Running News Daily

The AJ Bell Great South Run delivered a thrilling day of road racing, with Kadar Omar and Hannah Irwin claiming impressive victories after two contrasting battles at the front of the field.

Omar produced a powerful display in the men’s race, breaking away early alongside twice Olympian Andy Butchart. The pair quickly established themselves at the head of the field and went through the 10-kilometre mark together in 29:34, setting the stage for a fascinating battle over the closing stages.

But while Butchart remained firmly in contention through the first part of the race, Omar began to turn the screw as the finish approached. The Birchfield Harriers athlete shifted through the gears and opened a 27-second advantage by 15 kilometres, putting himself firmly in control.

The 30-year-old continued to extend his advantage over the final kilometre before crossing the finish line in 47:27 to secure a convincing victory. His ability to maintain his pace and push clear in the closing stages ultimately proved decisive.

Butchart, making his Great South Run debut, finished strongly to take second in 47:49, while Alex Durant of Sheffield AC & Dearn secured third place. City of Portsmouth athlete Lachlan Wellington was sixth, completing the race in 50:27.

Omar’s victory was a testament to his ability to judge a race perfectly. After running conservatively alongside Butchart during the early stages, he found another level when it mattered most and produced the decisive move that separated him from his closest rival.

Speaking after his victory, Omar reflected on the demanding conditions and the effort required to secure the title.

“I pushed myself through the wind. And I gave it all I had,” Omar said. “I’m happy. It’s a great event, you know. Hopefully next year I can come back and race again.”

The women’s race was an entirely different story, with Hannah Irwin and defending champion Verity Ockenden locked in a remarkably close contest for almost the entire distance.

Irwin eventually prevailed in 53:34, with Ockenden finishing just three seconds behind in 53:37. Daisy Glover completed the women’s podium in 54:53 after another strong performance.

The closeness of the battle was reflected in Irwin’s comments after the finish. Rather than being a race dominated by one athlete, the two leaders remained virtually inseparable until the decisive moments.

“It was a really good fun race today. I really enjoyed having a battle with Verity,” Irwin said. “We were literally neck and neck the entire way, I think until like 200 to go.”

The weather added another challenge to the contest, with the athletes having to contend with strong winds for much of the race. Irwin explained that although the wind became a tailwind approaching the finish, that offered little relief after facing a headwind for much of the course.

“The wind was coming from the other direction, so it was a back wind coming into the finish. But that was no easier because it meant the majority of the rest of the race was a headwind,” she explained.

Irwin also revealed how she approached the tactical battle with Ockenden, recognising that the defending champion was having an exceptionally strong day and deciding that working together could benefit both athletes.

“I kind of thought, I think she (Ockenden) is having a really good day today, so we’re just going to have to work together,” Irwin said.

The decisive moment finally arrived in the closing stages, when Irwin found enough strength to hold off Ockenden and secure the victory by the narrowest of margins.

“I was pleased that my legs held on and I managed to come away with the win,” Irwin added.

The contrasting nature of the two elite races made for a memorable edition of the AJ Bell Great South Run. Omar gradually transformed an early breakaway into a commanding victory, while Irwin had to fight until the final moments to deny the defending champion.

With strong performances throughout both races, the event once again provided a compelling showcase of elite road racing, combining tactical battles, challenging conditions and dramatic finishes. For Omar and Irwin, however, the day belonged to them as they emerged victorious on a memorable day in Portsmouth.

Yalemzerf Yehualaw returns to the Antrim Coast Half Marathon a year after seemingly breaking the women's world record only to learn weeks later that the course had been 54 metres short.

Race director James McIlroy is guaranteeing there will be no repeat of last year's hiccup which meant the Ethiopian's time could not be ratified.

"You don't want to blame Covid but it certainly was a factor," says McIlroy.

"The protocol is to measure the course twice but we were unable to do that."

"We couldn't get anyone to fly here before the race to do the measurement [because of the Covid situation] so we had to do it post the race.

"The frustration is that with 50 metres short, if you add 10 seconds on, 65% of the elite race would still have run a personal best and Yalemzerf would still have been the first woman to run under 64 minutes.

"But she's back again in good shape and the course is ratified and measured correctly."

