George Wheeler goes top of UK five-mile rankings

With 23:04 at the Wolverton 5, Wheeler tops 2024 lists as Clare Elms’ record-breaking exploits continue in our latest road racing round-up

WOLVERTON 5, Buckinghamshire, October 26

While George Wheeler won overall in a more than useful 23:04, there was a British and probable world masters best time of 30:44 from W60 Clare Elms.

In his debut over the distance, Wheeler’s time comfortably took the 26-year-old, who ran 28:26.80 for 10,000m during the summer, to the top of the UK five-mile rankings for the year. Behind, Harry Brodie was nearly a minute down and his 24:00 was just a few seconds outside his best.

Women’s section winner, New Zealander Martina Conner, has recently recovered from four years of injury before running sub-17 minutes in two 5km runs. Here the 22-year-old narrowly headed Bedford’s Rebecca Murray as both posted personal bests led by Conner’s 27:35.

Elms was seventh woman home and her 30:44 was six seconds better than Kate Wright’s previously unratified British masters best time and may well be a world best W60 time but no official marks are kept. The 8km time listed of 31:28 suggests that Elms’ time is the best recorded for five miles.

Overall: 1 G Wheeler (MK Dist) 23:04; 2 H Brodie (Bed C) 24:00; 3 B Davies (Bed C) 24:25; 4 L Elbayan (Lut) 24:53; 5 S Winters (Bed C) 24;56; 6 J Carr (C&C) 24;57; 7 J Minter (Bed C) 25:07; 8 D Dibaba (Kent) 25:07

M45: 1 G Crush (Norw) 26:09

M65: 1 J Chapman (Stops) 33;16

M70: 1 C Lamont (Stops) 36:32

U20: 1 J Edwards (Mil K) 26:15

Women: 1 M Conner (Belg) 27:35; 2 R Murray (Bed C) 27:43; 3 I King (Mil K) 29:16; 4 S Barrett (Norw, U20) 29:28; 5 A Lambert (Bed C) 29:33; 6 S Kent (Bed C) 30:44; 7 C Elms (Kent, W60) 30:44

W55: 1 D Ditchfield (Bed H) 35:25; 2 S Bishop 35:49

W60: 2 R Edwards (Redway) 37:38

BRIGG POPPY 10km, Lincolnshire, October 27

Overall: 1 M Bowser (Linc W, M40) 31:30

M60: 1 P Lane (Danum) 38:12

Women: 1 S Wallis (Linc W) 33:41

FEN 10, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, October 27

Overall: 1 B Heron (Help) 52;30; 2 J McRae (Hallam) 52:35; 3 A Jakeman (March) 54:50

M50: 1 T Farrer (Hunt) 59:48

M60: 1 S Elvin (Bure) 64:42

Women: 1 S Barton (Higham) 61:22

FLEET 10km, Hampshire, October 27

Max Davis won by nearly two minutes in a personal best 29:33.

Overall: 1 M Davis (B&W) 29:33; 2 S Blake (AFD) 31:18

M50: 1 A Hamilton (BMH) 35:14

M60: 1 D Angel (Horsh J) 39:27

Women: 1 D McDermot (Tun W, W45) 37:06; 2 L Locks (AFD, W45) 37:12

LEIGH-ON-SEA 10km, Essex, October 27

Overall: 1 A Hickey (S’end) 31:39

Women: 1 C Brooks (E Ex Tri) 38;10

NEW FOREST 10, Brockenhurst, Hampshire, October 27

Somalian refugee Abdinasir Mohamoud Elmi won from Bournemouth clubmate Joe Arundel by more than two minutes in 49:01.

Overall: 1 A Elhmi (B’mth) 49:01; 2 J Arundel (B’mth) 51:14; 3 J Grose (Poole) 53:42

M55: 1 G Doughty 60:51

Women: 1 E Willmers (Win RC, W35) 64:55

W50: 1 S Gurney (Win RC) 66:48

STROUD HALF-MARATHON, Gloucestershire, October 27

Overall: 1 D Gillett (W tempo) 68:12; 2 T Evetts (W tempo) 70:24; 3 L James (T Bath) 70:51

