02 April 2012

Most of the weekend’s action took place on the roads with relay championships in Scotland, the Midlands and the North, although the last major cross country events were also held.

Carlsbad 5km, USA, April 1

In a top class race dominated by leading Ethiopians and Kenyans there were two encouraging GB performances.

The 2011 Aviva World Trials and UK Championships 5000m winner Julia Bleasdale smashed her PB with 15:47 to finish as leading European in sixth.

In the men’s race, Andy Vernon (coach: Nic Bideau) finished ninth in a road PB of 13:40.

Both athletes go to the top of their respective McCain UK Power of 10 rankings.

Results through this link

Midland Road Relay Championships, Sutton Park, March 31

Bristol & West won the men’s race by almost three minutes with Philip Wylie running the fastest long leg over 8663 metres with 26:20. Tim Dalton of Severn ran the fastest short leg over 4819m with 14:31.

Westbury won the women’s race while national junior cross country runner-up Annabel Gummow (Chris Wooldridge) of Bristol – who finished third team – ran the fastest women’s leg by 53 seconds with a time of 15:50 for 4819m.

Results: http://www.race-results.co.uk/results/2012/index.php

North of England Road Relay Championships, Sefton Park, March 31

Liverpool won the men’s race and their in-form Jonathan Mellor (David Evans) ran the fastest long leg over 7.75km with 21:43.

2009 European junior 800m runner-up Niall Brooks (Norman Poole) ran the fastest short leg of 3.9km timing 11:07.

Rotherham won the women’s race by 36 seconds.

Aviva GB & NI European Cross Country Champion team member Elle Baker (David Turnbull) of Stockport ran the fastest 3.9km leg with 12:25, though European Team Challenge 1500m winner Charlene Thomas (Aaron Thomas) showed she is in good form, by being just one second slower.

Women’s results: http://www.race-results.co.uk/results/2012/n6w12.pdf

Men’s results: http://www.race-results.co.uk/results/2012/n1212.pdf

Scottish Road Relay Championships, Livingston, March 31

Central AC won both the men’s and women’s event while the winning club’s Robert Russell ran the fastest short stage leg over 3.1 miles with a time of 15:18.

Scottish national cross country champion Derek Hawkins (Lawrie Spence) of Kilbarchan ran the fastest long stage leg over 5.8 miles with a time of 27:57, the second-equal fastest time ever on the course.

Central’s Lyndsay Morrison ran the fastest women’s leg with her opening leg of 17:42.

Results: http://www.scottishathletics.org.uk/index.php?p=80&itemType=fixtures&itemId=14997

SIAB Schools International, Perth, March 31

England won all four team races and three of the individual events.

ESAA champion Scott Halsted (Jeff Seddon) won the Intermediate boys race in 16:52.

English Schools’ runner-up Katie Rowe from Guernsey went one better to win the junior girls race in 9:21 by three seconds from National minors girls champion Sabrina Sinha (Mark Newell) as England had the first six finishers.

Scotland’s Josh Kerr (David Campbell) was the sole non-English winner as he timed 11:45 to beat ESAA champion Jamie Dee (Simon Doyle) by six seconds.

With ESAA Intermediate girls champion Bobby Clay (Coach: James Roberts) winning internationally in Malta, the ESAA runner-up Annabel Mason won by a massive 34 seconds from team-mate Bronwen Owen.

Results: http://www.ssaa.co.uk/SSAA/documents/results/2012/SIAB_XC_schools_2012.pdf

Bury St Edmunds, March 31

Callum Brown (Lorraine Brown) went second in the McCain Power of 10 under-20 hammer rankings with his first ever 70m plus throw of 71.16m and it betters the UKA standard of 71.00m for the World junior Championships.

ISF World Schools Championships, Marsa, Malta, March 27

In her 14th race of the winter, Bobby Clay (James Roberts) maintained her 100 per-cent victory record with a gold medal performance as she led England to victory. Older sister Alex (Pete Mullervy) was fourth.

Charlie Joslin-Allen (Mark Hookway) was the leading boy in sixth place.

Results: http://www.thepowerof10.info/results/results.aspx?meetingid=64338