Hercules Wimbledon AC round-up: Age no barrier as Peter Giles, 76, sets new British record

BY TOM POLLAK

Peter Giles has set a new record for a British over 75-year-old in the 2,000 metres steeplechase.

The 76-year-old, Hercules Wimbledon’s oldest track athlete, achieved the milestone at the Wimbo Distance Big Night Out meeting at Wimbledon Park athletics stadium last week.

He clocked a British age record of 9:27.14.

Giles already holds the British record for the over-75 1,500 metres indoors and 3,000 metres outdoors.

It was only his second race since October last year. Four days earlier he was top over-75 finisher in the Bushy Spring 5km road race at Bushy Park. He was fifth overall in 22:28.

Kieran White who was top over-45 finisher at Bushy Park, and third overall, in the 10km event in 37:41.

Teenager Ellen Weir broke the club record for the women’s U20 1,500m steeplechase in posting a qualifying time for July’s English Schools championships to be held in Manchester. She beat a 16-strong field in the West Suffolk Steeplechase Festival in Bury St Edmunds, winning in 5:11.4.

It improved on her PB of 5:26.9 in Worthing in 2019 and ranks her fourth in the UK for her age group this summer.

She confirmed her good form in clocking a PB of 9:36.40 for 3,000 metres in the SOAR MK3000 special meeting at Milton Keynes. It ranks her third best UK U20 for the distance this summer and chopped almost 14 seconds off her previous PB set in May.

More than a dozen Hercules Wimbledon athletes were among more than 70 runners who took part in last Wednesday’s Wimbledon Park meeting with seven posting personal best times.

Teenager Niamh Thompson was first over the line in the 2,000m steeplechase in 7:31:94, taking almost a minute off her PB set in 2019. Fellow teenager Lulu Weisz clocked 7:44.90, also a PB, in taking second place.

Jonathan Cornish was the fastest of 10 Hercules Wimbledon runners in the 3,000m races, clocking 8:32.20, just eight seconds outside his best time.

Three days later he finished 17th in an Elite 5km road race in Bath in 14:53.

Brothers Ed and George Mallett were among four Hercules runners to post PBs. Ed clocked 8:49.74 and George was less than two seconds behind in 8:51.53.

Matt Sharp was the fastest veteran over-40 runner in the 5,000 metres in 15:32.99. Fred Slemeck won the Reunion 5km road race in Kempton Park in 15:26.

Teenager Bryn Cann gained a hat-trick of PBs at Hercules Wimbledon’s Field Open meeting at Wimbledon Park on Sunday. He high jumped 1.80m, triple jumped 12.69m and threw the discus 29.20m. Club-mate Elliott Turbin, 12 won the high jump with 1.55m. All-rounder Mark Andrews won the senior men’s discus.