Live racing returns with gusto as Potter runs a UK best over 5k
While Beth Potter stunned the onlookers at the Podium 5k with a new UK best over 5k, there were many other noteworthy performances over the long Easter weekend. Weight loss runner, Mick Hill ran a UK M45 best over 5k and Charlie Hicks was in stunning form at the Stanford 10 000m invitational to win in 28:25.
Beth Potter (handicap -0.5) ran a spectacular 14:41 over 5km in the Podium 5km in the Lancashire village of Barrowford on a pancake flat multi-looped course. This is a full 10 seconds faster than Paula Radcliffe’s best time of 14:51 ran in Hyde Park in 2003!
Potter, who is also an elite triathlete ran in the Olympic 10,000m final in Rio, had not expected to go so fast and assumed the km markers were wrong as she cruised through 3km in well under 9 minutes. In conditions that were perfect, Potter showed her endurance work is clearly payiomng off with a jaw dropping performance that left all who witnessed it, feeling somewhat privileged. Behind Potter were more impressive postings.
Revee Walcott-Nolan (handicap -1.1) in 15:50 finished just ahead of Samantha Harrison (handicap -1.7) who clocked 15:53.
In the men’s Podium 5k race, a 2:46 opening kilometre showed the race was even paced prior to the final lap burn-up. U23 student runner, Tom Mortimer (handicap -5.9) edged out Phil Sesemann (handicap -6.1) to win in 13:39 by just one second. Close behind was a resurgent new parent Andy Heyes (handicap -5.5) in 13:46, just 6 seconds ahead of double Olympic medallist Jonny Brownlee (handicap 1.8). Other notable breakthrough performances came from Chris Perham (handicap -3.3) and Cameron Main (handicap 0.2) who also went under 14-minutes.
Mick Hill (handicap -3.5) has returned to racing after a long break which saw him gain over three stones in weight. In his forties, he turned back the clock and returned to fitness and training levels from his impressive 20’s when he ran internationally for England. 2020 frustrated his planned attack on many records, but he has persevered and his 14:44 was a new M45 UK road record taking six seconds from Ian Hudspith’s record of 14:50.
Over in the United States, UK athletes were again impressing with Charlie Hicks (handicap -5.3) the outstanding performance as he won men’s 10,000m race in Stanford in a time of 28:25.29, which also doubled as a qualifying standard for the European U23 Championships.
At the Fast 5k in Ashton-in-Makerfield near Wigan, Richard Allen (handicap -5.9) posted a respectable 14:05 ahead of Hugo Milner’s (handicap -1.8) 14:13. Laura Weightman (handicap -3.8) took the women’s prize ahead of internationals Mary Ngugi and Jip Vastenburg (handicap -0.7).
At the PB5k, Ellis Cross (handicap -5.6) and Daniel Jarvis (handicap -5.5) locked horns to finish in 14:05 and 14:07 respectively. Jarvis, one of the UK’s best steeplechaser’s ran a full marathon last week in 2:32 as a pacemaker at Kew Gardens! Sarah Astin was ahead of all the women with 16:13.
Also over the weekend at the Dorney Lake Marathon, Jordan Andrews (handicap -2.2) posted a respectable 2:25:50 to win outright while Samantha Amend (handicap 2.5) in 2:52:36 was the top woman. The races provided great depth after an extended lockdown of racing, with the six men under 2:30.
UK runbritain rankings for endurance events and age groups
Other results from the weekend are on the following links: