GB & NI 50KM TEAM SET FOR WORLDS TEST IN INDIA

Eight athletes are preparing to contest the IAU 50km World Championships on Sunday (5) November in Hyderabad, India.

Leading the way in the men’s team is Andrew Davies (Stockport) – the individual bronze medallist at the 2022 European Championships – who returns to the fold as a member of the men’s quartet.

He was also part of the gold medal winning men’s team at the Europeans, as was Will Mycroft (Mark Lloyd, Cambridge & Coleridge) who will receive his second GB & NI vest at the Championships.

The pair will be joined by Ollie Garrod (self-coached, Belgrave), who represented Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the World 100km Championships in 2022, and Andrew Heyes (Mara Yamauchi, Hallamshire Harriers) – a senior international on the roads and cross country – who will take on his first major Championships 50km.

The women’s team includes Anna Bracegirdle (James Thie, Salford Harriers), Rachel Hodgkinson (Liverpool Harriers), Carla Molinaro (Martin Cox, Clapham Chasers) and Sarah Webster (David Leach, Northern [Isle of Man]).

Molinaro set a fast 50km spilt in the recent Two Oceans Marathon in South Africa on her way to third place overall. She was also the third woman to cross the line at the prestigious Comrades Marathon earlier this year.

Sarah Webster won the ACP 100km in April, and along with Anna Bracegirdle and Rachel Hodgkinson, will make her debut in a GB & NI team this weekend.

Last time the Championships were held back in 2019, the British team won five medals overall – including team gold and bronze – with Aly Dixon claiming the women’s title.

Women

Anna Bracegirdle (James Thie, Salford Harriers)

Rachel Hodgkinson (Liverpool Harriers)

Carla Molinaro (Martin Cox, Clapham Chasers)

Sarah Webster (David Leach, Northern [Isle of Man])

Men

Andrew Davies (Stockport)

Ollie Garrod (self-coached, Belgrave)

Andrew Heyes (Mara Yamauchi, Hallamshire Harriers)

Will Mycroft (Mark Lloyd, Cambridge & Coleridge)