It’s the final Weekend Spherical Up of 2024! Loads of athletes took to the roads in quest of a quick time to finish the 12 months. James Rhodes brings you the racing highlights of the previous week.
Racing within the Ribble Valley
One of many racing highlights of the Christmas interval is the Ribble Valley 10k and this 12 months was no completely different. It integrated the Northern Championships and, for the primary time, was a part of RunThrough’s High Flight Collection.
It isn’t the flattest course on paper, however the robust fields it attracts result in quick instances. While tackling the rolling hills within the first half, runners needed to deal with a headwind. They have been, nevertheless, rewarded with a quick downhill closing third.
James West crossed the end line quickest, clocking 28:43. The Tonbridge athlete now trains as a part of Group New Stability Manchester below the steering of Helen Clitheroe. It was his first 10k since 2016 and as such, naturally, a PB.
Photograph: High Flight / Graham Smith
Simply three seconds behind was Jacob Cann of Newham & Essex Beagles in 28:46. That point is a sixteen second enchancment on his earlier finest, set in Telford simply two weeks in the past. There can’t be many athletes who’ve raced at each distance from the 800m to the marathon in a single 12 months!
The highest-three was accomplished by Birchfield Harrier Omar Ahmed in 29:02. He’s a High Flight Collection common, notably profitable the Fulham 10k final month. The trio all handed midway in 14:45, with fourth placer Scott Stirling (29:17) one second behind. The elevation profile of the course result in a significantly sooner second half.
Biruk Aduna Kebede fifth (29:23), clocking the identical time as native athlete Matt Ramsden. Richard Allen (29:30) and Jonathan Escalante-Phillips (29:36) accomplished the highest eight. The primary fourteen finishers all recorded gun instances inside 30:00.
Spectacular Girls’s End
Hannah Nuttall ensured it was an excellent day for Group New Stability Manchester by securing victory within the ladies’s area. Her time of 31:53 noticed her end eight seconds away from Jess Warner-Judd (32:01). The pair ran shut collectively for a lot of the race, with Nuttall not transferring away till contained in the final kilometre. Warner-Judd clocked 16:10 at 5k in comparison with Nuttall’s 16:13.
Photograph: High Flight / Graham Smith
Emily Haggard Kearney (33:07) accomplished the top-three, with Charlotte Dannatt (34:05) fourth and Heather Townsend (34:22) fifth. Camilla Mcknespiey took sixth in 34:51 (working alongside the writer of this spherical up for a lot of the second half!).
Stevie Stockton continued her welcome return to the game. The 2011 European U23 Championship medallist accomplished her first particular person race since 2018 in 35:05. Katrina Ballantyne-Chalmers (35:16) accomplished the top-eight.
The course information, held by Jess Warner-Judd and Marc Scott, stay to see one other 12 months.
Racing Elsewhere
North of the border, runners contented with windy situations on the Tilli 10k. Nancy Scott (33:58) and Jamie Crowe (29:57) took wins. The boys’s podium was accomplished by Jamie Burns (30:10) and Cameron Milne (30:21). In the meantime, Naomi Lang (34:46) and Rosa Donaldson (35:18) completed second and third respectively within the ladies’s area.
Over the identical distance, wins at Friday’s Wheaton Aston 10k went to Chloe Dooley (36:27) and Craig Pilsbury (33:44). East Hull Harriers’ Boxing Day 10k offered David McKinnon (32:03) and Sherene Wilshere (38:42) with wins.
The Serpentine Final Friday 5k additionally came about on Friday, with Michael Clark (14:56) and Olivia Forrest (17:04) taking victories. Ollie Garrod (15:05), who completed second, made his eighth look of the 12 months on the month-to-month occasion. Michael in the meantime was competing for the primary time, and Olivia for the third time in 2024.
Alex Milne (51:29) retained his title on the Buntingford 12 months Finish 10, setting a PB within the course of. The Hercules Wimbledon athlete first competed on the occasion again in 2008! Michael Waddington (52:58) and Mohammed Elbayan (54:15) accomplished the top-three.
Tabitha Woodhouse (58:45) secured a commanding win in her ten-mile debut. The U20 athlete was the one girl to run below 60:00. She was joined on the rostrum by Katy Woodward (61:02) and Sophie Delderfield (62:07).
Simply six seconds separated Jack Parslow (54:18) from Will Perkin (54:24) on the Pednor 10. The margin of victory was significantly bigger for Aisling Wall (64:52) within the ladies’s area. She completed over one minute forward of second positioned Rachel Dench (65:56).
