The Adidas Podium 5km House Nations Worldwide takes place in Cardiff for the second time on Saturday night (August 12) over a lightning quick course in Bute Park, writes Alex Donald.
A few of the UK’s prime highway athletes shall be testing their type forward of the choice races for the World Street Working Championships in Newcastle in September.
Athletes shall be competing for nationwide, composite and membership groups with bonuses for course information and Welsh all-comers’ information. The boys’s course file sits with final yr’s winner Jake Smith at 14:05 and the Welsh all-comers’ mark with Geoffrey Koech at 13:51.
Tom Mortimer (13:25) leads a robust England group that features Adams State Universities Cameron Allan (13:42), Jack Goodwin (13:51) and winner of the Mid Cheshire 5km in April, Jack Grey (13:47).
Stroud AC’s Mortimer is the quickest entrant on paper owing to his monitor finest set on the Schifflange Worldwide final week that shows nice present type, backed up by two additional sub-13:45 clockings in July. The present BUCS champion was additionally third on the UK Championships in Manchester this yr.
Cardiff 5km (Paul Stillman)
Sponsors Adidas are in all probability the strongest composite group on paper with Omar Ahmed (13:42), Max Hayden 13:50, Richard Allen (13:51) and Kadar Omar (14:03). Each Ahmed and Omar are regulars to racing in South Wales having claimed victories on the ABP Newport 10km, Brecon Carreg Cardiff Bay Run, Ogi Porthcawl 10km and the Cardiff 5km – Race For Victory already in 2023.
Allen has beforehand completed on each rung of the podium on the traditional Podium venue in Barrowford along with his victory there coming in 2018 and extra not too long ago successful the Trafford 10km in March this yr.
Welsh curiosity sits with Osian Perrin (13:47) who received the 5000m on the Natwest Island Video games final month, joined by Dewi Griffiths (13:33) who’s the present Welsh champion over 10km, half-marathon and marathon and is never crushed on Welsh soil.
Jon Hopkins, the 2018 Welsh 5km champion and 2022 Commonwealth Video games ninth placer within the 3000m steeplechase, joins Griffiths within the Swansea Harriers group.
The ladies’s course file rests with final yr’s winner Annabel Simpson of Scotland at 15:51. The Welsh all-comers’ file is barely sooner, set by Charlotte Arter at 15:29.
Calli Thackery (14:58) is the standout favorite right here main the Adidas group with a sub-15 minute finest set when successful at Barrowford final yr, an additional Podium win at Leicester and notable performances together with a 3rd place on the Armagh Street Races in February and a number of BMC Grand Prix victories at Manchester in 2023 and at Trafford, Watford and Loughborough in 2022.
Cardiff 5km (Paul Stillman)
Kate Axford (15:49) has seven race victories to her title this yr together with over 3000m on the Loughborough Worldwide and together with Rebecca Johnson (15:46), may even seem for race sponsors Adidas.
Ellie Wallace (15:39) is joined by Holly Dixon (15:59) and Kate Maltby (16:03) within the English group.
Jenny Nesbitt (15:17) was the runner-up behind Simpson within the inaugural version final yr and is conversant in the route, based mostly in Cardiff and at residence on the course round Bute Park. Beth Kidger (15:37) is the subsequent quickest Welsh athlete.
Holly Archer (15:50) has excellent monitor type that features a silver medal on the 2021 European Indoor Championships over 1500m and is joined within the Puresport group by Becky Briggs (17:00) who has a 2:29:04 marathon finest to her credit score which secured victory on the 2022 Therme Manchester Marathon.
Additional entrants within the girls’s contest embody Rebecca Murray (16:00) who was fifth on the English Nationwide Cross Nation Championships in February and Gemma Metal (16:00), who will compete for Adidas Podium, including additional pedigree to the sector as a former European cross nation champion.
» Subscribe to AW journal right here
