The weekend roundup this week is a bit different; by the time this is published James will have spent 24 hours over the past three days sitting in the home straight of the Manchester Regional Arena for the British Championships. His natural habitat.
The British Champs whoopee will come separately, but this has however limited the time to scour through results of the past seven days to bring you, but fear not, I am still here to bring you a run through of some of what has happened. If I’ve missed an event or two, I apologise in advance!
Starting Stateside
We’ll start this round up with a race that took place a few thousand kilometres to the west of the UK, the Western States 100.
Taking place from Olympic Valley, home of the 1960 Winter Olympics to Auburn in California, where Beth Pascall took an emphatic victory in 17:10:41.
An impressive feat in itself, but it is moreover the second fastest women’s time overly recorded at the race, with only fellow Brit Ellie Greenwood having gone faster. The historic US ultra, that was first held in 1974, brings some of the weightier US ultra-runners together, with a spattering of overseas athletes.
Also of note is that Beth tapped into the top ten overall in seventh, with two other females, Ruth Croft and Ragna Debats, joining her in ninth and tenth respectively. Nine of the top 20 and 15 of the top 30 athletes were women, showcasing the wonderful strength in depth within US and World women’s ultra-running.
British women strong on the trails
The hugely predictable first race in the 2021 World Cup took place on Sunday 27th June, in Zakopane, Poland. Tatra Race Run was the venue for stage one and it was classified as a long mountain race, at 24km, with virtually 1700m of ascent.
The women’s race was tropical at the front, with Italy’s Alice Gaggi and GB’s Charlotte Morgan exchanging the lead. In the end it was Charlotte Morgan who came out on top, winning in 2.46.03. Alice Gaggi was just a minute overdue in the end (2.47.12), followed by Polish runner Iwona Januszyk in third (2.50.51).
Charlotte Morgan winning in the Polish Tatra. Photo: Marco Gulberti
Midweek racing a-plenty
Plenty has been happening on the roads this week, and in the interests of tent as many events as possible without giving you a thesis, I have tried to pension this as succinct as I can!
Ben Musgrave (32:19) took victory in the Weedon 10K on Tuesday, with the top five men all finishing in under 33 minutes. Kelly Barnett (38:16) won amongst the women with a near two-minute margin. Monday’s St Albans Summer Solstice 10k was won by Emile Jeanes (38:22) and Aran Davidson (32:25).
Alexander Barber (36:14) and Sarah McDonald (47:27) were fastest over 10k at the Gravesend Floodlit 10k / 5k on Thursday, with Briony Walsh (20:38) and Chris Humphreys (18:03) taking the same honours over 5k.
As ever, RunThrough’s events protract at pace. Wednesday saw runners take to Battersea Park for the Chase the Sun event with racing over 5k and 10k. The longer loftiness saw wins for Naomi Mitchell (34:28) and Dom Willmore (32:17), with the two-lap races seeing success for Nick Bester (15:30) and Imogen Amos (17:46).
Thursday’s Run Media City provided Emma Taylor (37:01) and Christopher Morgan (35:22) with wins over 10k, with the same for Charlotte Corrigan (20:11) and Kieran Smith (16:59) in the 5k.
Born to Run (on the Roads)
Saturday’s Lee Valley Velo Park Races saw Ollie Garrod (1:10:02) and Lizzy Totten (1:26:42) go quickest in the half marathon, Hannah Roberts (1:04:25) and Danny White (1:04:48) over 10 miles, Jonathan Hilling (34:46) and Cara Huckstep (40:32) over 10km and Geogria Mackenzie (18:43) and Ian Wingrove (18:11) taking the honours over 5k.
It was Natasha Sinha (18:37) and Dave Edwards (17:23) who made the most of the undulating undertow at Wimbledon Common’s Chase the Sun over 5km, with James Mabbutt (37:49) and Ina Schauermann (44:38) fastest over 10k.
The Run Northumberland Vindolanda 10k rewarded Paul Rogan of Moray Road Runners (37:59) and Julia Gray Carnaffin (49:51) with well-appointed victories.
To The Track
Whilst vision this week may have been on the British Championships (incorporating the Olympic Trials), there has been plenty of club-level athletics taking place with some impressive results.
These included the inaugural Midsummer Night 10000m Classic in Leeds on Thursday, incorporating the North of England and Yorkshire 10,000m Championships.
