19 December 2011

UKA Highlights

After last weekend’s successful assault in the European Championships, British athletes again performed well on the country with plenty of success in Belgium.

Brussels Lotto Cross Cup, December 18

A number of British athletes took part in the high profile pre-Christmas event at Brussels.
Steve Vernon (Coach: David Turnbull), who just missed out on making Britain’s European team had a strong run to finish sixth in 33:56, one place up on nine-time European champion Sergiy Lebid.  Tom Humphries, who ran for Britain earlier in the year in the World cross-country Championships finished ninth in 34:18.
European Under 23 silver medallist James Wilkinson (Coach: Phil Townsend) finished 11th in 34:33.

In the senior women’s 6km race, the British team was led by Hatti Dean (Coach: Bud Baldaro) who was sixth in 21:44, ahead of Stephanie Twell (Coach: Mick Woods) who showed greatly improved form from Velenje to finish 7th in 21:45. Two other Under 23 runners, Emily Pidgeon (Andrew Hobdell) and Stevie Stockton (George Gandy) finished 9th and 10th in 21:54 and 22:01 while the European Under 23 champion Emma Pallant (Woods) finished 12th in 22:07.

British athletes dominated the junior races. In the junior men’s 6km race with European 9th placer Kieran Clements (Stephen Benson) timing 20:10 and  leading home Lachlan Oates, Jason Prickett (Woods) and Charlie Grice   (Jon Biggs).

Pippa Woolven (Coach: Janet Nash) won the under 20 women’s 4km in 15:27. Max Aitchison (Charles Murray) won the Under 17 race in 14:07 from Lewis Boyle (Murray), Matthew Edwards (Paul Darney) and Ryan Thomson (John Montgomery) with the leading quartet separated by just four seconds.

Bobby Clay (James Roberts) won the Under 15 girls 2km in 7:21 while Alex Clay (Roberts) won the Under 17 girls race in 9:23.

Results http://sport.be.msn.com/lottocrosscup/2011/fr/brussel/uitslagen/live.html

Telford 10km, December 18

Jess Coulson (Coach: Mick Woods) ran her fastest ever 10km time in winning the weekend’s premier road race in 33:18.
Ben Tickner won the men’s race in 29:58.

Results

Ronnie Walker Saltwell 10km, December 17

Ryan McLeod (coach: John Nuttall) followed up his superb 13th in the European Cross Country Championships of the week before, with a clear win in this race that his father, Mike McLeod had won on 16 successive occasions from 1974 to 1989. His time was 30:57.

Alyson Dixon (coach: Liz McColgan)  who returned to competition after sustaining an injury during the World Championship Marathon in August, won the Women’s race in a course record of 35:59.

Results http://www.thepowerof10.info/results/results.aspx?meetingid=57896