Manchester Trafford Grand Prix – 19 August 2017 – Results

Races:29
Finishers: 270
PBs 125 (46%)
Power of Ten results: Here

Video
Videos of all the races can be seen HERE
,
REPORT

CHRIS Thompson and Charlotte Arter were crowned England Athletics champions as the 10,000m Championships were incorporated into the fifth and final Grand Prix of the summer.
Both athletes dominated their respective races running solo for the majority for the event once the pacemakers had fallen away and unfortunately both fell short of their goal of running inside the Commonwealth Games standards for Brisbane next year.
Anthony Whiteman didn’t come up short though as he finally realised his ambition of adding the Word Masters M45 800m record to his already glittering CV with a time of 1mins 49.86secs for eighth place in the A race.
“I admit I felt jaded driving to the meeting tonight and with the wind blowing on the motorway I thought the record wasn’t looking good,” said Whiteman.
“But conditions here were excellent and I just tracked Dave Dempsey as he has been so consistent his summer. It all worked out for me but I am tired now and I’ll be taking a long break after the season ends.”
Other highlights on an excellent evening for racing were Markhim Lonsdale’s third Grand Prix win of the season. The 18-year-old opened with a sparkling PB of 1:46.97 at SportCity and followed that up with another win at Loughborough before closing his season at Trafford.
And, not forgetting in-between Lonsdale won a silver at the European Under 20 Championships in Italy.
It was also good to see Hannah England return to winning ways in the women’s 800m A event and enjoyed her first Grand Prix win for three years.

800m A-C
Hannah England has been playing catch-up all year after injury cost her a six-months break from the sport over the winter so it is no surprise that she wishes the season could carry on.
England reckons this was her 15 or 16th race of the summer as the British international effectively races herself fit and while her winning time of 2mins 03.34secs was just outside her season’s best, recorded on the same track recently, she was happy with the outcome.
“After losing six months in the winter due to a stress fracture in my foot I never dreamed that I would get back to this level,” said England.
“It has come far too late for the Commonwealths but I am looking towards the World Indoors in Birmingham which is where I live and train.”
Revee Walcott-Nolan had hit front the font hard with 150m to go but couldn’t shake off England as the pair pulled well clear of the field.
While England would like the season to continue men’s 800m winner Markim Lonsdale is relishing a well-deserved break.
The 18-year-old European Junior Championships silver medallist ended the Grand Prix season just as he started it at SportCity in May with a convincing victory and notching up another 1mins 47secs clocking.
“I went through my fastest splits (24secs and 51secs at the bell) of the season so that was hard,” said Lonsdale.
“I really feel I had a Commonwealth Games qualifying time of 1:46.5 in me but apart from the Grand Prix events all my other races have been championships events so I just haven’t had the chance.
“But it has been my best season easily and I am really looking forward to 2018 – once I have had a rest!”
Former GB international Anthony Whiteman certainly deserves his end-of-season break as he fought tenaciously down the home straight to dip under 1mins 50secs for the seventh successive season and set a new World Masters M45 mark of 1:49.86.
In the men’s B race Christian Von Eitzen made a bold bid for victory up the back straight but was caught by Cardiff AC’s Joseph Reid in the home straight as he clinched victory in a PB of 1:50.20.
“That beats my PB of 1:50.7 so it was definitely worth coming up as I love this track,” said Reid.
“I have been doing 400m races most of the summer and this was only my third 800m so hopefully I might get under 1mins 50secs soon.”
Charlotte Taylor-Green was also hoping for a PB as she took a break from the steeplechase so was left frustrated at just falling short of her 2:06.96 mark with 2:07.13 despite forcing the pace from the bell.
“It was good to have Harriet chasing me down the home straight but it was the 100m after the bell that I lost the time,” said Taylor-Green.
“I really wanted a low 2mins 06secs but it was another solid run and overall it has been a good season and I am still improving.”
British junior international Harriet Knowles-Jones never gave up the chase and was rewarded with a PB of 2:07.55 in second.

800m C-E
There was also a PB for Cwmbran junior Izzy Parry-Jones in the C race as she clocked 2:09.69 ate taking the initiative with along kick for home.
“I have been waiting so long to dip under 2mins 10secs so I am delighted” said the 18-year-old, who also confirmed it was her first Grand Prix victory.
Emma Tilley clocked a PB of 2:11.37 in third as did Beth Ansell to win the D race in 2:07.93.
Swindon’s Ciaran Cooper and Andrew Roen of Gateshead Harriers both took advantage of the pacemaking and benign conditions to record PBs of 1:51.84 and 1:53.13 for victories in the men’s D and E races respectively while Birchfield’s James O’Brien clocked a season’s best of 1:55.14 to take the F race.

1500 A-B
The strong overseas presence was reflected in the 1500m where victories went to Finland’s Sara Kuivisto and former Dutch champion Wouter Ploeger.
“This is a great meeting and it was definitely worth coming over for,” said Ploeger, aged 24.
“I felt very strong and it is the first time I have run under 3mins 44secs outdoors.”
Ploeger ran a PB of 3:42.36 to finish over a second clear of Spain’s Llorenc Sales Ferre with Ireland’s Kieran Kelly completing a cosmopolitan top three.
First Brit in fourth was Loughborough University student William Fuller with a PB f 3:45.39.
The big surprise was the way international Tom Lancashire dropped back through the field. In contention at the bell his rivals swept past him on the final circuit and he crossed the line a disconsolate-looking 14th in 3:47.45.
Kilbarchan’s Jemma Reekie forced the early pace in the women’s 1500m tracked by Loughborough winner Naomi Taschimowitz.
At the bell Reekie was still in front but Kuivisto was looking ominous in second while Hannah Nuttall, promoted to the A race after her fine B event win in Loughborough, had moved into third.
Kuivisto waited until the final bend before making her move and was very strong down the hone straight as she finished almost two seconds clear in 4:13.67 while Nuttall was passed by Taschimowitz for third and a PB of 4:16.32.
But both Nuttall and fellow U23 athlete Georgie Hartigan in fifth were rewarded with PBs.
“It is just over a second outside my personal best but I am very pleased to win my first Grand Prix event,” said Kuivisto
Tom Horton is ending the season on a high as the Hallamshire runner showed good form to win the B race.
“I have had a bit of a nightmare this year including a car crash which put me out of action for six weeks,” said Horton.
“My coach (Bashir Hussain) told me to go out and enjoy myself this evening and that is what I did. I just felt so relaxed and comfortable and I so happy with my time.”
Runner-up Cameron Field and Hamza Kadir in third also posted PBs.
Sale Harriers junior Francesca Brint, coached by local man Paul Roden, was a popular winner of the B race clocking a PB of 4:26.08 with Beth Kidger also clocking a best in third just behind Georgia Malir.

1500 C-F
Tonbridge runner Kieran Reilly just missed his PB in winning the C race but Darlington junior Lucy Erin-Hunter, watched by her coach and BMC official David Lowes, carved three seconds off hers to win the women’s C event in 4:30.77.
“I am so pleased,” she said.
Bedford’s Ben Davies had been looking for a first sub 3mins 50secs time in the D race but was too strong for his rivals as he surged clear over the final two laps for victory in 3:50.70.
“I wanted a quicker time but to be honest it is nice to win a race as well,” said Davies.
Four minutes was the target in the E race and the top two all achieved that with 18-year-old Oliver Johnson of Brighton Phoenix holding his form well on the last lap to take the honours in 3:58.21 with runner-up Gareth Griffith a stride behind in 3:58.39.
“That is a massive PB for me by 14 seconds!” said a delighted Johnson. “But I have had a terrible last two years so the PB was over-due.”
Oliver Newton (4:00.17), Rory Leonard (4:00.17) and Ethan Hussey (4:00.20) all went close but at least the former pair of young athletes were rewarded with PBs. Ethan’s time puts him third on the UK all-time U15 list.

Peter Coe and Frank Horwill Under 17 Miles
Stepping down from the 3000m in which he won the bronze at the English Schools’ Championships 16-year-old Jack Meijer was an emphatic winner of the mile.
“The plan today was to sit in and kick with 200metres to go and it worked perfectly,” said Meijer.
Jack Maurice came through for second ahead of Team Bath’s Hayden Bailey.
In contrast Kirsten Stilwell led from gun to tape to win the Frank Horwill mile. The 14-year-old Wycombe athlete really took the race to her rivals opening a gap early on which she never looked like losing despite Cornwall AC’s Grace Brock and Brighton Phoenix runner Maia Hardman working together behind her.
“I am really pleased to win,” said Stilwell.

3000m RACES
A magnificent total of 21 personal bests from 31 runners over two races marked the men’s 3000m races including the respective A and B winners Patrick Dever (8:09.09) and Toby Cooke (8:26.21).
Jenna Hill was an emphatic winner of the wen’s race in a season’s best of 9:21.93.

10,000m RACES
Chris Thompson may not have run inside the Commonwealth Games qualifying standard but make no mistake this was a high quality performance by the former European 10,000m silver medallist.
Following the early pacemakers Thompson, Luke Traynor and Mohammed Abu-Rezeq of Altrincham hit the targets of 68 second laps.
It was a punishing pace that by 3k was too much for Rezeq and then Traynor had to relent. By 5k, reached in 14:07, Thompson was in splendid isolation but still running smoothly while Traynor was alone in second but Rezeq, more at home on the road, was paying the price for the fast start.
At his very best Thompson would have probably pushed on to attack his goal of 28:10 but by his own admission he is still playing catch-up after injury problems and inevitably slowed in the closing stages.
“Tonight I was on 28mins 20secs pace until the last two miles when I dropped from 68s to 70s,” said Thompson.
“But I committed myself early doors to try and get the time and while I missed it this race will definitely bring me on and overall I have to be pleased with that.
“Give me a few more sessions and two or three more weeks and I reckon I could have done it but I have just run out of time with regards to the Commonwealth Games.”
Having run in second for the majority of the race Traynor must have been shocked to see Sam Stabler sprint past in the final 200m as he clocked a PB of 29:03.64 with Traylor also rewarded with a PB.
Indeed, they were just two of 16 PBs from the 23 finishers.
The women’s race saw an equally lonely and resolute performance by Charlotte Arter as she recorded a PB of 32:37.52.
“I think in the right conditions and right race I could have close to the Commonwealth Games qualifying time for England but obviously tonight I was well off the target (32mins 15secs),” said Arter.
“It was another solid effort and a PB. I have taken 20 seconds off my PB at 5000m, one-and-a-half minutes off my 10k best and 13 seconds off my 3k so overall it is looking really positive for next year and I’ll be looking to get into a big 10,000, probably in America, early in the season.”
Fresh from finishing second in the Ipswich 5k road race the previous evening Gemma Steel was runner-up with Verity Ockenden third, the latter also clocking a PB.
In the men’s B race long-time leader Stuart Robinson of Salford, who ran for Britain at the World 50k Championships last year, was rewarded for his front-running with a big lifetime best of 31:09.88.
“I am more of a road man so I am pretty pleased with this as I build up for the Frankfurt marathon, where I am hoping to break 22hrs 20mins,” said Robinson.
Behind him there were another 17 PBs from a field of 22 finishers.
Veteran Sammy Rashid won the mixed C race with his best time for three years to go third on the M50 UK Rankings.
“This was a test for the British Masters Championships in Jarrow next month,” said Rashid.