World Para Athletics Grand Prix, Dubai, 26 and 27 February

After setting four world records in Sharjah last week (200m – 29.22, 400m – 52.80, 800m – 1:44.43 and 1500m – 3:21.06), Hannah Cockroft (Paul Mosely, Leeds) was back on the track in Dubai clocking 1:51.46 in the T34 800m to seal the victory at the opening fixture of the WPA GP.

Kare Adenegan (Job King, Coventry) – who set a PB in the T34 400m last week (58.60) – was second in the 800m in 2:01.62.

Nathan Maguire (Ste Hoskins, Kirkby) posted one of his quickest ever times in the 800m as he clocked 1:31.76 for second behind Marcel Hug (SUI).

After setting a rapid 800m PB of 1:44.55 in Sharjah last week, Sammi Kinghorn (Rodger Harkins, Red Star) raced to another quick time in Dubai, crossing the line in 1:46.75 behind world record holder, Catherine Debrunner.

In the throws, Dan Greaves (Zane Duquemin, Charnwood) opened his 2023 campaign with a win in the F44 discus. The best mark of his series coming in the final round with 55.14m.

On Monday, Nathan Maguire set a British record of 2:46.06 in the quickest T54 1500m race in history. With Marcel Hug revising the all-time lists with a clocking of 2:43.37, Maguire sliced 10 seconds off his previous bestto finish third overall in the race. Very close behind, Danny Sidbury (Christine Parsloe, Sutton & District) also clocked 2:46.45 which was also under the old British record.

Also on Monday, Sammi Kinghorn beat Debrunner in the T53 100m with a time of 16.38 (-1.8).

Results

SEC Indoor Championships, Fayetteville AR, USA, 24-25 Feb

Amber Anning (Chris Johnson, Brighton & Hove) moved to third on the UK indoor all-time list with a PB time of 50.68 over 400m. It moves to 11^th on the UK all-time list (indoor and outdoor) to continue her impressive form during the 2023 indoor season.

Results 

UK Athletics Indoor Combined Events Championships, Utilita Arena, Birmingham, 25-26 February

Lauren Evans (Fyn Corcoran, Cardiff) accumulated a personal best points score of 4043 on her way to the pentathlon title in Birmingham. The Welsh athlete achieved PBs in the 60m hurdles (8.46) and 800m (2:20.24) to carry her over the line for the victory.

Natasha Smith (David Feeney, Birchfield) and Seren Rodgers (Steve Shaw, Taunton) also achieved PB points tallies of 3948 and 3935 for UK silver and bronze.

In the men’s heptathlon, Lewis Church (David Hull, Tonbridge) won the UK Championships gold medal with a score of 5529 points, with Harry Maslen (Sam Stanislaus, Ilkley) and Adam Hoole (Team East Lothian) also reaching the podium places.

Results

English National Cross Country Championships, Bolesworth Castle, Cheshire, 25 February

James Kingston (Mark Hookway, Tonbridge) and Sarah Astin (Geoff Watkin, Belgrave) were the senior winners of the English National, while European U20 champion Will Barnicoat (Aldershot Farnham and District) reigned supreme in the junior men’s race, and Beatrice Wood (Dave Amey, City of Salisbury) won the junior women’s title.

Kingston won by six seconds from Jack Gray (Mark Vile, Cambridge & Coleridge), while David Stone (Jeremy Sothcott, Shaftesbury Barnet) edged out Richard Allen (Leeds) to take the final podium slot.

As for Astin, she held off the fight of veteran GB & NI international Gemma Steel (Charnwood) for the senior women’s crown, with Niamh Bridson Hubbard (Philip O’Dell, Blackheath and Bromley) taking third place.

Two months on from his European gold in Turin, Barnicoat showed his class as he won by almost 50 seconds from Ben Brown (Peter Haynes, Southampton). Joe Ponter (Dave Lee, Taunton) sealed the bronze.

In the junior women’s race, Wood was a narrow winner ahead of Megan Gadsby (Mick Woods, City of Norwich) and Lily Neate (Nick Anderson, Winchester).

Results

Scottish Nationals Cross Country Championships, Falkirk, 25 February

Logan Rees (Ron Morrison, Fife) and Scout Adkin (Angela Mudge, Moorfoot) won the senior titles, while Matt Knowles (Sophie Dunnett, Edinburgh Hare & Hounds) and Hannah Ryding (Giffnock North) triumphed in the junior categories.

