8th April 2019
WEEKEND UPDATE
Podebrady Race Walking, Podebrady, Czech Republic, 6 April
Callum Wilkinson (coach: Andi Drake) walked himself onto the team for the IAAF World Championships later this year with a fine performance in the Czech Republic. The former world junior champion lowered his 20km personal best to 81:34 to place sixth at the European Athletics Race Walking Permit Meeting. That time is inside the World Championship qualifying standard, a UK under-23 record and places him second in the UK all-time list. In the women’s 20km, Heather Lewis (Martin Bell) was also in personal best form, clocking 95:04 for 12th to move fifth all-time in the UK.
28º Grande Prémio Internacional de Rio Maior em Marcha Atlética, Rio Maior, Portugal, 6 April
British 20km race walk record holder Tom Bosworth (Drake) found the going tough at this IAAF Race Walking Challenge in Portugal. Bosworth has enjoyed a good start to the season but missed out on achieving a World Championship qualifying standard as he placed 11th in 83:22. In the women’s 20km, fellow Brit Bethan Davies (Drake) clocked 99:43 for 16th.
Greater Manchester Marathon, Manchester, 7 April
Jenny Spink produced a great run to win the women’s race at the Greater Manchester Marathon, the Bristol & West athlete revising her personal best with a 2.35.19 run. Shaving over 30 seconds off her 2015 time, Spink moves to second on the Power of 10 rankings for 2019. The men’s race saw victory for Aaron Richmond in a massive two minute personal best, his 2.21.34 time also putting him second on the UK rankings. In the wheelchair race, Simon Lawson (Ian Thompson) was a clear winner as he broke the tape in 1.31.52 to go top of the Power of 10.
Carlsbad 5km, California, USA, 7 April
The world’s fastest 5km delivered once again, as Edward Cheserek equalled the fastest road 5,000m in history with a stunning 13.29 winning time. The women’s race saw Kenyan Sharon Lokedi take the win in 15.48, with Charlotte Arter (Chris Jones) having a great run to finish second in 16.00, while Alice Wright (Ben Rosario) was just five seconds and two places further back.
Results: Link to follow
Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run, Washington DC, USA, 7 April
Continuing with her switch to the roads, Steph Twell notched up a 10 mile personal best on the streets of the American capital as she finished eighth in a quality field. Crossing the line in 52.58, Twell’s time moves her from 20th to tenth on the British all-time list and is the fastest performance by a Brit for four years.
National 12 & 6 Stage Road Relays, Sutton Park, Birmingham, 6 March
Leeds City AC did the double on a sunny afternoon in Birmingham on Saturday, the first time a club has done the double in event’s long standing history.
Kicking off with the women’s race, the Yorkshire club lifted a third consecutive title, moving into the lead on leg four and never looking back. Leg one delivered the fastest long legs of the day, with Denmark’s Anna Moller, first European at the World Cross Country Championships last weekend, leading the way with a 28.01 time for Aldershot, with Jess Judd (Mick Judd) just seven seconds back.
On leg two it was Leeds City’s Bronwen Owen (Andrew Henderson) who made the biggest impact, with what turned out to be the second fastest short leg of the day moving them from sixth place to second. Leg three saw Katie Snowden (Wightman) record the fastest short leg of the day (17:02) to put Herne Hill Harriers in the lead at halfway, but it was soon all change as Lucy Crookes (Phil Townsend) put Leeds in front and that was that, with GB mountain runner Georgia Malir (Henderson) extending their lead with the sixth best short leg of the day.
Jennifer Walsh (Townsend) was back to something like her very best as she anchored Leeds to gold, running the third fastest short leg of the day to seal her club’s hat trick in a combined time of 2:10:40, the fastest of their three victories. Herne Hill ran a great race for silver, with Birchfield coming through late on for bronze.
In the men’s race it was Liverpool AC and then Cardiff AC who set the early pace, the Welsh club leading through the halfway mark, but Leeds were starting to make their presence felt, as on stage seven Philip Sesemann (Henderson) moved his team from sixth to third, before handing over to Ossama Meslek (Townsend) whose 15:03 time was the fifth best of the short stage runners and good enough to put Leeds in the driving seat. Emile Cairess (Townsend) ran the quickest short stage of the day with a 14:43 on leg 10, before Graham Rush’s seventh fastest long stage left Joe Townsend an easy job to do in wrapping up victory in a total time of 4:12:21.
Behind them, the silver and bronze medal positions remained unchanged through the final four stages, as Michael Wilsmore held off Max Heyden (Mick Woods) over the anchor leg to ensure Bristol & West secured second, two minutes down on the winners, with Aldershot Farnham & District third. Individually, GB international Alex Yee (Kenneth Pike) was the quickest overall of the long leg runners, recording a stunning 25:00 time, with Dewi Griffiths (Kevin Evans) just six seconds back.
LSU Battle on the Bayou, Baton Rouge, USA, 6 April
Young thrower George Evans was in good form in Louisiana as he produced a brace of personal bests in the discus and shot put. In his main event, the discus, the Scot added a metre to his previous best set last year, as he launched the 2kg implement out to 59.84m to go second on the Power of 10 rankings, achieving the European Under-23 qualifying standard in the process.
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