Distance Running News, 21-25 August 2019

26 August 2019

Chris Booth continued his fine season with a 3000m personal best at the Watford Open meeting. Lining up in the A race with a PB of 9:09.42, Booth put in an impressive performance to brake the nine minute barrier for the first time as he stopped the clock at 8:59.20 for sixteenth place. In the preceding B race Rachel See also ran well to finish just six seconds outside her PB as she recorded 11:01.90 for 26th place.

On the roads Doug Wight took a fine fourth place at the Severn Bridge Half Marathon as he trimmed his personal best by two seconds with a pleasing time of 75:43 in a race won by Bedford’s Richard Henderson in 72:51. Andrew Kaighin found the hot conditions at the Headington 5 mile road race weren’t to his liking, but still recorded a respectable 29:45. Phil Brush meanwhile finished fifth in the Pershore Plumb multi-terrain 10k whilst in the off-road Winchcombe Hill Climb 10k Mike Ede finished as the first V60 runner in sixteenth place in an event that also saw James Wilkinson and Ken Buckle make a return to race action.

Beth Hawling finish as first lady and fourth overall at the Cheltenham parkrun as she clocked a course PB of 17:33. Her time also moved her up into second place on the ladies all-time list for the event, a single second ahead of Kate Goodhead (Bristol) and eighteen seconds behind record holder Emily Smith (Wells City). Alex Lee (16:16) meanwhile was first man home for the 44th time whilst Henry James (17:47) and Mike Hughes (18:15) placed seventh and ninth respectively. Matt Lambourne (18:30), Steve Linton (18:35), Clark Lawson (18:51), Simon Critchley (18:58), Martin Soakell (19:19), Matt Wood (19:26) and Gareth Edwards (19:57) also enjoyed a run out before Amber Watson (21:14) finished as third lady.

In the fourth staging of the Ross-on-Wye parkrun Charlie Jones and Eliot Taylor filled the top two places as they both set a new course record of 16:56 whilst Chris Cleary (17:36) placed fifth. Luke Pennington (17:59) finished first at the Cirencester parkrun where Caroline Cotterell (21:44) was the second placed lady. Alice Stalberg (22:04) finished as second lady at the Gloucester North parkrun whilst Ellis Woolley (22:03) was the fourth lady home at the Conwy parkrun in North Wales.