Close racing at Telford 10km – weekend round-up
The European Cross Country Championships dominated the news over the weekend but there were plenty of other races on in the UK and elsewhere. Our report from the Euro Cross from Tilburg is here, whereas other news is as follows.
TELFORD 10km, December 9
The men’s race was tactical with a group of 30 going through halfway in 14:45. In a close finish, Callan Moody, a Kiwi running for Serpentine, won by one second in 29:31 from Jack Gray.
Close behind were Lucan Allison (29:33) and Shaun Antell, Kadar Omar Abdullahi and Patrick Martin (all 29:34).
Pre-race favourite Sam Stabler dropped out injured after halfway in a race that saw 17 men break 30 minutes and 47 inside 31 minutes.
In the women’s race, Olympian Kate Reed was around 10 seconds clear at halfway but pulled out soon afterwards after struggling on the downhill sections with Emily Hosker Thornhill taking the win just 14 seconds outside the course record with a PB 32:54.
Hayley Carruthers (33:20) and Jenny Nesbitt (33:25) completed the top three as 57 women broke 40 minutes.
STOCKPORT 10, December 9
Jack Martin won the men’s race easily in 50:02 and Julie Briscoe was the leading woman in 59:08, which placed her 13th overall.
CHRISTCHURCH CHRISTMAS 10km, December 9
Robert Spencer won in 33:27, while W50 Anja Hedney won the women’s race in 42:04
SCOTTISH EAST DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIPS, Aberdeen, December 8
In a high quality 8.5km race, six seconds covered the top four men with Jamie Crowe winning in 27:19 from Michael Christoforou’s 27:22 and Calum McKenzie’s 27:23.
Morag Miller (nee MacLarty) won the women’s race – also over the same distance - easily in 30:57.
Jo Williams was second in 32:40, with world masters record-holder Fiona Matheson, who is aged 57, was first over 40 runner in 34:27.
LINDSAY SCOTTISH NORTH DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIPS, Gordonstoun, December 8
Scotland road international Kenny Wilson won the men’s title ahead of ultra-running specialist Rob Sinclair and Craig Campbell. Wilson led the Moray team to victory from Inverness and Highland Hill Runners.
Eilidh Mackenzie of Stornoway successfully defended her women’s title, closely followed by W40 gold medallist Catriona Morrison and hill international Kirstie Rogan.
Inverness Harriers won 12 of the 18 individual age-group medals, four of them gold, and five of the six team golds.
NORTH EASTERN COUNTIES CHAMPIONSHIPS, Gateshead, December 8
Morpeth Harriers won the men’s title for the seventh successive year and won all the men’s team trophies on offer at the 113th edition of these Championships.
Greg Jayasuriya won his first senior cross-country title, although he has had previous county victories on the track over 5000m and 10,000m.
The 5000m track champion Georgia Campbell took her first senior women’s cross-country title, pulling clear from Emma Holt with Danni Smythe finishing strongly to take third. Led by the winner, Jarrow & Hebburn retained the team title.
Josh Cowperthwaite, who has won previous titles at under-13, under-15 and under-17 level, this time won the under-20 race.
Les Venmore’s report and David Hewitson’s pictures will appear in this week’s issue.
SOUTH OF ENGLAND MASTERS CHAMPIONSHIPS, Oxford, December 8
British & Irish Masters International W50 champion Kathy Bailey, who won the senior title 24 years ago, won the combined women veterans’ race in 24:14.
The W50 helped her Winchester club to the W50 team win, whereas two seconds back another International winner, Julie Briggs of Arena 80, won the W45 gold which ensured her club the W40 team win.
Sally Judd’s sprint finish gave her third overall spot and the W40 individual title in 24:35.
England international Caroline Wood was first W55 in 26:44. Jane Davies of Reading Road Runners won the W60 title in 27:56 and Joy Radford gained the W65 gold in 32:22 although Olympian Penny Forse ran 31:14 but was discounted because she was scored in a W55 team.
Simon Baines won the M40 championships in 31:54 and led his Thames Hare & Hounds club to the title.
Oxford’s own Julian Richardson won the M50 title in 33:30 but Andy Weir in second (33:46) led Thames to another team gold.
Andy Howey with 34:26 won M55 gold. Michael Bridgeland had a comfortable victory in the M60 category in 37:15 while Dave Cox (38:16) was first M65.
SOUTH OF ENGLAND INTER-COUNTIES CHAMPIONSHIPS, Oxford, December 8
Hannah Viner won the women’s race in 22:27 from Mel Wilkins and Gemma Kersey although fourth-placed Isabel Brinsden led Surrey to the team title.
National winner Mohammed Ali (15:22) had a narrow win in the under-17 race from Charlie Brisley (15:27).
Tia Wilson easily won the under-17 women’s event in 17:38.
Another National champion, Bethany Cook, took the under-15 girls’ race while Louis Small won the boys race from Kent team-mate Matthew Taylor with English Schools 1500m champion Felix Vaughan in third.
Ruby Vinton and Isaac Morris won the under-13 titles.
James Hunt and Alaw Beynon-Thomas were runaway winners at a new venue at the small rural town in Mid Wales. Welsh cross-country champion Hunt won over 9940m in 33:54 to finish nearly a minute ahead of his closest rival, Abed Teweldebrhan.
In the women’s race, Beynon-Thomas defended her title won two years ago in Brecon following cancellation last year due to heavy rainfall. Helen Marshall was second place outright and took the W35 title.
SAITAMA, Japan, December 9
Dalilah Gosa of Bahrain won the marathon in a PB 2:25:35 just ahead of compatriot Shitaye Habtegebrel's 2:25:39.
GUANGZHOU, China, December 9
Mohammed Zaini from Morocco won the men's marathon in 2:10:44 and Ethiopian Tigist Girma Getachew the women's race in 2:26:44.
YAMAGUCHI, Japan, December 8
Six women bettered the IAAF 10,000m standard for next year’s World Championships led by Minami Yamanouchi, who won in 31:16.48 to go second on the 2018 world lists.
HONOLULU, December 8
Ed Cheserek, a Flagstaff-based Kenyan, successfully defended his mile race title with a race record 3:54.83 to win from teenager Leonard Bett, who ran 3:54.89. Merriam Cherop won the women's race in a course record 4:22.54 to successfully defend her title.
HONOLULU MARATHON, USA, December 9
Titus Ekiru led a Kenyan clean sweep, winning in windy conditions in second fastest in the history of the event of 2:09:01. Vivian Kiplagat won the women's race in 2:36:22.
» See the December 13 issue of AW magazine for much more
