Distance Running News, 5-10 September

12 September 2017

Hilary Mott continued her fine recent form with second place and a personal best at the Chippenham Half Marathon. After going off with the leading two ladies for the first three miles, Mott dropped back into third place before moving up into second place at around five miles. She then held this position until the end of the race where she stopped the clock at 1:24:18 to knock twelve seconds off her previous best as she finished just fifty seconds behind race winner Hannah Claydon of Swindon. Earlier in the week Alex Bampton finished his successful track season with a fine personal best over 3000m at the Watford Open Meeting. Competing in the A race, the Birmingham University graduate started quickly and went through the opening 800m in 2:16 before deciding to sit in a slowing pack as the twenty-eight strong field quickly split. Despite losing a few places over the final 300m Bampton managed to knock six seconds off his previous best time as he stopped the clock at 8:47.51 for twelfth place in a race won by Blackburn’s Robert Warner in 8:24.48.

The previous evening saw a Harriers team contest the Rose Inn road relays in the Welsh village of Redwick. Whilst the opening leg saw Newport’s Abed Teweldebrhan clock the fastest time of the day with 9:15 for the 1.95 mile loop, the battle for second saw the Cheltenham pair of Jon Barnes and Dan King going head to head. With Banes racing for the Harriers team doing all the work, King who was racing for a composite team sat behind and let his training partner do the work. However, in the final run King moved past Barnes in to cross the line second in 9:55, just one second ahead of third places Barnes. Eliot Taylor then quickly moved the Harriers team up into second place with a 9:52 leg that also reduced Newport’s lead to 30 seconds as Spencer Smith recorded 10:03 for the South Wales club. The final leg then saw Charlie Jones record the second fastest leg of the day with 9:41, but with Newport’s Jonathan Morgan posting a 9:43 split the Harriers had to settle for second place as a Forest of Dean team including Cheltenham athlete Alex Lindfield (10:41) were a distant third. The Harriers also provided the fastest ladies leg of the day as Alice Taylor recorded 10:57 on the third leg for a composite team. Weekend parkruns saw Dan Owen (16:21) finish first at the Cheltenham parkrun in Pittville Park where Dave Aubrey (17:46) and James Bingham (18:18) were third and fifth respectively. Dave Francis (19:03) and Gareth Edwards (19:07) followed before Amber Watson (19:51) was the first lady home just ahead of Steve Hall (19:56). Phil Beastall (15:44) took the win at the Tewkesbury event and Andy Gardiner (17:52) placed seventh at the Ruschliffe parkrun in Nottinghamshire whilst Fee Maycock (19:45) was first lady home and second overall at the Gloucester North event.