Less than a fortnight on from registering the fourth-fastest 3,000m time in British history, Hannah Nuttall will turn her attention to retaining her national title over the same distance at the Novuna UK Athletics Indoor Championships in Birmingham’s Utilita Arena (Feb 14-15).

The 28-year-old two-time UK outdoor 5,000m champion sped to an impressive 8:32.94 at the Millrose Games in New York at the beginning of February, proving her outstanding 2025 season was no fluke and asserting the same superb form ahead of an exciting year ahead.

Coached by Helen Clitheroe, the 2011 European indoor 3,000m champion, Nuttall enjoyed her finest championship performance last summer with an eighth-place finish over 5,000m at the World Championships in Tokyo, and the momentum is evidently continuing:

“Tokyo gave me a lot of confidence by showing me I can compete with the best in the world and that brings more pressure, which I enjoy so that’s helping me to perform well,” the Stockport-based runner revealed.

“I knew I was in good shape – I’ve been comparing my training to when I ran 8:33 in the summer, so I’m really happy and it was great to be competitive and execute my race well.”

Training alongside UK 3,000m steeplechase champion, Elise Thorner, and 8:42 runner, Eloise Walker, the European indoor sixth-place finisher explained:

“I had a great winter with a lot of volume, tempo’s and hills – it was the perfect foundation really. I had my best altitude training camp ever at Flagstaff in January, so that was really nice. My results are down to consistent training and building on my great fitness from the summer.”

With qualification for next month’s World Athletics Indoor Championships in Kujawy Pomorze, Poland (March 20-22) at stake during the 15-lap race on Sunday, Nuttall continued:

“I’d like to repeat last year’s victory and it would be great if my training partners and I could all make the podium.”

“The win last year meant a lot to me – it was really cool to achieve the goal of winning against the likes of world-class athletes like Laura Muir and Innes Fitzgerald.

“I love these championships and the 3,000m is my favourite event. The atmosphere is always amazing and you can really hear the crowd – it’s so intense but in a good way. I lived in Birmingham for two years so I love the city and the track is super quick.”

With a top-six aspiration for the global indoor event, Nuttall will then turn her attention to revising her 8:33.82 and 14:39.48 3,000m and 5,000m outdoor bests in the spring-summer season – in a campaign which she hopes will include July’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the European outdoor Championships in Birmingham in August:

“I’d love to medal at those champs but even making the English and British and teams won’t be easy,” revealed Nuttall.

“I’m super excited to do the 5,000m in both events and I’d also potentially like to do a 10,000m at one of them but I’m not sure yet.”

Nicola Sutton for British Athletics.