“The goalposts always shift,” says Arlo Ludewick, looking back at a summer of breakthrough performances and one which he hopes to use as a platform for moving forward.

The 26-year-old caused an upset to win the 1500m title at the British Championships, clocking 3:38.85 to win a tactical race. A few weeks later, he took over four seconds off his 1500m best with 3:33.07 in Belgium, before then placing sixth behind world record-breaker Josh Kerr in the mile at the London Diamond League. Ludewick was the third-fastest Brit as he ran 3:48.17, eighth on the UK all-time list, and also further reduced his 1500m best with a split of 3:32.92.

In August he placed fifth over 1500m at the European Championships, running 3:36.65 at the Alexander Stadium. For someone whose main goal this season was to simply make the 1500m final at the British Championships, it has been a case of learning on the job and embracing opportunities.

“I wasn’t expecting such a breakthrough, but if I look back I’ve had my most consistent training over the past couple of years,” he says. “It’s cool to see what you can achieve when you stay healthy.”

Ludewick, who placed 10th in his 1500m heat at last season’s UK Athletics Championships, realised that he could capture the domestic crown this summer after winning in the first round.

“Some of my training partners would be like: ‘It’s wide open, you can get a medal’, and I didn’t really believe them until after the heats,” he says. “Going into that final, I wanted to make sure I gave myself a chance of winning.

“The London Diamond League was a different experience. It was about competing well in front of a huge audience and I just wanted to enjoy it. If you had told me last year that I would run 3:32, that would be the only thing I would be thinking about.

“After I got the taste of championship success in Birmingham, my mindset switched. The fast times are more about getting the opportunities to get into the races with the best guys. You see them on TV and then, when you’re in the race, you realise everyone has got two legs. It fills you with confidence as anyone has a shot once you’re in that mix.”

Ludewick’s first real taste of sport came in cycling and cyclocross, but a bad crash in 2014 saw him lose interest. A friend’s suggestion of parkrun a couple of years later proved to be pivotal. As well as joining the cross-country club at the University of Manchester, Ludewick decided to represent Herne Hill Harriers and was advised to focus on the middle distances. In the summer of 2019 he ran 1:58 for 800m and 4:03 for 1500m.

He quickly improved and joined Norman Poole’s middle distance group in Manchester. Between his undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in the UK, Ludewick also spent over a year at Virginia Tech, competing in the US for a large part of 2023.

An Achilles injury meant he couldn’t run on the track in 2024, but a number of cross-country races saw him rebuild his confidence and strength. Now, having excelled on the track, he wants to return to the mud and grass this winter.

“I’d love to try and make the British team for the European Cross Country Championships,” he says. “I almost enjoy cross-country more than the track.”

Since competing at the European Championships, Ludewick, who is studying for a PhD in Mechanical Metamaterials, has also been rewarded with a Nike contract.

“It’s a nice affirmation of the hard work put in and a boost,” he adds. “It shows how much people believe in me and want to see how far I can go.”