Briggs clocks 74:24 to take women's race as Ahmed runs 64:42 for overall win in big West Country road race

Double Birmingham League winner and Midland Cross Country Champs runner-up, Omar Ahmed led throughout the Bath Half-Marathon on Sunday (March 17) after going through 3km in 8:25 before winning in 64:42, Martin Duff reports.

Dylan Evans chased hard all of the way and was 17 seconds down on the Birchfield runner’s 14:51 at 5km and the margin changed by only a second or two at each subsequent checkpoint before finishing a comfortable second in 64:54.

London Marathon-bound Becky Briggs took the women’s race in 74:24 but followed eventual runner-up Anna Domville through 5km in 17:07 before going ahead before 9km then surging away to win by half-a-minute.

Overall:  1 O Ahmed (Bir) 64:42; 2 D Evans (SB) 64:54; 3 A Lawrence (VP&TH) 65:37; 4 J Escalante-Phillips (C&C) 66:04; 5 J Hoad (THH) 66:05; 6 S Hogan (Soton) 66:21

M40: 1 M Edwards (W Tempo) 68:55

M45: 1 R Michlaeson-Yeates (S&SH) 71:23

M50: 1 M Jennings (MMM) 73:21

M55: 1 L Aherne (P Bryn) 75:23

M60: 1 P Reddaway (Ware) 86:03

M65: 1 M White (B Pear) 98:40

M70: 1 I Newsham (L Goat) 98:55

M75: 1 P Rogers (T Bath) 1:58:11

Women: 1 B Briggs (CoH) 74:24; 2 A Domville (T Bath) 74:54; K Olding (TVH) 75:15; 4 C Arnell 77:31; 5 I Gelder78;16; 6 R Anderbury 78:41

W40: 1 A Harrold (Truro) 79:13

W50: 1 K Harris (High) 80:36

W55: 1 A Riddell-Webster (Fulham) 84:41

W60: 1 C Hawling (Chelt) 1:41:07

W65: 1 J Hutchinson 98:17

W70: 1 A Dockery (W’bury) 1:56:33 

ESSEX 20, Saffron Waldon, March 17 

In his first race of the year, Peter Robinson took the Essex title for the third year in a row but his 1:47:27 victory was down on his previous outings, although he did lead Essex to an inter-county title, Martin Duff reports.

In her first venture over the distance, Verity Hopkins took the women’s section by more than a minute in 1:57:42, a time that out to bode well for a marathon debut inside 2:40.

Overall:  1 P Robinson (S’field) 1:47:27; 2 B Stephenson (Dart, M40) 1:48:42; 3 J Eves (Bed C, M40) 1:49:32; 4 J Entwistle (WG&EL) 1:50:43; 5 P Molyneux (S’field, M40) 1:50:44; 6 O Knowles (Petts W) 1:50:53

M50: 1 T Farrer (Hunts) 2:02:07

M55: 1 C Dyce 2:04:28

M60: 1 O Dare (Witham) 2:09:01

M65: 1 C Stephenson (Col H) 2:23:23

M70: 1 D Butler (Bill’cay) 2:23:47

Inter-County TEAM: 1 Essex 5:29:11; 2 Kent 5:30:42; 3 Cambs 5:42:37; 4 Suffolk 5:49:45; 5 Norfolk 5:49:58; 6 Sussex 5:56:54; 7 Herts 6:02:36

Women: 1 V Hopkins (Ton) 1:57:42; 2 R Wild (Col H 2:08:29; 3 L Barnes 2:09:11; 4 E Baverstock (Orion) 2:09:54; 5 S Overington (S’field) 2:10:17; 6 H Mann (St Alb) 2:10:38

W40: 1 K Woodward (Ware) 2:10:45

W45: 1 E Fogg (N For) 2:14:37

W50: 1 E Prideaux (S’field) 2:14:32

W55: 1 S Roberts (Colt) 2:40:46

W60: 1 W Aldridge (Dengie) 3:07:43

W65: 1 G Bullen (Thurr) 3:18:16

W70: 1 S Veerasamy (Dag 88) 4:00:24

Inter-County TEAM: 1 Essex 6:29:36; 2    Herts 6:35:51; 3 Sussex 6:37:50; 4 Suffolk 6:46:16; 5 Norfolk 6:47:15; 6 Cambs 6:50:53; 7 Hants 6:54:29; 8 Kent 6:55:17

SPORTSSHOES PODIUM FESTIVAL, Leicester, March 16

 The elite women’s race saw five of the top six British women home take advantage of a combination of good conditions, prize money and go-faster shoes to set personal bests, Martin Duff reports.

