We are pleased to say Wave Lights will be in use for the meeting settings HERE
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Refreshments will be available in the Watford AC club house and there will be a pizza van
Timetable for the meeting can be found HERE
Start Lists for the meeting can be found HERE
For updated seedings, real time results, lap times, and photofinish pictures HERE
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Videos on demand: HERE
All other details can be found HERE
Tickets: Spectator tickets are available HERE U16, Watford Harriers, and BMC coaches free
Preview
IT IS shaping up to be another great evening of middle distance running at the fourth British Milers Club Grand Prix of the season at Watford tomorrow (SATURDAY).
The event, which again is part of the World Athletics Challenger series and is sponsored by adidas and Sportsshoes.com, has attracted a very strong domestic field with a good sprinkling of overseas runners.
Grand Prix director Tim Brennan admitted it is a tough ask to pick out the race of the night but let’s start anyway with the women’s 800m.
This summer the GP series has delivered some fantastic 800m races and tremendous times; Bury was won by junior Eleanor Strevens in a PB, Birmingham University saw Jessica Lark, another junior, in top spot also in a PB while last month Loughborough was won by U23 international Ava Lloyd – again with a PB.
Can Isabelle Boffey or Mena Scatchard follow in those footsteps?
Both have come agonisingly close to breaking two minutes this summer; Boffey ran 2:00.07 in Ostrava last month and is looking in the sort of shape that could threaten her 2023 PB of 1:59.49.
Scatchard hasn’t broken two minutes yet but clocked a PB of 2:00.81 in America, where she is a student at Princeton University. Watford will be her first race back on British solid this summer so it will be interesting to see how she fares.
It is also her first GP event since finishing 11th in the B 1500m at Loughborough four years ago.
Also in the field are Emily Simpson and the UK U20 No 1 Shaikira King, who improved her PB to 2:01.45 at a BMC Regional meeting at Loughborough on Wednesday so she is flying too.
But this isn’t just a strong domestic field and arguably a strong contender for taking the honours will be Italian Marta Zenoni.
Zenoni, 26, is a former World U18 bronze medallist and European U23 silver medallist and this season has already run 4:01.52 for 1500m so her 800m PB of 2:01.80 is probably due a serious revision.
“She is definitely one to watch,” said Tim.
As should be experienced Australian Catriona Bissett, whose PB is 1:57.78 with a season’s best of 2:02.22. She is also targeting a sub two minutes time.
As for the men’s 800m the man to watch has to be GB international Reece Sharman-Newell. The 22-year-old will be seeking a hat-trick of BMC wins having already notched up back-to-back victories at the Twickenham Record Breaker meeting (season’s best of 1:46.33) and then the previous Grand Prix meeting at Loughborough.
It has been a long season for the American-based student but he will certainly have an eye on his PB of 1:45.12. Other runners in the field include Elliot Savage and current UK U20 No 2 William Rabjohns.
“The quality and quantity of runners in the 800m is impressive and I think there is every chance that we could even see the winner of the E race go sub 1:50, which would be some sort of record,” added Tim.
In the men’s 1500m Cameron Boyek is an intriguing entry. The 31-year-old Morpeth runner has only raced once this summer but posted a swift lifetime best of 3:37.32.
The former GB U23 and U20 international has been a regular at BMC races over the years and while he has raced sparingly of late his time in Portland, America, last month deserves respect.
It puts Boyek 13th in the UK Rankings and joining him on the start line will be the men at No 18 and 20 respectively, namely James McMurray and Arlo Ludewick.
McMurray will have good memories of Watford having run his PB of 3:37.91 at a BMC Gold Standard meeting last month. He won the 800m B race at the Loughborough Grand Prix.
Ludewick enjoyed a breakthrough moment at the Birmingham University Grand Prix carving five seconds off his best with a time of 3:38.12 so the 25-year-old is certainly one to watch.
There are also two strong Australians in the field with both Max Shervington (PB 3:38.88) and Zach Facioni (PB 3:39.44) looking to go well under 3:40.
Sarah Calvert boasts a strong record in the Grand Prix circuit this summer with the 24-year-old having finished third at Bury and then runner-up at Birmingham University, in which she ran her season’s best of 4:11.26. Her PB remains 4:10.6 set two years ago and she is looking to beat that tomorrow.
Among her rivals will be junior Eleanor Strevens, who set her PB of 4:13.41 at Birmingham last month to go fourth in the UK U20 Rankings.
Others in the field to look out for include BMC Indoors champion Gemma Finch, junior Lyla Belshaw and Indian Weir.
The men’s BMC 3000m record of 7:43.57 was set at Watford four years ago by Andrew Buchart and there is a feeling that with a strong domestic field that time could be under threat.
“I think we are looking for a 7mins 40secs race with the quality of the field more than capable of making that happen,” said Tim.
GB international Rory Leonard is certainly a runner with the pedigree to have a go but it will be his second race of the night after loosening his legs in the 1500m B race.
Also in the field is amazing veteran Harry Wakefield, who has been hoovering up M35 British records this summer. At Loughborough he finished runner-up in a PB of 7:51.62, which was just a fraction outside David Moorcroft’s M35 GB record of 7:50.50 set 36 years ago – before Wakefield was even born!
Other runners chasing a sub 7:50 include the overseas pair of Simas Bertasius of Lithuania (PB 7:57.49 and Chile’s Ignacio Velasquez (PB 7:55.26) while Brits Jacob Cann (PB 7:53.59) and Oliver Smart also have high hopes.
Jess Judd’s four-year-old BMC record of 8:52.73 is probably safe this weekend – although you should never say never! – but the New Zealand pair of Sophie Hicks and Georgie Grgec are both chasing nine minutes while Sarah Astin, who boasts a PB of 8:56.59, albeit set three years ago, will be looking to go a lot quicker than the season’s best of 9:20.76 that she ran at the UK Indoor Championships.
Also look out for junior Eliza Nicholson, who was third at the Loughborough Grand Prix with a PB of 9:22.05 and looks more than capable of going a lot quicker to improve upon her sixth place in the UK U20 Rankings.
“It is hard to pick out the best event as there is a strong entry list across the board with a lot of quality as well as quantity and with the weather looking good again I think we will be in for a terrific evening of racing,” said Tim.
“In addition, our sponsors adidas will be out in force and are offering shoe prizes (adidas Supernova Rise 12 spikes to all winners) as well as benefits for BMC members.
“I would also like to thank everyone at Watford Harriers, who are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year. What they do for our sport is amazing and in terms of the number of meetings they stage, they must be one of the best clubs in the country.
“At the BMC we are indebted to them for their help in putting on our meetings.”
The meeting starts at 5.15pm with three 400m hurdles races and the first BMC event, the men’s 800m G race, will be at 5.34pm with a packed schedule culminating with the men’s 3000m A race at 9.36pm.
