http://www.athleticos.org/rss/recent-articles http://c0179261.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/574138_9wyO7bOr6soCNH22v5S1_m.jpeg http://www.athleticos.org/rss/recent-articles en-us Sun, 05 Feb 2012 01:49:35 GMT Sun, 05 Feb 2012 01:49:35 GMT http://www.athleticos.org/article/10408-BUCS-Cross-Country-Championships-2012-Preview I have attended the last two BUCS Cross Country Championships’, held in Stirling and Birmingham, and I have found on each occasion it is an event which supersedes many others in its ability to unerringly represent athletics in its purest, most addictive form. At the height of Saturday’s races the competition between the UK’s rival universities will border on tribal proportions. The cauldron of noise which will encase Cardiff’s Blackweir Fields and the atmosphere created by each team’s set of marauding supporters, will be matched only by the endeavour and tenacity of those toughing it out in the mud. University colours represent more than a team, they represent a student’s life choice and in many instances these students are driven to qualify that decision with lung-bursting efforts, which amount to dramatic and inspirational scenes.

 

2012 appears, at first glances, to be a transitional year on the BUCS endurance scene. At least 12 of the top-20 finishers in last year’s men’s long race and 14 of the women’s top-20 have graduated, declined entry or pulled out in recent weeks. Whilst the women’s field looks its weakest for several years, the men’s field promises one or two exciting contests throughout the upper order.

 

Jonny Hay (Birmingham) is pre-race favourite given the withdrawal of ITU triathlon world champion Alistair Brownlee (Leeds Metropolitan) earlier this week. Although, Hay is likely to have his hands full with the only other Brownlee capable of matching him, Jonathan (Leeds). The Birmingham man’s sprint finish, finely demonstrated at his two 2012 races (Great Edinburgh Cross & Cardiff UK Cross Challenge) thus far, may prove his counter against the predictably brutal pace of Brownlee at the head of the pack. Ashley Harrell will spearhead a St Mary’s challenge which looks the strongest bet for the coveted team championship. The Norfolk athlete beat several of the students he will face tomorrow, in the Cardiff leg of the UK Cross Challenge, and with a 30min 18sec clocking for 10km in Clitheroe before the New Year, he may take a spot on the podium.

 

Swansea’s cross-country expert Dewi Griffiths should improve upon his seventh place from last year, having seized a top-10 spot at Blackweir Fields almost three weeks ago in the UK Cross Challenge. Incidentally Ian Kimpton (Nottingham), the second-highest returner from last year’s championships entered, will miss tomorrow’s contest through a long-term Achilles injury. And 2012’s surprise package, Pete Huck of Sheffield Hallam, has decided to keep his powder dry ahead of an appearance on the continent with the North of England next weekend, on his agenda.

 

The Brownlee factor in tomorrow’s race poses an intriguing prospect. Without wishing to delve too much into his backlog of triathlon results, it should be clear to readers that he is a talented sportsman and one of the country’s best chances of an Olympic medal this summer. However, his record in athletics is less convincing, yet competitive enough to be at the front for large portions of the contest tomorrow. Fifth in last year’s race, he comes into the 2012 season off the back of another year’s training and a world sprint triathlon title. He is in better condition.

 

In what are expectedly cagey responses, Brownlee admits he has no designs on being at peak fitness for the cross country season, but nevertheless hopes to remain a competitive force amongst a field he is unfamiliar with: “I just go into the race knowing that I want to be competitive. I want to race to the best of my abilities and that is all that I can hope for. I keep up to date with some of the athletics results but I don't really know who the serious competitors will be. A lot of the age group that I used to race against have left university now, so I will just go into the race and run as hard as I can.

 

“I will try to do my best but obviously the summer triathlon season is the most important (objective) for me, so I do not try to be at my fittest for the cross country races. I like to think that I will have a chance, but the BUCS race is always a very, very competitive affair. A lot of the best runners in Britain are at a university.”

 

The Bingley Harrier returned from a 10-day spell of warm weather training in Lanzarote on Thursday evening, although his elder brother Alistair remained home, as he nurses a minor injury which has unfortunately forced him out of tomorrow’s race. The withdrawal is not bothering Jonny though, who insists he will get on with the job at hand: “Alistair has a little niggle at the moment and didn't want to race BUCS because it may make it worse. I am happy to race when he’s not there though; in triathlon it is great to have him racing with me because of the tactical side on the swim and the bike. However, this (the tactics) is less important in cross country.”

 

One particularly dramatic sub-plot to the men’s long race in Birmingham last year was the long-running duel between eventual winner Nick Goolab and St Mary’s Ross Murray. The thrilling race, amplified by the partisan crowd, came down to a sprint finish and a three second gap in the Birmingham man’s favour. Murray went on to a short, but successful, indoor season where he smashed his personal best in the 3000 metres to run 7min 58.37sec as the 11th fastest man in the country last year. Unfortunately for Murray, he contracted Achilles tendonitis soon after the indoor season. Since then there have been some dangerous lows for the Tyneside native.

 

“When I picked up the tendonitis in my Achilles last April I gradually became disillusioned with the sport and found myself in quite a bad place. Having trained so hard through the end of that winter season and to only convert that hard work into a couple of pleasing indoor races was dissatisfying,” said Murray, who has been running between 60 and 65 miles per week since December 2011.

 

“I wanted to be running fast times outdoors and I really felt 2011 was going to be the year I might make the big step up and get under 3min 40sec (for the 1500m). To then have that snatched away from you, after so much hard work and sacrifice, through one injury is absolutely crushing.

 

“To be honest, from that point I really took a step away from the sport and considered leading a more ‘normal’ life. I put on weight and really wasn’t in great shape for running at all. I had planned to go away to Zante as a holiday rep over that summer, but it didn’t happen for one reason or another and I am pleased it didn’t. I think if I had gone away for all those weeks I may never have gotten back to that running lifestyle.

 

“I eventually got back jogging out of habit more than anything. Since I was young, there has been that cycle of getting injured and then beginning a comeback, so I slipped into that mode again. It was the ‘what if?’ element which dragged me back to the sport; I ran my 3min 43sec (personal best) off of only six or seven weeks training (after a 2010 injury) and felt if I could somehow find six or seven months of training I might really achieve something special in the sport.”

 

The 21-year-old is the highest-placed returner from last year’s race, given that Goolab is rumoured to have stepped away from the sport. And other than several relay outings for Gateshead Harriers in less than perfect shape, Murray admits this is the first race where he feels relatively race-fit, although he refused to pitch any ideas as to where he may feature in the pack tomorrow, suggesting his training has been little or no indicator as to how he may fare.

 

In fact, the Sports Science student revealed he will only appear in Cardiff for the benefit of his university tomorrow. Touching upon his exhilarating experiences in this race last year, he said: “The support from the St Mary’s lot was absolutely crazy, the noise they were making was like nothing I’d heard before and I just thought ‘I can’t let these boys down. I need to crack on and work myself into the ground to take this’. I got outsprinted in the end, but it was a great race.

 

“If this wasn’t a team thing on Saturday I wouldn’t be there. I am there running for the team and running for St Mary’s because I am proud to be a student there. It’s a small university, but it’s such a close-knit community down there and I love it! I would wait a little longer before racing if it was for my benefit alone, but I am going to be there in Cardiff doing it for the team.

 

“Racing’s different to training so I can’t really be sure where I’ll figure. I am in no-man’s land; I could be there with a kilometre to go or I could be out the back after the first lap. It’s the first race where I’m in really competitive shape since the indoor races last winter.”

 

Birmingham and St Mary’s have totally dominated the team event since 2005. Of the six championships’ since then (2009 was cancelled), they have shared three trophies apiece – although St Mary’s are ahead in the overall points standings since 2005, with 253 to their rivals’ 264. Bud Baldaro’s Birmingham squad dominated the competition last year with their best points score since 2006, with Goolab, James Wilkinson, Alex Tovey and Joshua Lilly securing 25 points against St Mary’s 34. Current men’s cross-country captain at Birmingham, Josh Gorecki, thinks it’s simply natural for such a rivalry to occur between the two best endurance bases for students in the UK. The Surrey athlete also reflected upon the magnitude of last year’s resounding home victory and how that has led to even more excitement ahead of the team’s trip to Cardiff this year.

 

“I don’t think either of our teams look beyond each other on the day because we are the two who are out there, well-ahead of the rest. There wouldn’t be any sense in us sparking a rivalry with a team like Loughborough for instance, because it is clear we are going to be far and away ahead of them in the team contest,” said Gorecki, who will run in the men’s long race tomorrow.

 

“We had trained on the course all the way through last year and so had that in our favour heading into the 2011 race. It was a very special day for all of the Birmingham team, with a brilliant atmosphere that was nothing like a lot of us have seen at cross country races. I think it has to have been one of the best days of our university lives.

 

“The support from the whole cross country team, men and women, is very special. The noise we created around the courses at the last two championships’ is hard to describe, and with St Mary’s doing their bit too it begins to turn the race into a bit of a football match – just without the violence! The camaraderie is something I and the rest of the team are going to thrive on come race day.”

 

The transitional nature of the field this year is reflected in the Birmingham team itself too. The aforementioned championship-winning four are all absent from tomorrow’s race, as is their fifth finisher in the long race last year, Adrian Holliday. With Daniel Cliffe retained from last year’s premier race, the welcome additions of Hay and Niall Fleming have eased any concerns that last year’s departures have not been ably replaced. The Mick Woods-coached pair finished eighth and 11th respectively in the junior race at the European Cross Country Championships last year. Hay went on to beat several senior world champions at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country last month, whilst Fleming was crowned southern cross country junior champion last weekend. The team is completed by 2010 World Cross Country Championships representative Ben Norris and Joe Gratton, a 1min 52.92sec 800m man at his best.

 

“They (Hay & Fleming) are going to be invaluable to our chances (of winning). Jonny has had an undeniably brilliant cross country season and Niall has come on leaps and bounds since the start of the academic year,” said their team captain.

 

“The important thing for us is that they have been very consistent in all their races. We can rely on them to go out on Saturday and almost guarantee they won’t perform badly; at the very least they are going to be two top-10 athletes. Then we have Dan Cliffe, who is experienced having ran this race twice before and a solid performer, capable of getting inside the top-25.

 

“As hard as it was to lose almost our entire A-team this year, we actually felt we were looking stronger coming into this winter. We have Ben Norris, who has ran at the World Cross before and is getting fitter with every passing race as he comes back from a series of injuries. Joe Gratton also, more than deserves his place in the men’s long race, after training very hard for the past two years. He is someone who may not go to the front, but someone we know can come through the field towards the end as everyone else tires.”

 

At the other end of the M40, Twickenham’s St Mary’s squad has been blessed by an exciting and talented intake of new students this academic year. The pick of the new bunch, over cross-country anyway, are Joshua Grace and Paul Thompson. Judging by the recent form of the university’s endurance athletes it is probable that Grace and Thompson will be drafted into the long race, although the team is unlikely to be confirmed until Saturday morning at the latest. As has been mentioned, Ashley Harell will lead the squad as the man in form and the man most likely to challenge Hay and Brownlee at the head of the pack. However, it would be foolish to discount team-mate Murray, the man who so faithfully flew the blue and white flag in 2011. Northern Irishman Stephen Scullion, ninth last year and a 29min 14sec 10km athlete at his best, has raced only once since October 2011 but may yet be fit enough to make a difference tomorrow. Stuart Huntington, winner of the latest London Colleges League meeting, should also make the team.

 

On paper, many would agree that the outcome in the team event tomorrow will rest upon the shoulders of Daniel Cliffe and Ben Norris. The former is a clear third-counter for Birmingham tomorrow following his eighth place in the Birmingham League at Coventry, and his natural aptitude for the longer distances should favour him over Gratton and Gorecki. Norris, on the other hand, is improving with every race after second and third-place finishes in the junior races at the Nottinghamshire and Midland Cross Country Championships respectively. How the pair fair against the likes of Huntington and Grace will be crucial.

 

In a frank appraisal of his team’s chances, Gorecki said: “If I am honest, we all think Jonny (Hay) will win it, and if we have three strong runners backing him up, who’s to say we won’t snatch it? If you look back at the National Six-Stage Road Relays (October 2011), you’ll see Jonny, Niall and I were all quicker than anyone from their university: Ash Harrell, Ross Murray, Paul Thompson, the lot! And that statistic shows that, on our day, we can win this thing.”

 

With Stevie Stockton, Beth Potter, Emily Pidgeon (all Loughborough), Sara Treacy and Lauren Howarth (both Birmingham) absent for one reason or another from the women’s entry list, the news that Naomi Taschimowitz (Cambridge) has also pulled out has left the race feeling a little flat. Defending champion Charlotte Purdue (St Mary’s) is entered, but is highly unlikely to figure in Cardiff, having only recently returned to training after a knee injury.

 

The race is left fairly open as a consequence. Hannah Walker (Birmingham) ought to be favourite ahead of the event, having already represented Great Britain at both the European Cross Country Championships and Great Edinburgh Cross Country this winter. Even in Purdue’s predicted absence, Louise Small should still push the blue and white vest of St Mary’s towards the front of the field after a recent return to form for herself. Out of competitive action between May 23 and December 25 2011, the 19-year-old demonstrated something close to her best with a silver medal in the junior women’s race at the Southern Cross Country Championships last weekend. Iona Lake (Birmingham) last raced in Edinburgh, in the junior women’s event and finished a highly creditable fifth, form which you would expect should see her to the fore tomorrow.

 

Manchester’s Jessica Coulson will run in a BUCS event for the second time, but it will be her first in the purple of Manchester after an 18-month spell with Loughborough, during which she competed in the 1500m at the 2009 Outdoor Championships. Coulson’s story is one of youthful optimism, a strained university experience, homesickness, injury and long-term dedication. Most recently, the Stockport Harrier has harnessed the undoubted potential she showed as a teenager, and channelled it into a series of encouraging results. The first real signs of her return to the top table of domestic athletics were evident in a second-fastest overall leg at the Northern Road Relay Championships in September 2011. A third-fastest overall leg at the National Road Relays impressed, but just one day later she ran a phenomenal 52min 53sec for a 10 mile race in Twickenham, an all-time record for British under-23 women.

 

Things haven’t totally gone Coulson’s way since Twickenham, as she describes: “After that I had an absolute nightmare at Liverpool; it was just a blip on the road for me and I wanted to move on very quickly from that. I got a couple more under my belt after Liverpool and then got out to the Northern Cross Country Championships at Pontefract last weekend, where I came third. It was an okay run, better than Liverpool anyway, and other than a little tiredness after a period of exams I felt really good.”

 

The 21-year-old peaked at highs of running 4min 18.75sec for the 1500m at the age of 17, and was ranked fourth-fastest under-20 woman in the country at that stage. From there, Coulson couldn’t escape notions of making it on the big stage and becoming one of the many world-class athletes she had watched on television. And thus she began what she felt was the dream by moving to a new East Midlands base at Loughborough University, but things, as they have a habit of, did not work out.

 

“I started at Loughborough in September 2008 and had gone there as a fresh-faced, enthusiastic fresher, who had been completely taken by the notion of making a career for myself at the country’s best sporting university. I had been running well for the first three months, but the whole university experience just wasn’t for me,” explained Coulson.

 

“I quickly grew homesick and found that getting injured wasn’t helping my overall experience. A person’s university years are meant to be the best of their life, but I just hadn’t taken to it like that. I struggled through my first year and returned for my second, but just before Christmas 2009 I made contact with the University of Manchester and made the decision to transfer. I then started my second year all over again in September 2010 at Manchester.”

 

A fracture to her pubic bone put Coulson out of the action for the whole of 2010 and it wasn’t until March 2011 that she was able to start back jogging. It has been a steadily improving process since that point, one that has seen her link-up with the irrepressible Mick Woods too. She has now come full circle, from the depths of injury despair in Loughborough to the promising fortunes of Manchester. The north-west woman’s experience of the sport and major races will aid her greatly tomorrow in a wide-open race, though she isn’t counting anyone out.

 

“I think anyone can have a good run on the day, so it is hard to say who is and isn’t going to win the race. I wouldn’t like to say where I will feature. I’ll just see how it goes and make sure I do my best for Manchester. It’d be nice to prove I made the right decision in leaving Loughborough for Manchester by running well and representing the university at the front of the field, but I did learn a lot at the former. It just turns out Manchester was always where I was meant to end up and so I’ll give my all for them on Saturday,” she said.

 

In the women’s team event it looks like Birmingham’s crown to lose, with Walker and Lake both contesting individual honours and Pippa Woolven, recently capped by England in Spain, backing-up in the top-10. Loughborough’s defence of the title they took last year is not helped in the slightest by the decisions of Stockton and Potter to decline entry in favour of training in Kenya. The African Violets will be led by Amy Campbell, who managed 14th in 2011. Meanwhile St Mary’s may not have enough strength-in-depth to support the challenge of Louise Small. Leigh Lattimore and Rachel Robinson are the likeliest candidates to count for their university, but both have been beaten in recent weeks by tomorrow’s key opposition. Should Purdue make the miraculous decision to toe the start line, much of this preview will be turned on its head.

 

Beren Cross

beren.cross@hotmail.co.uk 
]]> Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:00:00 CST http://www.athleticos.org/article/10408-BUCS-Cross-Country-Championships-2012-Preview http://www.athleticos.org/article/10334-Area-Cross-Country-Championships-Review SOUTH OF ENGLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS

 

Brighton played host to the South of England Championships and spectators who braved the cold weather were rewarded with a number of epic battles and fine performances. 

 

In the Junior Men’s race there was a victory, and a first South of England medal, for Niall Fleming. The Shaftesbury Barnet athlete saw off challenges from the in-form Kieran Clements and Harvey Dixon to win one of the tightest races of the day. This performance could not have came at a better time for Fleming who has endured recent setbacks to return to the top of his game in Brighton and he puts the victory down largely to the work of his coach, Mick Woods, who in fact coaches three of the top four athletes from the Junior Men’s race.

 

The Birmingham University student explained: “I've had a few problems recently. However, Mick's training over the Christmas period provided a really good base as we got some really good sessions done and this showed in the race with three of his athletes in the top four. Overall I was really happy with how the race went. I felt really good and executed the race how Mick and I had discussed; I sat behind and then kicked when I felt good.”

