Weekend update
UK athletes were performing in many corners of the world pushing their running handicap scores down and their ladder rankings up. Whilst top ranked woman, Eilish McColgan, was winning in the Percy Pud 10k, it was her Scottish teammate, Steph Twell, who impressed on her marathon debut in Valencia. Stockport's Jack Martin showed a clean pair of heels to training partner Andy Heyes, with a 29:13 PB in Sheffield and Eilish Flanagan, from Omagh in Northern Ireland, made the podium in the NCAA Division 2 Cross-Country Championships.
Valencia Marathon, Spain
Steph Twell (handicap -2.0) has always stated that she would one day step up to the marathon and on Sunday morning in Spain she did just that with an impressive debut. Off the back of a successful track season, Twell turned her hand to 26.2 miles, an impressive negative split bringing her home in 2.30.11, good for seventh place on the day. In fact, so good was her debut that it is the second fastest time by a Brit in 2018, which bodes well for the future.
Twell started the year over 1500m at the Commonwealth Games clocking a best of 4:05.56 and she has demonstrated incredible range over the season, taking a road mile personal best of 4:28 and going close to her 10km PB with a time of 32:34.
Percy Pud 10K, Sheffield
Jack Martin (handicap -4.8) was in great form on the roads this weekend. The Stockport AC athlete bettered the personal best he set at the Leeds Abbey Dash last month with a 29.13 winning run. Andy Heyes (handicap -4.8) finished runner-up in 29.31, and was less than 10 seconds outside his PB.
Backing up her performance last weekend in Wilmslow, Eilish McColgan (handicap -3.0) was first woman home in 32.39.
NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, Slippery Rock, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Eilish Flanagan (handicap 3.7) impressed as she took runner up position at the Division 2 Championships in the precariously named Slippery Rock just five seconds behind the winner in Pittsburgh.
Luke Greer (handicap 0.1) was the highest UK runner in the men's event with ninth place over the 10k course.
Podium 5k, Barrowford
Usually better known as an 800m man, Jamie Webb (handicap -5.1) showed his strength endurance as he clocked a 14:33 5km personal best to win the flat and fast Podium 5k. In doing so, he had to fend off the challenge of fellow Liverpool Harrier and T12 Paralympic medallist, David Devine (handicap -3.6), who came home five seconds behind.
In the women’s race Olivia Mason (handicap 1.8) took the spoils. The U17 Border Harrier produced a brilliant 16.55 to get the better of another Liverpool Harrier, Rachael Burns (handicap 1.3), by four seconds. That marks a PB for the young 1500m talent, who took the England Athletics and School Games titles this summer.
There were fast parkruns from Shaun Antell (handicap -3.8) at Bideford and Hayley Carruthers (handicap -0.7) in Wolverhampton with 15:11 and 16:32 respectively.
Results are available via the runbritain site linked below: