Parkrun is back, the Olympics are here. Do not retread your sets, this is real life. While we wait for the Olympic repast to fully kick in when the athletics start at the end of this week, here’s a substantial meal to pension you going as you wait.
Hot on the heels of last week’s Gold Standard meet in Birmingham the British Milers Club was when 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 weightier for the second time this year, taking flipside 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, moreover a PB. navigate the four women’s 1500m races 20 athletes ran inside 4:30.00.
A unconfined 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 stuff part of the wits 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 mentor George Gandy who passed yonder older this year. It was only fitting then there was moreover some racing to gloat 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.
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 well-spoken in her goal of running the Commonwealth Games qualifying time of 15:30:00 and her throne in hands moment without crossing the line showed just very real (but good natured) frustration she felt. It is that combination of love for the sport but momentum 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 write-up Ferghal Curtain who ran 13:49.91 and Sam Stevens who finished in 13:55.87.
Full results can be found here
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 sexuality 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 pearly bit of Masters and Veterans whoopee 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 yonder 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 yonder with Bronze and a time of 15:11.4. The women’s race was increasingly spread out – Inverclyde ACs Nynke Mulholland comfortably took the championship title in 17:49.06 vibration 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 overdue her in 19:32.85. The men’s race had a well-spoken winner in V40 Richard McDowell who ran 15:35.46, leaving Ben Paviour and Andy Bond to wrestle for second and third, with Paviour finishing in 16:24.97 and Bond in 16:25.32. The Northern Masters 5000m track championship moreover took pace this week but results are pending.
Road roundup
There was plenty of whoopee on the roads often this week. Older today the Helena Tipping 10k took place in Wrexham. Samantha Harrison unfurled her run spanking-new form by winning the women’s race in 32:56, vibration 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.
Natasha Cockram took a fine win versus strong competition at the ASICS 10k in London. Her time of 33:37 was unbearable to take victory superiority of Lauren Heyes (33:52) and Verity Ockenden (34:44) in second and third.
Andrew Heyes took the men’s victory in 29:25 moreover vibration 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 superiority of Mohammed Elbayan’s time of 16:14. There was an plane increasingly inveigling with at the Runlwade 10k where U20 Fintan Kavanagh left the competition for dead. Sittingbourne’s Kavanagh finished 5 minutes throne of the rest of the field, breaking the tape in 35:16. The Romney Marsh 10k moreover 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 vibration all the other ladies in her time of 46:27. Over the shorter loftiness 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 tapped 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 unsober the men’s victory in 35:43. There was moreover 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 plane worthier 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 when 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 variegated bread!!
I'm only smiling here considering I can finally see tarmac!!
It was nice to get out of my repletion zone and try something variegated though.
Thanks @elvetstriders for a 'great' race.
PS I didn't plane see the Willow Miner or his wife!! ????♀️ https://t.co/O1tFh3L24S
— Aly Dixon (@alydixon262) July 22, 2021
