13th April 2015
Weekend Round Up
13 April 2015
ERRA National 12 stage and 6 stage road relay championships, Sutton Coldfield, 11 April
British 5,000m champion Emelia Gorecka (coach: Mick Woods) led Aldershot Farnham and District to a sixth successive women’s 6 stage title – their 7th in all. The European junior 3,000m champion clocked 29:53 on the opening leg, the fastest long stage of the day. The AFD sextet finished clear winners in 2:13:49, with Bristol and West runners up in 2:16:44 and Swansea third in 2:17:01.
Commonwealth 1500m silver medallist Laura Weightman (Steve Cram) ran the fastest short stage, 16:44, on a fine day for Morpeth Harriers.
Richard Morrell, son of 1990 European indoor 1500m bronze medallist Tony Morrell, had the satisfaction of anchoring Morpeth Harriers to an historic victory in the English National men’s 12 stage road relay at Sutton Park. The Northumberland club have a proud distance running tradition stretching back to the heyday of Jim Alder, and the 1966 Commonwealth marathon champion was one of the stalwarts on hand to celebrate as Morrell brought Morpeth home in 4:21:52 – 1:14 ahead of Notts AC, with Leeds City in third.
Andy Wiles (David Lowes) put Morpeth ahead on leg three and the result was beyond doubt when 44-year-old Ian Hudspith, a veteran of the 10,000m at the 2002 Commonwealth Games, put them over two minutes clear of the field on the penultimate stage.
Shaftesbury’s Michael Callegari (Craig Winrow) clocked the fastest 8.1km long leg of the day recording a time of 26:41. The fastest 5.14km short leg was recorded by Sam Mitchell of Notts AC in a time of 15:01.
http://www.race-results.co.uk/results/2015/nat1215.htm
http://www.race-results.co.uk/results/2015/nat6w15.htm
SPAR Great Ireland Run and Great Ireland Mile, Dublin, 10 April
Charnwood’s Gemma Steel (John Nuttall) emerged as a clear winner from the Anglo-Irish battle of the European cross country champions past and present in the 13th Great Ireland Run 10km. Spanish marathon specialist Alessandra Aguilar made the early running in windy conditions but Steel, winner of the continental title on the country in December, pulled clear mid-race and still had four seconds to spare on the field after a strong finish from Fionnuala Britton, the 2011 and 2012 European cross country champion.
The British favourite prevailed in 33:03, with the Irish Britton slicing 47 seconds off her PB with a time of 33:07 as runner-up in Phoenix Park. It was Steel’s second success in the Dublin race in three years. Stockport’s Jess Coulson (Woods) finished sixth in 34:40.
Kenya’s former world cross country champion Japhet Korir won the men’s race in 28:15, with British 2012 Olympic marathon representative Scott Overall (Alan Storey) sixth in 29:59.
Aldershot’s Jonny Hay (Woods) won the Great Ireland Mile in 4:12, edging out Dutchman Wouter Plouger, who was credited with the same time. Ireland’s European indoor 800m silver medallist Mark English dropped out at 1,200m.
http://www.greatirelandrun.org/Results/FullSearch.aspx
BM (Brighton Marathon) 10k, Brighton, 11 April
Former world junior 1500m champion Steph Twell (Woods) scored a decisive victory over international marathoner Aly Dixon (self-coached) and 2011 European indoor 3,000m champion Helen Clitheroe (self-coached). Twell finished 48 seconds clear of Dixon, who leads the UK 10km road rankings in 2015, in 32:49. Dixon clocked 33:37, while the 41-year-old Clitheroe took third place in 34:10.
The first nine finishers in the men’s race all cracked thirty minutes, led home by Morpeth’s Jonny Taylor (Gordon Surtees), who equalled his four-year-old PB and graduated to the top of the British rankings with 29:13. Adam Hickey (Eamonn Martin) improved his career best by 35 seconds as runner-up in 29:18, with Callum Hawkins (Robert Hawkins) third in 29:21. There was also a personal best for Ben Tickner (Clive Thomas) in fourth setting a time of 29:26.
The race marked the return to action of 2008 Olympian Andrew Lemoncello (Greg McMillan). Competing in his first event since the Commonwealth Games 10,000m final at Hampden Park in August last year, the 32-year-old Scot finished fifth in 29:45 – a useful sharpener ahead of his appearance in the Morrisons Great Edinburgh Run ten mile race next Sunday, 19 April.
http://brighton.marathonapp.net/events/2015/races/2/checkpoints/2/results/overall/gun/1.50.htm
Trofeo Iberico 10,000m track race, Huelva, Spain, 11 April
Lily Partridge (Woods) continued her excellent form with a third-placed finish and a big personal best, running as a guest in this annual 10,000m track race between the best of Spain and Portugal. The 24-year-old Aldershot Farnham and District runner clocked 32:20.77, an improvement of 30.09 seconds on her previous best at the distance.
She finished behind the Portuguese duo Sara Moreira, the winner in 31:12.93, a 2015 European lead, and Ana Dulce Felix, runner-up in 31:34.17. Katie Brough (Andrew Carter) finished sixth in 33:34.81 on her 10,000m track debut.
http://www.rfea.es/competi/result2015/airelibre/10000m/C73.0075.htmll
Mesa Classic, Arizona 10 April
After a world record breaking indoor season, Aled Davies (Ryan Spencer-Jones) continued his impressive early season form going over the 50m barrier in the T42 discus for the first time in his career. The double World and European champion threw out to 50.91m – an unofficial Paralympic world record.
Davies will now continue his preparation for the IPC World Championships in October by spending time working with three-time world shot put champion John Godina at the World Athletics Center in Phoenix.
http://mesatbirdsports.com/sports/track/2014-15/150410MesaClassicResults.doc_-2-.html
Scottish Athletics Field Events Grand Prix, Livingston 11-12 April
Double European gold medallist Jo Butterfield (Ian Mirfin) became the first European to go over the 20m barrier in the F51 club throw in Livingston. Butterfield will now look to build on her throw of 20.03m with a busy 18 months ahead for one of GB & NI’s newest recruits.
John McDonnell Invitational, Fayetteville, USA, 10-11 April
World, European and Commonwealth 4x400m relay bronze medallist Shana Cox (George Williams) finished runner up to Taylor Ellis-Watson of the US in the 400m and 200m, clocking 52.96 and 23.59 respectively.
Pepsi Team Invitational, Eugene, USA, 11 April
Jax Thoirs (Pat Licari), fourth for Scotland in the pole vault at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last summer, was equal second with a clearance of 5.05m, 45cm down on his best for the year.
New Mexico Quadrangular Abuquerque, USA, 11 April
Manchester Sale Harrier Allan Hamilton (John Scott) opened his outdoor season with a winning long jump of 7.55m.
Alabama v Mississippi Border Clash, Starkville, USA, 10 April
Cardiff’s Rhianwedd Price (Houston Franks) followed her win and 1500m PB in the Florida Relays last weekend with another victory and lifetime best, this time over 800m, prevailing in 2:05.00.
Tonbridge’s Robbie Farnham-Rose (Mark Hookway) won the 1500m in 3:44.12, a lifetime best. Patrick Monaghan was fifth in the 800m in a time of 1:50.99.
Tennessee Relays, Knoxville, USA, 9-11 April
Scot Neil Gourley (Gordon Leckie) won the 1500m in 3:47.56, a personal best.
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