 

Incidentally, it was Fleming’s club, Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers that won the LA Beadle Trophy - awarded to the team with lowest combined score over all 5 of the male races. This trophy is synonymous with the strength in depth of Aldershot, Farnham and District but this year the Hampshire club had to settle for third place in the aggregate standings behind Shaftesbury Barnet and Bedford and County who were second.

 

It was another athlete coached by Mick Woods that was champion in the Under 20 Womens’ race. The massively talented Emelia Gorecka beat her Aldershot team mate Louise Small by just over half a minute and bronze medalist Jess Chen (City of Portsmouth) was nearly a minute and a half behind Gorecka. Meanwhile, in the Under 17 age group a similarly promising athlete, Jessica Judd, was beaten into second fairly comfortably by Alex Clay (Invicta East Kent). Yet another of Aldershot’s encouraging youngsters, Grace Baker, claimed the bronze medal.

 

It was a good day for Invicta East Kent as Alex Clay was joined as a gold medalist by Bobby Clay in the Under 15 race. She overwhelmed her competitors to win in a time of 14:05 ahead of Katherine Shiel-Rankin (Aldershot) and Gemma Holloway (Thurrock).

 

Jonathan Davies of Reading prevailed in the Under 17 Men’s race ahead of one of the youngest athletes in the field, Scott Halsted (Bracknell AC), and Michael Callegari (Shaftesbury Barnet). It was one of Tonbridge’s many promising youngsters that was crowned Under 15 Champion; George Duggan was five seconds clear of Tom Holden from South London and a further seven seconds clear of third placed Petros Asgodom (Enfield and Haringey). 

 

Canaan Solomon (Woodford Green) was the first Under 13 to cross the line but behind him there was a remarkable blanket finish as four athletes finished within a second of each other in the battle for the minor medals. Jack Boswell (Aldershot Farnham and District) and Samual Henning (Chiltern) just managed to secure their places on the podium.

 

The winner of the Senior Women’s race in Brighton was Southampton athlete Ceri Mitchell who outran Lauren Deadman (Havering Mayesbrook) whilst V45 athlete Lucy Elliott (Winchester) defied her age to clinch third spot. Mitchell was delighted with her performance, which she describes as surprising. She said, “I was really pleased with my run yesterday and pleasantly surprised as I've been moving house every evening after work all week and haven't had much sleep.”

 

The 1500m specialist found the course challenging but was able to overcome the best that the South of England had to offer. She explained: “8k can be a bit far for me but over the last few years I've increased my mileage so I'm getting used to the longer races. The course yesterday was tough as it was very hilly and I found the steep downhill finish a bit crazy. I heard someone shout to go for it as there wasn't far to go so I just legged it as fast as I could!”

 

Mitchell has had an impressive winter period so far and she highlights her current training set up as one of the main factors in her success: “I have been training well with a group of guys in Southampton which has helped me get the season off to a good start. I've had good results in the Hampshire league and championships and won the southern champs 1500m last weekend.”

 

The downhill finish mentioned by Mitchell played a significant role in the outcome of the Senior Men’s race; Ben Tickner (Wells City) used the course to his advantage to claw back Phil Wicks’ hard earned lead and reach the finish line four seconds clear of the Belgrave man. Tickner has been in fine form recently and this performance is reward for his hard work. He was able to turn the tables on Jon Pepper who defeated him at the Sussex County Championships three weeks previously and push the Enfield and Haringey man into third. Tickner has now matched impressive results on the road with the Southern title and will be well positioned to take on rivals from the North and the Midlands at the National Championships. Highgate were perhaps the surprise winners of the team title defeating more fancied teams such as Aldershot Farnham and District and Bedford and County but performed superbly led by Shaun Dixon and Ben Noad.

 

 

 

NORTH OF ENGLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS

 

The North of England Championships took place in Pontefract and despite heavy rain in the days leading into the race the course remained fairly firm and was much faster than the ‘mud fest’ that many had anticipated.

 

Perhaps the performance of the day was in the Under 15 Girls’ race where Scarborough AC’s Bronwen Owen won by a massive margin of 32 seconds. Owen led from start to finish and was rewarded with a fine performance as she left her rivals’ sights and raced into the distance. Annabel Mason (Wakefield) and Lydia Turner (Birtley AC) were the best of those giving chase and finished in second and third. Vale Royal’s girls showed their strength throughout all age groups by outscoring Wakefield and Warrington to win team gold in the Under 15 race and the Cheshire club were also victorious in the Under 17 Women’s category in what was the closest team battle of the day where only eight points separated the top three teams.

 

By virtue of being the only team with four scorers Rotheram Harriers were the Junior Womens’ team winners but it was an athlete from another Yorkshire club, Spenborough and District, that won the individual honours. Jennifer Walsh was a clear winner over Calli Thackery (Hallamshire) and Georgia Taylor-Browne (East Chesher and Tameside).

 

The Under 13 Girls’ race was won by Kate Waugh (Gateshead), Elizabeth Greenwood (Blackburn) was second with Amelia Lancaster (City of Sheffield) in third and Hallamshire Harriers won the team gold. In the Under 17 Women’s race Jessica Lonsdale from Kingston upon Hull dominated and ran away from the Hallamshire duo of Fiona Bell and Natalia Hackett.

 

Hugo Milner from Derby was the runaway winner in the Under 13 Boys’ event and he finished twenty seconds clear of his nearest rivals Markhim Lonsdale (Gateshead) and Jake Lonsdale (Trafford). Liverpool Harriers edged clear in the Under 13 Boys’ team standings and this was not the only gold medal for the Merseyside club as they were also victorious in the Under 17 Boys’ race, with Mathew Shirling leading his team mates to the gold. The individual honours in this race went to the talented Ryan Moore (Sale Harriers) who claimed first, Tom Bains (Hallamshire Harriers) and Fergus Roberts (Richmond and Zetland) took silver and bronze respectively. In the Under 15 Boys’, it was Preston Harriers’ Patrick Dever who was able to race clear of Elliot Bowker and Daniel Evans to take the title and Bowker also helped Vale Royal towards winning team gold.

 

Although only four clubs managed to finish full teams in the Junior Men’s race it was still an entertaining affair: Great Britain international Mark Shaw of New Marske won by nine seconds ahead of Toby Loveridge (Liverpool Prembroke and Sefton) with Chris Kays (East Cheshire and Tameside) claiming the final spot on the podium. Leeds City were the strongest of the four teams finishing and they won team gold ahead of Liverpool Pembroke and Sefton and Blackburn Harriers. Gateshead Harriers were fourth.

 

After finishing 5th last year, Lizzie Adams was able improve by four places and claim her first Northern Senior title ahead of Susan Partridge (Leeds) and Jess Coulson (Stockport), who continued to return close to her best form. It was an achievement that left the Hallamshire athlete very content, “I was really happy to win. The highest I’ve been before was 5th last year but I knew I was running much better this year. I planned to start quite comfortably and just see what happened. I knew Susan Partridge, Jess and Rosie (Smith) would all be up there and I wasn’t sure where I’d be. I just still felt quite good towards the end so I went for it.”

 

She continued, “I really enjoy racing with Hallamshire, we've got a really good team and it was good to get a bronze team medal too.” Her Hallamshire team finished five points ahead of the Liverpool Harriers scoring four but were unable to match the quartet of Leeds City who took gold and fellow Yorkshire club Bingley Harriers who were second.

 

Next up for Adams is the much acclaimed Armagh International 3k road race before returning to cross country to attempt to turn her regional medal into a national one at the National Cross Country Championships at Parliament Hill, London, on Saturday the 25th of February.

 

The last event of the day at Pontefract Racecourse was the Senior Men’s race and it could be argued that the organisers saved the best until last. Steve Vernon of Stockport was bidding for his fourth senior Northern Cross Country title and he eventually broke away from Leeds’ James Wilkinson and his team mate and training partner Patrick Martin to take the gold. 

 

It was an achievement that clearly meant a great deal to Vernon: “My 4th Northern Senior title meant a lot because it equals the record of the great Ron Hill! I was pretty nervous before hand as I really wanted the win and the fourth title. The course was flat and dry and not a typical Northern with hills and mud which play to my strengths so that made me realise I wasn’t going to be able to get away from the gun and that it would come down to a strong finish.”

 

It wasn’t as easy as it may have been for Vernon in previous years as he had to contend with strong challenges from both Wilkinson and Martin: “The race was slow early on as nobody was willing to take it on so it was me and my training partner Pat Martin that took up the running for most of the first 2 laps of 4km. I felt really comfortable and was happy for it to stay this way as I knew the course was a long one and there was plenty of time to make a move on the last lap. It came down to myself, James Wilkinson and Pat in the last two miles and I then started winding up the pace to try and drop them both and take the sting out of Wilikinson's kick as I didn't fancy myself against him with 100m to go. With 800m remaining I really put the hammer down and got a small gap on James and then kicked for home with 400m left.”

 

Adding to the Stockport Harrier’s delight was the calibre of the runs from of his team mates and he rightly highlights their performances: “I was really pleased for Pat too as he has been in great shape in training and deserved a breakthrough like that. Andy Nixon's 11th place was also a great breakthrough!”

 

This success will act as the perfect springboard for the rest of Vernon’s cross country season as he and his Stockport team mates head to Valencia for the European Club Championships next weekend and then looks to retain his National Cross Country title at what he describes as his “favourite course”, Parliament Hill.

 

The battle for the team honours in the Senior Men’s race was one of the most fiercely contested for many years. Leeds had won the gold medal in all of the previous nine runnings but this year it was Altrincham & District who triumphed with a score of 149 over Leeds’ 170 and strong showings from other clubs such as Salford (181), Liverpool (195) and Stockport (195). Altrincham’s highest counter was club stalwart Dave Norman who finished seventh and he was delighted with the result: “We have won so many team silver and bronze medals over the last ten years, so it really means a lot to finally win gold. We probably won it in the most competitive year that I can remember, with five very strong teams all in contention.”

 

The Northern Championships acted as the main selection race for the North of England team heading to the Lotto Cross Cup event in Hulshout, Belgium, on the 12th of February. Peter Huck has been selected after having a real breakthrough to finish 5th, he will be joined by Dave Norman and Carl Hardman who have also been selected for the Senior Men’s team. The Senior Women will be strongly represented by Jess Coulson, Emma Clayton and Jade Allen who all finished in the top six on Saturday. The Junior teams will also stand a good chance of being competitive, the men’s team will consist of Marc Scott, Cameron Boyek (TBC) and Tom Jervis and the women will be represented by Hannah Tarver, Laura Riches and Jess Lonsdale (U17).

 

 

 

MIDLAND CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

 

Woolaton Park in Nottingham is best known as having been the host of the Inter-Counties Cross Country for many years but on Saturday was the venue for the Midlands Cross Country Championships.

 

James Fradley (Newcastle) and Tom Dodd (Birchfield) could barely be separated in the Under 13 Boys race; there was just one second between the two athletes who had broken a long way clear of the rest of the field. Ben Dijkstra placed third and in doing so helped his Leicester Coritanian team to gold ahead of Bristol and West and Charnwood AC. The same team remarkably also won gold in both the Boys’ Under 15 race, where Ellis Cross (Tamworth) was the individual champion over Declan McManus (Worcester) and Charlie Davis (Leamington), and Under 17 race. In the latter, Stroud’s William Paulston won gold and Callum Jones (Cornwall) and Alex Carter (Team Bath) were second and third. Cornwall AC scored fewer points than Leicester but are of course not a Midlands club.

 

Charlie Maclean of Bristol and West continued his impressive run of form during the cross country season by winning gold in the Junior Men’s race. His time of 24:49 gave him a cushion of twenty four seconds over second placed Sam Densham (Charnwood) with Ben Norris (Notts AC) snatching third. Notts AC packed brilliantly in this race with eight athletes in the top 60 but Bristol and West offered more big hitters with three in the top 10 and as a result won the team gong.

 

Two athletes from Charnwood led the Under 13 Girls with Lucy Jones edging out team mate Laura Mullin and therefore also helping their team to the gold. Isabelle Norris of Notts was third individual and Stroud and Leicester Coritanian completed the team podium places. In the Under 15 Girls’ event, Lucy Holt mirrored Lucy Jones and was also a double gold medal winner as an individual and with her team City of Stoke.

 

The Under 17 and Under 20 Women ran in a joint race and Amy Griffiths (Leicester Coritanian) was first across the line despite being from the younger age group. Indeed, the top three finishers were all under 17s, Rebecca Straw (Cannock and Stafford) and Jenny Nesbitt (Worcester) being next to finish. The gold medal for the Under 20 competition resultantly went to the fourth place finisher, Chloe Richardson of Birchfield, whilst Hannah Alderson (Bristol and West) and Nicole Roberts (Birchfield) took the other medals. Royal Sutton Coldfield won the Under 17 team gold and rivals Birchfield Harriers clinched Under 20 gold.

 

Charnwood AC have dominated distance running in the Midlands in recent years and this year’s Midlands Championships was no different. An unprecedented performance from the Leicestershire club culminated in a clean sweep of the medal positions with Juliet Doyle claiming individual gold ahead of team mates Hannah Doran and Jane Potter. Despite their next scorer being 41 places further down the field, Charnwood still had enough for a comfortable victory in the team standings ahead of Notts AC and Telford AC.

 

The Senior Men competing in the Midlands Cross Country Championships will be growing sick of the sight of the back of James Walsh’s blue vest. The Leeds City athlete won his third consecutive Midlands title, and his fourth in five years, as he completed the 12km Nottingham course in 36:36.

 

The start line boasted a strong crop of runners capable of challenging Walsh’s dominance but as the race progressed it became clear that he would retain his title. He explains how the race progressed: “I sat in the lead group for the first lap then took it on. Rory (Fraser) chased me and nearly caught me on the second lap but I pulled away again on the third and fourth.”

 

Walsh has an undoubtedly strong pedigree in cross country running but this victory signals a chance in fortunes after a slight dip in form in recent outings. He continued, “I really enjoyed the race. It was a great course, nice and hilly but good underfoot pretty much all the way. I've had a disappointing couple of races in Edinburgh and Antrim, but I felt full of running again on saturday and I'm really pleased to have retained my title.

 

Rory Fraser (OWLS) returned to domestic cross country action following his time at the University of New Mexico in the USA, he pushed Walsh harder than anybody else in the field and was rewarded with a silver medal. Tipton Harriers’ Josh Lilly enhanced his reputation as a top cross country athlete by finishing in third and led his club’s charge to win a gold medal but they were overpowered by Notts AC who closed all six scorers in the top 25.
]]> Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:39:00 CST http://www.athleticos.org/article/10334-Area-Cross-Country-Championships-Review http://www.athleticos.org/article/9900-UK-Cross-Challenge-Cardiff-Preview With the standard New Year curtain-raiser at Edinburgh out of the way, attention turns to the prestigious championship races which run the course of the remaining months in this cross-country season. Approaches to said championships differ, but for many athletes, the UK Cross Challenge at Cardiff tomorrow offers the perfect opportunity to take stock of fitness ahead of a relentless period of races.

 

Just four of those who raced in the elite categories at the Great Edinburgh Cross-Country line up in Wales tomorrow, with Frank Tickner, Jonny Hay and Niall Fleming all entered in the Senior Men’s race and just Naomi Taschimowitz appearing in the Senior Women’s contest. As such, there are likely to be some exciting and unpredictable outcomes throughout tomorrow’s timetable.

 

The Junior Men’s race looks to be the hardest to call, with both Hay and Fleming graduating to the senior ranks at the turn of the year, and the rest of the team which entered the European Junior Championships absent. Nevertheless, Aldershot, Farnham & District are likely to figure at the front of the race in some guise, with former English Schools Cross-Country champion Harvey Dixon, and former South of England Cross-Country silver medallist Joshua Grace entered.

 

The Mick Woods-coached pair, who will both represent England at the race, will be closely challenged by Wales’ Charlie Hulson. The Sale Harrier is in good form following a sixth-place finish at the Lotto Cross Cup in Brussels last month, and has also beaten Dixon as recently as November, at the last UK Cross Challenge leg in Liverpool.

 

An outside bet for tomorrow’s Junior Men’s winner is Zak Seddon. The 2,000 Metre Steeplechase Commonwealth Youth champion will have his endurance tested over the 6.8 kilometre course, but the Bracknell man won the Berkshire Cross-Country Championships with one minute in hand over the well-regarded Alex Tovey last weekend. The Newbury course took Seddon over 40 minutes to complete, which suggests he is more than capable of lasting the distance tomorrow.

 

Eighteen-year-old Grace, who enrolled at St Mary’s University College last September, is looking forward to the opportunity to race at the same venue which will stage the British Universities & Colleges Cross-Country Championships next month. Having missed the Surrey County Championships for just the second time in five years last weekend, Grace is looking forward to tackling 2012 head-on with his first outing of the year tomorrow.

 

“I am looking forward to racing after a tough block of training over the Christmas period. I have been training hard with the group at Aldershot, but unfortunately had to miss my County Championships due to illness, now I’m back to my best though and I want to test myself,” he said.

 

“It’s also going to be nice to get out on the course which will be used for the BUCS Cross-Country. Anything like this can be a good opportunity to start getting ideas for how a bigger race like the BUCS may play out on such a course.”

 

The 3,000 metre track specialist last raced at his club’s Boxing Day Handicap 5K event, where he ran excellently to finish third behind Hay and senior international Andy Vernon. A personal best for the road distance, Grace’s 15 minute, 17 second clocking was 40 seconds faster than Dixon, a deficit which has given the former a significant confidence boost ahead of tomorrow’s follow-up clash.

 

Grace also believes England team-mate Seddon will prove a tough man to drop should he still be at the front inside the final kilometre: “Zak isn’t as well-known for his cross-country exploits, but he will be a tough character to break down if he’s with us at the end, I’m sure. Personally, I just want to do my best and a win would be lovely. I think Harvey could be my nearest challenger; we are very evenly matched on most things. Although beating him on Boxing Day was certainly a confidence boost for me.

 

“I was pleased with my run on Boxing Day, I have been working hard since then, so I’d like to think I’ll run as well, if not better than that on Sunday.”

 

The Senior Men’s race promises to serve up a fascinating encounter between two of the best performers at Edinburgh last weekend. Frank Tickner, who finished fifth in the Men’s Team race, will lock horns with the prodigious Jonny Hay, who entered the senior ranks with a sensational second-place in the star-studded three kilometre race last Saturday.

