Herne Hill Harriers produce big results – with Katie Snowden claiming silver at UK Indoor Championships
Herne Hill Harriers have enjoyed another week of stellar results at a number of diverse venues, writes Geoff Jerwood.
That included national age records and medals, more club records, high ranking and – at the highest level – Katie Snowden was again in racing action on Sunday.
Snowden, back from the USA, claimed a 1,500m silver medal at the UK Athletics Indoor Championships at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham, a result which secured automatic selection for Team GB for the European Athletics Indoor Championship in Istanbul from March 2-5.
Snowden had a comfortable heat win on Saturday evening in 4:20.74 and went into her final as the fastest on paper, but all was not quite right as she has been unwell following her long-haul travel return.
Snowden still opted to race for the British title and European selection and it took a championship record of 4:06.73 from rival Ellie Baker to narrowly beat her in probably the best race of the day.
Snowden was only just behind, clocking 4:06.9. With the first two guaranteed selection if they had run the qualifying time, both she and Baker will be on the plane to Turkey along with favourite Laura Muir for what will be very strong British representation in this event.
Also at these championships, sprinters Saskia King and Niyah Costley both clocked 7.63 in their 60m heats on Saturday.
King ran a good PB and was unlucky not to advance to the semi-finals, while Costley did get through in an automatic qualifying spot and then ran 7.65 in the next round to bow out.
Saskia Millard raced on Sunday, shortly before Snowden’s final, and finished an excellent sixth place in the 3,000m in 9:17.72, only a fraction outside her lifetime best.
The BMAF British Masters Championship was held in Sheffield and was the scene of two British age 80 records for super veteran Allan Long. First of all a triple jump of 8.11m and then later in the day a 200m win in 31.97 were his two record-breaking gold medals on Saturday. Then on Sunday there was a 60m gold, albeit no record this time, but an amazing weekend’s work for one of the club’s oldest champions.
BMAF medals were also claimed by Nikki Sturzaker, who won gold in the W45 800m, 1,500m and long jump and a silver in the high jump. Harriers club president Glen Keegan took home a M55 silver medal in the 3,000m race walk and Penelope Cummings also won silver in the W45 walk.
Herne Hill club senior records keep on coming as Northern Ireland-based Jessica Craig smashed the women’s marathon record with 2:38.38 at the Zurich Maraton de Seville on Sunday morning.
It was a stunning debut at the distance for Craig, who took more than four minutes off the previous club best set by Rosalind Kieran in 2012.
Craig had run a strong 74:29 in a half-marathon in January and overcame calf cramps in the closing stages in Seville to maintain some impressive time splits throughout her 26.2 miles. Alex Russell set a PB of 2:48.47.
Another Harriers record went a week earlier when Arlo Ludewick broke the men’s one mile in the USA on the same day as Snowden set a new club women’s time.
Buried in an amazing set of results at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational meet in Boston, where 52 men ran sub-four minutes, Ludewick clocked a tantalising 4:00.49 to take down a record which had been set by Mike Gowan (4:01.1) in 1965.
On Friday the Podium Under the Lights 5km road race in Battersea Park attracted very strong fields.
The elite women’s race saw a superb run for Georgie Grgec, clocking 16:06 for third place.
Grgec finished close behind a Tokyo Olympian who set a new course record and a Commonwealth Games athlete and was ahead of another who raced in the same Commonwealth event in Birmingham last year.
Gaby Reynolds shattered her PB as she ran 16:59 having never run under 18 minutes previously.
This time elevates her to the top of the UK W40 rankings for the year to date.
Simon Coombes’ excellent 16:08 sees him to the top of the UK M50 list. Others who raced with a few PBs thrown in were Brandon Dewar (14:53), Daniel Shaw (14:56), Lewis Layles (14:59), Matt Cartwright (15:34) and M45 Raj Paranandi (16:12).
Keeran Sriskandarjah went to the top of the UK U17M rankings for 800m running a PB time of 1:54.58 at the Lee Valley Athletics Centre.
This places him fifth on the UK U17 men’s all-time list for indoor 800m and it looks like the club outdoor record beckons for him come this summer. Others who raced at Lee Valley were U17 Lucy Wright, clocking 2:18.98 for close to her season’s best.
U13 Zacchaeus Kelman ran a big PB of 2:29.03.
Katie Snowden pics: James Rhodes