Steph Twell (coach: Geoff Wightman, club: Aldershot, Farnham & District) has always stated that she would one day step up to the marathon and on Sunday morning in Spain she did just that with an impressive debut. Off the back of a successful track season, Twell turned her hand to 26.2 miles, an impressive negative split bringing her home in 2.30.11, good for seventh place on the day. In fact, so good was her debut that it is the second fastest time by a Brit in 2018, which bodes extremely well for the future.
Twell started the year over 1500m at the Commonwealth Games clocking a best of 4:05.56 and she has demonstrated incredible range over the season, taking a road mile personal best of 4:28 and going close to her 10km PB with a time of 32:34.
Jack Martin (David Turnbull) was in great form on the roads this weekend, the Stockport AC athlete bettering the personal best he set at the Leeds Abbey Dash last month courtesy of a 29.13 winning run. That allowed him to get the better of Andrew Heyes (Steve Vernon, Hallamshire) who finished runner-up in 29.31, who himself was less than 10 seconds outside his PB.
Backing up her performance last weekend in Wilmslow, Eilish McColgan (Liz Nuttall, Dundee Hawkshill) was first woman home, ninth overall, stopping the clock in 32.39.
800m man Jamie Webb (Adrian Webb) showed he has been working on his strength this winter as he clocked a 14:33 5km personal best to win the flat and fast Podium 5k. In doing so he had to fend off the challenge of fellow Liverpool Harrier David Devine (Anthony Clarke), the T12 Paralympic medallist coming home five seconds in arrears and just seven seconds shy of his personal best.
In the women’s race young Olivia Mason (Graeme Mason) took the spoils, the U17 Border Harrier producing a brilliant 16.55 run to get the better of yet another Liverpool Harrier, Rachael Burns (Clarke), by four seconds. That marks a PB for the young 1500m talent, who took the England Athletics and School Games titles this summer.