Marathon Mania month for England Athletes
Marathon mania abounds this month with it being one of the busiest times of the year - after April - for marathon races. Runners of all abilities take to the roads, breaking unimaginable barriers and world records, chasing personal bests, raising money for charitable causes or simply to achieve the goal of completing the 26.2 race distance.
From the astonishing feats of Eliud Kipchoge running the first ever sub 2 hour marathon in the controlled conditions of Vienna last weekend, to the new women’s world record of 2:14:04 set by Brigid Kosgei, breaking Paula Radcliffe’s 16 year old record by over a minute - it seems October 2019 is the month to make your mark!
All England Marathon Club Team Championships
At the beginning of the month we crowned our first club team winners in the inaugural All England Marathon Club Team Championships at the MBNA Chester Marathon, which recognised the endeavours of club runners working together as a mixed team. Click here to read all about this.
England Age Group Masters
This weekend, Sunday 20 October, sees our England Age Group Masters Team take on the ultimate distance race at the Asda Foundation Yorkshire Marathon. Over 150 runners aged 35 through to 75+ years, all of whom earned their place on the team through a process of qualification over the last twelve months, will be looking to set a range of age-graded bests that really do demonstrate that it's never too late to get into running. Over 130 affiliated clubs will be represented by individuals on the team, many of whom are role models within their clubs. The England runners will be competing against representatives from the Celtic Nations, as well as those runners entered in the British Masters' Athletics Federation Championships - an event that will showcase masters competition at it's very best!
Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon
Across the Atlantic Ocean, three senior athletes make their England debut running the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon on Sunday 20 October. England continues to send athletes to this event on an annual basis at the invitation of our Canadian and Commonwealth hosts. This IAAF silver label event provides athletes with a high-quality elite racing experience and a valuable platform for athletes to go on to further develop their talent at this race distance. After a couple of withdrawals from the original line-up due to injury, a small team of three, Nick Earl (City of Norwich AC), Johanna O’Regan (Riverside Runners) and the youngest member of the team 22 year-old Kate Drew (Taunton AC) will all be representing England out in Toronto under the guidance of Team Coach Andy Hobdell.
Mainova Frankfurt Marathon
To complete the Octoberfest of marathon running a further five England Senior Internationals will compete at the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon the following weekend, Sunday 27 October. The team comprises of Hayley Carruthers (Birchfield Harriers), Jenny Spink (Bristol & West AC), Paul Navesey (Crawley AC), Aaron Scott (Lincoln Wellington) and Peter Le Grice (Bristol & West AC).