Trafford played host to a standout evening of racing, with half of all athletes clocking personal bests

The final British Milers Club Grand Prix of the 2025 season delivered a thrilling night of middle-distance racing on Saturday, August 9, as Trafford hosted a packed evening of personal bests and standout performances.

Leading the charge in the men’s 1500m A race was Cameron Boyek, who stole the spotlight in what marked his 43rd BMC appearance. The 31-year-old surged away from the field in the final lap to claim victory in a personal best of 3:35.51 — making it not only the fastest 1500m time recorded across this year’s Grand Prix series but also the fifth quickest in BMC history.

Boyek, who had previously clocked a PB of 3:37.32 earlier this summer in June, has staged a remarkable comeback after years on the sidelines. Before 2024, he hadn’t competed in a 1500m for seven years, battling through a long spell of injuries, illness, and uncertainty around his future in the sport.

"It went as well as you probably would want it to," said Boyek. "I was a little bit worried before the race because I was in two races at the British Champs but I'm happy. I think in the 1500m, you gauge how you feel when you go through 800m. I think if you feel good and you go through 500m left to go, then you know you're going to be able to finish good.

"I tore my Achilles in December so I didn't really run until the end of March. I had a lot of promise as a junior and then I had a period of eight years of injury and illness and then last year I said to myself that I either need to race now or I'm going to stop.

"Back in the day we had the old spikes but because of today's technology it is easier to make that comeback. We seen it last year with Georgia Hunter Bell who made that comeback and she is the same age as me. I always have in the back of my mind, if she can do it, then there's a chance that you can as well."

European U23 cross country silver medallist George Couttie crossed the line second in 3:38.00, while Brhane Gebrebrhan ran a new personal best of 3:38.54 to secure third.

The women’s 1500m A race proved just as competitive, with 10 of the 11 entrants clocking personal bests. Holly Dixon emerged victorious in a tightly contested finish, edging out Emily Simpson in the final stretch. Dixon clocked 4:10.56, just ahead of Simpson’s PB of 4:10.83. Lucy Jones completed the podium in 4:12.73.

Dixon was pleased with the win and personal best but is still targeting a sub-4:10 performance in her next outing.

She said: "This season I really wanted to run sub 4:10 but I'm quite chuffed that I've ran 4:10. I've got another track race for the 1500m so hopefully I can go sub on that one to finish off the season.

"It was quite tough between me and Emily because we both had to take on bits of the race which wasn't easy because I thought it was quite windy so it would have been nice to have more of a group to sit in. Maybe I could have ran a little bit quicker if I hadn't wasted so much energy but it was really good to have someone pushing me until the end."

Elsewhere in the supporting races, Fife athlete Ben Sandilands delivered a standout performance of his own. Competing in the B race, Sandilands shattered his own World T20 Para record, clocking 3:44.90 to finish second. His previous mark of 3:45.40 was set last season when he claimed gold at the Paralympic Games in Paris.

Lucy Armitage delivered a shock result in the women’s 800m A race. Not only did the rising star clinch victory and a personal best, but she shattered her previous mark from 2:03.02 down to a sensational 2:00.96.

The performance caps off an impressive breakthrough year for the British athlete, who has now taken a remarkable six seconds off her PB in 2025 alone. Armitage recently competed at the FISU World Student Games, where she reached the semi-finals, and made her first senior British final at the UK Athletics Championships in Birmingham just one week prior to this BMC race.

Armitage bided her time before making her decisive move with 200m to go. She surged past early leader Ava Lloyd and created a gap the rest of the field couldn’t close. Khahisa Mhlanga finished second in 2:01.69, while Lloyd took third in a personal best of 2:02.57.

"I'm in shock to be honest," said Armitage. "It was at 200m to go I knew I still had a bit in me so I decided to kick. I think I've changed everything I've done. I've massively put all of my focus into training."

The men’s 800m A race saw Archie Davis return to top form, taking the win in a season’s best time of 1:46.55. Davis edged out Reece Sharman Newell in a tightly contested finish. Sharman Newell, who recently placed sixth at the Novuna UK Championships, clocked 1:46.62 for second. Andrew Thompson rounded out the top three with a strong run of 1:46.77.

The evening concluded with the 5000m races. In the men’s race, Lithuania’s Simas Bertasius aimed high with the national record of 13:17.9 in his sights after previously breaking the national 3000m record in Watford. While the record proved out of reach on the night, Bertasius still cruised to victory in 13:37.01, finishing well ahead of the field. Britain’s Harry Wakefield followed in second with a personal best of 13:48.85.

On the women’s side, every athlete ran a PB. Norway's Anna Marie Nordengen Sirevag led the six-woman field, taking the win in 15:49.46.