Herne Hill Harriers’ round-up: European medals and a UK age record for M80 athlete Allan Long
Allan Long, probably the oldest current active competitor among Herne Hill Harriers athletes, claimed his second M80 medal in Poland at the European Masters Indoor Championships on Friday with a silver in the 200m.
His time of 31.84 is a new UK age record and follows up his bronze medal in a very close finish of the 60m final where he clocked 9.47.
Long had broken the UK indoor M80 record with 31.97 in February 2023 and then ran exactly the same time to set the outdoor record in Pescara, Italy in September 2023. This latest run was his fastest indoors or out since June 2022 while still on the M75 age group.
After his 200m, Long said: “It certainly pays off to be in the younger end of a new age group. Each year it gets more difficult but always still fun. Off now to find some Guinness.”
At the other end of the age spectrum Caspian Holmes made his schools international debut on Saturday in the SIAB Home International meet in Santry, Dublin. Holmes acquitted himself very well, placing 13th in a field comprised entirely of young athletes representing their countries. In doing so he contributed towards the England gold medal winning team. This was a fitting reward for an excellent season for Holmes and his coach James McDonald.
Harriers had probably their all-round most successful day in many years of racing at the South of England Road Relay Championships on Sunday at Milton Keynes when taking into account both women’s and men’s team performances.
The women’s A team on their six-stage event placed a fine fourth and the B team were 12th overall and second among B teams, while in a strong men’s field in their 12-stage relay the A team were eighth and the B team finished 19th overall and fourth B team. This was the first time a Herne Hill men’s B team has placed in the top 20 and qualified along with the A team for the national relays next month.
The women’s A team of Sophie Tooley, Grace Leyland, Megan Gildea, Jennifer Nandi, Shannon Sinclair and Annie Dalton moved through from seventh to fourth as the race progressed, with Dalton finishing well to overtake the Thames Hare & Hounds athlete on the final stage.
The B team also improved position through the race as U20 Hebe Hunter, Julia Wedmore, W40 Karen Ellison, Chloe Wright, Helena Keenan and Annabelle Acres all raced well to demonstrate the depth in the female ranks of the club.
The story was very similar for the men, as both the A and B teams worked their way strongly through the large field throughout the long race of 12 stages with six legs of 8.6km alternating with six of 5km.
The A team were 21st after Lewis Laylee brought home the first leg and then saw continued progress courtesy of U20 Tom O’Mahoney (up to 17th), then continued by Daniel Shaw (16th), Tom Patterson (15th), Brandon Dewar (12th) and U20 Harry Bell, who was up to ninth at halfway. The team then held station superbly as the gaps in the field grew bigger, with Andrew Warburton and James Nutt before Morgan Roberts ran a strong ninth leg to bring the team into eighth. This position was then safely maintained to the end by Joe Elliott, Ollie Mills and Ben Warren.
The B team of Alex Gutteridge, Sam Brashaw, Max Rose, Stephen McLeod, Alex Russell, U20 Alex Jack, Oliver Walker, Scott Morrison, M50 Simon Coombes, U20 Robin Bebbington, M40 Jeff Cunningham and Fintan Kearney performed superbly to move through from 31st at the end of the opening leg to finish 19th. In doing so they became the first Herne Hill men’s B team ever to qualify for the national event a Sutton Coldfield on April 6.
Sunday also saw some very good road race performances elsewhere, with Sam Bramwell winning the Fleet Half Marathon by more than a minute on a challenging course in a big PB of 65:06. This is almost certainly the second fastest time at this distance from a Harriers member as he comfortably beat some quality athletes.
Leonie Biemolt was first female at the Hillingdon 20 miles road race in 2:19.16, well ahead of all other women in the race in addition to being the first W40 athlete.
Like Biemolt, Hannah Edwards also continued her London Marathon preparations with a huge PB at the Hampton Court Palace Half Marathon with her clocking of 91:09.
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