Course even faster this year - McIlroy

Indeed, McIlroy believes course tweaks this year could lead to Yalemzerf going even faster than the 63 minutes and 44 seconds she clocked last year - although the 23-year-old will have to go some to break the world mark of 62:52 set by compatriot Letesenbet Gidey in Valencia last October.

Yalemzerf's own time of 63:51 set as she finished runner-up that day remains the second fastest time in history but the 59 seconds to Gidey's world mark is a huge amount - even in half marathon terms.

McIlroy admits the UK all-comers half marathon record of 65:52 set by Kenyan Edith Chelimo in Cardiff five years ago will be a more realistic target for Yalemzerf and several of other leading ladies.

"We think we've made the course even faster," added former Great Britain Olympic 800m athlete McIlroy.

"We've taken out the section in the harbour so we've taken out one tight turn and going around the roundabout clockwise instead of anti-clockwise should also help the athletes."

While Yalemzerf, 23, will be a strong favourite, the presence of her compatriots and training partners Tsehay Gemechu [PB 65:08] and Gete Alemayehu [PB 66:37] should ensure that she has competitive company in the early stages as opposed to merely her male pacemakers.

Last year, Yehualaw finished more than six minutes ahead of Kenyan runner-up Vane Nyanamba.

2021 men's winner Jemal Yimer is also back in the Larne field and will again be the man to beat give his outstanding personal best of 58:33 set in 2018, which is 49 seconds quicker than the next fastest competitor, compatriot Tesfahun Akalnew.

Yimer was three seconds outside Sir Mo Farah's course record of 60:27 set in 2020 when he triumphed 12 months ago.

Akalnew finished one second behind his compatriot 12 months ago and is again back in the field along with last year's third placer Shadrack Kimining of Kenya.

With the field also including sub-60 minute men Ethiopians Huseydin Mohamed and Gizealew Ayana, organiser McIlroy is very optimistic that the one-hour barrier will be broken for the first time on Irish soil, with Geoffrey Kamworor's UK all-comers mark of 59:10 from 2016 possibly also in danger.

Englishman Marc Scott finished only five seconds behind Yimer in fourth spot 12 months ago and will be joined in the field by fellow British Olympian Callum Hawkins, whose has a half marathon best of exactly 60 minutes.

With Ireland's Tokyo competitor Stephen Scullion a late withdrawal from Sunday's race, Irish male hopefuls David Mansfield and Paul O'Donnell will both be aiming to improve their respective personal best of 63:23 and 63:37.

The women's event could see a good domestic battle for top-10 finishes between Emma Mitchell, Fionnuala Ross and Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games competitor this summer, Hannah Irwin.

The Eamonn Christie-coached Mitchell is the fifth fastest in the women's field on lifetime bests behind the African contingent with a 72:28 mark set in Valencia in 2019, while Ross has clocked 73:08 and Irwin 73:23.

The mass race in the event which starts and finishes in Larne will have around 6,000 competitors with McIlroy delighted to report "entrants from 19 countries this year".

British distance runners Marc Scott and Callum Hawkins are also set to race 13.1 miles while Haile Gebrselassie and Jo Pavey will run the one mile fun run this weekend.

Ethiopian distance running stars Ethiopians Yalemzerf Yehualaw and Jemal Yimer lead a world-class line-up at the ‘Mid & East Antrim’ Antrim Coast Half Marathon in Larne, Northern Ireland, on Sunday (Aug 28). There is plenty of British interest too with Marc Scott and Callum Hawkins among the entries.

The event, which is set to be covered live on BBC online from 8.55am, sees Yehualaw coming into this year’s race having broken the women’s world record over 10km with 29:14 in Castellon, Spain, earlier this year, in addition to running the fastest female debut marathon ever of 2:17:23 in Hamburg in April.

At the Antrim Coast event last year she appeared to break the world record for 13.1 miles with 63:43 but was denied the mark due to the course being found to be 54 metres short.

Yehualaw will be joined at this year’s Antrim Coast event by her training partner Tsehay Gemechu. The 23-year-old Ethiopian comes to this year’s with a personal best of 65:08 and has been winner of the Lisbon Half-Marathon two years in a row and Copenhagen Half-Marathon in 2021.

