21 March 2011

New York Half-Marathon, March 20

Double European champion Mo Farah (Coach: Alberto Salazar) ran a sensational half marathon debut in New York. His time of 60:23 was easily the fastest ever run by a Briton, bettering former World Marathon record holder Steve Jones’ former UK best of 60:59 in the 1986 Great North Run.

Farah stuck with the lead pack from the outset and managed to avoid a mid-race collision just after the 10km mark was passed in 29:32 as USA’s Galen Rupp and Kenya’s Peter Kamais fell to the ground in Central Park.

At the 20km mark Farah, Rupp and ING New York Marathon winner Gebre Gebremariam had managed to make it a three-way race.

Gebremariam the 2009 World cross-country champion, attempted a break 400m out, but Farah using his indoor track speed, kicked hard to regain the lead and arms aloft in triumph, he beat the Ethiopian by two seconds with Rupp third to win the $20,000 first prize.

 “I’m in the best shape of my life. We knew Gebremariam had a big finish so we worked hard but we still could not get rid of him,” said Farah, who added. “I felt all right with 400m to go and just went for it.”

Andrew Lemoncello finished 18th in a PB of 63:00 to go second in the McCain Power of Ten rankings to Farah.

In a top class and competitive  women’s race, Jo Pavey (Coach: Gavin Pavey) went a clear top of the McCain Power of Ten rankings with an encouraging 69:33 in sixth place.

Results:  http://web2.nyrrc.org/cgi-bin/htmlos.cgi/aes-programs/results/startup.html?result.id=b10320&result.year=2011

Sweatshop Reading Half Marathon, March 20

This race marked the first RunBritain Grand Prix event and over 12,000 runners made the finish in the Madjeski Stadium. Kenyans dominated the leading places with Simon Kasimili winning by a second in 63:08. Dave Webb (Coach: Bud Baldaro) was the leading British man in sixth in 64:52. That puts him fifth in the McCain Power of Ten rankings and marks his fourth time in the 64:45 to 64:54 tie range in his four half marathons. He was not far ahead of two-time Olympic marathoner Dan Robinson (Coach: Chris Frapwell) who ran 65:04 in seventh and Phil Wicks who ran 65:09 in eighth.

Edith Chelimo won the women’s race in 71:22 while Liz Yelling went second in the McCain rankings with a time of 72:00. Last year’s winner Susan Partridge (Coach: John Montgomery) was fourth in 73:47 while Helen Decker (Clive Sparkes) was fifth in a personal best 74:04.

Results: http://www.readinghalfmarathon.com/results11/half.pdf

Milton Keynes Throws, March 19/20

Jonathan Pownall (Coach: Chris Watts) went top of the McCain Power of Ten  Under 15 Javelin rankings with a 50.14 throw. Pownall’s mark was a new UK age 12 best. Sam Taylor-Outridge (Watts) went top of the Under 20 rankings with a 63.36m throw.

Results here http://mcs.open.ac.uk/mkac/11mmkthrows.htm

European Cup Winter Throws, Sofia , March 19/20

James Campbell (Coach: Mick Hill) just missed his top ranking performance of 72.83m with 72.67m though he did have a narrow toe foul of around 75 metres. Second ranked Dan Pembroke (Kevin Pembroke) was seventh in the Under 23 event with 69.92m.

Starting 2011 in style, IAAF World Junior Champion Sophia Hitchon (Coach: Derek Evely) finished second in the Under 23 Hammer with 64.16m to go top of the McCain Power of Ten rankings.

Following his 60.99m indoor throw last week, Brett Morse (Coach: Nigel Bevan) made his outdoor debut and finished second in the Under 23 discus with 59.50m to go top of the McCain Power of Ten outdoor rankings.  Chris Scott (Coach: Andrew Neale)  finished third in the B Discus with 55.76 to go second in the rankings to Morse.

Alex Smith (Shane Peacock) improved his top ranking mark in the hammer from 68.55m to 68.58m to finish third in the B Hammer while Mark Dry (Derek Evily) was sixth with 63.99m.

Building on her 2010 World Junior gold Sophie Hitchon (Derek Everly) finished an impressive second in the women’s hammer with 64.16m, while Jade Nicholls (Neale) was seventh in the women’ discus with 46.42m.

Results http://www.sofia2011.org/

Aviva English Schools Championships, Nottingham, March 19

In the senior boys event, Kieran Clements narrowly beat the Mick Woods coached duo of Harvey Dixon and Joshua Grace. The Southern and National champion’s only off day this season was at the Inter Counties where he was 23rd and over a minute behind Dixon.

James McMurray (Coach: Deborah Steer) , who was fifth in the Under 17 inter counties race at Birmingham, won a tight intermediate boys race by just two seconds from Matthew Sherling (Adrian Webb).

In the junior boys race, Tom Holden, 35th last year and sixth in the older age group at Birmingham, confirmed his position as favourite with a six second win over Paulos Asgodom.  

In the senior girls race, Jennifer Walsh (Coach: Deborah Rowlands) moved up from fifth last year and won by eight seconds from Iona Lake.

Predictably Jessica Judd (Coach: Jeremy Freeman), who had won the Inter Counties by 55 seconds, despite being a first year in the category, here won by 34 seconds from Alice Wright who duplicated her runner-up spot from Birmingham.

Bronwen Owen, the National champion and runner up in the Under 15 race in Birmingham, won the junior girls race by eight seconds from Katherine Shiel-Rankin (Coach: Mick Woods).

Results http://www.thepowerof10.info/results/results.aspx?meetingid=41535