Herne Hill Club under 20 Women’s 1500m record falls for second time in a week as Saskia sets a new standard

A Herne Hill Harriers club under 20 women’s 1500m record which had lasted 6 years and was held by an athlete who is now a current Great Britain senior international has now been broken twice in the space of six days in this still very early track and field season. Last Sunday at Loughborough Alex Brown took the time down to 4.27.10 and then on Saturday her under 20 club mate Saskia Millard clocked a fabulous 4.26.40 in placing sixth in the women’s B race at the BMC Grand Prix at Sport City in Manchester.

It was wonderful to see Millard back in top form as she produced a stunning performance in her first track race of 2019, returning to the track after numerous injury setbacks. Now approaching the end of her first year of her undergraduate degree at Birmingham University she will be aiming for even faster times in the middle distance events as she will bid to emulate Brown’s recent selection for GB Juniors teams this summer.

Fiona de Mauny also raced in the women’s D 800m in Manchester and then raced as part of an England Masters road racing team at the Birmingham 10km on Sunday morning, while other Harriers track men Mike Cummings and Chris Busaileh raced their first 1500m and 5000m respectively of the season.

Sunday’s Westminster Mile races saw plenty of red and black vests on the big screen at the venue which fed the BBC red button TV coverage. Simon Coombes in the men’s Masters race became British M45 champion in a time of 4.37, while Nikki Sturzaker made it a Herne Hill over 45s British Masters champions gold medal double for men and women as the top finisher among W45s in the women’s Masters event in 5.37.

In the Young Athletes British Road Mile Championship races Yasmin Marghini wom a silver medal in the under 17 women’s race in 5.13, Lily-Rose Brown at the age of 11 placed fourth in the under 13 girls race in 5.20, Phobe Bowen was 11th under 15 girl in 5.31, Tamra Chan 13th under 13 girl in 5.42 and Diego Lister 20th under 13 boy in 5.22.

In the open one mile races Eriç Dol continued his rich vein of PBs with 5.00 in the first race of the day, Simon Thompson then won the second wave in a very solo 4.58, followed by good big screen exposure for John Appleton 5.14 and Julia Wedmore 5.41 in the third wave and Trevor Chilton ducked under 6 minutes in the 6th wave before the championship events began.

Matt Cartwright ran in a race in a world record was set for a couple holding hands for a mile and finished right alongside them in 4.52, while up in Scotland Angus Butler ran a PB of 72.54 in the Edinburgh Half Marathon.

More Masters miles times from Sunday behind Coombes were Victor Maughn 5.21, Andrew Simms 5.31, Tom Conlon 5.33, Duncan Rimmer 6.04, Tony Forder 6.22 and Gary Budinger 6.48.

Harriers were again then well represented in Monday’s Vitality London 10km, with second claim HHH man Ryan Burling running a PB 31.10 off not a lot of training and the charge or red and black bests was led by Nick Bester who also ran a PB of 32.23.

Andrew Grigg was next in with 33.18, then team manager Bryn Reynolds 33.28, Josh Pewter 33.29, Jeff Cunningham 33.54, Robert Peacock 35.14, Matt Cartwright 35.42, Duane Matthews 35.59, Jessica Craig 36.17, Eriç Dol 36.56, Gavern Newsum 36.58, Jordan Foster 38.19, James Ward 38.22, Olivia Zeltner 38.31, Jonathan Ratcliffe 39.03, Andrew Simms 41.25, Robert Harrison 42.57 and Marcelo Fortes 47.42.

On Monday evening a very busy weekend was rounded off with Mohammed Ismail, Simon Thompson and Myles Preston clocking 16.38, 16.56 and 17.05 respectively for the Sri Chinmoy 5km road race in Battersea Park.