Athletics round-up: Herne Hill Harriers’ Anderson set for GB spot after excellent run at Pulford 10K
Eight days on from seeing two female athletes from Herne Hill Harriers on a big road race podium over 5km in Leicester, it was the turn of Phoebe Anderson, another international from the club, to claim third place in an equally high-quality Pulford 10km on Sunday morning in Cheshire.
The European U23 Cross Country champion endured a rough journey after completing an altitude training camp in the USA, losing both baggage and sleep along the way, but was able to deliver in an event used as the British Athletics trial for the European Road Running Championships in Leuven, Belgium next month.
Needing to finish among the first four women and with a time of 32:20 or faster for selection, her third-place finish at Pulford in a chip time of 32:15 should see her officially named in the Great Britain team.
The time was eight seconds inside her PB set in Valencia last month and also inside the qualification standard laid out for consideration.
In contention for a top-four position, the 22-year-old pushed on at eight kilometres to ensure the time target was achievable and produced a strong sprint finish to relegate Welsh international Jenny Nesbitt into fourth place and hopefully guarantee her selection.
The strength of the competition can be measured by the winner being multiple world champion and British Olympic triathlete Beth Potter and in second place was former European indoor 3,000m medallist Verity Ockenden, who had the previous weekend finished a close second in the Leicester race just behind Herne Hill’s winner Katie Snowden and third place Georgie Grgec.
With very few other Harriers competing over the weekend there was one other who finished on a medal rostrum as Andrew Clarke was second in the Liverpool Half Marathon on Sunday.
Preparing for next month’s London Marathon, Clarke recorded his second fastest time for the distance as he clocked 69:30, almost a minute ahead of the third-placed finisher.
The South of England Road Relay Championships takes place in Milton Keynes on Sunday. The women and men will be seeking to place highly with the A teams and the men will aim to replicate last year’s overall performance when the B team also qualified for the national road relay event for the first time in the history of the event.
HERCULES WIMBLEDON
It’s been a busy few weeks for Hercules Wimbledon athletes as the build up to the Spring Road Relays and London Marathon continue apace, writes George Mallett.
Alex Milne, a member of the elite start list for London, finished fifth in the Bath Half Marathon on March 16.
On a course with a brutal rise over the last mile, Milne took over a minute off his PB and launched his way to third on the Hercules all-time rankings. His 64:51 is the quickest Hercules time in almost 20 years.
The man he moved above on the all-time list was Jonathan Cornish, who was competing himself at the Surrey Half in Woking.
Cornish shared much of the running with race winner Samuel Gebreselassie but was unfortunate to be outkicked over the final mile, finishing three seconds back in 65:43, 38 seconds outside his PB.
Andrew Penney was fourth with a time of 66:51. It moves him eighth in the all-time rankings.
Both Penney and Cornish will form an important part of the Hercules South of England 12 Stage Road Relays team competing at Milton Keynes this weekend.
Cross-country captain James Stockings won the Orion 15 Mile Race on Saturday in a time of 1:32.28.
The highly unusual race sees athletes take on 15 miles of a cross-country route round Epping Forest, dipping under and over branches on the undulating course.
Stockings bided his time before taking the lead with six miles to go and eventually won by almost four minutes, earning himself an impressive trophy in a race that has now been going 71 years.
Theo Creed won junior boys bronze at the English Schools Cross-Country Championships, held in Ardingly Showground, Sussex on March 15.
Creed representing London, finished seven seconds back from race winner Leo Blyton of Oxfordshire.
Charlie Sandison competed in the Hillingdon 20-mile race on Sunday, finishing third in 1:48:57.
MAIN PICTURE: MICK HALL
