A weekend where cross country racing features alongside some speedy road times as the racing highlights. James Rhodes runs through the highlights.
How does one hold a celebration of ten years of Podium 5k? Hold a race, of course! Podium 5k returned to its birthplace in Barrowford and once more delivered a series of fast times across all races.
It was at this course in August 2023 that Hannah Nuttall set her lifetime best of 15:53. That time is no more, having made a considerable improvement to 15:19. She now sits alongside Laura Muir in joint tenth on the British all-time list. Hannah broke 15:00 on the track twice this year and has also set a PB over 3000m indoors in February. It looks like that fine form will continue into 2025.
One of the best performances came from Jess Bailey, who broke the British U20 Record with a 15:25 PB. Her prior fastest of 15:37 was set at the Mid Cheshire 5k in April, and she took seven seconds of Innes FitzGerald’s U20 record from May. She moves to eighteenth on the (senior) all-time list, sandwiched between Katie Snowden and Jo Pavey.
Steeplechase specialist Elise Thorner improved her PB to 15:41 to take third. Having returned from the University of Florida, Thorner is now part of Team New Balance Manchester, coached by Helen Clitheroe, with Hannah as a teammate. Her previous best was 18:53, although that was set back in 2018!
Photo: Podium 5k
Megan Davies (15:51) and Esme Davies (15:56 PB) also ran inside sixteen minutes for fourth and fifth respectively. Esme took over one minute off her previous best set last summer. Ty Brockley-Langford (16:09 PB) finished sixth, improving by 32 seconds. In seventh, Kirsty Longley (16:24) broke the British V45 Record.
Speedy Men Too
The men’s field had an international flavour to it, with Belgian Robin Hendrix setting the fastest time of 13:36. Two seconds back was British-based Ossama Meslek, coached by Matt Yates, who just pipped Phil Sesemann to third. Phil shaved one second off his PB, also recording 13:38. A pretty impressive time for the Leeds runner in only his third race since the Olympic Games marathon.
Another marathon runner, Ben Connor, finished fourth in 13:47, taking seven seconds off his prior best. Matt Ramsden (13:51) and Josh Lay (13:59) finished fifth and sixth, Josh racing for the first time this year. It was an encouraging performance, just four seconds shy of his 2020 PB.
Eight more men ran under 14:05, including triathlete (and 2012 Olympic Games medallist) Jonny Brownlee. It will be his first individual Power of 10 entry since 2021 (with two Northern Counties relay legs earlier this year).
Photo: Podium 5k
A Cardiff Classic
The British Athletics Cross Challenge kicked off on Saturday with the Cardiff Cross Challenge. Thanks to its status as part of the World Athletics Cross Country Tour, the event draws in international interest also.
Ugandan duo Keneth Kiprop and Charity Cherop won the respective senior races, with Kiprop retaining his title from last year.
In the senior women’s race, Kate Axford had one of the best races of her career to finish third. The Belgrave Harrier completed the 6.4km course in 20:21, just six seconds behind winner Cherop. She was closely followed by Cardiff’s Cari Hughes (20:25), with Izzy Fry (20:30) fifth. All three will have their eye on a spot in the British team at next month’s European Cross Country Championships in Turkey (8 December).
Behind, steeplechase specialist Poppy Tank finished sixth (20:38), Amelia Quirk (20:40) ninth and Meg Gadsby (20:50) tenth.
Zak Mahamed had the best British performance in the senior men’s race over 9.6km, finishing seventh. His 27:36 was precisely 30 seconds behind winner Kiprop. Fife AC’s Logan Rees had an excellent performance to finish ninth (27:42). He finished one place and one second ahead of Olympic 1500m finalist Niels Laros of the Netherlands.
Angus McMillan (27:55) and Dafydd Jones (28:02) were eleventh and twelfth respectively.
Innes FitzGerald recorded a commanding win in the U20 race, her first outing since the World U20 Championships in Peru. She finished the 4.45km route in 14:12. William Rabjohns won the U20 men’s race over 5.6k. An exciting sprint finish saw him get the nod over Matthew Clark, both recording 16:12. Just one second separated the top-four!