 

Tickner, spearheading the England challenge in Cardiff, will be joined by Adam Hickey, Ashley Harrell and Neilson Hall on the start line. Hickey was surprisingly beaten at the Essex County Championships by Paul Whittaker last weekend, whilst Harrell and Hall are coming into fine shape after impressive runs in Clitheroe (Ribble Valley 10K, 30:18) and Ruislip (London Metropolitan League, 1st) respectively, last month. Wales’ own cross-country specialist, Dewi Griffiths, may compose some challenge during the race also. Third in one of the support races at Holyrood Park last weekend, he failed to finish at Liverpool.

 

It is the performance of Hay which should intrigue spectators most tomorrow though. A two-time age-group National Cross-Country champion, the Surrey athlete certainly has an impressive record, but he will surely be severely tested over the 10.1 kilometre course by the mighty Tickner. The Wells City Harrier has been a Senior National Cross-Country champion and Inter-Counties silver medallist at his best, let alone the winner of this race 12 months ago. And worryingly for his competitors tomorrow, he appears to returning to something like his best, judging by his result north of the border last weekend.

 

However, the diminutive Hay, well-drilled by the sagacious Mick Woods, is fully aware of the challenges which face him at Blackweir Fields. The University of Birmingham student does not need reminding he will be running seven kilometres further than he did in Edinburgh tomorrow, but admits his sights are firmly set on those at the head of the field still. And although he reserved praise for the experienced Tickner, he refused to put the Somerset man on a pedestal.

 

“I think the competition this weekend will be tough with a Senior England team running, although I certainly would like to be well up the field. However, I am well aware it is only my second major race as a Senior [athlete] and with this being seven kilometres further than last weekend I have to be realistic,” Hay said.

 

“Last weekend was a surprise and with it being only three kilometres anything could have happened. Sunday is a true cross-country race and I will put everything in to be as high up as possible. Frank Tickner is a very experienced cross country runner, especially over this longer distance.

 

“I am a competitive guy so I don't like to think of any person I race as an out and out favourite because I think anything can happen in a race. I would agree he (Tickner) will be a very tough person to beat, but [I] look forward to racing him as I don't believe I have ever [done so before].”

 

Speaking of his phenomenal display in Edinburgh, the 19-year-old revealed: “I loved the moment [I crossed the line]. [It] gave me the boost in confidence I needed after my poor performance at the European Championships. However, I have to face [the] reality that I still have a long way to go, with a lot of training before I am able to race those people on the track.”

 

Naomi Taschimowitz is likely to make all of the running in the Senior Women’s race tomorrow, following on from her exceptional European Cross-Country Under-23 silver medal and a steady 13th-place at the Great Edinburgh Cross-Country. Although Lauren Howarth, 13th at the European Championships in the same team as Taschimowitz, will stake a significant claim for the win following her crowning as county champion at the Greater Manchester Championships last Saturday.

 

40-year-old veteran, Andrea Whitcombe, cannot be totally discounted from springing a surprise if events unfold favourably for the Swansea Harrier. Winner of this race in 2008 and then third just two years ago, the Wales representative knows the course well and should be well-supported by the Cardiff crowd. Those less sentimental should address her 21st-place at Liverpool (12 seconds behind Howarth) or her resounding December Gwent League victory.

 

Andrew Hobdell has two reasons to take notice of Sunday’s proceedings, with Katrina Wootton and Emily Pidgeon set to race. The former was the first woman home at the competitive Ribble Valley 10K (33:58) meet last month and had posted encouraging results prior to that in Brussels (Lotto Cross Cup, 18th) and Liverpool (UK Cross Challenge, 17th). Pidgeon however, looks set to get the best out of current shape with a string of ever-improving results since her long-awaited return to competition in October at the Great South Run.

 

Having missed the summer with a stress response in her shin, the Stroud athlete’s 59 minute, 47 second run in Portsmouth signalled a positive return to racing. Since then, a win in the London Metropolitan League and a fair 24th at Liverpool have been trumped by an eye-catching ninth in Brussels. Within ten seconds of recent Great Britain representatives Hatti Dean and Steph Twell, the December result indicates Pidgeon is on an upward curve following the introduction of strength and conditioning into her regime.

 

“I started doing strength and conditioning sessions in October and have really felt a great difference with my running and how I feel in races. At Liverpool for example, I had only done one session and laboured off the front of the race, but at Brussels I had done several more and ran better because of it. I just felt so much stronger,” she said.

 

“I was really pleased with how things went in Belgium. I was a much fitter athlete there than I had been at any other point throughout this winter season.

 

“The strength-in-depth of the field at Liverpool was unusually high, so although my placing doesn’t look too impressive on paper, I think given my time and my distance behind the other girls it was a fair reflection of where I was at in November. The eight kilometres distance may have found me out a little too. I think Brussels, as with Cardiff this weekend, suited me better because it was shorter at six kilometres.

 

“Cardiff presents a dead-flat course which I prefer, as it should come up a little quicker underfoot. I was a little ill after Belgium and had to change my racing plans slightly. So this is replacing the time-trial at Bushy Park I had earmarked as my first race of 2012.”

 

Following the late withdrawal of City of Norwich athlete Iona Lake, Bristol & West’s Annabel Gummow certainly looks a runaway victor barring any mishaps before or during tomorrow’s Junior Women’s race. Gummow, second last year to Aldershot, Farnham & District’s Louise Small, finished sixth at the European Junior Championships last month and would have ran in Edinburgh last weekend if it were not for illness. Assuming her ailment has passed, the 18-year-old will find few possessing the quality to stick with her international ability in Cardiff.

 

With none of the recognised big names entered, City of Portsmouth’s Jess Chen may look to make a podium spot her own following progressive performances over the country lately. A Hampshire title at the county championships last weekend has kept her confidence high after a 12th-place result in Liverpool and a ninth-place at the Lotto Cross Cup in Belgium.

 

Chen, who finished fifth in the Senior Girls 3,000 metres at the English Schools’ Championships last summer, is just pleased with the progress she has made since a nightmarish 2010. And as such, she is refusing to mount too much pressure upon herself ahead of tomorrow’s outing.

 

“I'm pleased with the progress I've made over the last year. From May 2010 to the beginning of 2011, I was more-or-less constantly injured. But since Spring 2011, I've been able to get back into consistent training and I'm back to the level that I wanted to be at,” reflected Chen.

 

“I'm not putting too much pressure on myself for Sunday. Though, anybody who knows me will know that I will always give my all and will compete with whoever is on that start line. Annabel (Gummow) is a great athlete and has had a lot more success in running, than I have so far. But I'm there to race and see how fast I can be.”

 

Beren Cross

beren.cross@hotmail.co.uk
]]> Sat, 14 Jan 2012 07:00:00 CST http://www.athleticos.org/article/9900-UK-Cross-Challenge-Cardiff-Preview http://www.athleticos.org/article/9865-Katarina-Johnson-Thompson-Anticipates-Successful-2012 After a frustrating 2010, heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson returned to form in 2011 and has her sights set on further progress in the coming year. The Liverpool Harrier, who turned nineteen on January 9th, has undoubted talent and is hoping for the opportunity to fulfill her potential in 2012 and beyond.

 

Her 2010 season was written off by patella tendinopathy, commonly known as ‘jumper’s knee’ which left a bitter taste for one of Great Britain’s leading heptathlon prospects. She explains: “I decided not to compete for the rest of the season and concentrate on getting it better and not making it any worse as it can be a difficult injury to get rid of.”

 

Rather than competing, Johnson-Thompson was forced to watch on helplessly as her rivals battled it out for top honours that could have been hers. She admits to feeling frustrated as a season that started encouragingly slipped away: “It was hard seeing the results of the world juniors online and feeling as though I should have been there in the mix. It definitely gave me added motivation to train and compete well.”

 

It was an injury that lingered throughout the following year and continued to hinder her training and racing, requiring pain killers to get through the majority of competitions. However, she is hopeful that injections at the end of her season have provided a permanent cure for the problem: “I had two injections in September to make it better, opting out of surgery. I haven’t felt any pain since so hopefully it’s sorted for good.”

 

Regardless of her injury problems, Johnson-Thompson had an excellent 2011 and improved her personal bests in most of her events whilst also posting a heptathlon score of 5787 and competing internationally at the European Junior Championships. It was a year that left her pleased but not contented as she felt that she had more to offer in the heptathlon. 

 

She said of 2011: “Looking back I am pleased with how it went, but I feel as though it could have gone a lot better. I got PB's in most of the events but would have liked it to all come together under one heptathlon. I did have a good combined event competition in Italy during May but unfortunately no-heighted in the high jump, from that I know I could have possibly finished the year on a better score.”

 

Johnson-Thompson cites winning the National Junior Championships outdoors as the highlight of her year but this was perhaps matched by a sixth place finish at the European Junior Championships in Tallin, Estonia, which provided further valuable international experience as she enters an Olympic year. Qualification for Team GB was an achievement in itself but she was closer to a medal than could have been expected, and therefore whilst feeling a sense of disappointment she also appreciates the worth of the experience. 

 

“I was delighted to be back to international competition again, I missed out on the World Juniors the year before so all the girls in the competition knew of each other and already had that experience.”

 

She continued: “I was just happy to be there in a way but would have liked a better outcome as I did go for a medal. I'm pleased with particular events, such as the High Jump and perhaps the 200m. But as a whole I was disappointed in myself and my performances. I felt as if I could of done a lot of things better.”

 

Johnson-Thompson has come a long way since running around stadiums competing in up to four events per day at Young Athletes League meetings for her club, Liverpool Harriers. She has harnessed her talent for multi-events to become World Youth Champion 2009 and is now in a position to attack the Olympic A standard of 6150 in the forthcoming year. The ambitious young athlete has a long term plan and sees the London Olympics as a stepping stone to greater success.

 

“I will be doing a couple of indoor competitions including a pentathlon in the middle of march, then I will be going for the big 6150 in Italy in May. I'll still be young enough to do the World Juniors this year, but my target is to go to the Olympics for the heptathlon, and in that gain experience for Rio (Olympic Games) 2016, and London (World Championships) 2017.”

 

It is clear that Katarina Johnson-Thompson is an athlete who is both determined and intelligent in her approach; 2012 promises to be a year in which her potential continues to be realised. 

 


By Craig Gundersen
]]> Thu, 12 Jan 2012 02:49:00 CST http://www.athleticos.org/article/9865-Katarina-Johnson-Thompson-Anticipates-Successful-2012 http://www.athleticos.org/article/9840-Taschimowitz-on-Track-in-2012 The balance between cross-country and track has long been a tricky equation to solve for distance athletes. The absence of the former at the prestigious Olympic Games often marks it down as a winter appetiser for each summer’s main meal on tracks around the world. Consequently, success over mud and hills is often footnoted with a need to represent said success in a recognised track discipline. This argument is painfully transparent when track form becomes a concern for an individual medallist at the European Cross-Country Championships.

 

Naomi Taschimowitz surprised herself and just about all those watching her race in Slovenia last month. Third in the Trials at Liverpool, Taschimowitz confounded pre-race expectations and blew away most the continent in winning an Under-23 Women’s silver medal. The result capped an outstanding 2011 for the Taunton Athletic Club athlete, who also won the senior South of England cross-country title, took bronze at the BUCS Cross-Country Championships and Inter-Counties Championships, finished 46th at the World Cross-Country Championships and second at the UK Cross Challenge in Bristol.

 

The 22-year-old has failed to hit such heights on the track in her short career. Taschimowitz hit her highest-ever national ranking in 2011, with a nine minute and 12.66 second clocking in the 3000 metres making her the 14th fastest senior woman of the season. Elsewhere, she ran a personal best in the 1500 metres (4:16.73) to rank 20th in the nation, and a self-admittedly disappointing 16 minutes and 28.68 seconds in the 5000 metres left her ranked 28th.

 

Taschimowitz studies at the University of Cambridge and found her hectic academic schedule leading into the 2011 season had much to do with her questionable form, which ultimately centred upon the 1500 metres. The Economics undergraduate is now fully focussed on sharpening up her track times: “I haven’t been as pleased with my track times as I have my cross-country performances in recent years. I really want to make a more conscious effort to bring things up to scratch on the track over the next 12 months.

 

“I think I could have gotten more out of the 2011 season, but I was very busy with my final examinations at Cambridge during that crucial phase between spring and summer where so much important training gets laid down. The revision and workload just disrupted too much of my running and I was playing catch up all summer.

 

“It was only last year that I began to truly understand the way one races on the track. I thought more about splits and what times I should be on at certain points in the race. I eventually began mastering the 1500 metres and found I was really enjoying that distance and the way I would break the race up in my head.”

 

One could forgive Taschimowitz for any desire to concentrate solely on the longer track distances, 5000 or 10000 metres, as a resilient and tenacious cross-country talent. However, the Somerset runner is keen to develop her track speed at the shorter distances before bearing down on lengthier tests throughout her later, career-defining years.

 

Taunton Athletic Club coach Charlotte Fisher is the mastermind behind Taschimowitz’s results. Fisher and her protégé set out to tackle both the speed of the 1500 metres and the endurance of the 5000 metres at the start of the 2011 outdoor track season, but ultimately failed to achieve the desired results according to Taschimowitz. With just one completed 5000 metres in comparison to four 1500 metre efforts on the board, one can see where the balance faltered.

 

The Enfield & Haringey higher-claim athlete admits she found it difficult to accommodate the training required to succeed in each of the two, very different events, and found herself stranded in a grey area where she was unable to truly prosper at either discipline.

 

“Charlotte and I made a conscious effort to race the 1500 metres more often last summer, just to ensure my speed continued to develop. You certainly need a fast 1500 metres if you are going to run a decent 5000 metres,” Taschimowitz asserted.

 

“We had hoped to mix between both the 1500 and 5000 throughout the season and make an improvement in my times for each, but I struggled to take on the different training each distance required. Ultimately I failed to really excel over either distance and I was stuck in the middle, trying to train for both and doing neither justice when it came to races.”

 

Things have run far smoother for Taschimowitz since her summer of doubt. A 10 kilometre personal best (35:15) on the roads of Taunton in September was followed most notably by one of the performances of the day at the European Cross-Country Championships.

 

The three-time Great Britain & Northern Ireland representative, who most recently finished 13th at the Great Edinburgh Cross-Country on Saturday, does not boast the outright confidence or arrogance of a continental medallist. No, Taschimowitz is refreshingly measured in the appraisal of her athletics record, admitting she felt she was going to fall by the wayside at any moment in Velenje under the might of Aldershot’s leading duo (Emma Pallant & Steph Twell). The Cambridge student also played down the influence of her own ability upon the result; with a suggestion the course distance had more to do with the contest’s unpredictable outcome.

 

“As I was running around I believed I was going to be dropped at any moment because of how good I felt. I just assumed they were running far within themselves, but it turns out I was more than holding my own,” she revealed. “There was the expected initial rush at the start but it ultimately lulled and I was able to work through the field to the front. I felt great.

 

“It was only down the last 100 metres or so that I really believed I had enough extra gears to hold off any late challenges, up until that point I had been worried I was going to be passed. In the end I believe the overall distance of the race favoured me; coming down to six kilometres after running eight at the Trials played into my hands.

 

“It (her silver medal achievement) didn’t really hit me straight away. I hadn’t gone into the race considering anything as exciting as an individual medal, so it wasn’t ever in my mind at any point as I was running. As I crossed the line I didn’t experience that joy or relief an athlete feels when they hit their targets because the medal had never been that target. It was only later on the podium that it really hit me – I was overwhelmed.”

 

It is hard to escape Taschimowitz’s prominent academic traits. An undergraduate at one of the best universities in the world, after completing her Economics degree last summer, Taschimowitz opted to extend her stay in Cambridgeshire with a management qualification in her sights by summer 2012.

 

With such a bountiful résumé, an abundance of sought-after careers potentially await Taschimowitz after graduation. Although, the balance between her promising professional future and her athletic prospects isn’t as even as you might believe. Taschimowitz values the need for interests away from the sport, but is keen to pursue her sporting potential whilst she is still able to put the time required into her training.

 

“I’m pleased with my academic background at Cambridge. I really enjoy Economics and hope to maybe become an Economist in the future. It’s important for me to have a focus and something different to concentrate on when I’m injured and unable to run. I don’t know if it’s the same for other people, but I need that distraction from the sport from time to time,” she said.

 

“I place pressure on myself to succeed academically much in the same way athletes pressure themselves to get out the door and run if they are to improve their times. I do the best that I can and aim to find a balance between my studies and running where possible. At the moment I think I’d make running my priority because I certainly don’t want to ever say ‘What if?’ in the future.”

 

Beren Cross

beren.cross@hotmail.co.uk 
]]> Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:30:00 CST http://www.athleticos.org/article/9840-Taschimowitz-on-Track-in-2012 http://www.athleticos.org/article/9675-Jonny-Mellor-wins-Ribble-Valley-10k Jonny Mellor’s twenty fifth birthday was one to remember as he raced to victory in record time at the Ribble Valley 10k.

 

Mellor defeated an extremely competitive field that included several internationals and a certain Alistair Brownlee; World Champion triathlete. In trademark fashion, he showed no fear and ran in his usual aggressive style to break his rivals and cross the finish line in twenty nine minutes and ten seconds.

 

This performance may not have came as a great surprise to those who have been following his form over the last year, indeed race organiser Richard Taylor predicted the outcome exactly, but Mellor was taking nothing for granted and was delighted with the win. 

 

He mused,“I was very pleased with my win and managing to run so fast in the process. I had a massive battle with Alistair and Ricky so it was good to finally move away from them in the last 400m or so having led for so long.”

 

After recent outings on the country Mellor was keen to return to the roads and see a reward for the work that he has put in to his training. He continued: “It was a good measure of my current shape and I’m looking forward to building on that in the New Year.”

 

This accomplishment comes at the end of a year ladened with successes and huge progress. 2011 began with a series of promising results including second place at Armagh and a victory at Christleton - recording times close to fourteen minutes flat for both 5km courses. Following an achilles problem in the spring, his season began in earnest with an impressive personal best of 28:50, and an eighth place finish, at the BUPA Great Manchester 10k; a time that he came close to matching in Clitheroe.

