Performance round up: April 2024
Throughout April there was lots of talent on show from England athletes on the road and in the mountains. From team camaraderie at the ERRA Road Relay Championships to Olympic qualification at the London Marathon 2024 it has been a great month in athletics and running.
On the road
ERRA 6 and 12-Stage Road Relay Championships
With legs run by elite athletes and club runners alike, the 6 and 12-Stage Road Relay Championships took Sutton Park by storm in the challenging windy conditions. In the women’s 6-stage race, Thames Valley Harriers dominated after Yvie Lock (TVH) kicked off their race with the fastest long leg of the day. The team maintained this lead right to the finish line to take the crown.
Victory in the men’s 12-stage race went to Leeds City, a massive three and a half minutes ahead of their closest competitors. Matthew Grieve (Andrew Henderson, Leeds) anchored the race having started his leg with a commanding lead built up by his teammates, including the fastest long leg of the day by Team GB’s Olympic marathon runner, Phil Sesemann (Andrew Henderson, Leeds).
TCS London Marathon 2024
Over 53,000 people finished the London Marathon this year, which is one of the many records broken by the event. The women-only marathon world record was also broken, as Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya crossed the line in 2:16:16. In this race packed with some of the fastest women in history, Becky Briggs finished 12th to claim the England title.
In the men’s race, Emile Cairess (Leeds City) claimed the England men’s title and third place overall with a time of 2:06:46, placing him second on the UK all-time list behind Sir Mo Farah. Mahamed Mahamed (Idris Hamud, Southampton) finished just 20 seconds behind, meaning they have both qualified for the Team GB Olympic marathon team this summer. Rose Harvey (Clapham Chasers) completes the Team GB marathon line up, having run 2:23:21 in the Chicago marathon last year.
In the mountains
Off-road, Scout Adkin (Angela Mudge, Ambleside) and Joe Steward (Harry Kelly, Salford) dominated the Skiddaw uphill only races at the Mountain Running Championships with winning margins of 2:49 minutes and 24 seconds respectively. Sara Willhoit (Shrewsbury) took the English crown in this event, securing her place in the England team for the Senior Home International, alongside men's winner, Joe. The Inter-Counties Championships brought another victory for Scout as she took first place again followed by teammate Eve Pannone (Derek Hurton, Hallamshire) to help Cumbria secure the women’s title.
Coming up England athletes are competing in the Copenhagen Marathon, Masters 10k in Birmingham and Home Nations 5k.