Loughborough Grand Prix – 15 June 2019 – Results

Races:26
Finishers: 327
PBs 112 (34%)
Power of Ten results: Here

Photos
Photos from the meeting can be found HERE

Report
A new UK Age 17 record by Max Burgin was the highlight of the second BMC Grand Prix of the season at Loughborough University.
Eclipsing a time set by Steve Ovett almost 46 years ago speaks volumes of the achievement by 17-year-old Burgin, who won the A race in a time of 1min 46.80secs.
The time also lifted Burgin to seventh in the UK All-Time Under 20 men’s Rankings – with another two seasons for him to make further progress in that list.
The 5000m incorporated the trials for the European U23 and U20 Championships and Emile Cairness’ victory in a personal best of 13: 50.58 gave him the qualifying standard for that distance as well as the 10,000m.
Other runners celebrating wins that confirmed selection for Sweden include Rory Leonard (U20 men), Jodie Judd (U23 women) and Izzy Fry (U20 women).
In the men’s 800m B race runner-up Daniel Joyce went top of the UK U17 Rankings with a PB of 1:50.02.

MEN’S 800M A-B

Max Burgin’s start to the season had been delayed by an adductor muscle injury but you wouldn’t have known from the way he won this race.
The 17-year-old Halifax athlete was the only runner in the field to follow the pacemaker through the bell in 52.40secs with Markhim Lonsdale and Canaan Solomon, who failed to finish, 10 metres adrift.
Even with the pacemaker out of the way Burgin didn’t falter on that second lap maintaining his form all the way to the finish line in a superb personal best.
“I am quite shocked to be honest as I never thought I would come out and run that fast today,” said Burgin.
“I didn’t have a plan as such but decided after 100 metres to go with the pacemaker because a gap was starting to open up. I stuck to him and we went through the bell in around 52.5secs.
“I didn’t realise there was such a big gap behind me and I just concentrated on finishing strong. I am delighted and I am feeling very positive now.”
Not many runners move down the distances as they get older but William Onek of Sale Manchester Harriers is an exception.
When this 30-year-old later-starter joined Norman Poole’s coaching group last year he was running 31mins 39secs for 10k on the road. On Saturday he won the B race in a PB of 1:50.06.
“Racing 800m is painful but more fun that 10k!” said Onek.
“When I got to 600m I thought I could win this so I am delighted. Now I want to go sub 1mins 50secs.”
Chasing him home Daniel Joyce went top of the UK U17 Rankings with a PB of 1:50.02 as he sliced 0.4secs off his best.

MEN’S 800M C-G

Sweden’s Anton Axelsson celebrated his Grand Prix debut with victory in the C race with a PB of 1:51.54 as he sharpened up for a 1500m in the Stockholm Grand Prix this week.
Will Snook finally seems to have shaken off a heel injury as he earned a confidence-boosting victory in the D race.
“I was a bit nervous as it was my first race but I seem to have come through okay,” said Snook.
As the rain stopped and the wind died down the winners of the E, F and G races all took advantage as they clocked personal bests.
Oxford University’s Sam Brown-Araujo won the E race in 1:55.50 while James Henegan of Southampton was the F winner in 1:53.06 and led the top eight finishers to lifetime bests including teenager Ryan Elston of the local Charnwood club as his 1:55.1l lifted him to eighth in the UK U17 Rankings.
Winner of the G race was Oliver Park of Cambridge & Coleridge in 1:54.92, just ahead of another Charnwood runner in teenager Seamas Hurst with a PB of 1:56.77.

MEN’S 1500M
Adam Fogg confirmed after this debut A event victory that he has dual eligibility for Australia and Great Britain.
“I was born in Warwick and my parents moved to Australia when I was seven,” said Fogg.
“I have Australian and British passports and having recently turned 20 I have come back here in May to race and see if I could get the European U23 Championships qualifying standard of 3mins 41secs.
“But I am flying home to Brisbane in July before then heading off to America to start a sports scholarship at Drake University.”
Fogg, who set his PB of 3:44.06 at the Australian Championships in April, was happy with his first Grand Prix victory.
“It would have been nice to have been a little faster but I had to work hard for that so I am happy enough,” added Fogg.
In the supporting races Josh Trigwell and James McCrae both dipped under 3mins 50sec sin the B race while Invicta East Kent junior Matthew Stonier sliced just over three seconds from his PB to win the C race in 3:50.42 and lift him to 11th in the UK U20 Rankings.
Ben Bradley enjoyed a confidence-boosting win the D race and will switch back to the 5000m at Watford as he attacks his PB of 13:58.84 and there were PBs for Charlie Eastaugh (3:54.59) and Alfie Manthorpe (3:59.42), going under four minutes for the first time, as they won the F and G races.