 

Mellor’s most eye-catching performances were saved for the track though. Quick times for 1500m and 3000m were supplemented by a bronze medal at the UK Championships and World Trials before being eclipsed by an astonishing eighteen second personal best over 5000m at the Aviva London Grand Prix in a time of 13:36 which has brought this summer’s Olympic Games firmly into his sights.

 

Rather than getting carried away though, Mellor is focused on more pressing endeavours as he prepares to regroup and ready himself to tackle his longest race to date. He said, “I’m looking forward to a few easy days now before building up to the New York Half Marathon in March.”

 

For the moment though, he can enjoy the perfect start to his twenty sixth year with the victory at Ribble Valley and he spoke enthusiastically about the event: “It was another fantastically organised event from the organisers who never fail to put on one of the best road races in the country.” 

 

Nobody would argue with this glowing assessment of a race that boasted a top twenty eight all running under thirty one minutes and and astounding sixty athletes breaking thirty three minutes. 
]]> Sun, 01 Jan 2012 14:06:00 CST http://www.athleticos.org/article/9675-Jonny-Mellor-wins-Ribble-Valley-10k http://www.athleticos.org/article/9587-Ribble-Valley-10k-Preview Ribble Valley 10k has been one of the best road races in the UK in recent years and race organiser Richard Taylor is confident that Tuesday’s event can be the best ever. This year’s field boasts a number of top domestic athletes capable of posting quick times and Taylor cites a number of factors as being responsible for attracting such a large number of high calibre distance runners to the country roads of Clitheroe. 

 

One of the main reasons appears to be a shift in the mentality of Britain’s athletes, says Taylor: “The Senior Men in particular seem to have developed a desire to take each other on, rather than going for local easy wins. There seems to be an attitude that its better to come 25th in 30:55 than win in 32:30 which is fantastic for all involved in the race.”

 

Taylor also believes that the support of high profile athletes, such as local girl Helen Clitheroe, provides a reputation that makes other athletes want to be involved. Meanwhile, the excellent work of George Davies’ race committee ensures that the race is successful: “They start their preparation for the 2012 race in January after this year's race is done. It's a 12 month job, liaising with Government departments, sponsors and local businesses to make sure we have the support of people outside of athletics which is going to be a key to the continued success of the race.”

 

The quality of the male field makes predicting a winner is particularly difficult, but Taylor is tipping Jonny Mellor to emerge with not only the victory but possibly a new course record.

 

Mellor has had a fantastic year that has included slashing his personal best for 5000m and earning a first Great Britain vest, but he is remaining characteristically grounded heading into this race. However, he is confident of a positive performance and is anticipating an excellent race at the front: “It’s always a very good field and I’m looking forward to testing myself against some of the top lads in the North.”

 

The race comes on the same day that Mellor turns twenty five and therefore carries extra significance for the Liverpool Harrier. He quipped: “A birthday win would also go down a treat!”

 

The top Northern athletes that Mellor identified will be hoping that his birthday gets off to a bad start though. Antony Ford is the fastest man on paper and will be hoping to use this race to rediscover his best form, strong challenges will also come in the shape of Ricky Stevenson, Andi Jones and the in-form Matt Barnes. Brothers Callum and Derek Hawkins will be a threat having both had a string of superlative cross country performances on either side of the Atlantic.

 

The depth of the men’s field is evidenced by the fact that this race will boast over 30 athletes that have ran under 31 minutes for 10,000m. The women’s field lacks the same depth as the men’s race and this is something that Richard Taylor and the organisers are hoping to change in subsequent years. 

 

Nevertheless, the presence of Helen Clitheroe means that the women’s race could be just as exciting as the men’s. 2011 has seen a major resurgence from Clitheroe who has improved her best times for 3000m and 5000m, run an impressive 32:11.29 for 10,000m and of course run at the World Championships in Daegu. 

 

She will be the stand out favourite to take the victory but, should she slip up, her main challenges are likely to come from the accomplished Sonia Samuels and Katrina Wootton, whilst Victoria Wilkinson, Abbey Norman and Maria Barrett have all shown impressive recent form.
]]> Sat, 24 Dec 2011 18:30:00 CST http://www.athleticos.org/article/9587-Ribble-Valley-10k-Preview http://www.athleticos.org/article/9438-Walkers-Growing-Confidence Hannah Walker is on the verge of becoming the next big thing in British women’s distance running. Walker will lead the Under-23 squad out of the pen at the European Cross-Country Championships on Sunday following her terrific performance at the Trials race in Liverpool.

 

Walker’s victory in the Women’s Under-23 race illustrates a change in class for the Birchfield Harrier; this is not to say Walker was a poor athlete before her Sefton Park exploits. Indeed, the 20-year-old has already made her age-group bow for Great Britain, with a 32nd-place finish at the World Junior Cross-Country Championships in 2010 and an appearance in the final of the 5,000 metres, at the European Under-23 Track and Field Championships earlier this year.

 

More to the point, it is Walker’s victory rather than her making another Great Britain squad which catches the eye. The University of Birmingham student has been capable of getting amongst the leading finishers in previous high-class races but has lacked that winning edge; she was ninth in the Senior Women’s race at the Inter-Counties in March, tenth in the Junior Women’s race at the UK Cross Challenge in Liverpool last year, and then 21st at the same event two years earlier.

 

And having only begun competing as an athlete in 2007, Walker says she is only now beginning to feel as though she belongs in that elite bracket at the head of domestic women’s running. And in Bud Baldaro, Walker has a coach who has immense belief in her future capabilities.

 

“I am finally starting to feel as though I belong at the front of these races and belong in a Great Britain vest,” Walker admitted. “My ambitions heighten with every positive result I get. I have never really seen myself as someone who can compete with girls like those at Aldershot. They have all been running since they were children, whereas I only started aged 15 or 16. I think I might finally be crossing that divide now and catching them up.

 

“Bud has always had a lot of confidence in my abilities. He maintains that I can become a world-class athlete but it’s hard for me to accept that just at the moment, but all I can do is work hard to prove him right.”

 

The former Dacorum & Tring Athletics Club member had shown impressive form heading into Liverpool. Her eighth-place amongst a world-class field in an IAAF Permit competition gave some insight into the damage she was likely to do to her domestic peers in the Trials race.

 

The confidence which the diminutive talent took from her exploits at the IAAF race as a senior England international, ultimately carried her to a victory in Liverpool which was rewarded with the scalps of established Great Britain athletes such as Steph Twell and Emma Pallant.

 

Despite being defeated, it was Twell’s first real sign of quality in her comeback from a long-term ankle injury. And Walker is confident that the middle-distance athlete tipped to shine at the London Olympics, will make her real return to top-flight athletics in Slovenia this weekend.

  

“My preparations leading up to the race had gone very well with a combination of consistent training and pleasing race results. I think my confidence took its most significant boost in an IAAF race in Spain, where I finished eighth in a field lead by Linet Masai. It was my first senior international (England) vest and having achieved that ahead of the Trials I felt much more relaxed about my chances,” said Walker, who was the second European finisher in the Burgos event.

 

“I was picking through the field throughout the middle and last lap (at the Trials) and kept expecting to find myself in first but after every corner there would be another girl in front of me. Once I had gotten past Steph she stuck on me for a long time and didn’t give me an ounce of rest time – I was being pushed all the way to the line.

 

“I still think Steph ran amazingly well; you have to remember she is coming back from a horrific injury. She will most certainly be someone to watch out for at the Euros, where I’m sure she will be even fitter.”

 

Aside from cross-country, Walker has a promising pedigree on the track amongst the long-distance events. Earlier this year she finished the summer season ranked ninth for the 5,000 metres (15:48) and a magnificent third for the 10,000 metres (33:09), bettered only by Helen Clitheroe and Sonia Samuels in the latter.

 

Some may argue that the longer of the two events is rarely contested under competitive conditions in this country, and thus leaves the ranking list as an unfaithful guide to the true hierarchy of British athletes. However Walker believes she has the potential to go far quicker, should she be given the opportunity to race in the USA, where so many of the top-ranking times were ran in 2011.

 

The student may be confident, but with the enterprising and motivated approach of her coach Bud Baldaro it is understandable. Baldaro has allegedly been approached with the opportunity for his athlete to compete in the European Cup 10,000 metres next summer, where Walker may run the qualifying time she wishes to achieve for the London Olympics.

 

“I think Bud has been approached with an open offer for me to run the 10,000 metres at the European Cup on the track next summer, which would obviously be a massive achievement. My strengths lie in the long distances, so I think it makes sense to play to those strengths and go for exciting opportunities like those whilst I can,” she said.

 

“It would be silly of me not to at least have a crack at the Olympics next year. I know my best chance is likely to come in 2016 but I think whilst I am in the shape of my life I should put all my efforts into running at a home games.”

 

The 20-year-old has made just four outings over any distance shorter than 3,000 metres during the last two years on the track. And in putting all her efforts into the long distances at such a young age, it could be argued that Walker is restricting her potential long-term improvement in a sport where speed is king.

 

Walker accepts this precept and acknowledges that it may be one of the few shortcomings in her athletic arsenal, but she remains philosophical about the issue and is more concerned with ensuring she allows herself the best opportunity to be competitive now, rather than worrying about the future.

 

“I do consider making a more concerted effort with the shorter distances whilst I am still young and able to improve on my speed, but like I say, I like to play to my strengths and I think I can go far in the long distances. There are Africans running marathons at the age of 18 and they seem to do okay, don’t they? Everyone is different and everyone has different methods to achieve different ends but for me, the longer stuff works,” she declared.

 

Walker leads a strong team into the European Championships this weekend, with Steph Twell, Naomi Taschimowitz, Emma Pallant, Lily Patridge and Lauren Howarth backing her up on the start line. Walker’s Sefton Park finishing time would suggest she may finish anywhere between fifth and 15th on Sunday, when it is compared alongside the times of Great Britain qualifiers from previous years.

 

Emily Pidgeon, for instance, ran three seconds slower at a muddier Sefton Park course in 2010 before finishing 16th at the Europeans a fortnight later. Conversely, Hollie Rowland ran only two seconds quicker than Walker in 2009 and went on to finish an incredible fifth in Dublin. And Stevie Stockton, in the same year, ran five seconds slower than Walker in Liverpool before a tenth-place finish at the Europeans in Dublin.

 

Beren Cross

beren.cross@hotmail.co.uk
]]> Sat, 10 Dec 2011 03:00:00 CST http://www.athleticos.org/article/9438-Walkers-Growing-Confidence http://www.athleticos.org/article/9414-Flemings-First-Vest When Niall Fleming lines up on the start-line at the European Junior Cross-Country Championships in Slovenia on Sunday, he will fulfil his lifelong dream as a long-distance runner. The University of Birmingham student will don the red, white and blue as he represents Great Britain for the first time following his exceptional race at the UK Cross Challenge in Liverpool.

 

Fleming finished fifth in the Under-20 Men’s race at Sefton Park in what was the perfect reward for the dedication he has put into his running for the past few months. Following a self-admittedly poor season last winter during what was the first year of his studies in Birmingham, the 19-year-old switched coaches and redoubled his efforts in training in pursuit of his international dream.

 

“I am really happy with what is my first Great Britain vest. This has been an aim of mine for such a long time,” said Fleming. “I didn’t have much of a track season after having had a little time off from training throughout my first year at university. I’ve been back properly for a few months now and am working with Mick Woods.

 

“He has always had some level of involvement with my running. Whilst I was coached by Geoff Williams for instance, I would still turn out at the odd Sunday session with Mick’s group. I had worked with Geoff for five years and we had a great relationship with some worthwhile personal success for myself along the way.

 

“Unfortunately, he revealed he was leaving Barnet (where the pair had been based) for Devon, which forced me to make a big decision about my coaching set-up.

 

“It was the natural decision to link-up with Mick: I had already worked with him, knew his group, knew his methods and had Jonny (Hay) and Phil Hinch to train with whilst I studied in Birmingham. I am still in contact with Geoff on the phone once a month just catching up on how things are going, because of course the split was amicable and we are still on good terms.”

 

Of the 36 athletes boarding the plane to Slovenia this week, six are coached by the highly-acclaimed Woods, who continues to be associated with the country’s finest young talent. Other than the glaringly obvious faces of the sport like Steph Twell and Charlotte Purdue, Woods has coached young track athletes such as Harvey Dixon and Georgia Peel to national medals and international competition respectively. And further down the line he is nurturing talent like Katherine Shiel-Rankin, who ran nine minutes and 59 seconds for the 3,000 metres as a 12-year-old this summer.

 

Needless to say, Fleming is in outstanding company and could not have found a better replacement for the former coach he trusted for so long throughout his younger years. Woods is the common denominator in so many success stories throughout this sport, and unless there is something in the Hampshire and Surrey water, you can be sure it is his coaching methods which have produced so many elite athletes in the UK.

 

And Fleming, who himself achieved an English Schools silver medal before his association with Woods, revealed the Aldershot secret lay in high volume sessions, meticulous attention to detail and a mass of athletes hungry for success.

 

“Mick is a coach who works with big volume sessions. And when you combine these types of sessions with his dedication and attention to detail you have what is an immense set-up. It’s the athletes too though; the commitment from everyone is massive, and you have scores of youngsters looking up to people like Steph (Twell), Charlotte (Purdue) and Jonny (Hay): international athletes who inspire the next generation to work just as hard,” said Fleming, who was ranked seventh in the country for the 5,000 metres as an Under-20 this summer.

 

“Everyone will be there on-time doing long warm-ups and everyone will be staying as long as they need to, to do long warm-downs and put in the extras which are required to be a successful athlete. There are always people at training to run with too, so numbers in attendance are very rarely down.

 

“It’s not rocket science: as long as the sessions last longer than 30 minutes or 12 kilometres in volume, his athletes achieve the benefit they need to.”

 

In the nine months leading up to Fleming’s enrolment at the University of Birmingham in September 2010, he had recorded some of the best results of his life. In cross-country he finished 10th in the Under-20 Men’s race at the Inter-Counties and repeated the placing in the Senior Boys race at the English Schools Championships. The Hertfordshire athlete then followed these competitive results up with a sixth-place in the England Under-20 Championships for 5,000 metres on the track, and capped his year off with a silver medal in the English Schools Senior Boys 3,000 metres.

 

However, as he admits himself, Fleming grabbed student life in the second-city by the horns and capitalised on every social opportunity he could. And whilst both widening his circle of friends and creating a reputation for himself, his running suffered. Fleming turned out just twice that winter season, with an appearance at a Birmingham League event and the National Cross-Country Relays to his name. The student-athlete eventually gave up the ghost and accepted his season was over before it had really started, and he began focussing on the 2011 summer season.

 

Ultimately the switch to Mick Woods’ structured form of training has paid dividends for Fleming, who has no regrets over the time he took off throughout his first year as a student.

 

“It’s Mick’s type of commitment and structure that I needed having missed out on the qualifiers for both the World and European Cross-Country Championships’ in the past 12 months. I was running better than ever before I arrived at Birmingham, but I ended up having some fun and I don’t regret anything,” he said.

 

“I have been running since I was eight-years-old, so I wasn’t all too fussed at the time with the running I missed when I considered it as my first prolonged break in 11 to 12 years.”

 

Fleming’s times and performances have developed rapidly over the past 18-24 months. As recently as November 2009 he was finishing 28th in the Liverpool leg of the UK Cross Challenge, and a little earlier that year was finishing 25th and 24th at the English National Cross-Country Championships and Inter-Counties respectively.

 

And yet now he is representing his country at an international event because he has dedicated himself to his training, and made minor changes to his programme in order to push him into the nation’s top-10 junior distance athletes. And Fleming wants his recent result at Liverpool to stand as an example for any athlete in the country who is doubting their capabilities and future in the sport. He admits he was not sure of his own abilities until his impressive summer in 2010.

 

“I knew I had the potential to make Great Britain squads and to become a senior athlete once I had ran 14:30 for the 5,000 metres and 8:20 for the 3,000 metres as a 17-year-old. Up until that summer in 2010 I had never really mixed it with the top-five or so in the country at any races,” the 19-year-old revealed.

 

“The closest I had gotten to the front of a major cross-country race, prior to Liverpool, was 10th at the Inter-Counties in 2010. And then before that I was barely making the top-20 at national events, so it just shows that if any athlete can plug away and perhaps tweak some minor aspects of their training structure, then they can achieve a similar progression.”

 

Fleming will line-up on Sunday alongside his long-term Shaftesbury Barnet team-mate and friend, Richard Goodman. The Velenje race will be Goodman’s fourth outing for Great Britain over cross-country since his debut as a 16-year-old in Dublin at the European Juniors, where he finished fifth in 2009.

 

Both Goodman and Fleming have been two of the brightest prospects at Shaftesbury for several years and were guided through their teens by Geoff Williams, who plans to fly out and watch his former athletes in action at the weekend. And after already sharing many a memorable race together, Fleming is delighted to once again share what promises to be a fantastic experience with his close friend.

 

“Richard and I have been friends for years, and have trained together throughout our teens with Shaftesbury Barnet under Geoff. Our best moment together up until now was undoubtedly our memorable one-two at the English Schools’ Championships in the 3,000 metres,” he said.

 

“To have now made a national team together is absolutely class. It’s great for Geoff as well, who has put so much time and effort into coaching us. I think he will be flying out to watch us race in Slovenia together too, which will really cap off the whole experience.”

 

Beren Cross

beren.cross@hotmail.co.uk
]]> Thu, 08 Dec 2011 07:00:00 CST http://www.athleticos.org/article/9414-Flemings-First-Vest http://www.athleticos.org/article/9347-The-Return-of-Berntsen When Phill Berntsen last pulled on a Great Britain vest he finished 18th in the European Junior Cross-Country Championships at Brussels three years ago. He was 33 seconds from the medals that day and was at the perfect stage to push on with his young career, and seek further glories on the international scene.

 

However, 14 months later, the Winchester & District man was finishing 42nd at the English National Championships and crossing the finish line two minutes and 44 seconds outside the medals. This result is perhaps the clearest indicator into how little running Berntsen was doing throughout the 2009/10 winter season.

