1st April 2019
Weekend update
Stanford Invitational, Palo Alto, USA, 29-30 March
Renowned for its perfect spring conditions, Stanford is the place to go for distance runners early season and it didn’t disappoint in 2019, as Jack Rowe (Mick Woods) led the British charge with a stunning 10km personal best of 28.50.22 to go top of the British rankings. Also in personal best form was Chris Olley (Mark Hookway), the San Francisco University student finishing fifth in the 5000m in 13.47.92, whilst in the sixth race of the men’s 800m Michael Wilson (Bud Baldaro) wasn’t far off his personal best with a 1.48.77 run for second place.
Texas Relays, Austin, USA, 27-30 March
It was all about the hammer as far as the Brits were concerned at the Texas Relays, as World Junior champion Jake Norris (Paul Dickenson) got his season underway with a 70.00m throw with the men’s 7.26kg implement. Bayley Campbell (Dickenson) also threw a PB of 66.27m with the senior weight.
In the women’s equivalent, Amy Herrington (Dickenson) went even better, recording a personal best of 63.69m, putting her top of the British rankings.
In the pole vault Lucy Bryan (Alan Richardson) was fifth with a 4.40m vault, just 3cm shy of her best clearance indoors this winter.
Florida Relays, Gainesville, USA, 28-30 March
In the midst of a warm-weather training stint in Florida, Adam Gemili (Rana Reider) opened his 2019 account with a win over 100m, crossing the line in 10.14, albeit with a 2.6m/s tailwind.
Raleigh Relays, North Carolina, USA, 29-30 March
2017 European Junior 400m fifth placer Owen Richardson (John Davis) got his outdoor season off to a flying start over in America as he set a personal best of 46.40, eclipsing the time he set in Grosseto two years ago by nine hundredths of a second.
Michael Ward (Paul Darney) set an impressive 10k personal best of 29.16.20 for 18th place, with Bradley Wattleworth (Luke Gunn) also going inside 29.30 with his 29.26.32 effort.
Sticking with the endurance races, Haran Dunderdale took an early lead on the Power of 10 3,000m steeplechase rankings as he finished second in 8.50.95, just half a second shy of his personal best.
Cardiff Bay 10k, Cardiff, 31 March
The Welsh capital’s annual 10k turned out to be a cracker, as the first four men were separated by just seven seconds. Taking the win was Adam Clarke (coach: Geoff Watkin), the Aldershot, Farnham and District athlete forging clear to break the tape in 29.28, a personal best by over 15 seconds. Chasing him home were Welsh trio Jake Smith (James Thie), Josh Griffiths and Ieuan Thomas (Thie), the former two running 29.34, with Thomas just one second back.
In the women’s race, it was Charlotte Arter (Chris Jones) who moved to fifth on the Power of 10 rankings for 2019 thanks to a runaway victory in 32.49, the second fastest she’s ever run on the roads.