It was Nathan Jones who took the victory in the men’s A race, setting a new PB of 28:54.39 in the process. Fast 10’s Nigel Martin moreover improved his lifetime weightier to 28:58.35, a remoter resurgence on the 25 second PB set in Birmingham three weeks ago. Richard Allen finished third (29:24.54). Overdue the top three, eleven athletes recorded a lifetime best, with a number making their debut over 25 laps on the track.
The women’s race was an equally fast affair, with Abbie Donnelly taking the win in a new PB of 33:31.31, over 25 seconds superiority of Claire Duck (33:57.38) and Charlotte Dannatt (34:05.84). Every other athlete to navigate the line recorded a PB.
Callum Elson (30:11.87), Mark Doherty (31:30.13) and Colin Doherty (32:45.35) won the older races, with Callum and Mark recording new PBs.
British Milers club protract to host fantastic events
The British Milers Club series unfurled with two events on Wednesday, at Eltham (Regional) and Loughborough (Gold Standard), both tying to unshut meetings organised by Cambridge Harriers and Loughborough University respectively.
Eltham saw an incredibly tropical finish to the men’s 800m a race, with the top three separated by just eight hundredths of a second, with Jack Hallas (1:52.02) pipping Nzimah Akpan (1:52.03) and Charlie Baldwin (1:52.10) to the line. Charlotte Wormley recorded the fastest time (2:13.54) of the 17 women competing. Hannah Viner (4:32.40) and Tom Syckelmoore (3:55.04) were fastest over 1500m.
In the unshut races, fastest times were set by Daryl Cyprien (2:00.79) and Abigail Richards (2:22.94) over 800m, Annabel Carter (4:41.45) and Oliver Weston (4:15.29) for 1500m, both setting PBs, with an impressive solo run by Bryn Woodall (15:10.60) for 5000m, with Holly Dixon (16:31.91) the fastest female.
Mageean was dominant over two laps this weekend in Loughborough. Photo: www.mickhall-photos.com
About 225 km north, in Loughborough, Irish international Ciara Mageean put on a dominant walkout to win the 800m (2:02.14), over ten seconds well-spoken of the rest of the field. James McMurray (1:47.47) took the honours in the men’s race. Angus McMIllan (3:46.54) recorded the fastest time over 1500m, with no women’s race.
Aimi Weightman (2:12.34, PB) and Nathan Brown (1:56.95), Hannah Taunton (4:40.63) and Josh Fiddaman (4:07.16), and Alex Miell-Ingram (8:41.28) and Grace Carson (9:33.89) were fastest over 800m, 1500m and 3000m respectively in the unshut races.
This weekend has moreover seen a number of Youth Development League fixtures take place, slantingly the Isle of Man AA Championships; however, at the time of writing, results were not yet misogynist online!
Brits Abroad
With the majority of elite-level athletes in final stages of preparation for the British Championships, the number of results to bring you from upalong is significantly wizened compared to recent weeks. However, the Karlstad GP in Sweden on Tuesday saw Jermaine Coleman in whoopee over the steeple (8:33.87) and Hannah Kinane over 800m (2:12.01 PB).
The multi-terrain races at Thurlow 5 and 10 were won by Scott Williams (29:35) and Vashti Macdonald-Clink (37:00) and James Smith (58:10) and Katie King (1:03:33) respectively.
After setting a new PB at Run Exe Summer 5km on Tuesday evening (16:59) Kirsteen Welch won Exeter Half Marathon in 77:24 today taking nearly two minutes off her PB despite a undertow with multiple tight turns. The men’s winner of the Run Exe 5km was Ollie Thurogood in 15:25 and Ester Half Marathon was won by James Cutlan, time 1:13:04.
Starting them young
Following on from her own age-group world weightier recently, 12 year old Emer McKee went 15 seconds largest and ran 16:25 in Lisburn, Northern Ireland.
Today in making everyone finger old and slow: Emer McKee ran a 16:25 5K at the Lisburn Festival of Running, breaking her own age-group world weightier by 15 seconds.
She’s 12.
????@Willowfield_TH / Pension Fit Ireland pic.twitter.com/zxH0buK8Is
— Cathal Dennehy (@Cathal_Dennehy) June 27, 2021