 

It has now been a further 21 months since that forgettable day in Leeds, and Berntsen’s renewed dedication to the sport has been rewarded with another opportunity to pull on a Great Britain vest, with a spot on the plane to the European Cross-Country Championships confirmed earlier this week. The Hampshire athlete surprised everyone at Sefton Park last weekend, as he claimed third-place in the Under-23 Men’s race to seal his return to international competition.

 

After an outstanding 2008, which included two Great Britain vests, the former Andover Athletic Club member began studying at Twickenham’s St Mary’s University College in 2009. Berntsen quickly fell out of love with his West London home and a growing disillusionment with the sport culminated with a decisive race at Sefton Park two years ago, where he missed out on the British team and finished eighth.

 

“I’ve only really been back in the sport this year, after a large time out following my exit from St Mary’s University,” revealed Berntsen. “I enrolled at St Mary’s in September 2009 and ultimately found the lifestyle and training setup there didn’t suit me, so I trained far less.

 

“Ironically it was the European Cross-Country Trials at Liverpool two years ago where I decided I no longer enjoyed the sport. I had finished eighth, and missed out on the Junior Men’s team, and I found I wasn’t prepared to put in the extra work which was required to beat those first seven guys anymore.”

 

Berntsen had already missed out on qualifying for the World Junior Cross-Country Championships in the spring of 2009, before he had even registered at St Mary’s. And with that disappointment he added an unsatisfying 10th place at the Gateshead leg of the UK Cross Challenge in November ahead of his watershed performance at Liverpool.

 

A combination of his diminishing performances in the Under-20 races on the national scene, and his difficult settling period at university, ultimately forced the 21-year-old out of the sport.

 

“The sport became a chore for me, and my surroundings in Twickenham didn’t help my loss of love for it. I wasn’t enjoying my course for a start, and then I found I would be doing a lot of sessions on my own, which any athlete will tell you is a hard thing,” Berntsen admitted.

 

“I was coached by Nick Anderson at the time, and had been hoping it would work well training with Andy Vernon and Stephen Scullion (athletes also coached by Anderson). However, my timetable didn’t match up with theirs’ and I ultimately found myself training solo and improperly.

 

“I eventually left the university permanently during the Christmas vacation in 2009 and took on a full-time job at a bank. Leaving St Mary’s, where athletics is a large part of everyone’s life, made departing the sport far easier.”

 

Barring the odd performance at the request of his club, Berntsen stayed away from competitive athletics for the duration of 2010 as he focussed on his other love: football. It was not until the start of this calendar year that he began training again, and after several low-key road races in Hampshire and Wiltshire, he made a brief return to the track this summer.

 

The Andover-based athlete’s resurgence has been guided by Keith Anderson, who resides in France. Anderson coaches Berntsen as well as his own son Tom, who placed seventh in the Under-23 Men’s rankings for the 5,000 metres this year. The pair spent time training in France under the watchful eye of their coach in September. And Berntsen has put last weekend’s result down to the consistency they achieved during their stint on the continent.

 

“I properly got back into the swing of things at the start of this year with several road races, and then I had my first positive sign in June, when I ran a personal best 8:28 for the 3,000 metres at Watford. I then ran a disappointing 5,000 metres (14:52) at Solihull, but relaxed and took some time off with a holiday after that,” said Berntsen.

 

“I then came back and began laying the foundations for this winter, before eventually heading out to France to really knuckle down. When Tom and I came back we raced at a Hampshire League, where his gap in front of me was the smallest it has ever been. That race was the first indicator to me that I was approaching some quality shape.

 

 “I think the stint we had in France really proved the difference at Liverpool. I am now working part-time in a pub, so I had the chance to go over there to stay with Keith and just focus on our running, and it looks to have paid dividends.”

 

Berntsen defeated a host of current Great Britain internationals on his return to the top-end of domestic athletics, as he claimed 15th overall within the Senior Men’s race at Sefton Park. The delight and relief proved a little too much at the finish, as Berntsen admits he may have resorted to expletives in his joy.

 

And he was not the only finisher to react memorably to the performance. Mitch Goose, Berntsen’s team-mate at the Junior European and World Cross-Country Championships’ in 2008, was more than surprised with his competitor’s high-placing.

 

“I was delighted when I crossed the line, I think I shouted ‘Get in!’ with a few other unrepeatable words too. It was the final barrier for me, to be back in the Great Britain vest three years since I last wore it,” said Berntsen.

 

“Mitch Goose was the first guy I saw at the finish, as he was one of those closest in front. He just turned to me and with complete surprise said ‘What the Hell are you doing here?!’ He was happy for me, just a little surprised I think. It’ll be great to be back on a Great Britain team with him again though.”

 

The material gains of Berntsen’s qualification will arrive in the post over the coming weeks, as the famed kit drop which internationals speak of hits his doorstep. It’s an aspect of qualification he has missed, and he likens the experience to Christmas morning.

 

“I can’t wait for that special Great Britain kit drop; it’s like Christmas morning as you’re given this box full of endless gear. It’s only once you’ve got all the branded equipment that you realise what you’ve achieved.”

 

The aforementioned Goose, who was the third qualifier for the Great Britain Under-23 squad last year, went on to finish 22nd at the proceeding European event. Berntsen, third qualifier this year, has set his sights notably higher with designs on a podium place in Velenje next Sunday.

 

“I’m gunning for an individual medal in Slovenia, people might think that’s arrogant, but I am not going out there to make up the numbers. I know I need to be in the mix, I know I have to execute my race. I have been there before and have experience of these races,” he said.

 

Beren Cross

]]> Fri, 02 Dec 2011 22:00:00 CST http://www.athleticos.org/article/9347-The-Return-of-Berntsen http://www.athleticos.org/article/9267-Euro-XC-Trials-Preview One of the most tightly-contested Senior Men’s races in recent years is the highlight of tomorrow’s European Cross-Country Trials, due to be held at Liverpool’s Sefton Park. And with Great Britain vests available, there are expected to be exciting races in each of the Junior Men, Women and Senior Women’s races also.

 

The race will offer first outings for many of the elite athletes since the National Road Relays at Sutton Park. Since then, whilst some athletes have braved the decreasing temperatures at home, many are returning from an extended spell of altitude training in Kenya. And how these different approaches have affected tomorrow’s racers could prove the difference between qualification and disappointment.

 

In the Senior Men’s race, the favourite is arguably Andy Vernon. The Aldershot, Farnham & District runner posted the second quickest time at Sutton Park and won this event last year. However he will have his work cut out with attacks coming from Northern duo James Walsh and Steve Vernon. The latter dominated proceedings at the National Cross-Country Relays, whilst the former finished in the top-10 at the Great South Run and figured prominently at the Cross-Country Relays too.

 

Frank Tickner is also returning to form after last weekend’s win at the Bristol leg of the McCain UK Cross Challenge. Ricky Stevenson and Mark Draper return from the Kenya trip, also looking to book their places on the plane to Slovenia. Stevenson ran 17:06 as the fifth-fastest man at the National Road Relays, and has reportedly been training superbly in Africa.

 

Andy Baddeley and Tom Humphries are other names to look out for; Baddeley will be severely tested over the 9.8km course and Humphries has shown no form since his third-place finish at the Great Edinburgh 10k, suggesting they may fall short.

 

Aldershot’s Vernon is feeling particularly fit ahead of tomorrow’s race though, and after several weeks of sustained mileage he is hoping to come out on top for the third-time in four years at Liverpool against what he describes as the toughest field in years.

 

“Everything has been going in the right direction since the Great North Run, where I don’t think I was particularly fit. I think the lowest mileage week I have had since then has been 96, so I know I’m right back on top of things,” he said.

 

“I am thinking I can win the race, but it won’t be easy. Every year at Sefton Park there seems to be four or five guys turning the final corner together, and it’s a case of who has the greatest finishing speed. Although this year it is looking like seven or eight of us with how strong the field is.

 

“I certainly think the field is the deepest it has been in a long while, and should prove the most difficult to win. I think even making the team will be a huge task.”

 

The Trials offer Vernon his first opportunity to qualify for a Great Britain vest under the tutelage of new coach Nic Bideau. Bideau, based in Australia, will welcome his new charge down under after Christmas for an extended spell of training and racing ahead of what will hopefully be an Olympic summer for the pair.

 

However, as British athletes return from altitude training with UK Athletics in their own attempts to improve ahead of Olympic year, Vernon revealed an unfortunate case of rejection in his bid to travel on the Kenya trip.

 

“I asked to go (to Kenya) myself, but was rejected because of my new links with Nic Bideau,” the 25-year-old said.

 

“Their decision did annoy me a little, because it made me think ‘are they trying to support the athletes or the system?’ I have been one of the top guys in British endurance running in recent years, and yet it feels like I’m punished for changing to a coach who I think will improve me.

 

“I can see their thinking, and understand why they wish to promote the system in the UK, and prompt athletes to use the facilities at Loughborough and use British coaches. UKA have been great in providing support and help to so many athletes, so the work they do is terribly important. Their decision just confused me.

 

“There just seems to be a little negativity towards athletes not based in the UK, or using UKA facilities. Just look at the NCAA athletes like David Forrester and Callum Hawkins; they are athletes who would dominate at the European Cross, but have been given a tough flight back to the UK if they wish to be selected.”

 

Racing within the Senior Men’s field, the Under-23 age-group is likely to be headed by Leeds City’s James Wilkinson. Wilkinson returned from altitude early on Thursday morning and will be looking to build upon his remarkable run at the National Road Relays, where he ran 16:38 to beat Andy Vernon by 20 seconds and post the fastest leg of the day.

 

Mitch Goose has flown back from the USA after his exertions at the NCAA Division I Cross-Country Championships, and will be hoping his 40th-place finish at Terra Haute will constitute a qualification berth tomorrow. His City of Norwich team-mate, Ashley Harrell, has qualified for the Under-23 squad on the past two occasions and after an impressive run at Mansfield this month, should make the team once more.

 

Swansea Harrier Dewi Griffiths, sixth-fastest at the Sutton Park Road Relays, is likely to figure in the qualification mix-up too. His 65:40 at the Birmingham Half-Marathon last month suggests the Welshman’s preparations are going well. Meanwhile Derek Hawkins, a qualifier last year, is normally strong at Sefton Park. Southerners John McDonnell and Josh Gorecki are entered, and have both shown form worthy of a top-six finish too.

 

Wilkinson, who now shares a house in Loughborough with Stevie Stockton, Becky Lyne and John Beattie, is aiming for the overall race win tomorrow and not merely a spot on the British Under-23 squad.

 

“I won’t lie: I am thinking about the win tomorrow. It’s going to be such a tough race with so many people running well in the UK, let alone those who have returned from Kenya in good shape. My time at Birmingham (Six-Stage) does make me think I belong up there, as does my result this time last year at Sefton Park, but it’s still not going to be easy,” the 21-year-old said, who is considering a tilt at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in 2012.

 

Kieran Clements is the in-form athlete who British spectators are fully aware of heading into tomorrow’s Junior Men’s race. The Ipswich athlete, who fell short in his attempts to qualify last year as an Under-17, won last week’s meeting at Bristol and posted the fastest time at the National Cross-Country Relays three weeks ago.

 

Clements’ chances of victory may depend upon the progression of Jonny Hay and Richard Goodman, the top-two from the Inter-Counties Championships in March. Each of them returned from Kenya this week and, should they perform to their best, may run away from the rest of the field.

 

Paul Thompson has dominated the London Colleges League this season, and after encouraging runs at Sutton Park and Berry Hill will hope to make the plane to Slovenia. Bedford & County’s Jack Goodwin and New Marske’s Mark Shaw could contest the minor positions, after finishing second and first respectively at a recent IAAF Permit race in Spain.

 

Overwhelming favourite for the Senior Women’s race is Charnwood’s Gemma Steel. Unbeaten in her past five races, the John Nuttall-coached athlete is hitting form at the right time, and appears to be benefitting from the structure and professionalism of her new coach.

 

Steel is unlikely to be troubled, unless Freya Murray and Hatti Dean demonstrate some of their best form, or even toe the start line in the first place. Murray finished ninth at the Great South Run last month and 10th at the Great North Run in September, but has not ran over cross-country as of yet and may be found lacking if she starts tomorrow. Dean on the other hand, has not recorded a result since August, when she ran 17:34 for a low-key 5km event in Pontefract. The Hallamshire Harrier is a serious doubt for tomorrow’s race.

 

Spectators at Sefton Park may be offered a blast from the past tomorrow, with Swansea’s Andrea Whitcombe. The 40-year-old, ranked third in the country for the 5,000 metres in 2000, finished fifth at Ashton Court in the Bristol Cross Challenge last weekend and was 10th fastest at the National Road Relays this year. Her consistency this year could see her in place to qualify tomorrow.

 

Favourite Steel, has made significant changes in her life this past 12-months which have seen her become a force on the domestic athletics scene. Her victory at Bristol, her fastest legs at Mansfield and Sutton Park, and her personal best at the Birmingham Half-Marathon are all products of her improved dedication to the sport.

 

“I joined up with John Nuttall a few months ago, and he has brought much more structure to my training. I’ve moved on from running 60 miles per week previously, to more like 75 and 80 a week now. And with that there has been much more quality added,” Steel revealed.

 

“I packed my job in, in April. Since then I have dedicated plenty more time to my running, so it would be nice to have some reward tomorrow.

 

“I am working part-time as a cleaner to support myself, and working towards my goals off my own back. The decision to work part-time seems to be paying off though – I get more sleep and allow myself more time to get better quality into my sessions.”

 

The Under-23 Women’s race has been robbed of its pre-race favourite, Charlotte Purdue, according to the official UK Athletics website. In her absence, a tense and unpredictable race may develop. Her team-mate, Steph Twell, represents undoubted quality on her day but she has raced sparingly since recovering from her long-term ankle injury. And coach Mick Woods may have plans other than the European Cross-Country Championships for his star athlete.

 

If neither of the Aldershot, Farnham & District women race then Mick Woods may still come out with a victorious athlete from his own stable in the shape of Jess Coulson. The Stockport Harrier was absent from competition for the whole of 2010, but is returning to something like her best form after a third-fastest leg at Sutton Park.

 

Stevie Stockton, of Vale Royal, has not raced since the World University Games in August. However, Stockton was a part of the altitude trip to Kenya this past four weeks, and having already ran at the World Cross-Country Championships this year should figure at the front of the field tomorrow.

 

Trafford’s Kirsty Milner finished 91st at the NCAA Division I Cross-Country Championships earlier this week, and should she follow up her entry with an appearance tomorrow, may cause a couple of upsets.

 

Two of Great Britain’s most talented junior athletes will face-off in a highly anticipated clash tomorrow. Jessica Judd is finally eligible for Great Britain selection and will take on her elder rival, Emelia Górecka, in the Junior Women’s race tomorrow. Górecka, almost exactly one year Judd’s senior, has the edge this calendar year after victories at both the Southern and National Cross-Country Championships.

 

Annabel Gummow is the third athlete with realistic hopes of victory tomorrow, and the Bristol & West representative has her eye firmly fixed on finally defeating the Surrey woman who continues to evade her in competition.

 

“I respect Emelia so much for the amount of times she has won these types of races and left us all behind. She’s been winning for so long now, that I’d like to think I’m at the stage to really take her on,” said Gummow, who lost out by just 1.58 seconds to Górecka in the 5,000 metres at the European Junior Track & Field Championships this summer.

 

“I haven’t had the confidence in the past to go past her; I’ve always had a feeling of ‘did I hold back too much’ or ‘should I have made a move earlier’ after races where I have lost to her. It’s time I focussed on stepping up though and really began looking at running the strength out of her.

 

“It’s a friendly rivalry we share, and we will room together at GB events, but on the day I’m going to be hoping to get the win. All I could do is run to the best of my ability, and perhaps that may be enough to defeat her long-running dominance.”

 

Beren Cross
]]> Fri, 25 Nov 2011 20:00:00 CST http://www.athleticos.org/article/9267-Euro-XC-Trials-Preview http://www.athleticos.org/article/9248-Abbey-Dash-Revelation-Marc-Scott  

Anonymous and inconspicuous as the 12th man across the finish line at the Leeds Abbey Dash on Sunday, many would be forgiven for not paying much attention to the performance of 17-year-old Marc Scott. However, Scott was in the process of becoming Britain’s seventh-fastest junior athlete to have ever ran a 10 kilometre road distance.

 

The Richmond & Zetland athlete completed the course in 30:03 to obliterate his previous personal best of 32:27, which he set as the winner of the Melmerby 10k in May of this year. Although the result was no more of a surprise to anyone than Scott himself.

 

The teenager, unprepared to discuss his specific training schedule, admits he and his coach Ken Harker were left speechless as he finished the race. Jonny Taylor, who won a hard-fought race with Nick McCormick to take the race victory, seems to also have been the only other man aware of Scott’s feat at the conclusion of the race.

 

“My coach and I had no idea I was in 30 minute shape, although I myself set out thinking anything under 31 minutes would be great. We prefer not to discuss my current training plans, but I can safely say that the training I have been doing at no point suggested I’d run close to 30 minutes,” said Scott.

 

“I was 14:49 at the halfway point and knew at that stage I had a great chance of pushing on for a really quick time, but I was totally surprised to see a time so quick as I crossed the line. The last three kilometres were very hard with the pace quickening all the time, but I just had to hang on. I had no choice but to stick with the pack – if they dropped me I wouldn’t have got anywhere near my finishing time.

 

“The winner, Jonny Taylor, knows my coach. And I think he was very shocked to see and hear the time I clocked! It was great to see the look on his face.”

 

The current all-time list for junior athletes at the discipline is headed by Enfield & Haringey’s Jon Gascoyne, who ran 29:35 at the age of 19 in 1991. And with just 28 seconds separating Scott from the top, and with two more years still to go at the age-group, there is every chance the Yorkshireman may become the country’s fastest-ever junior.

 

Although, Scott is remaining open-minded and focussed on entering the top-three on the list before setting any sights on Gascoyne’s spot at the top. And the Northallerton College pupil will be seeking plenty more competitive races, having been restricted to slow and inaccurate outings in the past.

 

“There is a very good chance that this may happen (becoming the number one ranked under-20 for the 10km in the all-time list), however you never know what lies in the future. I do hope to improve my ranking of seventh though, and potentially look at entering the top-three because of my current age and my remaining years in the age-group,” said Scott.

 

“I ran such a large personal best because I have never done a ‘proper’ 10 kilometre race before. All my previous courses have never had a guaranteed distance, nor are they flat or fast. Most importantly though, I have always been out in front on my own in these past road races. And a fast time is not achievable with no-one to race against.”

 

Scott has modest personal bests for an athlete of his talents, with a best of 4:24.8 for the 1500 metres and 8:54.5 for the 3000 metres. However, much of his young athletics career has taken shape at great heights and steep slopes as one of Great Britain’s top mountain runners thus far.

 

The teen has several international vests to his name and finished 8th in the world as an under-17 athlete and 19th in the world as an under-20 athlete, each at the World Mountain Running Championships.

 

Attentions in the Scott camp are now to turn to road-racing following this latest development at the Abbey Dash, and more specifically the Marathon as a senior athlete in his future years.

 

“I stuck with my mountain and fell running over this past year given my form and international appearances. Track racing took second place, and I only raced over the shorter distances when available (which was rarely),” Scott explained.

 

“I understand now where my talent is, and know my future more than likely lies in road-racing. I have already ran at the top-level in mountain competitions, as is shown with my Great Britain vest.

 

“I now hope to represent my country on the roads and potentially the track as I get older. Although I won’t completely write off mountain running at this stage. I have always wanted to run a marathon too, which is a discipline where my career may lie if I make it.”

 

A regular visitor to the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors for training, Scott is in the final year of his A-Level studies in Northallerton and is currently considering his options for the next academic year, and beyond that, his future development as an athlete.

 

As many fans of British athletics will know, several home-grown talents figured in the higher reaches of the recent NCAA Division I Cross-Country Championships. And Scott himself is considering this transatlantic route, which has become so popular with young athletes in Britain, as his preferred post-college choice.

 

“I would love to become a full-time athlete at some stage but that is a lifestyle which will have to wait until after my A-Levels or even after university; which I intend to travel to America for,” he revealed.

 

“I have sent off an application form to a firm in the States, who will then seek out a scholarship for me from the universities out there. I will then wait and see which reply, and wish to have me represent them.

 

“It’s just a different option. There are more facilities out there, and more opportunities to develop my running even further. I don’t really follow the athletics scene out there, but I think it will be grow on me the older I get and the closer I get to university-age.”

 

Marc Scott will next race at the McCain UK Cross Challenge, due to be held at Liverpool’s Sefton Park on Saturday. He has confirmed his interests and hopes lie in qualification for the junior Great Britain team, which will be sent to the European Cross-Country Championships in Slovenia.

 

Beren Cross


]]> Wed, 23 Nov 2011 00:00:00 CST http://www.athleticos.org/article/9248-Abbey-Dash-Revelation-Marc-Scott http://www.athleticos.org/article/9176-Leeds-Abbey-Dash-2011-Preview
 

Favourite for this Sunday’s Leeds Abbey Dash road race, Nick McCormick, has targeted a 29-minute clocking in his first outing since early-August. The Morpeth Harrier will open and close his account for the domestic season at Leeds, as he jets out to Australia next month in his quest to represent Great Britain at the Olympic Games in 2012.

 

The Leeds race has attracted high quality fields for several years and is renowned for being one of the country’s fastest 10 kilometre courses. The event has produced winning times under 29:40 for the past five years, and McCormick has cited the competition’s regularly strong entry lists as a reason for making his return at the Yorkshire race.

 

“I am genuinely hoping the field is strong, as it has been over the past few years. I would like a competitive race to really push the best out of myself, and of course to finish as high as possible,” he said.

 

“My race performance will all depend on how I feel when I wake up Sunday morning and of course how the weather fares. But I know it’s a fast course and I think 29 minutes if not quicker could be within my grasp.”

 

The former Great Britain international last donned his race vest on August 6 at the Aviva London Grand Prix held at Crystal Palace, where he finished eighth in the Emsley Carr Mile with a time of 3:58.78. Since that day, McCormick has struggled with Hagglunds deformities in each foot, a condition which affects the Achilles heel.

 

Described by the Hexham-born athlete as a “niggle,” the training missed due to the deformities forced him to pass on both the Northern and National Road Relay events as well as the National Cross-Country Relays at Mansfield.

 

However, McCormick is now fighting fit ahead of Sunday’s race and hoping his later-than-usual start to the season could prove a blessing in the long-term.

 

“My late start to the Autumn season has meant I missed all the relay events on road and cross-country, which I’d normally use as a starting point,” the former Loughborough University student said.

 

“It’s been good to get back training for several weeks and you never know, missing those early races and forcing myself to take some time off could prove a blessing in disguise next year.

 

“I’m looking forward to finding out where I’m at in terms of fitness to be honest. There’s nothing better than a race to see how your training’s gone. I’ve managed to run five weeks of consistent 100 miles per week so I think I’m getting back to where I would’ve liked to have been had I not had a late start.”

 

After Sunday’s race the 30-year-old will have two more weeks in the UK before flying to Australia to link-up with former coach Nic Bideau, and his stable of athletes, which includes Australian internationals Collis Birmingham and Ben St.Lawrence.

 

McCormick, who has not represented Great Britain in an outdoor track championships since 2006, is hoping his stint in the southern hemisphere will make that vital difference in ultimately securing his place on the British team in 2012.

 

“It’s Olympic year and everyone has to make sacrifices to get a place on the Great Britain team. And I haven’t made a senior outdoor team since Gothenburg in 2006, so I need to work harder than ever to make it in,” he admitted.

 

“The plan is to return from Australia in March 2012 having already run at least the B-Standard (13:27) if not the A-Standard (13:20) for the 5,000.

 

“I will then hopefully have a little break before getting back into hard training again ahead of peaking for London in August.

 

“The Melbourne Track Classic held in March will be regulated by the IAAF so I’m anticipating a loaded field conducive to fast times, so that will be my target race for the standard.”

 

Three Kenyan athletes are rumoured to be starting Sunday’s race, but if they fail to turn up or fail to shine, McCormick is expected to reclaim the title he last won at the Abbey Dash in 2005 with a time of 29:17.

 

Other leading entries include the Eritrean duo from Shettleston Harriers, Tewoldeberhan Mengisteab (29:19) and Tsegezab Woldemichael (29:09). McCormick’s Morpeth team-mate, Ian Hudspith (29:08) is also due to race, after posting high-ranking times at the Northern and National Road Relays.

 

Liverpool Harrier, Jonny Mellor, has had to unfortunately withdraw from the contest due to illness. A shame, given Mellor’s outstanding performances at the Great South Run and National Road Relays.

 

In the Ladies race on Sunday, there is expected to be a close-fought battle between two of Great Britain’s Marathon entrants at the World Championships earlier this year.

 

Susan Patridge (33:19) of Leeds City will lock horns with Chester-le-Street’s Alyson Dixon (33:26), as they continue their rivalry on the roads. The score is currently 1-1 in 2011, with Partridge finishing almost 15-minutes ahead of Dixon in Daegu and a reverse at the Bath Half-Marathon in March, where Dixon triumphed by over four minutes.

 

The resurgent Rebecca Robinson of Kendal should also be near the sharp end of proceedings, as she looks to return to her 2009 form which produced a winning 33:16 performance at the Abbey Dash two years ago.

 

Beren Cross
]]> Sat, 19 Nov 2011 05:08:00 CST http://www.athleticos.org/article/9176-Leeds-Abbey-Dash-2011-Preview http://www.athleticos.org/article/8885-The-Role-of-Nutrition-in-Injury      Mayur is a lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, a researcher and a sports nutritionist working with Olympic and professional athletes. He is also a keen triathlete who has represented GB in age group compeitions. He has agreed for us to post his blogs on varying topics within the world of sports nutrition.   Please visit his blog  for more information and contact details. Twitter @diet4sport    

This article is simply a summary of the presentation. The ideas and concepts have largely come from my own practice in working with elite and professional athletes but there are also some examples of evidence-based practice.

Scientific literature of the role of nutrition in injury, particularly in athletes, is lacking, therefore, the medical literature is a good place to consult to get an idea of the interaction between diet, supplements and healing. 




The role of nutrition in injury to athletes is often overlooked. Probably because the evidence is lacking and mostly because support staff may not be aware of how nutrition can help support healing. I have been lucky enough to work alongside forward thinking medical staff (particularly in Premiership football) who have really embraced the role of nutrition to support injured players.  




Figure 1 below illustrates how nutrition can be integrated within a support team. The team Doctor and physio lead the injury management of the athlete and the physio works alongside the massage therapist, typically instructing when and how aggressively massage is used. The physio usually tends to work closely with the S&C coach but this commonly occurs during the rehabilitation phase (called phase 2 – more on this later) and nutrition also links in with the S&C coach during this second phase. Immediately following the injury  









Figure 1. The Role of Nutrition in Injury within a Sport Science/Medicine Team







From a nutrition perspective, an easy way to think of nutrition and injury is to separate the acute injuries (i.e. this is where the injury will stop training from 7 days or less) or a chronic one (where the athlete may be out for several weeks/months). The way you might advise an athlete on an acute injury (i.e. a minor ankle sprain) would be very different to a fracture or break. For the chronic injury we have to think about inflammation, healing and weight management whereas the acute one it might simply be an increased/decreased macronutrient/micronutrient intake.




The two distinctive phases of an injury are summarised below:




Phase 1 - Immobilisation/Atrophy




At the onset of an injury, an athlete will be immobilised and that will result in muscle atrophy over time. Metabolic changes in the tissues resulting from inactivity can lead to loss of strength and function.




Phase 2 - Rehabilitation & Increased Activity




This is the phase when the athlete is rehabbing and can return being mobile which can aid muscle hypertrophy and the return of functionality




The way a nutrition practitioner can support each phase obviously depends on the injury, but typically, the support given during phase 1 is very different to the advice given during phase 2. More specifically, phase 1 could be about reducing inflammation however, this should be lead by the medical team. Inflammation should not be reduced at the very early stages of an injury, as it is part of the healing process. When inflammation does need to be reduced, nutrition can play a crucial role. The following strategies can be effective in helping to reduce inflammation:




·        Strategic use of phytochemical antioxidants. Phystochemical antioxidants have been found to reduce inflammation and muscle soreness.

·       Tumeric supplementation. Although research is lacking in the athletic population, the athletes I have used it with have reported some positive feedback.
·       Reducing Omega-6 and increasing Omega-3 fatty acids in the diet. A diet high in Omega-6 can increase inflammation.
·       Avoid alcohol consumption as it can further increase inflammation.





Increasing amino acid intake (particularly leucine) is also important during this initial phase as the body will have an increased need for essential amino acids during repair. The phytochemical antioxidants can also help reduce soreness (Howatson et al. 2009. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports; Bowtell et al. 2011 Med Sci Sport Exerc).




During a chronic injury, it is common for athletes to lose muscle mass. Muscle atrophy occurs during long periods of immobilisation and that can consequently lead to reduced muscle function. Complete inactivity with a poor diet results in rapid muscle loss. decreased muscle protein, particularly myofibrillar protein creation (J Physiol 27-10-2008). Therefore, it is crucial that nutritional interventions should focus on alleviating, as much as possible, the decrease in muscle protein synthesis so that any period of negative muscle protein balance is minimised. Not only does immobilisation decrease basal levels of muscle protein synthesis, but the muscle also fails to respond properly to protein intake. Thus, increased protein intake during inactivity may not have the impact on maintenance of muscle mass that could be expected from studies on active, healthy muscle.




During the first 5-7 days of the onset of an injury, energy expenditure can increase therefore it may be important for the athlete to consume BMR + EE + an addition 300-400 kcal. Energy intake can later be reduced if a long period of inactivity is foreseen. After this period carbohydrate intake should not exceed 3-4 g/kg and majority of this should be derived from fruits, vegetables and dairy rather than wheat based products such as pasta, bread, cereals. A general multivitamin supplement may be useful if energy intake is dropped to 1500 kcal for longer than a few weeks.




During Phase 2, when the athlete becomes more mobile and starts gym work, there is an increased requirement for protein therefore an intake of around 1.8-2 g/kg is advised.




There is also a role for other supplements as summarised below:




•Glucosamine Chondroitin – joint protection




•Collagen Hydrolysate – collagen synthesis




•Vitamin C – collagen synthesis




•Zinc – Wound healing




•HMB – reduce catabolism during inactivity and rehab




•Creatine (J Physiol 15-10-2001; 536:625-633)




•L-Arginine/Dietary nitrates to increase blood flow




It is also important to consider other aspects other than nutrition. For instance, belief and the placebo effect could have a massive impact on how quickly an athlete responds. If a supplement does no harm and the athlete believes it will help them then why not use it? It is also crucial to know your athlete’s personality as this will help you adapt your recommendations/advice. Some athletes are very anal and need to have a prescriptive program whereas other need more of a generic/adaptable one. Some athletes like having their body composition measures (includes skinfolds and girths) every few weeks to ensure they are not losing too much muscle or gaining too much body fat.




The medical team usually leads the injury and rehab treatments of athletes however, I hope this article has helped you see how nutrition fits in and its importance on both the physiological and psychological components of recovery and rehab.




Mayur Ranchordas
]]> Sat, 29 Oct 2011 05:44:00 CDT http://www.athleticos.org/article/8885-The-Role-of-Nutrition-in-Injury http://www.athleticos.org/article/8867-Product-spotlight Hi-energy Jelly Bar
@multipoweruk
www.multipoweruk.com



With the marathon season and winter training well under way we thought it beneficial for Athleticos to supply our
Users with not only coverage but information to help pick through the mass of products out there.

One of the biggest factors behind training aside from putting your trainers on and getting out the door is nutrition. Training breaks the body down and in order to benefit one needs to recover. With most athletes training many times a week and often twice a day the pressures on their body are vast. Nutrition plays a big part in the recovery process and a great range of sports food to help performance and recovery is like training gold.

Multipower are a Leading European Sports Food Company. Their refreshing and encompassing approach to sports nutrition supplies the athlete with not only the high quality product but the information to utilize it to the full.

Their new Hi-energy jelly bar is specifically aimed at endurance athletes and works at supplying an alternative to gels. “The Multicarbo® Hi-energy jelly bar boasts the finest quality ingredients, including a carbohydrate mix of glucose to provide a quick energy boost, and isomaltulose, a low glycemic carbohydrate which is digested and absorbed slowly to provide sustained energy.”

The concept of the high energy jelly bar is what excited us about this product. Gels are not to everyone’s liking and an alternative to try is a positive thing. In looking at and trying the product the main aspect that comes across is its palatable nature.The Hi-energy jelly is a fantastic new product, it tastes great, is easily digestible and provides an effective long lasting energy supply. The solid jelly makes it really easy to consume during hard training and competition and offers an interesting alternative to the range of Multipower gels.


As we all see, especially with in the marathon, one nutritional mistake and your race is over. A prime example has to be Haile Gebrselassie and his numerous stomach problems in recent marathon races. Should he try the jelly bar……just a thought!? 

All told it is a great, innovative product that serves the longer distance runner yet would be equally useful for a power athlete needing a boost.

Follow the link to purchase the bar and make sure to spend some time on the site as their blogs and videos are very insightful!

Hi-energy Jelly Bar
£1.29 for a 50g pouch, and is available to purchase from www.multipoweruk.com


Loughborough based athlete and both talented Triathlete and Runner Will Clarke is a Multipower supported athlete.
 





NB: Athletiocs do not have any official nutrition qualifications. The article above is merely an opinion.



]]> Fri, 28 Oct 2011 04:11:00 CDT http://www.athleticos.org/article/8867-Product-spotlight http://www.athleticos.org/article/7282-Breaking-Barriers WRITTEN FOR SKYSPORTS by Nicola Bamford.

Jack Green is a young man who thrives off challenges and this summer, the 400m hurdler has leapt over both the age and time gap to world-class level as he looks to a place in the Olympic final next year, writes Nicola Bamford. 

The 19-year-old Kent AC runner refuses to let his young years and relative inexperience in the event hold him back from global glory - a fact highlighted by his recent inclusion in the Team GB squad for the World Championships in Daegu, South Korea later this month, where Green will make his senior championship debut. 

Guided by hurdles guru Malcolm Arnold and training alongside European and Commonwealth champion Dai Greene, the athlete with the most untapped potential in the Bath-based squad is keen to establish himself in the biggest event of a thus far, remarkable season: 

“The World Championships are where I plan on putting a spanner in the works against the more experienced heads,” he explained. 

“Obviously I am very happy with how everything has gone this year but I still expect more of myself. 

“My performances this year have been very consistent and everyone knows consistency leads to dropping a very quick time - I'm hoping that will arrive when I need it to.” 

Belief 

Green is of course, referring to such achievements as improving his outdoor best by a second and a half to a scintillating 48.98, mixing it with the best senior competition at two Diamond League events and claiming the European under23 Championship title in storming fashion. 

Having spent periods of the winter and spring training in South Africa and Italy, respectively, Green indeed got his 2011 campaign off to a sterling start. 

First, he shattered his 400m flat lifetime best on six occasions (with a best of 46.91) before finishing fourth in the same event at the UK senior Championships during the indoor season. 

A student of Sports Performance at Bath University, Green then went onto put such theory into practice on the outdoor track by claiming victory at the Loughborough International, finishing second in British under23 Championships behind close-rival Nathan Woodward and then placed a fine fourth in the Lausanne leg of the Diamond League before capturing continental gold in Ostrava. 

Riding on the crest of a wave in only his fifth season in the discipline, Green then 
went onto clock his first sub-50 second performance at the Aviva British Grand Prix in Birmingham, where he again finished in a highly-respectable fourth against world-class field to elevate him to third on the UK rankings for the summer thus far and ahead of European silver-medallist Rhys Williams. 

“Ostrava was a typical championship, I went to win,” Green revealed. 

“I really feel we (Brits) are becoming like the Americans in the 400m hurdles - we are going to have people staying at home with the qualifying standard for the major competitions – it's not overly fair but it only makes you stronger. 

“I've said it before but all of us have a lot to thank Dai and Rhys for - I believe because of their successes in 2010, they gave all of us the belief to run quicker. 

“I remember when breaking fifty seconds was a big deal, now you have to be a 48-runner at least to feature!” 

