27 September 2010

With the Commonwealth Games approaching it was a quiet weekend for most top British athletes. 

South of England Road Relays, Aldershot, September 25 & 26

Delhi-bound duo Stephanie Twell (coach: Mick Woods) and Charlotte Purdue (also Woods) ran the fastest two legs of the day to lead Aldershot to an easy victory in the South of England Road Relays.

Twell, who is targeting a 1500m/5000m double for Scotland in India, clocked 11.58 while England’s Purdue warmed up for her Delhi 10,000m with 12.18 for the testing 3851m circuit.

Ben Moreau (Nick Anderson), who runs the marathon in India, was in the winning Aldershot men’s team and his time of 18:00 for the 6km leg was the equal third fastest.

Ireland’s Dan Mulhare (Belgrave) ran the fastest leg 17:53.

Results here: http://www.afd.org.uk/general/relays9.htm

Midland Road Relay Championships, Sutton Park, September 25

Notts won the men’s event with Birchfield’s Kenyan Zac Kihara the fastest with 17:32 for the 5847m leg.

Charnwood won the women’s race spearheaded by Hannah Whitmore’s 14.28, the second fastest time of the day, but it was Coventry’s Tina Brown (coach: Glynn  Tromans) – England’s sole representative in the women’s 3000m steeplechase out in Delhi – who clocked the best women’s time of 14:24 for the 4315m leg.

Men’s results here:http://www.thepowerof10.info/resultsfiles/2010/31024_12107_25092010200455_m610.pdf

Women’s results here:http://www.race-results.co.uk/results/2010/m410.htm

Toronto Marathon, September 26

A small British team went to the Toronto Marathon where Edinburgh Marathon winner Sarah Gee made her international debut at 46 and just missed her PB with 2:38:31 – a time that only six Britons have bettered in 2010 – to finish tenth. Julie Briscoe set a PB of 2:40:46 to finish 12th and moved to 10th on the Po10 while Nicky Archer (Bud Baldaro) was 14th in 2:44:30.

In the men’s event, Dave Norman (Norman Poole), ninth ranked in the Po10, just edged out Steven Way, currently tenth ranked, as they finished 21st (2:23:42) and 23rd (2:23:47) respectively.

Results here: http://www.canadarunningseries.com/results/2010/stwm/scotiaf.htm

Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile, September 26

Andy Baddeley missed out on defending his Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile title on Sunday.

Baddeley – who is currently preparing for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi – finished third in 3:53.34, behind Amine Laalou and Bernard Lagat.

Laalou of Morocco clocked 3:52.83 to outsprint the American favourite by 0.47 seconds with another host nation runner Alan Webb finishing fourth in 3:53.72 as he makes his comeback from Achilles surgery.

Other Brits Tom Lancashire and Tim Bayley finished eighth and 16th in 3:55.22 and 3:58.29 respectively.

Hannah England – also tuning up for the Commonwealth Games – finished fourth in the women’s race in 4:25.29.

The race was won by world 1500m bronze medallist Shannon Rowbury in 4:24.12.

Rowbury successfully defended her title ahead of fellow Americans Sara Hall (4:24.34) and Erin Donohue (4:24.40).

Results here: http://web6.nyrrc.org/cgi-bin/htmlos.exe/aes-programs/results/startup.html?result.id=b00926&result.year=2010