More Cross Country
Tonbridge took a one-two at the Kent League in Danson Park, thanks to Cole Gibbens (25:41) and Ted Higgins (25:47). Blackheath & Bromley’s Jack Shayler (26:01) completed the podium. There was no senior women’s fixture at this meeting. Close by in Swanley Park, Alex Cameron (29:47) and Andrea Berquez (33:15) took victories at the first Kent Fitness League fixture of the season.
Photo: Mark Hookway
Beckenham Place Park hosted the division one fixtures of the Surrey League. Herne Hill’s Lucy Jones won the senior women’s race in 19:12, with Guildford’s Evie Warren (19:29) second and Imogen Wolsey of Belgrave third (19:30). Hercules Wimbledon’s Stuart McCallum was a close victor of the senior men’s race, finishing two seconds ahead of Jeremy Dempsey. Stuart completed the 7k course in 22:03 to Thames Hare & Hound Dempsey’s 22:05. Hercules’ Alex Milne (22:14) was third. However, as the below photo shows, there was an unexpected race leader in the early stages.
Photo: Alex from Herne Hill (via X)
Jack Kavanagh was a clear winner in the division two match at Hurst Green. He finished almost two minutes ahead of the rest of the field at his home fixture for Holland Sports. Rebecca Keddie of Kingston & Poly won the division two women’s match.
Richard Slade of Chiltern Harriers and Bedford’s Rebecca Murray won the respective senior races at the Chiltern League in Milton Keynes. European U23 medallist on the track Will Barnicoat won the first fixture of the Birmingham League in Northampton. He finished almost one minute ahead of Finlay Ward.
Back to the Roads
Plenty more has been happening over the past couple of days on the roads. Fast times came at the Heaton Harriers Memorial 10k, led by Adrian Bailes (31:13) and Lucy Crookes (35:34). Relatively close finishes came in both races; Helen Warburton (35:55) and Alexandra Sneddon (36:10) completed the women’s podium. Connor Marshall (31:20) and Lewis McConnell (31:52) the same in the men’s.
Gemma Kersey (58:14) and Stephen Strange (52:50) had excellent outings at the Stebbing 10. Both were making their debuts over the distance, Gemma following on from a debut half marathon in May. Tonbridge’s Stephen Strange is coached by Mark Hookway, a regular photo-contributor to the Weekend Round Ups.
Matthew Skaife (33:24) and Mel Walls (40:41) won Fylde Coast Runners’ Windmill Remembrance Day 10k. Also named to reflect the date was the Essex Remembrance Runs. Wins in the 10k went to Gareth Carey (34:07) and Sharon Wright (40:26), and to Liam Butler (77:20) and Carol Carter (95:10) in the halt marathon. Run Nation’s Remembrance Day 10 saw Steven Hardy (61:39) and Kate Storey (68:49) take victories.
North of the border, Bellahouston Road Runners’ Jimmy Irvine Bella 10k saw Ryan Thomson (30:49) and Rosa Donaldson (36:23) cross the finish line first. Staying in Scotland, Ross Macdonald (32:20) and Jo Williams (38:53) won the Newton Road Races 10k.
More Racing
Joseph Fitzmaurice (34:52) and Molly O’Connor (42:05) won the Regents Park 10k in London. Staying in the capital, RunThrough organised the Victoria Park Half Marathon, 10k and 5k. The longest race of the morning provided victories to Laura Boehm (79:00) and Hugh Tibbs (72:05), with the top three men all running sub-72:00. Local athlete Thomas Holliday (32:04) and Lydia Riding (39:23) set the fastest times in the 10k. Clare Hartley-Marjoram (19:49) and Brett Baker (15:47) did the same in the 5k.
Another RunThrough event, the Run Tatton Half Marathon, provided Dan Cliffe (67:49) and Donna Morris (82:24) with emphatic victories. Both finished over three minutes clear of the rest of the respective fields. One day earlier, Nichola Cartwright (41:32) and Callan Rowland (36:15) won the Run Tatton 10k.
In North Yorkshire, Jordan Howe (32:19) and Sarah Attwood (37:59) won the Dalby Dash 10k. Marie Duhig (36:24) and James Orrell (32:07) took wins in the George Munday 10k, as did Mark Popple (36:31) and Hannah Oswin (42:41) in the Mallard Cake Dash 10k.
The post Podium Perfection & Cardiff Classic – Weekend Round Up appeared first on Fast Running.
Source: fastrunning.com