Weekend update
This weekend, Sam Atkin set a new UK record over 5k in Lille, jumping four seconds ahead of Marc Scott’s record set three years previously. In the New York Half Marathon, Andrew Butchart and Jess Warner-Judd ran through the cold windy conditions to post the best British performances.
Sam Atkin (handicap -5.6) broke Marc Scott’s British record for 5km with his sixth place in an internationally loaded race won by Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha in 12:50 in Lille. Atkin finished strongly in France to run his UK record of 13:16.
Kejelcha, a world indoor 3000m champion and world indoor mile record-holder, missed Berihu Aregawi’s world record by one second. Kejelcha eased away to win ahead of Kenya’s Reynold Cheruiyot Kipkorir’s 13:04. Atkin has wintered well having set the UK 3000m record of 7:31.97 in Boston at the beginning of 2023.
In New York it was a cold day for the United Airlines NYC Half Marathon with Andrew Butchart (handicap -6.5) being the best of the British Contingent with 62:58 in sixth place behind winner Jacob Kiplimo. Jacob Kiplimo was dominant, clocking 61:31 ahead of fellow Ugandan Joshua Cheptegei’s 62:09. Chris Thompson (handicap -4.0), now an M40 runner, finished with 64:32.
Jess Warner-Judd (handicap -3.1) was the top British woman and started aggressively. Running close to leaders Hellen Obiri and Senbere Teferi, she ran her first three 5k splits in 16:16. 17:10 and 17:34. Warner-Judd weathered the windy conditions to clock 73:28 in twelfth as Hellen Obiri won in a course record of 67:21.
UK runbritain rankings for endurance events and age groups
Other results from the weekend are on the following links: