Watford Grand Prix – 30 June 2013 – Results

Races: 27
Finishers: 307
PB’s: 86 (28%)
Power of Ten: Here

MEN’S 800M A & B RACES

JAKE Wightman became one of the youngest ever winners of a Grand Prix A race after an impressive showing in the 800m. Still only 18 – his next birthday is on July 11th – the Edinburgh AC runner kicked hard to cross the line in 1mins 48.45secs and shave 0.82secs off the time he recorded when winning the B race at the Sportcity Grand Prix at the start of the month.
“I felt strong during the race and it was nice to win,” said Wightman, who has been selected to run the 1500m at the European U20 Championships in Italy next month.
Wightman was chased hard by an even younger athlete, 17-year-old Kyle Langford, making that arguably the youngest one-two ever in the history of the BMC Grand Prix A races.
Like Wightman the Shaftesbury Barnet Harrier has his sights set on even bigger things as he will represent Great Britain over two laps at the World Youth Games in the Ukraine.
“That felt easy,” beamed Langford.
Sweden’s Joni Jaako struck back for the over 20s by taking third in a season’s best but just one one-hundredth of a second ahead of the next member of the young Brit pack, 17-year-old Sean Molloy.
His time of 1:49.15 was his quickest this season and just 0.15secs off the qualifying standard for Italy.
Further down the field came 19-year-old Richard Charles and 18-year-old Elliot Slade making it five Brits under 20 in the top nine. There can be no better example of the value of the Grand Prix races.

It proved to be a good day for the Ingebrigtsen family of Norway. While 22-year-old Henrik was running a season’s best of 3:37.16 at the Diamond League meeting in Birmingham his 20-year-old younger brother Filip was winning the B race in a PB of 1:48.53.
“I came her straight from altitude training in St Moritz so I am delighted with that,” said Ingebrigtsen, who is entered for both the 800m and 1500m at the European U23 Championships.
“It has been a good day for us both.”
Roland Christen of Switzerland also ran a PB in second and there was a season’s best of 1:49.59 for 41-year-old Anthony Whiteman in third.

WOMEN’S 800M A & B RACES

This was Angie Smit’s first race since arriving in Britain from her home in Christchurch and she took considerable encouragement from her victory in 2:02.66, surging clear to finish over two seconds ahead of Ireland’s Ciara Everard.
“Ths was an awesome experience to see so many runners and so many races at one meeting,” said Smit.
“I normally have to go to Australia to find some decent races but this was great and the pacemaker was a tremendous help. I am pleased with my run.”
Smit, who boasts a personal best of 2:00.67, is preparing for the World University Games where she will run the 800m and 1500m and if she can break 2:01 may also make the New Zealand team for the Worlds in Moscow
Top British athlete was Shelayna Oskan-Clarke in third with 2:05.17 while in seventh was 16-year-old Molly Long, who narrowly missed out on making the team for the World Youth Championships.

Katie Snowden won the B race but was disappointed not to get closer to the European U20 qualifying time of 2:06, which she achieved last year but this season has proved elusive.
“I still think I can get the time but it is probably too late now,” said the 19-year-old Herne Hill Harrier.
Runner-up Rowena Cole claimed a season’s best with Jenny Tan third.

MEN’S 1500M A & B RACES
Cardiff’s Tom Marshall went one better than Manchester, where he finished second to Phil Hurst, as he turned on the after-burners with a big kick to win in a P of 3:41.15.
That shaved 0.7secs off his Sportcity time but frustratingly was outside the Wales Commonwealth Games qualifying standard of 3:41.1.
“That is why I cursed when I crossed the finish line!” said Marshall.
Nonetheless, it was Marshall’s first Grand Prix A race victory as he enjoyed one second gap over 21-yearold Luke Caldwell, who claimed a PB of 3:42.14 which is good form ahead of the European Under 23s in which he will tackle the 5000m.
There were also season’s bests for Jonathan Mellor and 2012 England champion Steve Mitchell, who had put in a strong burst at the bell to stretch out the field and a PB of 3:45.90 for 18-year-old Matthew Fayers in ninth.

Spanish runner Llorenc Sales Ferre is staying in Crewe to improve his English and his running and on Sunday’s evidence it is all going well.
“I have a part-time job at Crewe Railway Station to help pay my rent and it allows me time to focus on my running and learning English,” said Ferre.
“I ran a PB of 1:48.52 in Stretford the previous week and another PB tonight. I am unbeaten in England so far!”
Behind Ferre there were PBs for 27-year-old Steve fennel and 17-year-old Liam Dee.

WOMEN’S 1500M A & B RACES
Vicky Fouhy produced a storming finish to overhaul leader Rose Clarke and was rewarded with a PB of 4:14.51.
“That’s a new school (Virginia University) record which is what I wanted,” said 23-year-old Fouhy.
As the plucky Clarke faltered in the final 50 metres 21-year-old Kate Avery came through strongly for second in a season’s best while in third Jacqueline Fairchild ran a PB of 4:16.93.
In the B race 17-year-old Chelsea Jarvis, who is bound for Donetsk to run the 800m in the World Youth Championships, was delighted with her personal best of 4:24.31 for third.
“That is four seconds off my best so I am really happy with that,” said Jarvis. “And I’m over the moon to win my first British vest!”
Marlin Van Hal of the Netherlands won with a PB of 4:23.37 with Juliet Potter second in a season’s best.

MEN’S 5000M A RACE

Simon Horsfield dominated the second half of this race and was rewarded for pushing on the pace with victory in a personal best of 13:59.30.
The Sale Harriers’ Manchester athlete has an enviable reputation following his terrific achievements over 1500m and 3000m as a young athlete but he now feels his future lies at the longer distance.
“I did 14:06 at Manchester so that was an improvement but I think I can probably go seven seconds quicker at the moment,” said Horsfield.
“I started at 3k as a 16-year-old and won a bronze in the 1500m at the Europeans but now I definitely feel my future is at the 5000m. I just need a better understanding of the event and if things go well then next year I will be looking to make a big improvement.”
Michael Mulhare worked really hard to stick with Horsfield before finally letting go but was rewarded with a PB f 14:03.71 in second.
There was a strong international flavour to the B race with the top four all foreigners – three Norwegians and one from Portugal – with the first three all recording PBs led by Marius Vedvik in 14:14.56.

WOMEN’S 5000M A RACE

A strong line-up with some committed runners ensured this was always going to be one of the best races of the night and it didn’t disappoint.
Step Twell has fought back from a terrible injury and knows she still has a way to go to re-discover her best form but she is never afraid to force the pace and once the pacemaker made way that is what she did.
After reaching 1k in 3:03.9 Twell hit the front and kept the pace on 15:20 schedule through 2k (6:07) and 3k (9:10). One by one her rivals fell away, including clubmate Emelia Gorecka, until only Poland’s Dominika Nowakowska was in contention.
The 28-year-old Pole tracked Twell until bursting clear in the final two laps to win in a PB of 15:15.11 with Twell clocking a season’s best of 15:30.8.
“It is another step forward for me I enjoyed that,” said Twell.
Former European U23 5000m champion Laura Whittle finished strongly to catch Gorecka and run her fastest time for five years.
“I think that is my second fastest time ever and it was great to see all the best British girls come out in one race,” said Whittle.
Understandably Gorecka looked a bit jaded after her exploits in the European Team challenge and will now direct her focus to the European U20 Championships.
“That race was tough in all senses as last week was so mentally and physically draining,” said Gorecka.
Reflecting the honest pace from the start there were a total of seven PBs and eight season’s bests from the 17 finishers, which didn’t include Solihull winner Katrina Wotton who sadly limped off the track.

MEN’S 3000M STEEPLECHASE A RACE

A terrific contest between junior Zac Seddon and steeplechase convert Mark Draper saw the latter claim the honour with a strong finish.
Perhaps heeding the stadium announcer’s warning that 19-year-old Seddon has a fearsome kick Draper took the lead approaching the bell and quickly opening a winning gap and only just missed his PB of 8:42.89 by over a second.
“I just need more races to learn how to steeplechase properly,” said Draper. “Did you see my water jumps? They were awful!”
But as Draper added good quality steeplechase races are few and far between although he may be running in the Cork City Games this week.
Seddon, who recently ran a superb 5:36.37 for the 2k chase at Eltham, finished a weary second.
“I am not pleased with that at all,” said Seddon. “Now I have to concentrate on the European Juniors and I’ll be going all out to try and win that though I cannot afford to be complacent.”
In eighth there was a PB of 9:21.75 for 17-year-old Jamaine Coleman of Preston.

WOMEN’S 3000M STEEPLECHASE A RACE

Sweden’s Charlotta Fougberg and Helen Hofstede of the Netherland ran PBs to take the top two spots but top Brit Emily Stewart was left dejected by her performance that saw her finish seven seconds outside the qualifying standard for the European U23 Championships.
“I have been chasing ten minutes and I think I am now putting too much pressure on myself,” said Stewart. “I was so nervous before the start that I could hardly breathe.
“Last year I ran 9:53 for the ‘chase and I am now training so much better. I’m not sure what is going wrong.”
It was great to see that eight of the next nine women behind Stewart ran PBs with a clutch of U23 athletes – Iona Lake and Laura Riches – impressing.