M50: 1 I Leonard (Emersons) 78:28

Women: 1 D Irving-Hyman (THH) 79:23

W50: 1 E Millman (Severn) 92:19

TAVY 7, Tavistock, Devon, October 27

Overall: 1 M Wilsmore (Tamar) 37:20; 2 J Cole (Tav RP, M40) 37:49; 3 M Jenkin (Bide, M45) 38:03

M70: 1 J Shapland (Bide) 49:47

Women: 1 H Smith (Tav) 45:04

W55: 1 J McFadzean (SWRR) 48:27; 2 H Harbottle (S Moult) 48:49

WORKSOP HALLOWEEN HALF-MARATHON, Nottinghamshire, October 27

Overall: 1 S Roberts (Retford) 68:04; 2 J Lonsdale (Worksop) 68:48

M55: 1 D Parkin (Leeds) 80:03

M65: 1 A Whitehouse (Totley) 95:03

Women: 1 E Warren (St Ther) 82:31

MARATHON ERYRI, Llanberis, Snowdonia, October 26

In stunning autumnal weather, Andy Davies and Louise Flynn triumphed at the 40^th edition of Marathon Eryri.

Dubbed at one of the UK’s toughest marathons, the last miles of this race are notoriously hard, as they head to the highest point of the race at mile 24, almost 380m above sea level and an ascent of over 200 metres in just one mile.

Davies had not run in Eryri since 2011 where he finished fourth but he returned in 2024 to take this historic title, but also with an eye on not only the course record of 2:31:21, held by Marshall Smith from 2023, but also that of the race record held by Jeff Norman, a time of 2:28:02 dating back to 1985.

Overall: 1 A Davies (Maldwyn) 2:28:41; 2 M Kallenberg (Swan) 2:33:40; 3 M Young (W Chesh) 2:37:25

Women: 1 L Flynn (Les C, W40) 2:59:27

LAST FRIDAY OF THE MONTH 5km, Hyde Park, London, October 25

Whilst Ollie Garrod notched up his fifth victory in this series of 2024, the action behind was from under-17 runners.

Second man home was Brentwood Beagles’ Max Sanderson, the England 3000m silver medallist in 15:50 and it was clubmate Olivia Forrest, the English Schools cross-country champion, who took the women’s section in 17:08.

Overall: 1 O Garrod (Belg) 15:26

M60: 1 D Taylor (Herne H) 17:51; 2 S Plummer (ESM) 18:24

M80: 1 T Rea (H’field) 26:09

U17: 1 M Sanderson (B’wood) 15:50

Women: 1 O Forrest (B’wood, U17) 17:08

W50: 1 A Farrell (Tun W) 19:59

W55: 1 S McDonald (S Lon) 19:48

W60: 1 L Woolhouse (Vets) 21:04; 2 T Taylor (Tun W) 21:57

W70: 1 A Riddell (Serp) 26:41

W75: 1 R Tabor (Dulw) 26:10

U15: 1 T Ferguson (WSEH) 17:22; 2 H Woodley (B’wood) 17:25; 3 I Morrison (HW) 17:45

WESTON PROM 5, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, October 24 

Overall: 1 J Williamson (S’burn) 25:38

M50: 1 K Summers (Weston) 27:43

M70: 1 J Malone (Nailsea) 37:06

Women: 1 A Hammersley (B&W) 30;13; 2 V Ratcliffe (T Bath, W45) 31:10

W50: 1 N Davies (Weston) 33:01

POLLOK PARK 10km, Glasgow, October 27

Overall: John Carr 35:04

Women: Georgia Freeman-Mills 39:53

JEDBURGH HALF MARATHON AND 10km, Jedburgh, October 27

Overall (HM): T Windley (Kesw, M40) 73:53
M60: S Ingledew (Edin) 89:21
Women: J Tovey (Corst) 88:00
W50: Kathy Henly 97:11
W60: Valerie Snell 1:41:46
Overall (10km): B Post (NED, U20) 34:43
M60: G Bracken (NSP) 38:19

PATH OF CONDIE HALF-MARATHON, Milnathort, October 26
Overall: S Paterson (Ochil) 75:09
M50: R Van Gompel (Dund H) 82:41
M70: T Martin (Fife) 1:43:04
Women: J Dickson (Fife, W50) 89:57

3km ON THE GREEN, Glasgow Green, October 25

Overall: C Muir (Shett) 8:57
Women: L Haggarty (Kil’k, W40) 10:31

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