Steve Peters, Clare Elms, Mark Symes and Irie Hill among the winners in Derby
British masters athletes were in record-breaking form at Derby on a generally hot and well attended and well organised championships on July 26-28.
Britain’s best ever masters sprinter Stephen Peters smashed the UK M70 record at 200m in his first meeting since winning the sprint double in the European Masters in Pescara last September.
Still the holder of seven UK outdoor masters records at 100m, 200m and 400m between the M45 and M70 age group, he added one more when his 26.03 took almost half a second off Glyn Sutton’s 26.47 from 2015.
Peters, the renowned sports psychologist and author of the Chimp Paradox, also won the 100m in 13.15 into a headwind on the Saturday (0.19 down on his own UK record) before enjoying better conditions on the Sunday. He next competes in the upcoming World Masters Championships in Gothenburg.
Mark Symes, himself a former world champion in the M45 and M50 age group being sidelined by a stroke, is now in the M55 age group and in the 1500m he ran a steady pace through the first two laps in around 70 seconds before kicking faster and faster and his 4:17.74 improved on Guy Bracken’s outdoor mark of 4:19.35 from 2019.
Symes also won the 800m in 2:07.22 compared to Reg Phipps’ 25 year-old record of 2:04.9.
On the Wednesday, Symes ran a mile at Guildford and his 4:36.10 again bettered one of Bracken’s UK marks (4:36.7 in 2017) and came close to the M55 world record of 4:35.10 by Andrew Bateman of Australia in 2010.
Mark Symes
Former European champion Andrew Ridley entered the M60 ranks a few days before his races here after running faster than the M60 world mile record the week before hitting the age group.
In Derby he tried front-running and his 1500m saw a fast start but he just faded slightly on the last lap and his 4:32.32 fell just short of Dave Clarke’s 4:30.82. Clarke was third here.
He also won the 400m in 59.24 before then running a more tactical but quick race in the 800m.
There, the indoor record-setter Rob McHarg set a fast pace with world indoor champion Clarke and Ridley holding on. In the straight, Ridley kicked hard and his 2:11.22 took Bob Minting’s 2:11.3 off of the books. McHarg (2:12.47) and Clarke (2:12.84) completed probably the best podium performance of the weekend.
Andrew Ridley
On Wednesday a few days after the championships at the same meeting as Symes ran in Guildford, Ridley set a world M60 mile mark of 4:41.81,…
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