In addition for this World Athletics Elite Label road race there is Gete Alemayehu, who recorded 66:37 for second in Barcelona Half-Marathon in April. Beatrice Chepkemoi of Kenya, who has a PB of 67:29, will make it four women who have run under 67:30.

Three male pacemakers have been lined up and there is Northern Ireland interest courtesy of Emma Mitchell, Fionnuala Ross and Hannah Irwin.

The men’s field is led by Ethiopian record-holder and last year’s winner, Yimer. He is the quickest in the race with a PB of 58:33 but faces fellow Ethiopian Tesfahun Akalnew, who was was runner-up in Larne 12 months ago and has subsequently recorded a 2:06:55 marathon in Amsterdam.

Bethwel Birgen of Kenya is set to set the pace with Scott in particular hoping to be dragged under the 60 minute barrier. The Brit was not at his best in this summer’s track championships but has great pedigree on the roads after having won the Great North Run last year.

Could he get close to Mo Farah’s British record of 59:32 set in Lisbon seven years ago?

Also in the line-up are Shadrack Kimining of Kenya, Huseydin Mahamed of Ethiopia and Gizealew Ayana of Kenya, all of whom have broken the 60-minute barrier in the past.

Northern Ireland’s Stephen Scullion is also due to run plus Omar Ahmed of Birchfield Harriers.

The event has also secured a major coup with the signing of Haile Gebrselassie. The 49-year-old, who won multiple global titles during his career, will run the inaugural Antrim Coast Classic Street Mile for fun with Jo Pavey, young athletes and parents on Saturday evening (Aug 27) before joining race director James McIlroy to commentate on a half-marathon the next day.

Around 12,000 runners took part in 13.1-mile event in London on Sunday

Charlotte Purdue and Jake Smith put in solid performances on the roads of London as they struck victory in the Vitality Big Half on Sunday (Aug 22).

In her third win in the women’s race, Purdue improved her own course record to 69:51, which bodes well for her chances at the Virgin Money London Marathon on October 3.

In the men’s race, Smith clocked 62:06 to beat Jack Rowe by five seconds and the Cardiff runner will hope to go quicker still when he lines up in the Great North Run on September 12.

Around 12,000 runners set off in various waves as part of the return of mass participation running following the pandemic. In the race to finish first woman home, Purdue ran with Samantha Harrison in the early stages before pulling away in the second half of the race. Harrison held on for second in 70:40 as Natasha Cockram was third in 72:46.

Next came Hannah Irwin in 73:24 followed by Naomi Mitchell in 74:24 and Verity Ockenden in 74:35.

“It’s good to be back running with a crowd,” said Purdue, who was racing for the first time since February 2020 due to injury. “I was happy with the time. I was more bothered about ‘racing’ it than the clock, though. I’ve been training really hard for London Marathon so wasn’t sure how tired I’d be, although I felt okay.”

On her build-up to the London Marathon, she said: “My main aim is not to get injured and to keep training consistent and get to the start line healthy.”

Smith was part of a group with Rowe, Mo Aadan and Phil Sesemann mid-way through his race but he broke away at around nine miles and held his advantage over the chasing Rowe despite multiple nervous glances over his shoulder in the latter stages.

Smith ran 62:06 with Rowe clocking 62:11, Aadan 62:28 and Sesemann 62:47.

In fifth Andrew Heyes ran 63:10, followed by Matt Clowes in 63:40, Jamie Crowe in 64:19, Ollie Lockley in 64:26, Doug Musson in 64:36, Calum Johnson 64:38, Jonny Mellor 64:44 and Josh Griffiths 65:11.

“I came into this race as the fastest and had the pressure to deliver so to come away with the win is amazing,” he said. “It’s the first race I’ve done when they bring you forward on the start line (to introduce you to the crowd). After that I just put my head down and tried to race it.

“My aim was to throw in surges throughout and then go hard with about 5km to go. I ran a negative split as well which I’m really happy about.”

Sam Kolek won the men’s wheelchair race in 50:37 as Nikki Emerson won the women’s wheelchair category in 67:38 after Shelly Woods punctured.