriers saw a clutch of Brits test their mettle at the Tiger5 (5k) event in Clifton Hill.  In the men’s A race Orion Harriers were just pipped to the podium as Frankie Conway had to settle for fourth place in 14:47.83 and Jonny Earl (Hercules Wimbledon) was 17th in 15:48.28.

Cali Thackery (Rotherham) was runner up in 16:04.396 in with women’s A race, while the only GB PB of the event came from Jonney Yeates of Barnet who also nabbed a silver, running 15:55.34 in the men’s B race. In Spain, Jo-Anne Barfoot (V45) was competing for Team Bath over 3000m in the Control Invierno Málaga and came away with eight place and a new PB of 12:26:11.

 

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The World Athletics Tour Bronze Meeting in Canberra didn’t have any UK athletes competing and neither did the Sydney Track Classic World Tour Bronze where Matthew Ramsden of Wester Australia won the 5000m race and national champs in 13:29.99 while Andrea Seccafien of Canada topped the women’s rankings in 15:25.62.

More incredible racing in Japan

I’m afraid there are also no UK athletes in this next batch of results but I’m going to tell you them anyway because Japanese marathoning is so interesting and until the GB marathon trials race next weekend, it’s the only way to scratch that marathon itch. After the insane depth of field in the men’s Lake Biwa Marathon a few weekends ago, this time it was the turn of the women at the Nagoya Marathon.

A well known female-only race in Japan, it bucked the current norm of smaller elite only races. 2021’s edition saw not only the elite race, but a mass-participation field of 5,000, and 9,000 more in the accompanying half marathon. 62 year old Mariko Yugeta had her sights on beating her own 60+ world record (set at her 109th marathon in a time of 2:52:13). However, unlike the perfect conditions at Lake Biwa, the women were buffeted by winds as strong as 14 m/s.

Team Diahatsu (Japanese running teams and culture us well worth reading up in of you had no idea about this) took the win thanks to Mizuki Matsuda who seemed relatively unperturbed by the conditions and finished in 2:21:51 – close to record set there last year of 2:20:29. Yugeta still managed to notch up a great time, but fell short of her goal finishing in 2:54:32. A time which still only got her 70th place! If you ran 2:59:59 in that race you’d still only have got 124th place.

I may get in trouble for saying this, but I’m going to anyway – I can’t help thinking that if the women-only races in the UK assumed that you could have this kind of depth of field, rather than branding them pink fun-runs with sparkly medals, well, perhaps a lot more ladies would really believe they could log the times they are really capable of and stop saying “oh but I couldn’t keep up with….”. Anyway, I’ll get off my hobby horse and back to the results – the women’s half marathon was won by Rina Goto in 1:26:05 and the men’s half by Hajime Sakai in 1:05:59.

London Marathon funding announced

In other news, London Marathon Events announced the list of athletes it has offered to fund over the next year. They offer the funding to athletes who are not part of the British Athletics funding programme and so give the chance of some support for emerging, ineligible or otherwise overlooked athletes.

This year saw 29 athletes funded, many of whom we hope to see in action over the 3.3km loop in Kew Gardens next weekend as they compete in the GB Marathon trials. As soon as we have a start list for that race we’ll be sure to bring you a preview. In the meantime, get scrolling on Strava to see who you think is tapering hard.

LME funded athletes 2021:

Mohamud Aadan (Thames Valley Harriers); Charlotte Arter (Cardiff AAC); Sam Atkin (Lincoln Wellington); Alexandra Bell (Pudsley & Bramley AC); Elizabeth Bird (Shaftesbury Barnet AC); Emile Cairess (Leeds City AC); Hayley Carruthers (Birchfield Harriers); Rosie Clarke (Epsom & Ewell AC); Natasha Cockram (Micky Morris Racing Team); Jamaine Coleman (Preston Harriers); Ben Connor (Derby AC); Stephanie Davis (Clapham Chasers); Nick Goolab (Belgrave Harriers); Derek Hawkins (Kilbarchan AAC); Jake Heyward (Cardiff AAC); Sarah Inglis (Lothian Running Club); Tish Jones (Belgrave Harriers); Matt Leach (Bedford & County AC); Amy-Eloise Markovc (Wakefield District Harriers); Jonny Mellor (Liverpool Harriers); Jennifer Nesbitt (Cardiff AAC); Verity Ockenden (Swansea Harriers); Chris O’Hare (Edinburgh AC); Lily Partridge (Birchfield Harriers); Marc Scott (Cambridge & Coleridge AC); Zak Seddon (Bracknell AC); Jenny Spink (Bristol & West AC); Chris Thompson (Aldershot, Farnham & District); Alice Wright (Worcester AC)

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Whilst focus this weekend has been primarily been on the European Indoor Championships – for which I have written daily previews and so will not cover in detail here – there has been plenty of action elsewhere.

