October 2024: Performance round-up
The summer season may be over but by no means does that mean the action slows down! October has been all about endurance with England teams representing across both mountain running and cross country. Clubs from across England have also been coming together to see who will finish on top at the recent English National Road Relays!
England Half Marathon champions crowned
Manchester was the setting for the England Athletics Senior Half Marathon Championships and what a race it was as the course lived up to its reputation as super fast to deliver some fantastic performances. Jack Rowe (Aldershot, Farnham & District) took gold in the championships and the overall race win, storming across the line in 1:02:12. This time smashed the course record (set by Jack at last year’s event) by an astonishing 30 seconds.
In the women’s race Lucy Reid (Tonbridge, Richard Owen) ran an exceptional race taking gold in a new personal best time of 1:09:13 and finishing almost 5 minutes ahead of second placed runner.
Podium places for Team England in the mountains
A team of 12 athletes travelled to Morbegno in the Valtellina Valley, Italy to take on the prestigious Trofeo Vanoni Italian Mountain Race. The race is run as a relay over 5km/248m for the women and 7.2km/485m for the men.
It was a clean sweep for the English women as they took all the podium spots in the individual race with Alice Crane (Dorking and Mole Valley AC) finishing 1st, followed by Emily Shaw (Edinburgh Uni Hare and Hounds) and Emilia Platt (Salford Harriers). The team of Crane and Platt also secured their place on the team podium in third place.
In the men's race, it was Matt Knowles (Lancaster and Morecambe AC) who finished on top spot in the individual race with Tom Spencer (Cambridge and Coleridge AC) just missing out in 4th. The men's teams came home in 5th and 6th place.
Athletes kick off their cross country season
Belgium played host to the first of this season's English Cross Country Association's race programme at the Energy Vision Cross Cup. England had four teams in the mix, two junior and two senior.
The junior women triumphed as Eleanor Strevens (Eastbourne, Christopher Voice) finished on top followed by Freya Bradley (Westbury, Neil Miller) just one second behind in 2nd place. In the senior women's race, Jessica Gibbon (Reading AC) broke the tape, rewarded for a big push on the third lap of the race. James Kingston (Tonbridge AC, Mark Hookway) and Quinn Miell-Ingram (Radley AC, Wendy Miell-Ingram) came home in third in the senior and junior men's races respectively.
Success in Italy for the Under-23's
From the mountains to the roads, England have also been in action in Trieste, Italy, competing in the scenic Corsa Dei Castelli 10k.
Greeted by outstanding views, the quick course started at the Miramare Castle through the city centre with a challenging climb in the last kilometre to the San Giusto Castle.
Competing against nine other teams from Europe, the English contingent dominated the team races to take women's team gold, and men's team bronze!
Final Masters road race of 2024
Finishing off their road season in style, over 100 England masters' athletes took to the streets of Chester to take on Wales at the Chester Marathon! In spite of a heavy rain shower shortly before the start, the race was mainly dry with good conditions for marathon running which was reflected in some excellent times across all the age groups.
Leeds and Herne Hill dominate the ERRA National Road Relays
The ERRA Road Relays returned to Sutton Park for their autumn edition as clubs from across the country battled it out to see who would finish on top. Leeds City AC were back to defend their title, and with two Paris Olympians of Emile Cairess (Leeds City) and Phil Sesemann (Leeds City, Andy Henderson) in their squad, it looked promising. After the first leg, the Yorkshire men were sitting in 10th place, but with a fastest leg of Emile Cairess up next, they retained the lead all the way to the end - their third year claiming victory.
In the women's race, it was the underdogs Herne Hill who took home the trophy. Battling the strength of Belgrave Harriers and Aldershot, it was a strong third stage from Georgie Grgec with the fastest leg of the day to put Herne Hill into pole position where they would stay for the duration of the race. The club's A team finished 20 seconds ahead of the fast finishing Vale Royal AC.