Contributions from Jonny Currie, James Davis, and George Loxton
With the track season finishing, road racing has been the order of the past three weeks, with action in both the London Marathon, and at the opposite end of the distance spectrum over 5K.
London Elite Marathon
London (4/10)
MarW Naomi Mitchell* 2:33:23 PB 14th (2nd Brit)
Alumni Jack Gray and Naomi Mitchell both scored personal bests in this year's slightly alternative London Marathon. While Gray ran 2:20:26 for a strong debut and UK#12 this year, Mitchell's 2:33:23 placed her UK#45 all-time, as she was the second Brit home in a fast race, a marked improvement on her 2:48:01 a year prior.
Full results can be found here.
Fast 5K
Ashton-in-Makerfield (5/10)
5K-W Amelia Quirk 15:54 PB 3rd
Amelia Quirk produced an outstanding run in Wigan, despite adverse conditions. With rain pouring down on the Three Sisters race circuit, and Laura Weightman storming away to the third fastest time ever by a Brit, Quirk followed Australian international Jess Hull over the line in third place, with a time of 15:54. Her first outing over the distance catapulted her up the British all-time lists, placing her UK#6 U23 and UK#50 all-time, as well as UK#13 this year.
Unsurprisingly for one of the fastest ever runs by a British university-age athlete, the result was also a club record, bettering that which was previously jointly held at 16:13 by British junior international Becky Straw and Commonwealth 6th-placer Charlotte Penfold (née Moore).
Full results can be found here.
Full coverage can be found on Vinco.
Mallory Park 5K Festival
Mallory (18/10)
5K Will Bryan* 14:27 PB 5th
Kristian Imroth 14:30 PB 10th
Joe Hudson 14:37 PB 11th
Joe Tuffin 14:51 PB 19th
Jack Shayler 15:00 25th
Sam Knee-Robinson* 15:16 PB 35th
Shreyas Kanyady 15:31 PB 43rd
Maisie Grice 16:46 PB 96th (8th W)
Justine Anthony* 17:04 PB 114th (19th W)
Ruby Whyte-Wilding 17:29 PB 130th (24th W)
Elisha Tait 17:31 PB 132nd (25th W)
Lucy Thornton 17:50 PB 146th (34th W)
12 club members past and present raced at the Mallory Park Racing Circuit in a novel format of 5K racing where athletes were set off in groups of six, at ten second intervals.
"It was great to finally race again. It was an exciting format getting set off in waves and having people to chase down. I didn’t know what to expect, so I was delighted to come away with such a big PB." - Joe Hudson
The format, while novel, proved to work well for many of the athletes, with all but one coming away with a new personal best on the day, aided by cool, dry weather and scarcely a breath of wind.
The one athlete without a personal best on the day was Jack Shayler, who ran a strong 15:00, perhaps lacking the adrenaline that coursed through his veins on the way to a 14:55 PB at Armagh earlier in the year, after taking a fall at the start.
With it being such a bizarre time in the season, I was really looking forward to racing a competitive road race and get some races in before Christmas. The event was brilliant - a great course, perfect weather and really well organized, and even better to see the BUAC family running so well! - Maisie Grice
Full results can be found here.