THERE was never going to be any chance that Ben Pattison would forgo the opportunity to secure the top prize of £1,000 in the BMC Points Series competition.
Wins over 800m at Birmingham University and Trafford, the latter in a BMC record to earn him plenty of extra points, put Pattison into a clear lead going into the fifth and final Grand Prix fixture of the summer.
Maybe after his bronze at the Commonwealth Games and sixth place at the Europeans Pattison might have fancied a rest; no chance.
He had to run it to be eligible for the overall prizes anyway and with the meeting just a short distance from his home – he is a student at the University – his presence was never in any doubt.
“I was top of the leader board last year at this stage but didn’t do the final fixture (at Eltham) and I regretted it afterwards,” said Pattison.
At least he gave himself a break from the demands of two-lap running by opting for the 1500m, which he hadn’t run since opening his season at the distance in the British Students Championships.
On Saturday he ran a canny race, sticking in the pack until the final lap when he used his superior speed to burn off all his rivals and smash his PB with a 3:39.14 clocking.
That earned him another big points haul and ended the short-lived virtual lead by Thomas Keen, after he had won the 800m earlier in the meeting. Not that Keen begrudged him his money; he even acted as pacemaker for Pattison in the 1500m.
“Obviously the main reason of racing here was to win the top prize but I had already put in the hard work to be top of the competition so needed to finish it off,” added Pattison.
“So a big shout-out to the BMC for putting on these structured races. I have done three Grand Prix events and got PBs in every one of them.”
Keen was equally pleased with his £500 in second place, just one point ahead of Jacob Cann who received £200. But had Cann managed to out-sprint Hugo Milner on the last lap of the 5000m, which the pair dominated, then those positions would have been reversed.
“That would have been a nice motivation but I had nothing left in the last kilometre anyway so I’m not sure it would have made any difference,” said Cann.
“To be honest it is nice getting third overall because I didn’t even think about being in contention.”
It was later confirmed that Cann would share third place with Will Battershill, who clocked a PB of 13:56.83 to finish third in the 5000m.
Calli Thackery was as dominant in the women’s competition as Pattison was in the men’s and with three wins over 5000m thoroughly deserved her £1,000 prize as well.
“A special thanks to the BMC for putting on this competition, I’m delighted to win it,” said Thackery.
Hannah Nutall was rewarded for her consistent season over 1500m – second at Sportcity, fourth at Watford, first at Trafford and then third last weekend – with second place overall.
Isobel Ives finished third thanks to her second place in the 1500m at Birmingham University followed by third in then 800m at Watford and finally fifth over two laps at Loughborough.
Men | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rank | Firstname | Surname | Age | Club | Series Total | POINTS | Loughborough Event | Place | Time | Points | Bonus | Total | Performance1 | Venue | Points | Bonus | Total | Performance2 | Venue | Points | Bonus | Total | ||||||||||
1 | Ben | Pattison | U23M | Basingstoke & Mid Hants / Loughborough Students | 96 | £1000 Prize | 70 | 1500 | 1 | 1970-01-01 00:03:39 | 20 | 6 | 26 | 1:44.60 | Trafford | 20 | 15 | 35 | 1:45.44 | Birmingham Uni | 20 | 15 | 35 | |||||||||
2 | Thomas | Keen | U23M | Cambridge & Coleridge / Birmingham Uni | 76 | £500 Prize | 48 | 800 | 1 | 1970-01-01 00:01:47 | 20 | 8 | 28 | 1:46.18 | Trafford | 18 | 11 | 29 | 3:42.42 | Sportcity | 15 | 4 | 19 | |||||||||