Sound Running Invite, California

The early hours of Sunday morning (Saturday evening local time) saw the Sound Running Invite in California, with three Brits in action.

Josh Kerr kicked off his 2021 season with victory in the 1500m – clocking 3:35.78. Both the quality of the field and the margin of victory were both superb – he was almost three seconds ahead of the rest of the field that included Olympic Champion Matt Centrowitz and bronze medallist in the same race Nick Willis.

Josh’s closing speed was mighty impressive with a 56 second last lap. Interestingly, his record against Centrowitz (who was second going into the home straight but finished 8th) is now 5-0.

Scott moves to 3rd on UK 5000m AT list

Whilst Andrew Butchart was racing at the European Indoor Championships, Marc Scott was a man on a mission over 12.5 laps in California. Marc ran superbly, finishing second in a race where the top five men all ran PBs and an Olympic qualifying standard. The race was won by Grant Fisher, the first of his professional career.

Why do I link him with Andrew? His PB – 13:05.13 – has moved him to third all-time on the British rankings, leapfrogging Butchart’s 13:06.21 and sitting behind Mo Farah and Dave Moorcroft. It’s all looking good for the summer!

The women’s race was an equally fast affair, with Emily Session running sub-15:00 for the first time (14:55.82) in her first track race since September 2019. As with the men, the top five all ran PBs and Olympic standards, including reigning triathlon Olympic Champion Gwen Jorgensen.

Unfortunately Eilish McColgan did not finish the race, having gone through 3000m in 9:02.32. Molly Huddle was another non-finisher.

Catch up with the action here –

Djibouti Half Marathon

In his duty as ambassador for the Djibouti Ports and Free Zones Authority (yes, really), Mo Farah made his 2021 debut at the first edition of the Djibouti Half Marathon.

In his first race since the Antrim Coast Half Marathon last September (excluding his pacing duties at the London Marathon), the double-double Olympic Champion took victory in 63:07, his slowest ever time over the distance.

Without video coverage of the event it is hard to say exactly how the race unfolded, but one can presume from the results Mo ran alongside training partner Bashir Abdi before speeding for the win, with the Belgian coming second four seconds behind.

The pair were over a minute ahead of the rest of the field that included David Nilson of Sweden, France’s Hassan Chahdi and the Netherlands’ Mohamed Ali.

 

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Elite Only Winter 10k, Newport

Saturday saw one of (if not the) first outdoor track action of 2021 in the United Kingdom, with the Elite Only Winter 10k in Newport. The event provided an opportunity for athletes to race ahead of the GB Olympic Marathon and Race Walk Trial later this month.

Lily Partridge took victory in the women’s race with 32:33.16, followed by Jenny Nesbitt, Clara Evans (in a PB) and Sarah Astin.

The men’s race was won by Emile Cairess with 28:14.30 (PB) with Kristian Jones second also in a PB (28:33.17). Dewi Griffiths, James Hunt and Michael Ward completed the field that finished the race.
In the race walks, Callum Wilkinson walked a lifetime best to lower his own National Record to 39:05.85, an impressive 50 second PB.

It’s great to see action returning to British soil, and hopefully there will be more to follow in coming weeks. You can read Alex Donald’s detailed report on the action here.

Terrific Torun! European Indoor Championships

At the start of the year, I didn’t believe the European Indoor Championships could possibly happen. Even a month ago, I thought it was a remote possibility.

However, I was proven wrong. In a sea of COVID-19 protocols, medical procedures and literally thousands of COVID tests, the event went ahead successfully, with a record number of athletes participating.