Behind Ethiopian Asmarech Anley's 14:59, Abbie Donnelly led the personal best charge with 15:18 ahead of Melissa Courtney-Bryant’s 15:27. Her time was matched by Verity Ockenden, who was the only leading Brit not on PB form.

For the elite men, it was Ethiopian Hagos Gebrhiwet who got home ahead of Amos Langat and Daniel Kosen in 13:19. In fourth spot Irish junior Nick Griggs was also in personal best form with a Northern Ireland record of 13:39.

The best of the Brits was Will Barnicoat with 13:43 ahead of 2022 world 1500m champion Jake Wightman’s 13:52.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by SportsShoes.com (@sportsshoes)

Elite men (A Race): 1 H Gebrhiwet (ETH) 13:19; 2 A Langat 13:24; 3 D Kosen (KEN) 13:27; 4 N Griggs (IRE, U20) 13:39; 5 B Magnusson (ICE) 13:42; 6 W Barnicoat 13:43; 7 V Ortiz-Rivera ((PUR) 13:43; 8 J West 13:44; 9 D Kimaiyo 13;48; 10 AV Christensen (DEN) 23;49; 11 J Wightman (Edin) 13:52; 12 I Balabanov (BUL) 13:54; 13 Z Seddon (Brack) 13;55; 14 M Chazarra 14:00; 15 R Allen (Leeds) 14:01

B Race: 1 T Crockett (Exe U) 14:13; 2 J Woods (Worth) 14:21; 3 J O’Farrell (Liv) 14:21

Sub 15 race:

1 J Smith (kend) 14:18; 2 H Jonas (Norw, u20) 14:25; 3 L Sone (AFD) 14:30

Elite women: 1 A Anley (ETH) 14:59; 2 C Nyaga (KEN) 14:59; 3 M Yeshaneh (ETH) 15:14; 4 A Donnelly (Linc W) 15:18; 5 M Courtney-Bryant (Poole) 15:27; 6 V Ockenden (Swan) 15:27; 7 J Lau (NED) 15:33; 8 K Axford (Belg) 15:34; 9 M Davies (Sale) 15:34; 10 A Quirk (Brack) 15:35; 11 C Ruiz (ESP) 15:35; 12 C Gallardo (ESP) 15:37 

B Race 1 H Taunton (Taunt) 16:41; 2 L Armitage (Sale) 16:44; 3 V Hiscock (Read) 16:47 

FRIDAY NIGHT UNDER THE LIGHTS, Battersea Park, London, March 15

Overall (Race 1):  1 M Sunderland (Wok, U20) 15:29

Women:  1 S Twell (AFD) 16:27; 2 B Wood (Salis, U20) 16:36

Overall (Race 2):

1 W Douglas (W Tempo) 15:48

Women:  1 M Deadman (BMH) 16:25; 2 P Craig-McFeeley (Herne H) 16:54; 3 L Major (THH) 17:01

Overall (Race 3):

1 T Sycklemore (BMH) 14:25; 2 C Thorne (Cambus) 14:27; 3 H Hart (Belg) 14:28

HYDE PARK RELAYS, London, March 16

Ben Westhenry gave Bristol University old boys a commanding first leg lead that they were to retain, before winning from an Imperial College ‘Salem all stars’ quartet by exactly two minutes, Martin Duff reports.

In his first UK recorded outing for nearly two years, the 2011 English Schools steeplechase and 2015 Midland under-20 cross-country silver medallist completed the 5km distance in a fastest of the day 14:01.

The fastest women opted to run in the mixed relay and Evie Warren both started and anchored for the winning foursome, with times of 17:22 and 17:38.