3 | William | Battershill | SM | Erme Valley | 75 | £200 Prize | 51 | 5000 | 3 | 1970-01-01 00:13:57 | 18 | 6 | 24 | 8:42.12 | Trafford | 20 | 8 | 28 | 8:47.37 | Birmingham Uni | 17 | 6 | 23 | |||||||||
3 | Jacob | Cann | U23M | Newham & Essex Beagles / Lancaste | 75 | £200 Prize | 50 | 5000 | 2 | 1970-01-01 00:13:51 | 19 | 6 | 25 | 13:58.66 | Sportcity | 20 | 6 | 26 | 14:01.18 | Trafford | 20 | 4 | 24 | |||||||||
5 | James | Young | SM | Morpeth / Ole Miss | 70 | 46 | 1500 | 3 | 1970-01-01 00:03:41 | 18 | 6 | 24 | 3:40.03 | Trafford | 19 | 6 | 25 | 3:41.06 | Watford | 15 | 6 | 21 | ||||||||||
6 | David | Mullarkey | U23 | Leeds City/Leeds Beckett Uni | 60 | 49 | 1500 | 10 | 1970-01-01 00:03:44 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 13:52.47 | Birmingham Uni | 16 | 6 | 22 | 13:47.55 | Watford | 19 | 8 | 27 | ||||||||||
7 | Daniel | Howells | U23 | Aldershot Farnham & District/Brunel Uni London | 56 | 43 | 1500 | 8 | 1970-01-01 00:03:44 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 1:47.41 | Birmingham Uni | 19 | 8 | 27 | 1:48.39 | Watford | 10 | 6 | 16 | ||||||||||
8 | Zak | Curran | SM | Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow / DSD / Ireland | 55 | 44 | 800 | 10 | 1970-01-01 00:01:50 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 1:49.01 | Sportcity | 19 | 4 | 23 | 1:47.73 | Trafford | 13 | 8 | 21 | ||||||||||
9 | Ethan | Hussey | U20M | Leeds City | 54 | 45 | 1500 | 12 | 1970-01-01 00:03:46 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 3:40.71 | Trafford | 17 | 6 | 23 | 1:47.88 | Watford | 14 | 8 | 22 | ||||||||||
Women | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rank | Firstname | Surname | Age | Club | Series Total | POINTS | Loughborough Event | Place | Time | Points | Bonus | Total | | | Performance1 | Venue | Points | Bonus | Total | Performance2 | Venue | Points | Bonus | Total | |||||||||
1 | Calli | Thackery | SW | Hallamshire | 101 | £1000 Prize | 70 | W5000 | 1 | 1970-01-01 00:15:21 | 20 | 11 | 31 | | | 15:02.55 | Trafford | 20 | 15 | 35 | 15:06.26 | Watford | 20 | 15 | 35 | ||||||||
2 | Hannah | Nuttall | SW | Charnwood | 77 | £500 Prize | 53 | W1500 | 3 | 1970-01-01 00:04:13 | 18 | 6 | 24 | | | 4:09.66 | Trafford | 20 | 8 | 28 | 4:11.08 | Watford | 17 | 8 | 25 | ||||||||
3 | Isobel | Ives | SW | Basildon / Bath Uni | 57 | £200 Prize | 41 | W800 | 5 | 1970-01-01 00:02:05 | 16 | 0 | 16 | | | 2:04.78 | Watford | 18 | 4 | 22 | 4:19.11 | Birmingham Uni | 19 | 19 | |||||||||
4 | Bethan | Morley | U23W | Leeds City / Loughborough Student | 55 | 41 | W1500 | 7 | 1970-01-01 00:04:18 | 14 | 0 | 14 | | | 2:05.38 | Sportcity | 18 | 4 | 22 | 4:16.35 | Watford | 15 | 4 | 19 | |||||||||
5 | Megan | Davies | SW | Sale Harriers Manchester | 52 | 40 | W1500 | 9 | 1970-01-01 00:04:22 | 12 | 0 | 12 | | | 4:15.57 | Sportcity | 18 | 4 | 22 | 4:19.49 | Birmingham Uni | 18 | 18 | ||||||||||
6 | Niamh | Bridson Hubbard | SW | Blackheath & Bromley / Cambridge Uni | 49 | 35 | W800 | 7 | 1970-01-01 00:02:07 | 14 | 0 | 14 | | | 4:14.12 | Trafford | 19 | 6 | 25 | 4:19.81 | Watford | 10 | 10 | ||||||||||
7 | Ella | Greenway | U20W | Cleethorpes | 46 | 33 | W800 | 8 | 1970-01-01 00:02:07 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 2:06.73 | Sportcity | 17 | 17 | 2:07.48 | Birmingham Uni | 16 | 16 | ||||||||||||
7 | Megan | Keith | U23 | Inverness | 46 | 31 | W1500 | 6 | 1970-01-01 00:04:17 | 15 | 0 | 15 | 15:53.35 | Birmingham Uni | 18 | 4 | 22 | 4:19.96 | Watford | 9 | 9 | |||||||||||
9 | Rebecca | Johnson | SW | Highgate / Edinburgh Uni Hare & H | 44 | 31 | W1500 | 8 | 1970-01-01 00:04:19 | 13 | 0 | 13 | 16:02.68 | Sportcity | 16 | 16 | 16:06.16 | Birmingham Uni | 15 | 15 |