Having her second road race victory in the space of eight days, showed that Emma Holt is clearly back on top form, after a very untimely injury, completely wrecked the end of her Cross-Country season. Finishing 24th overall, and posting a finishing time of 28m48s, Holt was a very clear winner of the Women’s Race, at the Tyne Bridge Harriers Bridges of Tyne 5 Mile Road Race, on Tuesday 4th July 2017, with Birtley AC’s Tracey Millmore finishing second in 29m15s, and Jarrow and Hebburn’s Stephanie Pattinson, coming home in third place one second adrift. Other Morpeth Harriers finishers in the 422 strong field of finishers, were Paul Banks (99th) (12th O/45 Man) 33m05s, Archie Jenkins (268th) (2nd O/65 Man) 40m41s, and Clare Walker (278th) (76th Woman) (8th O/35 Woman) 41m07s. Morpeth Harrier James Young produced an excellent new personal best time of 3m58.25s, to win the fastest 1500m race of the night at the fourth and final BMC Regional Standards Meeting, held at Chester Le Street’s Riverside Track Facility, on the evening of Monday 3rd July 2017. The North-Eastern Counties 800m Silver Medallist, not only dipped under the four-minute barrier for the first time in his blossoming young career, he also took a massive four seconds off his previous best, which he had set at Leeds in early May, in the opening Northern Senior League match of the season. Young was one of four personal best performances achieved by athletes from Morpeth Harriers, on an excellent dry night, with very little wind factor evident. In the second fastest race of the night, Morpeth Harrier Alistair Douglass finished third, posting a new personal best time of 4m09.10s. For Douglass, it represented a five second improvement on a time that he had set as far back as 2008, in an Inter County School’s competition, when he had been an Under 17 athlete. Nearly one second behind Douglass, was his Morpeth Harriers club colleague Jordan Scott, who was credited with fourth place. Five seconds behind Scott was fellow Morpeth Harrier Thomas Straughan, who finished 6th, posting a seasons best of 4m14.09s. In the fourth fastest race of the night, Morpeth Harrier Ross Charlton produced new 1500m figures of 4m22.80s, when finishing fourth. Finally, another Morpeth personal best of 4m26.89s was achieved by Connor Marshall, who finished fifth in the fifth fastest race. Morpeths Laura Weightman firmly booked her place on the start line for the Women’s 1500m, at next month’s World Athletics Championships, with two gutsy performances at the UK Championships,
at Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium, on Saturday and Sunday 1st and 2nd July 2017. Commonwealth and European Silver and Bronze Medallist Weightman, won the slower of the two heats on Saturday, posting a modest time of 4m12.36s, to qualify for the Sunday final. Jessica Judd of Chelmsford, who had front run the fastest heat, to win in 4m11.96s, obviously posed the biggest threat to Weightman, in her quest to win back the British crown that she had lost to her great rival Laura Muir of Dundee, twelve months ago. Not surprisingly Judd very much tried to repeat her Saturday plan, however that came unstuck with 300m remaining, when Weightman took a chance to take the lead. Having gone through the bell in around 3m03s, Weightman sensed that Judd was weakening, and made her break for home. Although Judd made a final attempt to thwart Weightman’s effort, the Morpeth Olympian dug deep, to win in 4m06.49s, which although was a little bit adrift of her best, was enough to satisfy her that she had booked her place in London in August, and had regained her British crown. Meanwhile Judd, posted a finishing time of 4m07.09s, with former Jarrow and Hebburn athlete Sarah McDonald getting what could be a vital third place, in a time of 4m08.14s. |
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