Hercules Wimbledon AC round-up: Weir and McCallum in GB action at European Cross County Championships in Ireland

BY TOM POLLAK

Hercules Wimbledon Athletic Club have a double interest in Britain’s team competing in the European Cross Country Championships at the Sport Ireland Campus in Dublin with teenager Ellen Weir and Stuart McCallum both making the squad.

The pair flying out team today and are due to inspect the course tomorrow before racing on Sunday. Weir, 18, a pupil at Wimbledon High School, qualified for the junior women’s team after finishing fifth in the trial race in Liverpool’s Sefton Park. The 4km junior women’s race is due off at 10.28am and is the second of the seven races.

“I’m really excited about racing in Dublin and hope to do well,” said Weir, who will be competing in her second international competition.

She made her international debut in Tallinn, Estonia, in June when she finished 12th in the European Junior Championships in the 5,000m.

Weir is ranked fourth U20 in Britain for the distance this year.

While she made the British cross country team at her first attempt, it was fifth time lucky for 26-year-old McCallum, who finished sixth in the senior men’s 9.8km trial race in Liverpool. His 10km race is due off at 1.13pm. The championships are scheduled to be screened on the BBC TV’s Red Button.

Hercules had two winners among 28 runners who took part in 14 different 5km parkruns on Saturday. Over-45 veteran Gina Galbraith posted the top age-graded performance to win the women’s race at Fulham Palace in 18:37. Andrew Davies was second men’s veteran over 45 finisher in 19:58.

Over-50 veteran Peter Collins posted the top men’s age-graded performance to finish 12th out of 344 runners on Wimbledon Common. He clocked 19:42, his fastest time since July 2019.

Lisa Thomas, another supervet, posted the top women’s age-graded performance to finish 55th and fifth woman in 22:01. Over-60 veteran Richard Evans had the second best age-graded performance, clocking 21:17. Marathon exponent Tom Cheetham was third veteran over-55 in 21:56.

Jonny Earl posted a runaway victory – by more than three minutes – in the Philip Island event near Melbourne in 16:53.

Grace Batchelor chopped 33 seconds off her PB in finishing second in the women’s race in Bushy Park in 20:16 while Chris Ore took 37 seconds off his PB as runner-up in Groveland, Enfield, in 19:18.

Lisa Thomas and Anna Garnier were top women’s over-55 and over-65 finishers respectively in the Serpentine Last Friday of the Month 5km race in Hyde Park in 20:05 and 22:38.

James Greene clocked a PB of 37:16 to finish 39th out of 356 runners in the Richmond 10km road race. Annmarie Seymour took almost two minutes off her PB in finishing seventh woman over-45 in 44:38.

Photo: Ellen Weir