Performer 

Having recently missed the UK Championships and also the Aviva London Grand Prix with tonsillitis, Green is confident of getting back to his best in time for Deagu as he sets off to the Team GB preparation camp in South Korea next week: 

“The illness has become a blessing in disguise as it's allowed me to rest after the European Under23’s and train hard without having to taper for racing, so I should be ready to go in the 400m hurdles and I will be ready to run the relay,” he explained. 

Fifth in the World junior Championships in Canada last summer in 50.49 to place third on the UK all-time under20 list, Green will join his namesake (Dai) and also Woodward in the competition, where he additionally hopes to feature in at least the first-round heat of the 4x400m relay. 

All in all, regardless of his performances in Daegu, Green will be using the event as vital experience for an even tougher short-term aim, the Olympic Games in London next summer: 

“I will evaluate my aims at the end of this season but ideally I will be in that Olympic final,” he revealed. 

“But 2012's just another competition to me and I will keep that mentality the whole way through. 

“The crowd and competition will be great and I have no doubts London will put on a great show but I will be there to do a job and entertain a crowd - I see myself as a performer and I want to do my best for the fans and supporters.” ]]> Wed, 24 Aug 2011 05:16:00 CDT http://www.athleticos.org/article/7282-Breaking-Barriers http://www.athleticos.org/article/7025-Iffley-Road-Mile-Meeting Wednesday 3rd August – Iffley Road Track, Oxford                            

On Wednesday the Iffley road Mile meeting will see athletes pitting themselves against the mile distance on the site of the historic first sub 4 minute clocking by Roger Bannister.  The track, renovated and renamed in 2007 hosts the mile event, which was started by Roger Bannister himself, in conjunction with Oxford University Athletics Club.
The evening hosts of series of races graded on 1500m PB times with pacemakers for the higher seeded races.
Advanced entries are closed with a £5 entry on the day.


Athleticos cameras will be there to cover the event which promises to be a great celebration of mile and endurance racing in the country.


Web entry form - www.ouccc.org.uk/iffley-road-mile-meeting
Enquiries - ouacfixtures@googlemail.com



]]> Sat, 30 Jul 2011 05:12:00 CDT http://www.athleticos.org/article/7025-Iffley-Road-Mile-Meeting http://www.athleticos.org/article/6889-Getting-to-know-Adam-Bitchell  
We recently caught up with Adam Bitchell after the European U23 Champs in Ostrava in which he finished 12th in the 5000m Final. This year Adam has set personal bests of 3:43.71 in 1500m and 13:57.61 in the 5000m to establish himself as one of the best up and coming young distance runners in the county.

Can you tell athleticos a little about yourself?

I have just finished my second year of university at UWIC, studying Sport and Physical Education. I live in Cardiff at the moment, and have decided to stay there all summer rather than go home like most other students. This is mainly due to the fact that I am able to train with my coach (James Thie) and training group, day in day out, which I find much easier and more enjoyable than constantly doing runs and sessions on my own. Next year will be my last year at UWIC, and after that I am looking at the possibility of going to America to continue my studies and running career.

Can you tell us how the race went for you at the European U23’s?

Leading up to the race at the Euro u23’s, I wasn’t really sure how it would pan out. I had a feeling it might go out very slow and tactical, and that the pace would build up gradually until it was a burn up over the last few laps, but then I was half expecting one of the low 13:30 runners to go to the front early on and make it a true run race. The weather was really hot on the day of the race and it was quite hard to keep cool, especially on the warm up as shaded areas were limited around the warm up area, but once we got on to the track, conditions were pretty much perfect. There were 25 runners in the field, so once the race got started, and the pace was slow, I knew it was going to be a physical one. I tried to just stay relaxed the first few laps and the plan was always to go off towards the front and maintain a good position. As the race progressed, it was clear nobody wanted to push the pace so I just tried to hold my position within the top 10 or so, although some of the Italians weren’t happy at some of the elbows they were getting.

The pace started to get quicker the last 2km and I tried to move up towards the very front with 600m to go, getting tripped in the process. As I moved up around the outside, I heard someone go down and realised there had been a pretty bad fall behind me. At the bell I was positioned well about 5 metres behind the leaders in about 6th place, but by then I had used up too much energy trying to get towards the front and just didn’t have another gear for the last lap. I ended up in 12th place, which overall I was pretty happy with, as it’s my first year as an under 23 and my first major championships. In two years time, I’ll know exactly what to expect and will be hopefully going to the u23 champs with expectations of a gold medal.

What was the event like as a whole?

As a whole, the event was very good, the standard of competition at the championships was possibly the best it has ever been, and although the food and accommodation took a bit of getting used to, it was a great experience.Looking back now, it was a great trip, although it has been very draining. There was a lot of travelling involved and physically and mentally I do feel pretty tired now, but I feel like there is more to achieve yet from this season, so hopefully I’ll be back feeling fresh again soon.

What are your aims for the last segment of the season?

My main aims for the last segment of the season are to bring down my p.b’s over 800 and 1500m. I’m going to run the 1500 at the UK Trials followed by a mile race the week after which should be quite fun, and hopefully try and run sub-4 minutes aswell. After that, I’ll have to sit down with my coach and discuss what other races I’ll do. I plan to go on racing until the end of August or maybe even the beginning of September as I’m not really a huge fan of cross-country so there’s no real need to end the season early and begin preparation for the cross. I don’t feel like I’ve done that much speed work yet either, as everything up until the Europeans has been geared towards the 5k, so hopefully with a bit of sharpening up over the next few weeks I’ll be aiming to run 3:40/3:41 for 1500 by the end of the season.

You have achieved such improvements over all distances this year, what would you say are the main factors behind this?

The main factor behind my improvement last year and again this year has definitely been the influence of my coach, James Thie on my training and lifestyle in general. Before moving down to Cardiff I had never trained on the track before, due to the fact that for 17 years I lived and trained in the only county in the UK without an athletics track. So I had no background of track running at all and mainly did road/grass sessions alone. But then I was introduced to James, and started getting involved in some of his speed sessions during the indoor season, and he decided to create a training programme for me. Last summer was when I feel like the track workouts started to show, especially last July/August, and since then I feel like I have just progressed gradually and got stronger going into this summer. So my progression has mainly been down to my coach’s influence on me, and his commitment to our whole training group is incredible.

My parents have also played a big part especially as it is such a long way to most places that I compete from back home so their support has helped me a lot too. We also have a great training group down in Cardiff that includes Steve Mitchell, Ieuan Thomas, Mike Kershaw and Chris Discombe so it’s always easy to produce quality sessions and runs, as we all work hard for each other to achieve our goals! So it really has been a big team effort rather than my own individual ability that has been mostly responsible for my improvements this year.

We would like to thank Adam for his time and wish him well in the rest of his season.

 

]]> Fri, 22 Jul 2011 01:34:00 CDT http://www.athleticos.org/article/6889-Getting-to-know-Adam-Bitchell http://www.athleticos.org/article/6638-U20U23-Prediction-Competition-Start-Lists



 









Under 23 Mens 400m Hurdles

Club

Personal Best



Jordan Aromasodu

 Victoria Park H

55.13



Michael Cochrane

 New Zealand

50.62



David Dempsey

 Leeds City AC

52.79



Niall Flannery

 Gateshead Harriers

49.88



Ashley Fry

 Windsor Slough Eton

52.92



Jack Green

 Kent AC

49.17



Lee Hamilton

 Kent AC

53.83



Jamie Horder

 Cheltenham Harriers

55.69



Bertie Lewis

 Reading AC

54.39



Martin Lipton

 Liverpool Harriers

52.16



Adam McCarthy

 Havering Mayesbrook AC

55.75



Simon Merrill

 Birchfield Harriers

51.67



Tom Moakes

 Notts AC

52.41



Gareth Morris

 Ashford AC

53.68



Isaac Ogunlade

 Havering Mayesbrook AC

53.28



Daniel O'Shea

 New Zealand

51.62



Thomas Phillips

 Sheffield AC

50.22



Zak Saucede

 Enfield

53.44



Chris Stubbings

 Southend On Sea AC

56.80



Shay Taylor

 New Zealand

52.31



Toby Ulm

 Swindon Harriers

50.23



Chris Wakeford

 Sale Harriers Manchester

52.23



Alec Wing

 Victoria Park H

53.46



Nathan Woodward

 Tamworth AC

49.70



 

 

 



 

 

 



Under 23 Womens 5000m

Club

Personal Best



Kate Avery

 Shildon R

15.55



Elspeth Curran

 Kilbarchan AAC

16.39



Natasha Doel

 Aldershot Farnham

16.42



Lauren Howarth

 Leigh Harriers

15.51



Sarah Inglis

 Livingston

16.34



Leigh Lattimore

 Harrow AC

17.24



Eilish Mccolgan

 Dundee Hawkhill Harriers

15.53



Kirsty Milner

 Trafford AC

16.26



Hayley Munn

 Kettering Town Harriers

17.51



Emma Pallant

 Aldershot Farnham

15.54



Emily Pidgeon

 Stroud AC

15.32



Beth Potter

 Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers

15.55



Charlotte Purdue

 Aldershot Farnham

15.23



Emily Stewart

 Edinburgh AC

 



Naomi Taschimowitz

 Taunton AC

16



Hannah Walker


 Birchfield Harriers


 



Stevie Stockton


Vale Royal


 



 

 

 



Under 20 Mens 1500m

Club

Personal Best



Matt Bergin

 Bedford

3.54



Jake Boat

 OWLS AC

4.14



Cameron Boyek

 Shildon R

3.49



Marcus Bridger-Wilkinson

 Newbury AC

3.48



Ryan Buck

 City Of York AC

3.58



Kieran Clements

 Ipswich Harriers

3.54



Dale Clutterbuck

 Basildon AC

3.49



Tom Curr

 Stroud AC

3.46



Harvey Dixon

 Aldershot Farnham

3.46



Robbie Farnham-Rose

 Tonbridge AC

3.49



Stuart Ferguson

 Radley AC

4.00



Ross Franks

 Windsor Slough Eton And Hounslow

3.56



Richard Goodman

 Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers

3.45



Jack Goodwin

 Bedford

3.55



Charlie Grice

 Phoenix AC

3.42



Will Gurton

 Vale Of Aylesbury AC

3.56



Jonathan Hay

 Aldershot Farnham

3.42



Jack Hutchens

 North Devon AC

4.02



Alexander Jones

 Enfield

4.00



Max Kaye

 Holmfirth Harriers AC

3.55



Jordan Maurice

 Herne Hill Harriers

3.56



Stewart Orr

 Ronhill Cambuslang Harriers

3.56



Chris Perrin

 Cannock

3.58



James Perrin

 Cannock

3.59



Blayne Pick

 Notts AC

3.56



Jason Prickett

 Invicta East Kent AC

3.52



Tom Purnell

 Stroud AC

3.53



Zak Seddon

 Bracknell AC

3.47



Alex Teuten

 City Of Portsmouth AC

3.59



Liam White

 Hercules Wimbledon AC

3.51



Michael Wood

 Leeds City AC

 



 

 

 



 

 

 



Under 20 Womens Javelin

Club

Personal Best



Danielle Anderson

 Oxford City AC

44.32



Danielle Bentley

 Sale Harriers Manchester

46.85



Kelly Bramhald

 Doncaster AC

42.93



Amber Burdett

 Charnwood AC

48.18



Stephanie Burt

 City Of Norwich AC

41.32



Paula Gass

 Edinburgh AC

41.66



Izzy Jeffs

 North Devon AC

54.89



Hannah Johnson

 WSE

40.83



Freya Jones

 Team Southampton

51.28



Eloise Meakins

 Herts Phoenix AC

44.39



Kike Oniwinde

 Havering Mayesbrook AC

49.35



Sarah Roberts

 Spenborough & Dist AC

44.57


]]> Thu, 23 Jun 2011 08:30:00 CDT http://www.athleticos.org/article/6638-U20U23-Prediction-Competition-Start-Lists http://www.athleticos.org/article/6637-Predict-The-U20-U23s
Before you make your prediction you need to ensure that you a registered user of the athleticos site, if not your prediction will be invalid. Then quite simply you need to predict by commenting below this message who you feel will place in the top three for the following events:

 


U23 Men’s 400m Hurdles



U23 Women’s 5000m



U20 Men’s 1500m



U20 Women’s Javelin



Using the scoring system below the person with the highest score will take away the prize of a £20 Start Fitness Voucher.

For each of your picks that finish in the top 3, irrespective of the position, you will receive 50 points.

Additional bonus points will then be added if you

Correctly predict 1st place you will receive an additional 250 points.
Correctly predict 1-2 in order you will receive an additional 500 points
Correctly predict 1-3 in order you will receive an additional 1000 points

 

The winner is simply the person with the highest number of points.

In the case of a tie the person with the most accurate predictions wins. For example if person A successfully predicts the winners of two events within which they have also correctly predict the 1-3 for one event, and have three athletes finish in the top 3 but not the right order (1600 points), and tie with person B who successfully predicts the 1-3 for one event , and then has 9 athletes finish in the top 3 but not the right order (also 1600 points), person A would win.

If two contests have exactly the same predictions, then the winner will be the person who made the prediction first. If a winner still can’t be determined then all contests eligible for the prize will be placed in a hat and athleticos will draw the winner.

Provisional start lists can be found at
http://www.athleticos.org/article/6638-U20U23-Prediction-Competition-Start-Lists

Or on the England Athletics entry website
http://www.athletics-uk.net/england/2011/

Check out Tom Gayle's preview of who he feels will be the main contenders
http://www.athleticos.org/video/497892-U20-U23-Prediction-Contest-Preview



Good luck

 

Entries close at 09.00 Saturday 25th June 2011
]]> Thu, 23 Jun 2011 07:37:00 CDT http://www.athleticos.org/article/6637-Predict-The-U20-U23s http://www.athleticos.org/article/6636-Handy-Andy  


Handy Andy

Baddeley confident of a successful future

By Nicola Bamford.  




Criticised for poor tactical errors in two major championship finals last year, Andy Baddeley is confident of success in 2011 and beyond after an encouraging indoor campaign.

The 28-year-old from Merseyside has failed to win a championship medal since taking silver in the 2003 World University Games 1,500m and is better known for his performances on the road.

But after finishing just outside the medals in the 3,000m at the European Indoor Championships in Paris last March, Baddeley is positive he can finally make a mark on the global outdoor scene.

Coached by Andy Hobdell, Baddeley enjoyed a promising start to the year, winning the UK Indoor 3,000m title, being ranked as the second-fastest Briton of the season with 3:39.16 for the 1,500m and placing fourth in France.

And now, the Harlow AC athlete has started his summer campaign in fine form with victory at the BMC Grand Prix 800m in Manchester, finishing eighth in the mile at the Samsung Diamond League in Oslo and placing fourth in the 3,000m for Team GB at the European Team Championships in Stockholm.

"I was tantalisingly close to a medal at the European Indoors with relatively limited preparation so I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do outdoors after recent training stints in Kenya and Colorado," the British road one-mile record-holder with 3:51.08 explained.

"I was tantalisingly close to a medal at the European Indoors with relatively limited preparation so I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do outdoors after recent training stints in Kenya and Colorado." 
Andy BaddeleyQuotes of the week

With bests of 3:34.46 for 1,500m, 3:49.38 for the track mile and 7:42.75 for 3,000m, Baddeley lies in 17th, sixth and 14th positions on the British all-time lists - achievements which many tend to forget are performed, quite astonishingly, whilst running with an electrocardiogram in his chest due to an irregular heartbeat.

Changes

However, Baddeley is keen to dispel the condition as the cause for his below-par performances in 2010.

"I just didn't achieve what I set out to achieve, which were medals in the Europeans and Commonwealths," he insisted.

All was not lost, though, for Baddeley did manage to finish near to his 1,500m best in the Aviva British Grand Prix in Gateshead and placed fifth for Team Europe over the same distance in the IAAF/VTB Continental Cup at the end of the 2010 summer.

"I wasn't far off my aims, though, and spent a lot of time post-season working out small changes that will hopefully make a big difference this season," Baddeley continued.



Baddeley: Has had an encouraging indoor season


After contesting the last World Championships with a pain-killing injection in his foot and also racing through an Achilles problem at the Beijing 2008 Olympics, Baddeley is understandably hoping for far better luck.

"My major goal for 2011 is the World Champs in Daegu, South Korea (in August) - everything is preparation for that," he explained.

"The 1,500m is getting a lot stronger, and I think good (domestic) competition is really important to push us all to faster times and higher expectations.

"Having three Britons in the final in Barcelona was fantastic and shows that with Tom Lancashire and Colin McCourt we're in good shape."

Training with five other British internationals including Mark Draper and Michael Skinner, Baddeley is working hard to ensure his Olympic dream is still alive and well come London next summer.

"I was a finalist in Beijing and have worked hard since then to be stronger, faster and better, so ultimately, I am aiming as high as I can and looking for a medal in London," he revealed.

"Long-term, it's easy to forget that everything carries on after London, but I want to continue to race the best guys in the world, and train in wonderful places across the continents.

"My aims post 2012 will be the same as before - train hard, and win races."

Written for Sky Sports by Nicola Bamford.]]> Thu, 23 Jun 2011 05:09:00 CDT http://www.athleticos.org/article/6636-Handy-Andy http://www.athleticos.org/article/6615-Thompson-Triumph Thompson's triumph

Brit wins his battle against injuries to target Olympic glory

By Nicola Bamford.







Having put his a seven-year injury nightmare behind him, Chris Thompson has started the year in even better shape as he looks towards the ultimate goal - glory in London 2012.

 

The 30-year-old US-based Brit pushed World marathon record-holder Haile Gebrselassie all the way to the finish-line at the Bupa Great Manchester Run, earning the Aldershot runner praise as 'the future of 10,000m running' from the Ethiopian distance-running legend.

Placing runner-up in 28:21, Thompson had earlier moved to third on the British all-time 10,000m track rankings with 27:27.36 in California so is understandably pleased with his current form.

"I'm feeling pretty happy and excited to race every time after putting in a lot of hard work over the winter," the European 10,000m silver-medallist explained.

"The 10,000m time was good and I've been running a lot faster in training than last year - I felt strong in the race so I'm excited where that will take me as there's more in the tank.

"My running career should have been over a couple of years ago so I feel like this is my 10th life as a cat, which helps me to relax and enjoy it all - there's no fear there and the performances are really exciting and surreal for me."