Men (4x5km): 1 Bristol Uni Alumni 63:16 (B Westhenry 14:01, A Stewart 15:34, J Hooley 16:32, F Dennison 17:08); 2 Imperial College Abdus Salem 65:16 (M Humphries 16:57, I Makkar 15:55, S Kubica 16:28, J Lally 15:55); 3 Portsmouth U 66:29 (C Walker-Powell 15:51, H Chambers 17;13, C Taylor 17:25, B West 15:59); 4 Reading U 73:14; 5 Essex Blades 77:26; 6 HTC 76:53 

Fastest: Westhenry 14:01

Mixed (4x5km): 1 Surrey Mixed 70:24 (E Warren (W) 17:22, N Lightfoot 16:32, A Phillips 18:51, E Warren (W) 17:38); 2 Imperial College Wayne’s Babes 71:21 (T Lunn 17:35, I Franco (W) 18:01, E Turner 16:39, K Simister 19:05); 3 LSE 72:32 (G Graglia 16:59, W Lai (W) 19:06, M Lewis (W) 19:30, R Rousseau 16:56); 4 Good Times 76:21; 5 LSE B 76:37; 6 Imp C Tri 81:21 

Women (4x5km): 1 Imperial College Tigers 84:38 (H Gray 22:17, S Francheschi 20:37, K Booth 21:38, H Garvey 20:03); 2 Women’s B 88:48; 3 IC Zebras 89:55

Fastest: Warren 17:22

NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE HALF-MARATHON & 10km, Scunthorpe, March 17

Jordan Skelly was a minute outside his best when winning overall in 66:33 but it was enough to see off a challenge from Elliott Smales by 25 seconds, Martin Duff reports.

Heather Townsend, who ran 2:37:01 in last year’s London Marathon, took the women’s section in 74:40, two minutes clear of City of Leeds team mate Camilla McKnespley.

Overall (13.1M): 1 J Skelly (Linc W) 66:33; 2 E Smales (Roth) 66:58; 3 W Strangeway (Linc W) 67:07; 4 J Hall (Leeds) 67:14; 5 J Rainsford (Heanor) 67:43; 6 J Johnson (Bev) 67:49

M40: 1 J Young (Knares) 75:45

M45: 1 J Wilson (Brid) 75:45

M50: 1 J Walton (Leeds) 64:25

M55: 1 C Lynam 80:34

M60: 1 C Gibbs 82:30

M65: 1 R Jones (Trent P) 98:00

M75: 1 J Willis (Skeg) 1:47:23

Women: 1 H Townsend (Leeds) 74:40; 2 C McKnespley (Leeds) 76:45; 3 A Pearse (Steel) 77:19; 4 C Thornton (Linc W) 77:48; 5 K Ballantyne-Chalmers (Leeds) 81:15; 6 C Brock (Steel, W35) 82:36

W40: 1 R Cole (Linc W) 83:48

W50: 1 H Hall (Knaves) 87:32

W55: 1 J Bolton (Kimber) 95:46

W60: 1 F Usher (Linc &D) 91:32

W65: 1 C Wheelhouse (Donc) 99:20

W70: 1 D Kesterton (Steel) 1:43:09

Overall (10km): 1 M Bowser (Linc W, M40) 31:09; 2 D Garbutt (Durh) 31:24; 3 S Robinson (Linc W) 31:30

Women: 1 S Kemshall (St Ther) 35:29; 2 L Race (Barns, W35) 38:32; 3 A Scales 39:02

FLORET FRADLEY 10km, Lichfield, Staffordshire, March 17

Overall:  1 P Ball (B&R) 34:14; 2 B Barrett (Ruge) 34;28; 3 R Meredith 34:45

M40: 1 A Evans 34;56

M50: 1 C Nicholl (Der Tri) 34:40; 2 M Lay L Eaton) 36:46; 3 P Westwood 36:54

Women:  1 T Freeman (B&R) 37:27; 2 E Watters (Bir) 39:33; 3 O Harris (RSC) 40:41

MAGNIFICENT EASTNOR CASTLE 7 MT, Ledbury, Herefordshire, March 17

Overall (tough 7M): 1 T Kennedy (W tempo) 47:06; 2 K Evans (Malvern, M50) 47:26; 3 W Kennedy (W tempo) 47:45

Women: 1 C Plant (Here, W50) 57;15; 2 C Smith (W40) 60:33; 3  J Harris (W40) 61:39

» Subscribe to AW magazine here