London wins for Chris, Steph; West 10K; Edinburgh Marathon; Greg

Monday 28th May 2018

Photo by Mark Shearman

Chris O’Hare won the British Mile Championships in 4:04 ahead of his GB and NI team-mate Charlie Da’Vall Grice in London on Sunday.

And Steph Twell followed that up with another Scottish success in the capital when she took the Vitality London 10K women’s race crown in fine style, too.

Grice was given the same time as Edinburgh AC athlete Chris, while Birchfield’s Elliott Giles took third just ahead of Bracknell’s Zak Seddon in 4:05. Edinburgh’s Jake Wightman finished fifth after making an earlier bid for victory.

On Monday morning, Twell won the 10K in 32.34 with a 26-seconds advantage over Gemma Steel with Jo Pavey third in 33.12. It’s a performance which takes Steph to third in the British rankings for this year.

‘The atmosphere out on the road was electric and everyone out on the course really got me round,’ said Twell. ‘I took in everything, and coming up to St James’s Park, I knew I had to finish strong in front of Buckingham Palace. I made sure I took it all in and just tried to keep my rhythm going.’

It was good to see Callum Hawkins make a return to running for the first time since the Commonwealth Games in Australia and, although he found it tough, came home in 31.27 for 42nd place in a race won by Mo Farah.

Just continuing to have fun racing. Thank you to @WestminsterMile for putting on another amazing race in the heart of London. Also to @adidasrunning for making the best damn racing flat in the game #takumisen https://t.co/aP4UhrzGEJ

— Chris O'Hare (@chrisohare1500) May 27, 2018

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RESULTS

Corstophine AAC athlete Calum McKenzie ‘gate-crashed’ Shettleston’s party on the Green in the Babcock Shettleston 10K on Sunday, when he ran away from a field loaded with internationals to triumph.

His time was a modest 31.38 in the warm conditions but his victory was emphatic as he surged away in the last 3K from last year’s champion and series record holder, Weynay Ghebresilassie, from host club Shettleston Harriers.

Weynay’s record of 30.11 was never under threat but McKenzie, a Scotland XC international this season, produced a very mature performance to consolidate his rise to the top level. Improving steadily through schools and junior ranks, he was eighth in the Lindsays National Cross-Country Championships.

Stephen Trainer of Greenock Glenpark Harriers, the winner of the Babcock Dumbarton 10K last week, was just edged out by Ghebresilassie for second in 32.08 to 32.10. These two took gold and silver respectively in the West District Championships which were incorporated in the event.

American-born Scottish international, Mike Deason (Shettleston), picked up the Babcock 10k Series title and a bonus of £125 in fourth as Shettleston took the team title from Greenock Glenpark and Inverclyde AC. Almost 1900 runners entered the series with 1500 finishers, a 50 percent increase on 2017.

Katie White of Garscube continued her unbroken run of victories after setting a course record in Helensburgh and holding off a resurgent Elspeth Curran from Kilbarchan in Dumbarton.

This time the gap between them was only around five seconds with 3K to go but once again White’s strength and resilience paid dividends as she held on for a well-earned victory by 14 seconds in 36.20 to Curran’s 36.34. They also took gold and silver in the West District Championships.

Clare Moffett of Falkirk Victoria completed the top three in 37.00.. Ruth Joss of Shettleston took the West District bronze medal. Katie White led Garscube to the women’s team title from Shettleston and Bellahouston Road Runners.

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RESULTS

In the Edinburgh Marathon, Kenya’s Joel Kipkemboi Kiptoo won the Scottish capital’s biggest endurance event in an event record time of 2:13:33, with his winning result breaking the previous record by more than two Gregminutes.

Jeffrey Stein’s 2:21:21 was good enough for second place, some 8 minutes adrift of Kiptoo, while Michael Crawley took third prize with 2:24:43.

Kiptoo’s compatriot Caroline Jepchirchir clinched the women’s title in 2:47:35, beating off competition from Hunters Bog Trotters’ V35 Shona McIntosh, who ran 2:49:07 for second, and third placed V35 Tracy Millmore from Birtley AC, who ran 2:52:14.

City of Derry and Ireland’s Breege Connolly won a hard fought battle with Annabel Simpson, with V40 Connolly’s 76:09 eventually beating her rival by just 22 seconds.

Fife AC runner Simpson’s 76:31 was a highly impressive debut over the distance following her 56:30 10M PB last year. Central’s Fanni Gyurko’s 78:32 clocking represented another strong performance for the Hungarian star. Spain’s Severino Felipe Gomez took the win in 70:37 ahead of Mexico’s Arturo Gonzalez and Gateshead’s Conrad Franks.

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