Friday 28 June saw a record breaking night of racing at Harvey Hadden Stadium in Nottingham at the Notts AC Mile & 5000m races. 80 athletes from over 20 clubs gathered on a sunny but breezy evening watched on by a great crowd who were treated to 6 excellent races across the evening.
Indira Patel of Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers was the first race winner of the night, taking the women’s 5000m title in 17.06.4, followed by Fern Kimber in 2nd and Sophie Cowper in 3rd. That had been part of an enthralling men’s B race which saw a group of 5 athletes work together throughout the race.
Next up was the 5000m A race, which saw an early break of four runners take to the front. Alistair Watson of Notts AC took up the lead with a mile to go before falling back to take 3rd, while eventual race winner Euan Brown (Hallamshire Harriers) and Ed Buck (Newark AC) battled it out over the final few laps. A storming last lap from Brown saw him pull away to take the win and the meeting record in 14.26.0
The Richard Bird Trophy was up for grabs in the women’s mile race, a race which saw the top 3 women tightly packed for the majority of the race, but it was home athletes Isabelle Davey (Notts AC) who took the win in 5,29.1, closely followed by Isabella Margiotta (Derby AC) and Amelia Arbon (Mansfield). Remarkably all three athletes were juniors, proving the future of local distance running is in great shape.
Last race of the night saw the battle for the Tim Wealthall Trophy in its 34th year, and the race didn’t disappoint providing a thrilling end to the night. Elliot Smith-Rasmussen took the race out and never looked back as he stormed to the win 4.15.8, the quickest mile seen in the county this year. John Stolberg followed by under 15 athlete Ewan Withnall of Burton AC completed the podium, Withnall’s performance arguably the most impressive of the meeting.
Prizes on the evening were presented by the parents of Tim Wealthall and the daughter of Richard Bird.
Our thanks as always goes out to the officials and volunteers who made the meeting possible.
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