Weekend update
The Manchester Marathon was the highlight of the year, so far, for over 20 000 people participating in the race. There were other great performances in Perth, Scotland, where the men’s and women’s 100k winners both moved to number six on the runbritain All Time lists. In Australia, USA and Italy there were other great performances from UK runners.
Jonny Mellor (handicap -6.3) and Becky Briggs (handicap -0.3) were the respective winners of the senior men’s and women’s titles at the Manchester marathon on Sunday, which also acted as a trial event for the European Championships and Commonwealth Games (England). Mellor, who holds a PB of 2:10.03, from 2020, clocked 2:10.46 to win convincingly after breaking away from the leading pack around the 20 mile marker.
Ross Millington (handicap -5.3), making his marathon debut, crossed the line in 2:11.37, well within the England consideration standard of 2:14.00 and inside the 2:14.30 qualifying time for the European Championships.
Kevin Seaward (handicap -3.5) was inside Northern Ireland’s consideration standard as he was third in a time of 2:11.54. Meanwhile, Andy Heyes (handicap -6.2) was next with a personal best of 2:13.52.
Briggs made a breakthrough over the 26.2-mile distance as she ran 2:29:04, which is inside the standards for the Commonwealths and Europeans. She paced her race superbly as she closed in on and passed Naomi Mitchell (handicap -1.2) towards the end of the race. Naomi was next across the line in 2:30.54, also within the standards, as was Georgina Schwiening (handicap -0.5), who finished 3rd in 2:31.35.
Samuel Kolek (Kirkby AC) won the wheelchair race in a time of 1:48.24 from Matthew Clarke in second in 1:57.10.
At the Stanford Invitational in California, Charles Hicks (handicap -6.3) ran inside England’s Commonwealth Games 5000m standard as he posted a time of 13:24.58 to finish second overall with Isaac Akers (-5.3) running 13:32.84. Scott Beattie (handicap -5.7) ran a great 28:19.90 over 10 000m. James Heneghan (handicap -5.1) ran the 1500m in 3:42.66 ahead of Finley Mclear (handicap -3.4).
Jenny Nesbitt (handicap -2.0) was second in the women’s 5000m in 15:24.59, with Charlotte Arter (handicap -1.7) running a PB of 15:30.35.
At the Australian Athletics Championships in Sydney, Calli Thackery (handicap -0.5) secured a World Athletics Championships qualifying standard over 5000m. The Rotherham athlete ran 15:09.08 to put her at the top of the UK rankings so far in 2022 and the time also saw her move inside the top 20 of the UK All-Time list.
The Sri Chinmoy 100km Race in Perth, Scotland and was the best ever with both men’s and women’s course records being set. The race incorporated the British and Scottish 100km Championships together with the annual Anglo Celtic Plate Home Countries International.
In near perfect conditions, England’s Matt Dickinson (handicap -3.5) and Scotland’s Jo Murphy (handicap 9.2) took the victories.
It was one of the most competitive 100km races ever seen in Great Britain with seven men breaking the seven-hour barrier and three women under the eight hour barrier with a string of personal bests throughout the field.
Running his first 100km road race, Dickenson achieved almost even 50k splits to win in 6:39:34 breaking Charlie Harpur’s 2019 course record by almost four minutes to go 6th on the runbritain All Time list.
Jason Kelly (handicap -3.6) was second in 6.42:23 with Ollie Garrod (handicap -4.1) taking third in 6:46:50, while Gareth King (handicap 0.1) was fourth in 6:47:33. King’s time was a new All Ireland and also a Northern Ireland 100km record.
Scotland’s Jo Murphy (handicap 9.2) produced a superbly paced race to run a negative split, coming home in 7:41:12, which was a personal best by almost 10 minutes. She obliterated the long-held course record of 8:00:30 set by of former GB international, Emily Gelder in 2011. Murphy is now also 6th on the runbritain All Time list for 100k.
Sam Amend (handicap 2.7) took second in 7:48:39, also a PB, with Caroline Turner (handicap 8.4) running her first 100k in 7:51:39 for third spot.
On the supporting 50k programme Robbie Britton (handicap -1.1) turned in an impressive performance to go sub 3 hours over 50k in winning in 2:57:17, which puts him 11th on the runbritain All Time list just behind Don Ritchie. Amanda Woodrow won the women’s event in 3:47:40.
M40 runner Alexander Wallace was the winner of the LAKE GARDA 42 Marathon in Italy with 2:22:47 to take him to third on the national masters’ rankings.
UK runbritain rankings for endurance events and age groups
Other results from the weekend are on the following links: