British Milers’ Club in south-east London sees fast 800m by Herne Hill Harrier

The first-ever BMC Grand Prix at Eltham was highlighted by Katie Snowden’s two-lap win.

Snowden (pictured, No.45) won the women’s 800m in a season’s best 2:01.75. The Commonwealth 1500m finalist, who was fourth in the British Championships 1500m the week before, finished strongly to deny Sweden’s Hanna Hermansson (pictured, No.46), who ran 2:01.98.

Unlike her football team, Hermansson did at least beat England as former world 1500m silver medallist Hannah England finished fifth in 2:04.48.

Shortly after the race, Snowden ran 6x200m on the track in 30 seconds as there was a small gap in the programme.

After bravely following the pacemaker, Zakia Mossi won the women’s C race in 2:09.86 for her first sub-2:10 as she increased her advantage at the top of the UK under-15 rankings for 2018.

The men’s 800m was narrowly won by James Preston in 1:49.82.

Ireland’s Amy O’Donoghue won a competitive women’s 1500m in 4:20.57 with a 66-second last lap.

The men’s race was won by four seconds with 1:47 800m man Spencer Thomas setting a PB 3:43.84 with a 58-second final circuit.

For much of the women’s 3000m steeplechase it looked as if Ireland’s Michelle Finn had a chance of a European Championships qualifying time of 9:55 but she struggled on her own in the final kilometre.

She required a 70sec last lap but, exhausted, had to climb the final few barriers and water jump and won in 10:27.11 from Irish Olympian Sara Treacy 10:35.30.

The final women’s event of the night saw an exciting 3000m between Jenny Nesbitt and Philippa Bowden with Nesbitt proving the stronger in the final kilometre to win in a PB 9:11.37.

The men’s 3000m saw 12 still together at the bell and a sub-60 last lap from Jonny Hay won him the race in 8:06.06, while Harvey Dixon broke a 40-year-old Gibraltar record in 10th in 8:16.45.

» See the July 12 issue of AW magazine for more