Great Britain sent their largest team to a European Indoors not held in the UK, comprising a large number making their senior debut, or gaining their first British vest at any level. The team outshone itself, bringing home 12 medals – a joint record.

They included gold for Amy-Eloise Markovc (3000m) and Keely Hodgkinson (800m), silver for Holly Archer (1500m) and bronze for Verity Ockenden (3000m) and Jamie Webb (800m).

I have written standalone daily reports on the action, and so have not covered any further information in this round up. It’s been great to have major athletics back after a 515 day absence, and it has certainly whet my appetite for the summer and outdoor season ahead.

The post Kerr beats class field and Scott, Partridge and Cairess impress – weekend roundup appeared first on Fast Running.

After Eilish McColgan and Marc Scott’s success last weekend it was time for another batch of athletes to hit the track in the US and aim for Olympic Qualifying times. The Texas Qualifier was split over two evenings – with the Friday being aimed at development and US Trials qualifying times and the Saturday for all out Olympic Qualifiers.

The event used similar technology to the wavelight seen at Night Of 10000m PBs last year as well as official pacers. In the end, the warm humid conditions made it hard for many to hit the times there were looking for, but there was still some great racing. Kicking off the action on the Friday, Steeplechaser Lizzie Bird who set a new 4:16.6 PB last August, joined the 1500m race and finished 8th in 4:21.19 before then going on the pace the 10000m.

 

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Onto Saturday and after her win last weekend, Hannah Segrave was back in action alongside Adelle Tracey in the 800m. Segrave looks to be starting her season in great form, running 2:01.33 to take third place behind dominating performance from Ajee’ Wilson (1:58.93) and Kaela Edwards. (2:01.33). She beat compatriot Tracey, who was fourth in 2:01.56.

James West was originally slated to run in what was set to be a very competitive 5,000m, but switched to the 1500m – perhaps because there seems to have been a huge dropout rate in the planned lineup of his original race.

Whether that was the right decision or not is hard to know as there seems to be something of a glitch in the results site for that race, but we do know that West (PB 3:34.7) finished 3:42.68. It was Justin Knight of the US who took the win in 3:36.62

 

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It’s worth highlighting one particular standout performance of the event: Konstanze Klosterhalfen set a new German record and hit the Olympic standard, winning in 31:01.71 in her first ever 10,000m race. She lapped the entire field including athletes who ended up setting really solid PBs. You can re-watch the action here.

Wightman steps up on the roads

Stephanie Moss set an indoor 800m PB of 2:07.39 at the Big 12 Champs in Texas. In Jacksonville Florida, Jake Wightman showed up and won out in the Ortega River Run 5 mile race in. He broke the tape in 24:20 to deny local guys Sem Sultanov (24:46) and Christopher McCaffrey (26:58). A nice way to finish up his US jaunt.

 

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England Athletics Virtual Road Relays concluded their National stage last week. 50 clubs qualified for the round which saw 1,026 runners take part. As with the regional stages, each runner completed five miles, with the fastest four men and four women scoring for their club.

Wirral AC were top of the pile at the end of the week, claiming a well earned victory thanks to TJ Jones (24:46), Ethan Brady Jones (24:51), William Strickley (25:23), Daniel Hayes (26:28), Sophie Tarver (27:11), Keira Brady-Jones (27:43), Emily Kearney (27:43) and Ellen Mary Kearney (28:34) who logged a combined time of 3:32:39.

The club now competes against the winners of similar competitions in Wales (Lliswerry Runners), Scotland (Edinburgh Uni Hare & Hounds) and Northern Ireland (NorthBelfast Harriers) on 19-22 March. John Heap, Chairman of Wirral AC, said:

“This is a fantastic achievement of which our coaching team and young squad should be incredibly proud. Wirral AC is only four years into a development programme designed to revive the club, a team-based approach to coaching has allowed us to quickly scale-up and integrate new athletes, new coaches and create new opportunities in the sport. …The strength building in our women’s team can be clearly seen, and with the development of our men’s team on the same trajectory, but two to three years behind, we believe the best is yet to come.”

Click here to view the full results on OpenTrack. City of Norwich AC were second in the club rankings followed by Aldershot, Farnham & District. Overall, Phil Norman was top of the men’s times in 23:02 (WGEL). Fast Running’s own Hannah Irwin was fastest lady for Guildford and Godalming AC in 26:56.00.