Rees (Fife) got the better of Central’s Jamie Crowe (Derek Easton) to seal the senior men’s crown, with Hamish Hickey (Easton, Central) rounded out the men’s podium positions.

World and European mountain running medallist Scout Adkin excelled on the cross country terrain as she won ahead of Alice Goodall (Mark Nixon, Edinburgh) and Stephanie Pennycook (Andrew Henderson, Fife).

Hannah Ryding, a week after racing as part of the GB & NI squad at the World Cross Country Championships in Australia, returned to Scotland to win the junior women’s race. Knowles was the winner of the junior men’s race.

Results

Welsh Cross Country Championships, Brecon 25 February

Olivia Tsmin (Pontypridd Rodents) and Dewi Griffiths (Kevin Evans, Swansea) were the senior winners in Brecon, while Beca Haf Brown (Menai) and Dafydd Jones (James Thie, Carmarthen & District) won the junior races.

Tsim won the senior women’s race ahead of Lucy Marland (Steve Mitchell, Les Croupiers) and Martha Owen (Deeside).

Griffiths won another Welsh title comfortably with Tom Wood (Eryri) and Dan Nash (Cardiff) who secured the other podium positions.

Beca Haf Brown, an U17 athlete, won ahead of Gwenno Goode (Cardiff) who was the first U20 athlete across the line. Another U17, Caitlin Jones (Aberdare Valley) was in third place.

Jones won the junior men’s race ahead of Lloyd Sheppard-Brown (James Thie, Cardiff) and Adam Barber (Harborough).

Results

Northern Ireland and Ulster Cross Country Championships, Derry, 26 February

Grace Carson (Bill Foster, Mid Ulster) and Finn Mcnally (Dan Stepney, North Belfast) secured the Northern Ireland and Ulster senior titles in Derry.

Carson, who was fifth in the U23 race at the European Cross Country Championships in December, was a clear winner in the senior race as she finished over a minute and a half ahead of Sarah Lavery (Beechmount Harriers), with Hannah Gilliland (Annadale Striders) in third place.

Mcnally sealed the senior men’s title by over 10 seconds from Andrew Milligan (North Belfast) with Neil Johnston (Mark Kirk, Annadale) the same margin back from Milligan for the bronze medal.

Results

Gibson McCook Relays, Jamaica, 25-26 February

European 200m champion Zharnel Hughes (Glen Mills, Shaftesbury Barnet) clocked an outdoor 60m PB of 6.45 in his opening race of the season. He ran 6.52 in the heats before returning for the final where he crossed the line in third position.

Results

ACC Indoor Championships, Louisville KY, USA, 23-25 Feb 23

There was a Scottish record for Alix Still (Aberdeen) as she revised the women’s pentathlon score to 4177 to sit at the top of the UK rankings so far this year.

Lifetime bests in the 60m hurdles (8.41) and shot put (11.64m) contributed to the points tally which was 81 more than the previous record.

Results

Turin 24 Hour race, Italy, 25-26 February

Robbie Britton (Tom Craggs, North Norfolk BR) has set a new British record on his way to victory in the Turin 24 Hour race. He ran a total distance of 277.439km / 172.392 Miles. This added 2959 km to the previous record of Dave Dowdle. The previous mark of 274.480km has stood for over 30 years having been set on 23 May 1982.

The Turin race was held on 1.013 km road  loop in a park in the Italian city, whereas Dowdle’s was set on a 400 metre track.

Transgrancanaria 85km Trail Race, Spain, 25 February

A small British contingent had good results at the first major European ultra-trail race of the year. In the Canary Islands George Foster (Macclesfield), who represented GB&NI in Thailand at the World Mountain and Trail Championships last November, took the victory from Austrian Alex Hutter.

In the women’s race, Meryl Cooper, also a GB representative in Thailand, placed fifth behind a strong European contingent.

In the shorter 24km event Helm Hills GB & NI international Chris Richards (Duncan Richards) was third in 2:04:50

Ultra Lauf Ha wei 50. 50km Germany, 26 February

Nikki Johnstone set a time of 2:56:21 for third place in the race. The time improves the existing Scottish 50k road best of 2:56:37 set by Ross Houston at Perth in 2016. Don Ritchie has a better track time of 2:50:03.