"My running career should have been over a couple of years ago so I feel like this is my 10th life as a cat, which helps me to relax and enjoy it all." 
Chris Thompson

Guided by John Nuttall and Mark Rowland, the 2003 European 5,000m junior champion spent much of the winter in Melbourne and Flagstaff, Arizona at high-altitude before returning to his home in Eugene, Oregon for the summer's final preparations.

Rival

Determined to capitalise on his continental silver last season, Thompson will head to Font Romeu in the French Pyrenees later this month, ahead of the UK Championships and World Championship trials in Birmingham in July.

With the major aim of 2011 being a top-eight finish in the 5,000m event at the global event in Daegu, South Korea in August, Thompson will seek to get the qualifying time under his belt at the trials and also the Aviva British Grand Prix in Birmingham next month.

It is both this event and the Aviva London Grand Prix in London four weeks later, in which the British 5,000m champion will face his British team-mate, European 5,000m and 10,000m champion Mo Farah.

His fierce rival and friend ran a 26:46.57 European 10,000m record on the track in Thompson's backyard last weekend but the elder runner by two years admits to finding his counterpart's world-class performances more inspiring than frustrating.

"Mo's a great guy and he's well and truly got me covered, but he's a big driving force for me," Thompson revealed.

"The history we have helps me to use him as a person to aspire to and getting back to matching and beating him would be awesome - he's the best male British runner we've ever had.

"He's in Portland and I'm in Eugene, which is two-hours apart so we won't train with each other but when running's done, it will be good to see more of him.

Experience

"I'm not into mind games - your emotions should be different on and off the track and we get on, as he sees the sport in the same relaxed, friendly way."

With a refreshing outlook on his competitors, it is little wonder Thompson's popularity in the sport has risen as quickly as his times of late and with Daegu fast-approaching, he cannot help but look ahead with optimism.

"The dream is (in a big jump from European to world level) to make the final in Daegu and try to be as competitive as possible," he explained.

"Ultimately, a top-eight is a massive aim to get experience for (London) next year.

"It's not necessarily about running the times but racing the finals well - I'll need to learn those skills more and having a faster 5,000m personal-best will help my speed in the 10,000m so I won't get eaten alive."

As to whether his short-term decision to focus on the shorter event will pay dividends in the 26-lap event in the Olympic stadium next summer is yet to be seen, but Thompson is ready to grab the opportunity regardless.

"Now I have the Olympic 'A' standard, it's a big help and it's exciting," he said.

"Ever since the day we won the Olympics, my enthusiasm has remained the same and I see it as a huge opportunity to run the race of my life there.

"Maybe as I have had all the injuries, it's put my retirement back so I'll hopefully be in the best form of my life and it will be redemption rather than a nice end to my career - it really would be the icing on the cake."


Written for Sky Sports by Nicola Bamford.]]> Tue, 21 Jun 2011 06:13:00 CDT http://www.athleticos.org/article/6615-Thompson-Triumph http://www.athleticos.org/article/6594-Getting-to-know-Dan-Pembroke

16/6/11

Following Dan’s outstanding throwing at BIG, recording a PB of 75.89m and his resulting WOW of the week we thought we would spend some time and get to know him, his training, goals and thoughts for the season ahead.

JP: Firstly there has to be congratulations in order for the great throws at the BIG competition. How do you feel about the throws and the performance as a whole?

DP: Well as one can see on paper it was the best performance of my life by far. Throwing 4 pbs in one meet has to be an athletes dream. It was great to have the support of Paul Dickenson from the announcer’s box as well, giving me the extra boost. All the same it was a big shock to have such a great day but an enjoyable one.

JP: Did you think you were capable of such a set throws coming into the meet?

DP: No, well I arrived at Bedford and saw the conditions and saw how all the other athletes were struggling and performing below their average. I was thinking I will just have to see what happens. Looking back on this I feel that this helped me be more relaxed and after I had got that first throw injust underneath my old pb things just sort of went from there.

JP: Did that first throw hit a pre determined target then?

DP: Not necessarily but the throw’s flight was off and the technique wasn’t very strong and was shocked to see such a distance when it came up on the board. I was honestly expecting about a 66mthrow so to throw further with so many things wrong gave me a big boost. I went and spoke to my Dad who is also my coach and decided to positively move on,increasing the speed on the runway.

JP: Can you attribute any particular factor in your training or general life that bought about the 3+ metre improvements you have already seen this year?

DP: The key has to have been me getting over my issue with shin splints. I had them for a long time (since the start of the 2010 season) and was able to have an operation in March. I have healed really well and now am just starting to be able to put the power work in. I am still not at my max strength and am only just beginning to lift in the gym. At the same time I am nowhere near the weights a 75m thrower should be lifting so when I am able to do that I hope to get beyond the 80m mark.

JP: Would you be able to run us through a typical training week and your setup?

DP: Well in a week I train 6 times with the Sunday being a rest day. My training normally consist of 1 or 2  technical sessions a week, 2 weight lifting sessions and then core/speed/plyometric work around this. Last year with the shin injury I couldn’t do as much plyometric/speed work as I wanted. Now I am recovered I have been able to increase this training again and have really felt the benefits. I fit my training around a part time job but am looking for a scholarship to a University in America to progress my throwing and career.  

JP: I suppose my last question has to be where your aims lie this season following a start like that?

DP: Well I obviously want to compete in the European U23’s and with my pb’s now where they are I have to set my goals towards gaining a medal.
JP: With having thrown such good distances do you take ‘distance’ aims out of the equation and just concentrate on the wins or still push on?

DP: Well I said at the start of the season that I wanted to throw 76m – 78m but considering that my training has only really just started to pick up now I am going to set my sights on Steve Backley’s u20 record of 79.50 which has stood for 24 years but beyond that I will always be pushing for the best distances and results I can achieve.


Athleticos would like to thank Dan for his time and we will follow him throughout his European and domestic campaign.

  ]]> Fri, 17 Jun 2011 04:30:00 CDT http://www.athleticos.org/article/6594-Getting-to-know-Dan-Pembroke http://www.athleticos.org/article/6535-Weekend-Preview Weekend Preview:


This weekend sees two massive events, the British Milers Club Watford Grand Prix and the Bedford International Games. Both competitions will see big names vying for fast times and great performances.

British Milers Club – Watford Grand Prix

The British Milers Club have put together a great field of both domestic and International athletes. There should be some super races and must be, on paper the best group of races they have ever fielded.

Start lists are here:

http://www.britishmilersclub.com/bmctimetables/2011/Wat_SL.htm

BIG:

Bedford International Games also plays host a vast swath of top class athletes.

Notable events will be the mens high jump,  Olympic finalist Tom Parsons and local star Robbie Grabarz will be hoping to raise the bar to heights of 2.30m plus. Commonwealth heptathlon champion Louise Hazel will compete in both 100H and long jump, with 8 jumpers over 6m, the womens’ long jump promises to be another highlight.  Having broken the British hammer record at Bedford earlier this season, world junior champion Sophie Hitchon will be hoping to edge ever closer to the elusive 70m barrier.

On the track the sprints also have top-class athletes entered. James Ellington is quickest on paper in the 100 with his 10.12 clocking, but the fast improving Tremayne Gilling and top junior David Bolarinwa will be looking to revise their personal best. On the womens’ side, British record holder Montell Douglas is entered in both sprints, but with relay slots up for grabs in the forthcoming Worlds, she will face tough opposition from athletes keen to impress selectors.

http://www.bedfordgames.net/

Athletiocs will be providing coverage from both events so stay tuned!

 

 

 


]]> Thu, 09 Jun 2011 03:46:00 CDT http://www.athleticos.org/article/6535-Weekend-Preview http://www.athleticos.org/article/6507-Weekend-Round-up






Weekend roundup

It has been a massive weekend for athletics across the globe with some amazing performances.

Prefontaine Classic:

Now part of the diamond league setup the meet delivered the standout performances we have come to expect.

Men’s 10k

Obviously for the British the most notable performance was that of Mo Farah. An amazing 26.46.57 which not only saw him take the British record but the European one as well.  It is his biggest win to date taking apart some of the best African distance proponents in the world showing that he is truly a global talent to be reckoned with. He further presented himself as a true championship medal contender with a 2.30 last Km the fastest in the race by 10 seconds

The race also delivered in terms of entertainment and quality running with 9 men running sub 27.







1



FARAH Mohammed



GBR



26:46.57



AR,MR





2



MERGA Imane



ETH



26:48.35



PB





3



BETT Josphat Kipkoech



KEN



26:48.99



PB





4



TANUI Paul Kipngetich



KEN



26:50.63



PB





5



TADESSE Zersenay



ERI



26:51.09


 




6



SIHINE Sileshi



ETH



26:52.84


 




7



KISORIO Matthew Kipkoech



KEN



26:54.25



PB





8



KIPTOO Mark Kosgei



KEN



26:54.64



PB





9



KOMON Leonard Patrick



KEN



26:55.29



PB





10



KIPSANG Geoffrey



KEN



27:06.35


 




11



MASAI Moses Ndiema



KEN



27:10.05


 




12



ROTICH Lucas Kimeli



KEN



27:12.24



PB





13



CHERUIYOT John Kemboi



KEN



27:22.09



PB





14



KUMA Abera



ETH



27:22.54


 




15



EBUYA Joseph



KEN



27:28.20



PB





16



KIGEN Mike Kipruto



KEN



27:30.61



PB





17



MEDHIN Teklemariam



ERI



27:37.21



PB





18



ABSHERO Abayneh Ayele



ETH



27:48.84



PB





19



MASAI Denis



KEN



27:51.92



PB





20



SALEL Daniel Lemashon



KEN



28:04.63


 




 



CRAGG Alistair Ian



IRL



DNF


 




 



KORIR Jacob



KEN



DNF


 




 



LONGOSIWA Thomas Pkemei



KEN



DNF


 




 



NELSON Tim



USA



DNF


 




 



SOLINSKY Chris



USA



DNF


 




 



TADESSE Kidane



ERI



DNF


 




 



RUPP Galen



USA



DNS


 





Intermediate times:
1,000m Korir, Jacob (KEN) 2:43.25
2,000m Rotich, Lucas Kimeli (KEN) 5:24.24 (2:40.99)
3,000m Rotich, Lucas Kimeli (KEN) 8:05.24 (2:41.00)
4,000m Rotich, Lucas Kimeli (KEN) 10:45.02 (2:39.78)
5,000m  Merga, Imane (ETH) 13:26.05 (2:41.02)
6,000m Kuma, Abera (ETH) 16:07.17 (2:41.12)
7,000m Kisorio, Matthew Kipkoech (KEN) 18:47.91 (2:40.74)
8,000m Korir, Jacob (KEN) 21:31.29 (2:43.38)
9,000m Farah, Mohammed (GBR) 24:15.85 (2:44.56)
Final km (2:30.72)


Women’s 800m:


Even though Gemma did not place highly in the race it was a still a brilliant season opener in the 800m. As she has quoted it is her fastest ever and must bode well for a strong season.







1



SINCLAIR Kenia



JAM



1:58.29



WL





2



SEMENYA Caster



RSA



1:58.88



SB





3



JEPKOSGEI Janeth



KEN



1:59.15


 




4



MONTANO Alysia



USA



1:59.40


 




5



RUSANOVA Yulia



RUS



1:59.59



SB





6



GALL Geena



USA



1:59.76



PB





7



WRIGHT Phoebe



USA



2:00.05


 




8



PIERCE Anna



USA



2:00.19


 




9



VESSEY Maggie



USA



2:00.39


 




10



SIMPSON Jemma



GBR



2:00.68


 




11



JELIMO Pamela



KEN



2:09.12


 




 



MOORE Erica



USA



DNF


 




Intermediate times:
400m Moore, Erica (USA) 57.14
600m Moore, Erica (USA) 1:27.53


Men’s 800m


Haywood field record for Kaki. This race saw the first sub 1.44 clocking at the historic venue.







1



KAKI KHAMIS Abubaker



SUD



1:43.68



WL,MR





2



ROBINSON Khadevis



USA



1:45.40


 




3



LALANG Boaz Kiplagat



KEN



1:45.49


 




4



KIVUVA Jackson Mumbwa



KEN



1:45.82



SB





5



WHEATING Andrew



USA



1:45.95


 




6



RENSHAW Lachlan



AUS



1:46.11


 




7



MULDER Tyler



USA



1:46.39


 




8



SYMMONDS Nick



USA



1:46.78


 




 



MANZANO Leonel



USA



DNF


 




 



SCHERER Matthew



USA



DNF


 





Intermediate times:
400m Scherer, Matthew (USA) 49.60
600m Kaki Khamis, Abubaker (SUD) 1:16.19


Men’s 2miles:

 

The race saw Bernard Lagat taking another win at the famous meeting. He was the oldest competitor in the field but showed his ultimate class kicking with 100m to go to take a comfortable victory against some top class opposition.

 





Rank



Athlete



Nation



Result







1



LAGAT Bernard



USA



8:13.62


 




2



SOI Edwin Cheruiyot



KEN



8:14.10


 




3



KOECH Isaiah Kiplangat



KEN



8:14.16


 




4



BEKELE Tariku



ETH



8:15.40


 




5



TEGENKAMP Matt



USA



8:15.88


 




6



KIPCHOGE Eliud



KEN



8:16.74


 




7



BIRMINGHAM Collis



AUS



8:17.91


 




8



BETT David Kiprotich



KEN



8:18.72


 




9



LEER Will



USA



8:19.11


 




10



BUMBALOUGH Andrew



USA



8:21.65


 




11



VERZBICAS Lukas



USA



8:29.46


 




 



HAAS Stephen



USA



DNF


 




 



MCNAMARA Jordan



USA



DNF


 




 



MILNE Taylor



CAN



DNF


 




 

Men’s Bowerman Mile:

 





1



KEITANY Haron



KEN



3:49.09



WL





2



KIPLAGAT Silas



KEN



3:49.39



PB





3



KIPROP Asbel



KEN



3:49.55


 




4



GEBREMEDHIN Mekonnen



ETH



3:49.70



PB





5



NDIKU Caleb Mwangangi



KEN



3:49.77


 




6



KOMEN Daniel Kipchirchir



KEN



3:50.29


 




7



ALAMIREW Yenew



ETH



3:50.43


 




8



MOUSTAOUI Mohamed



MAR



3:50.67


 




9



BROWN Russell



USA



3:51.45



PB





10



WILLIS Nick



NZL



3:51.95


 




11



GATHIMBA Gideon



KEN



3:53.76


 




12



LOMONG Lopez



USA



3:53.85


 




 



KITHII Joshphat Mitunga



KEN



DNF


 




 



WIECZOREK Mark



USA



DNF


 





Intermediate times:
400m Wieczorek, Mark (USA) 55.62
800m Wieczorek, Mark (USA) 1:54.73
1200m Kithii, Joshphat Mitunga (KEN) 2:52.11
1500m Kiplagat, Silas (KEN) 3:34.46


Other Events:


Men’s 110m Hurdles.

In the 110-meter hurdles, American David Oliver outdueled Liu Xiang of China, running a world-leading 12.94.  This event is going to be brilliant this year with the fastest 3 men of all time; Xiang, Oliver and Robles all running!


Men’s 400m


Angelo Taylor held of Jeremy Warnier for a relatively slow win by their standards; 45.16. Brit Michael Bingham ran 45.74 for a seasons best and 4th place.


Men’s Long Jump


Greg Rutherford took a great victory with an 8.32m jump winning by 1cm.  It was a great victory over far more fancied jumping opponents.


Women’s 400m Hurdles:


Lashinda Demus successfully defended her 400m Hurdles title in a thriller which produced a world lead of 53.31.


The World leads came in the following events: 800m (Abubaker Kaki, SUD, 1:43.68), in both men’s Mile races, firstly in the International Mile (Ryan Gregson, AUS, 3:53.86), a time which was improved in the Bowerman Mile (Haron Keitany, KEN, 3:49.09), and in the 110m Hurdles (David Oliver, USA 12.94). While in the women’s events: 100m (Carmelita Jeter, USA 10.70), 800m (Kenia Sinclair, JAM, 1:58.29), 400m Hurdles (Lashinda Demus, USA 53.31), Triple Jump (Olha Saladukha, UKR, 14.98) and Shot Put (Nadezhda Ostapchuk, BLR, 20.59)


Full results here:

http://www.diamondleague-eugene.com/en/Live-StartlistsResults/Overview/

 

Enea Cup European Athletics Festival in Bydgoszcz



Phillips Idowu, who won the Triple Jump with a wind-aided 17.52m.

 

http://www.domtel-sport.pl/insidethecode/files/2528-pl.pdf

 

European Cup 10,000m

 

Helen Clitheroe held high hopes for this meeting but wasn’t able to match these personal goals. At the same time she placed 4th in a strong European field and was the sole British representative at the event.

 

http://ec10000m2011.no/results/
]]> Sun, 05 Jun 2011 07:42:00 CDT http://www.athleticos.org/article/6507-Weekend-Round-up http://www.athleticos.org/article/6467-BUPA-London-10000m


Today's BUPA London 10,000m saw a mixed set of results for Britain’s top distance runners. Wins for both Jo Pavey and Mo Farah see them claim domestic titles and bolstered confidence going into the summer season.

The notable disappointment was a personal one from Paula Radcliffe. With a long lay off she came into the race with high hopes but did not manage to fulfill them. Winning can't be everything even for such a successful competitor as herself, making a welcome return to the competitive scene can only be a good thing for her and British distance running.

RESULTS

Men:
1. Mo Farah 29.15
2. Mehretab Solomon (ERI) 29.37
3. Andrew Lemoncello 29.38
4. Phil Wicks 29.41
5. Mark Warmby 29.50
6. Josh Lilly 29.52
7. Ben Tickner 29.53
8. Ben Whitby 29.56
9. Stephen Scullion 29.57
10. Kojo Kyereme 30.01

Women:
1. Jo Pavey 32.22
2. Gemma Steel 32.48
3. Paula Radcliffe 33.17
4. Justina Heslop 33.20
5. Hollie Rowland 33.58
6. Hannah Whitmore 34.07
7. Alyson Dixon 34.22
8. Getenesh Tamirat 34.48
9. Juliet Doyle 34.46
10. Susie bush 34.54

]]> Mon, 30 May 2011 12:55:00 CDT http://www.athleticos.org/article/6467-BUPA-London-10000m