MEN’S 5000M
Leeds City athlete Emile Cairess looked a class act in the A race as he covered all the early moves and then remorselessly drove on the pace in the closing stages to run the legs off his rivals.
His victory in a PB of 13:50.58 dipped well inside the qualifying standard of 13mins 53secs for the European Under 23 Championships. Cairess already has the qualifying mark for the 10,000m which he ran in Spain, in April.
“I wanted it fast but the conditions were a bit windy down the back straight so it didn’t feel like it was happening,” said Cairess.
“But I am happy to win with a PB and it was a decent performance.”
With the UK Under 20 trials incorporated into the event there was plenty of drama in the B race with all the leading British runners on the start line.
Morpeth’s Rory Leonard had the qualifying standard after a successful debut at Sportcity so his tactics were focussed on beating all his rivals which he did with another well judged performance.
Starting cautiously he moved his way trough the field and in a strong last two laps consolidated third place overall after a good tussle on the last lap with Luke Betts, as the pair chased after Dane Blomquist.
“I knew what I had to do so kept a close eye on all my rivals,” said Leonard.
“It is great to finish top junior and hopefully I will now be named in the team. I just love this distance.”
Oliver Barbaresi of Thames Valley worked hard in the closing stages but agonisingly fell 1.74secs short of the qualifying standard as he clocked a PB of 14:21.75.
Cheltenham’s Dan Owen, who won the 2000m steeplechase at Sportcity, sprinted clear of Shane Robinson on the last lap to win the D race in 14:48.68.
“I just missed my PB which is a shame as I think I am in better shape than that and had I got into the C race I would have probably broken it,” said Owen.
But 11 of the 21 finishers did record PBs and in total the four men’s races served up 31 lifetime bests from 79 finishers in addition to 29 season’s bests.

WOMEN’S 800M A-B

A year ago Kirsty Frazer was winning the 800m C race at Sportcity so it is a measure of her progress that she claimed her first A race victory at Loughborough – and marked the occasion with a personal best.
The Preston runner carved 3.54secs off her personal best, set in the semi finals of the BUCS Championships, with a well-judged effort that arguably gave the 23-year-old the best win of her career.
And for the first time in years Frazer is looking forward to the future with some relish.
“Over the past five years I have had injuries on and off all the time, I have been very injury prone,” admitted Frazer.
“That is why I am so happy because I just did not expect it at all. With a PB over 1500m at Stretford recently plus a medal at the BUCS and victory in the Northerns I am enjoying some good form.
“Hopefully I can go faster over 800m in the next Grand Prix meeting at Watford.”
Ireland’s Louise Shanahan achieved her country’s B standard for the European U23 Championships as she won the B race in a PB of 2:08.04 so is hoping that might be enough to earn her a place on the team for Sweden.
“Two other girls have the A standard of 2mins 07secs so I am looking for that third spot,” said Shanahan.

WOMEN’S 800M C-D
Gemma Kersey’s patience was rewarded in the C race as a gap opened up on the inside lane down the home straight and she zipped through for victory in a season’s best of 2:10.10.
“I am happy with that as it has been a few years since I won a race like this and that was more important to me than a time at present,” said Kersey.
“I am getting myself back into shape and I know there is more to come.”
Further down the field Sale Harriers Manchester teenager Laure Kidukula improved the PB she set at the Sportcity Grand Prix by 1.14secs with 2:11.18 for fifth place and lift her to fourth in the UK Rankings for under 17 women.
Teenager Katie Willis from the City of Norwich admitted her win in the D race was a surprise.
“It was very unexpected as I only finished my GCSE exams on Friday,” said the 16-year-old. “It was also a big PB so I am delighted.”

WOMEN’S 1500M
British international steeplechaser Aimee Pratt stepped down to the 1500m for some sharpening up work and ran out an impressive winner.
Pratt, who already has the qualifying standard in the ‘chase for the European Under 23 Championships, was only just over a second outside her own PB but dragged the next two women home to lifetime bests plus season’s bests for Claire Duck and Emily Hosker-Thornhill.
Beth Ansell just had the edge over Lucy Robinson in the B race as the pair held off a strong challenge from a posse of under 20 runners all chasing the European U20 qualifying time of 4mins 20secs. Sadly it proved elusive on this occasion.
“I was hanging on during that last lap and concentrating on not losing my concentration so I am happy with that,” said Ansell.
BMC Academy runner Mena Scatchard has her sights set high for the rest of the season after winning the C race in a PB of 4:32.55
“I was hoping for 4mins 30secs and that is still the aim for the summer,” said the 16-year-old Ripon athlete, who moved up to sixth in the UK U17 Rankings.

WOMEN’S 5000M
The Judd sisters had plenty to celebrate in the women’s A race.
After shaking off the persistent attentions of Leigh’s Lauren Heyes, who had forced the early pace, British international Jess Judd forged clear to repeat her win at Sportcity only this time almost eight seconds quicker in a PB of 15:31.64.
While Jess was battling against the clock at the head of the field younger sister Jodie also had one eye on the watch and the European U23 Championships qualifying standard of 16:05.00.
Her timing and pace judgement were impressive as she finished strongly for fourth overall in a PB of 16:04.56 – just over 22 seconds quicker than she has ever run before!
It was not only inside the qualifying standard but also earned her first place in the trials competition, well clear of rivals Bronwen Owen and Amelia Quirk, who achieved the qualifying mark at the BUCS but drifted down the field after a bright start to place eighth.
Top under 20 runner was Newbury/St Mary’s University student Izzy Fry, who smashed her PB by almost 30 seconds to finish 10th in 16:22.55 – well inside the qualifying standard of 16mins 30secs.
“I honestly never thought I had a chance of running the standard and had been aiming for around 16mins 30secs,” said Fry.
“I had never thought about the Europeans because it just seemed beyond my reach. I only ran it for the first time at BUCS and really enjoyed so decided to give it another go – and it just clicked!”