OCWK athlete Rachael Thompson (Liverpool Harriers - right) had a busy afternoon at the UKA McCain City Challenge at Lee Valley Athletics Centre on Saturday 27 February.  She began the afternoon by taking fourth place in the 800m in 2:10.16, she then moved on the 1500m where she was third in 4:37.06 and finished the day by setting her Manchester Warriors team off to a winning lead in the 800m leg of the medley relay.

OCWK Supervisor Anthony Whiteman (Shaftesbury Barnet - pictured below) continued his comeback to competition with third place in the men’s 1500m in a UK masters record of 3:50.72 and also ran the 800m leg in the medley relay for his Sheffield Flames team which finished second in the relay and won the competition overall.

At the English National Cross Country Championships at Roundhay Park in Leeds, Stevie Stockton (Vale Royal) finished in an excellent second place in 28:07 in the senior women’s 8km race behind winner Steph Twell’s 27:25.  Emma Pallant (Aldershot Farnham & District) was eighth in 28:43 in her first race back after an extended period out with injury and Emma Jackson (City of Stoke) finished 40th in 31:09.

In the senior men’s 12km race Ben Lindsay (Aldershot Farnham & District) was ninth in 39:29 and Ricky Stevenson 22nd in 40:13 behind winner Andy Vernon who clocked 38:01.  Jordan Kinney (Royal Sutton Coldfield) was also ninth in the junior women’s race, clocking 23:14 for the 6km course to winner Jo Harvey’s 22:06.

At the Aviva England Athletics Under 20 Indoor Championships in Birmingham on 27-28 February, Leigh Lennon (Newham & Essex Beagles) won the silver medal in the women’s 800m in 2:09.85.  The race was won by World Youth silver medallist Ciara Mageean from Ireland in 2:07.79.

A number of OCWK athletes were in action in the USA.  At the SEC Indoor Championships in Fayetteville on 26-28 February Charlotte Browning (Aldershot Farnham & District) won the 3000m by five seconds in a new personal best of 9:21.77 and the mile by six seconds in 4:37.29.

At the Horizon League Indoor Championships on 27-28 February Kris Gauson (Edinburgh AC) finished seventh in the 800m in 1:59.03 and a close third in a slow tactical mile race in 4:13.61.  At the AAC  Indoor Championships in Blacksburg on 25-27 February David Forrester (St Helens Sutton) was seventh in a tactical mile final in 4:12.56 after running 4:07.77 in his heat. At the MWC Indoor Championships in Albuquerque Ross Millington (Stockport Harriers) finished fourth in the mile 4:13.94.

At the University Varsity Match in Birmingham on Wednesday 24 February, Alison Leonard (Blackburn Harriers) ran an excellent solo 2:04.76 to win the women’s 800m by six seconds.  Rachel Stringer (City of Norwich) ran an indoor best for 400m in finishing third in 56.88 and Chris Smith (Wirral AC) was second on the 800m in 1:52.08.


Photos Mark Shearman