Impressive performances across the home nations

For Scotland, Edinburgh University Hare and Hounds will be progressing to the next round thanks to Holly Page (27:55), Naomi Lang (28:04), Alice Goodall (28:42), Katie Lowery (30:12), Eddie Narbett (24:26), George Rudman (24:37), Max Milarvie (24:45) and Callum Tharme (25:32). Edinburgh AC and Bellahouston Harriers are likely to take the runner up spots.

In the Welsh competition Katy Roy of Chepstow Harriers ran 30:15 top place top female, while Pontypridd Roadents AC logged the top three men’s times, with Paul Graham leading the rankings in 24:58.00. Andrew Milligan was fastest male in the Northern Ireland competition, logging a 24:44 run for Belfast Harriers while Jessica Down took top honours for the women in 27:18.00 for North Down AC.

Sensational performances at Lake Biwa Marathon

We’ve been focussing a lot more on the shorter distances lately as track racing is much easier to organise in a covid compliant manner. However, perhaps we are seeing some long-distance light at the end of the tunnel because today the first competitive real-life marathon took place in a long time.

Japan’s Lake Biwa Marathon always has a great depth of field and this was to be its final year before being absorbed into the mass-participation Osaka marathon – it certainly aimed to go with a bang. Boasting 53 runners under 2:12 on its startlist, the race didn’t disappoint thanks to near perfect conditions and pacing teams who were tasked with going under the Japanese national record.

There was a period of time when the record looked to be slipping from view but at 36km Kengo Suzuki used a cunning drinks-station-manoevre to drop the hammer on his unsuspecting rivals and surged away to finish in 2:04:56. That makes him the first Japanese man to break 2:05 beating the course record (Wilson Kipsang) by 1:17 and setting a huge PB by five and a half minutes. Behind him were two youngsters who were only running their second marathons (Hijikata and Hosoya) which suggests there are great things to come in the future of Japanese marathon running.

For those of you who followed that Boston marathon when Des Linden won in horrific conditions – you may be interested to know that the men’s winner that year and prolific racer, Yuki Kawauchi, finished in a PB of 2:07:28. In fact, the top 15 were all PBs or debuts (bar the winner) and came in under 2:08:00.

As the Fast Running team commented: “imagine running 2:09:54 and being 42nd”. If you want to watch a masterclass in race-manship, skip to 12:23 here and watch Suzuki drop the hammer shortly after you hear the commentator say “special drink”

In other news…

We reported at the end of January on Keely Hodgkinson’s U20 800m world indoor record of 1:59.01 which she set in Vienna. It hasn’t yet been ratified, but if it is then unfortunately it has already been beaten by Texas A&M’s Athing Mu. Mu has been flying recently and took down her previous best of 2:01.7 to a stunning 1:58:40. Well Keely, you better go get that record back!

Euro Indoors quad announced, with several withdrawals

British Athletics announced its squad for the 2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships, Toruń, Poland (4-7 March). Holly Archer and Katie Snowden will be taking care of the women’s 1500m, with Amy-Eloise Markovc, Verity Ockenden and Amelia Quirk looking after the 3000m.

For the men, it is Piers Copeland, Archie Davis and Neil Gourley who will be representing GB over 1500m and Andy Butchart and Jack Rowe in the 3000m. Marc Scott was offered a place but we hear that he has declined and plans to race a 5k on Monday 6th instead. Phil Sesemann is in the running to be called up as a reserve. You can see the full list here.

We are proud to announce that 41 athletes have been selected to represent Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the 2021 @EuroAthletics Indoor Championships in Torun, Poland between 4-7 March

Read the full announcement here

— British Athletics (@BritAthletics) February 22, 2021

And finally, back on the marathon tip – Athletics Kenya have confirmed their women’s marathon squad for Tokyo 2020 – Brigid Kosgei, Peres Jepchirchir, Ruth Chepng’etich and Vivian Cheruiyot. We’ll have to wait and see which of the UK athletes will be up against them when they put their lockdown training to the test in Kew Gardens on March 26th.

The post More racing in the US and Japanese marathon record falls – weekend roundup appeared first on Fast Running.