James Thie, Clare Elms and Andrew Ridley among those in fine form at the September 4 meeting in London

There were record-breaking performances at this event in memory of one of Herne Hill’s most revered long-standing members as a coach, writer, runner and official.

Paced perfectly, the 2004 world indoor fourth-placer and now top coach, James Thie ran 4:23.57 to win the fastest men’s one mile race.

The official M45 UK record was previously 4:26.34 by Dave Cowlishaw but Anthony Whiteman, who holds the world M45 1500m record, did run a 4:10.0 mile in 2017, but that hand time was never ratified. Thie himself helped pace Whiteman in that race.

Curiously, Cowlishaw, a multiple world masters medallist like Thie, is now back in eighth all-time as Alastair Watson (4:24.2 hand-timed in 2023). And earlier in 2024, Conor Curran (4:26.16), Kevin Quinn (4:25.48) and Grant Baillie (4:24.76) all went quicker than the listed record but did not get their mark ratified.

Ratification had previously been a problem for Clare Elms, who bettered the world W60 mile record at Wimbledon in July with 5:26.13 but due to a post-race lap top failure, the photo finish image was unable to be printed.

A few days after her W60 1500m world record of 4:57.14, she was back in action at Tooting and despite being tired and not at her very best she did improve the W60 world mile mark to 5:25.19. The official record was USA’s 2023 world athlete of the year Sue McDonald’s 5:28.02.

There is also confusion over the world M60 men’s record.

Double world champion Andrew Ridley ran 4:41.81 in Guildford which though ratified as a British record and vastly superior to Hakan Eriksson’s 4:47.69 listed world mark, has not yet been accepted as a world record.

Here Ridley attacked the record again and did beat the Swede’s time with 4:45.55 in Thie’s race after slowing on the last lap which at least gives him a back-up mark for a world record.

Ridley had set what he thought was a W60 world record 800m of 2:07.45 a few days earlier at Tooting but that too suffered a photo-finish problem.

On Sunday September 8, Ridley did run a world record 2:08.07 at Stratford.

At Tooting, Ros Tabor, who holds the British W65 mile record, went third all-time in the W75 age group with 7:47.72.

Rob McHarg, who was also inside the M60 world record in the 800m behind Ridley, was in a different race here and he set a Scottish record 4:53.95 to go third all-time in the UK while M60 European indoor 3000m champion Chris Upson went sixth all-time with 4:58.64.

Under-15 Isabella Harrison was the fastest woman on the night with 5:00.25.

Mixed events: Mile: 

r1: 9 R Tabor (Dulw, W75) 7:47.72

r2: 7 P Iannella (S Lon, W65) 6:49.66

r4: 11 L Woolhouse (Vets, W60) 6:07.99

r6: 10 P Johnson (SoC, M60) 5:43.47

r7: 5 G Moyse (Herne H, M60) 5:23.69

r8: 3 J Foster (W) 5:06.13; 6 N Urquia (Herne H, M55) 5:13.57; 7 D Williams (G&G, M60) 5:15.21; 10 T Booth (G&G, M55) 5:18.33; 13 C Elms (Kent, W60) 5:25.19 (W60 world record)

r9: 4 I Derian (HW, U13) 5:06.22; 9 M Harrison (HW, U13) 5:11.26

r10: 3 C West (M’head, M45) 4:50.07; 7 R McHarg (Datch, M60) 4:53.95; 9 C Upson (Cambus, M60) 4:58.64; 11 D Williams (S Lon, M50) 4:59.31; 12 B Millar (Herne H, M45) 4:59.48; 13 I Harrison (HW, U15W) 5:00.25

r11: 1 J Thie (P’pridd R, M45) 4:23.57 (UK M45 rec); 4 P Canavan (S Lon, M35) 4:38.19; 5 P Howard (B&H, M40) 4:39.01; 10 A Ridley (Vets, M60) 4:45.55

England Masters Inter Area Challenge, Corby, September 7

World W65 800m and 1500m champion Karen Brooks set a European record of 2:40.65 in the W65 800m to just miss USA’s Sabrina Harvey’s world record of 2:39.61 as she won the W60 race in a solo effort.

Another double world champion, Sarah Roberts, easily gained an 800m and 1500m double in 3:00.97 and 5:56.08 to dominate the W70 events. She actually turns 75 next month and both times would be massive world records if she can repeat in her new age group. Her 5:56.08 went second all-time in the UK in the W70 age group. She also won the 400m in a time that would be a British best next month.

Karen Brooks

Running against athletes up to 25 years her junior, Clare Elms went inside five minutes for 1500m the second time in a week to fall two seconds short of her week-old world record with 4:59.81 and then repeated her second place in the 3000m in a time that would have been a British record just a few weeks earlier.

Though feeling unwell, Rob McHarg, who was officially the British record-holder for a M60 800m with 2:09.45 until Andrew Ridley went quicker the following day, made a brave attempt of his own to set a world record but slowed in the straight to run 2:09.71. That garnered him 95.49 per-cent on age-grading second on the day only to Elms’ 1500m of 96.51% but ahead of Roberts’ 93.68% for her 1500m and Brooks 92.76% for her 800m.

Rob McHarg

Multiple M65 world sprints champion John Wright won the M60 400m in a controlled 57.71 while another champion from Sweden, Laurensa Britane won the W35 javelin by over 15 metres with a 42.60m throw.

Another world sprints champion W75 Moira West won the W70 100m but also set a British W75 record in the long jump with a 3.33m leap as she also won there.

Byron Robinson gained a fast M35 sprint double. In the 200m he beat World Masters M45 400m silver medallist Gavin Stephens who won the M35 400m in a fast 51.83, which was quicker than he ran in Sweden.

The M40 world weight pentathlon champion James Taylor won the M35 shot, discus and hammer.

Making the most of home advantage, Eastern Masters easily won the men’s and women’s matches as well as overall.

Sarah Roberts

OVERALL POINTS: 1 Eastern Masters 680.5; 2 Northern Masters 569; 3 Midland Masters 562; 4 Veterans AC 509; 5 Welsh Masters 497; 6 Southern Counties Vets 439; 7 Scottish Vets 287; 8 North East Masters 231.50; 9 South West Vets 159

M35: 100 (0.2): 1 B Robinson SCV 11.30. 200 (-0.3): 1 Robinson 22.70; 2 G Stephens VAC M45 23.67. 400: 1 Stephens M45 51.83. 1500: 1 C Loudon SCO 4:10.11. SP/DT/HT: 1 J Taylor NM M40 13.17/45.67/48.60

M50: 100 (0.0): 1 T Hodgson NEM 11.79; 4 P Canning EM M55 12.39. 200 (0.0): 1 M Tarnawsky SCO 24.87; 2 Canning M55 25.17; 5 A Leigh MM M55 25.69. 800: 1 A Parmenter EM 2:08.27; 2 R Datnow VAC 2:08.39; 3 G Barrie SCO 2:08.69. 1500: 1 B Brodie SCO 4:24.09; 2 M Waller EM 4:25.38. 3000: 1 J Prest NM 9:16.98; 2 S Coombes EM 9:18.50. PV: 1 G Price WAL 3.50. SP: 1 J Twiddle NM M55 13.10. HT: 1 G Holder WAL 54.20

M60: 100 (-0.3): 1 R Huskisson EM 13.17; 2 A Hunter NM 13.25. 200: 1 S Lynn NEM 27.07. 400: 1 J Wright NM M65 57.71. 800: 1 R McHarg SCO 2:09.71; 2 R Andrew NEM 2:16.29; 3 S Corfield 2:19.95. 1500: 1 M Cursons VAC 4:45.69; 2 S Anderson SWV 4:47.60. 300H: 1 R White MM 47.12; 2 I Broadhurst WAL M70. HJ: 1 S Linsell NM 1.55. SP: 1 A Leiper SCV 13.11

M70: 100 (0.2): 1 J Browne EM 13.24. 800: 1 J Skelton EM 2:38.95; 2 D Jackson MM 2:40.67

W35 1500: 1 R Vickers EM 4:56.69; 2 C Elms Vets, W60 4:59.81; 3 H Bough NEM W45 5:01.90. 3000: 1 E Ciesielska WAL 10:43.71; 2 Elms W60 10:47.98. SP/JT: L Britane SCV 9.70/42.60. HT: 1 R Wilcockson MM 55.70

W50: 100 (-0.3)/200 (-1.0) 1 M Thomas WAL 13.56/28.14. 400: 1 S Loades VAC 63.55. 2000W: 1 M Peddle EM W55 10:25.83

W60: 800: 1 K Brooks EM, W65 2:40.65 (UK W65 rec); 2 J Fabes SCV, W65 2:59.32. 300H: 1 S Frisby MM 54.02. HJ: 1 M Garland WAL 1.27; 2 Frisby 1.24; 3 C Filer EM W65 1.24. 4×100: 1 NM 63.58

W70: 100 (0.5) 1 M West VAC W75 16.06. 400: 1 S Roberts SCV 81.52; 2 Y Gordon EM 87.13; 4 A Copson MM W75 88.28. 800: 1 S Roberts 3:00.97; 2 Gordon 3:13.72; 3 N Hitchmough MM 3:17.59; 4 A Dockery WAL W75 3:22.75. 1500: 1 Roberts 5:56.08; 2 Gordon 6:21.83; 3 Dockery W75 6:38.02; 4 Copson  W75 6:41.52. LJ: 1 West W75 3.33 (UK W75 record)

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