Britain's most prolific masters miler added to her remarkable collection at the Dave Clarke Mile, improving her own W60 world records for both the mile and the 1500m in the space of one race — taking her tally of age-group records since 2008 to well over 100.

The Dave Clarke Mile at Wimbledon Stadium witnessed Jack Kavanagh (3:59.01) and Amelia Quirk (4:35.01) win £250 prizes for the fastest times on the night, but from a record perspective both were outshone by W60 multiple record-setter Clare Elms, Steve Smythe reports.

Having been in the London Stadium a few days earlier to see Josh Kerr set his stunning world record, Britain's most prolific masters miler improved her own world W60 record over the mile but, for good measure, also improved her own world 1500m mark along the way.

Earlier in the day Elms had coincidentally received confirmation that the European Masters Athletics Association had ratified her 10,000m record from last year and her 3000m record from earlier in July. In what was arguably her best day yet, she added two more world records on top.

She had run the 400m, 800m, 1500m and 3000m for her club Kent AC in the Southern Athletics League in Cambridge on the Sunday, and had also run a 5000m world age-62 best two days before that. She wasn't sure, therefore, how likely an improvement on last year's mile record was, given it was widely regarded as the best of her many records of the last few years — and this was her sixth race in seven days.

Chasing a mile time of 5:18.97 from last year's meeting, she was bang on target as she passed 440 yards in 79.0 seconds and halfway in 2:38.5. Hanging towards the back of the field in the fifth of 15 mile races, she slowed slightly as she passed the bell in 3:57.8, running right behind European Masters M60 indoor 1500m medallist Jonathan Burrell.

With a clear run from that point, and feeling energised when she saw on the 1500m photo-finish clock that her 4:56.09 was inside her previous world mark of 4:56.77, set at this track in May, she finished strongly to improve her mile time to 5:17.25.

Elms uniquely holds all the British 1500m and mile records from W45 up to W60. She has been at her most prolific in her current age group, and this was her seventh outdoor W60 1500m record, taking her well above 100 world, European or British records since she set her first back in 2008.

British age-group 1500m records W45: Clare Elms 4:31.87 (2010); W50: Clare Elms 4:36.79 (2014); W55: Clare Elms 4:46.64 (2019); W60: Clare Elms 4:56.09 (2026)

British age-group mile records W45: Clare Elms 4:56.59 (2010); W50: Clare Elms 5:05.42 (2014); W55: Clare Elms 5:10.35 (2019); W60: Clare Elms 5:17.25 (2026)

She puts her improvement since turning sixty down to increased strength work and a full recovery from a bad dose of Covid, which affected her from 2020 and meant she managed only to set W55 records in her first year in that age group.

Now more than halfway into the W60 category, she is showing no sign of slowing down. While she received 101.1% for her age-graded mile, it was 99.61% for her 1500m, suggesting there is still further room for improvement when she gets into a dedicated 1500m race.

The next best age-grading on the day was 15-year-old Theo Creed's 3:54.96 for 1500m, which at 94.62% unusually outscored the 94.15% of his 4:15.78 mile, as he found the last 109m hard. Creed's time improves his lead in the U16 2026 UK 1500m rankings and also puts him 10 seconds clear at the head of the UK U16 mile rankings.

Nearing veteran status, 34-year-old Andrew Penney picked up 93.48% for his 4:01.68, bettering Kavanagh's 3:59.01 at age 26, which equated to 93.36%. Kavanagh, who ran a PB of 13:36.79 in the UK 5000m Championships, covered the last quarter in 58 seconds; fast-finishing runner-up Charlie Brisley (3:59.96), like Kavanagh, ran his first sub-four mile. Kavanagh split 3:42.68 at 1500m.

Quirk, known more for her endurance prowess and who, like Kavanagh, ran for Britain in the European Cup 10,000m in May, was running her first mile. She was the quickest woman, eight seconds clear of Abi Hancock's 4:43.20.

Last year Anna Garnier set a world W70 record of 6:33.46 and was just seven seconds short this time with 6:40.32. M80 musician Peter Giles, who played on the famous rock band King Crimson's second album, In the Wake of Poseidon, in 1970, wasn't too far short of his UK best of 6:38.93 with 6:49.14.

The event, organised by Ben Noad on behalf of Hercules Wimbledon, again sold out almost immediately after being announced. Dave Clarke, better known as one of Britain's greatest ever cross-country runners, ran a 3:56.95 mile in 1982 and was there to present the prizes.