The Brit records her 15th British W60 record of the year with 18:35.95 in a windy race
Clare Elms has set her 15th British W60 record of the year, running a solo 18:35.95 over 5000m in breezy conditions (September 28).
The Brit, who’s recorded world age group records over 1500m and the mile both indoors and outdoors in 2024, had incredibly done no 5000m training in the build-up to the race.
A heel problem also meant she only averaged 10 miles a week in August.
Elms started her 5000m a little too quickly with a 3:35 first kilometre but then settled down to a steady pace of 89-90 second laps and went through half-way in 9:10.
It meant that Fiona Matheson’s mark of 18:38.75, set at the Scottish Athletics Masters Championships in 2021, was on for a major revision.
Clare Elms (Steve Smythe)
With her heel aching, Elms did slow down during the second half of the race but a last lap of 87 seconds saw her better Matheson’s time by just under three seconds.
Elms now holds the UK W60 marks at 800m, 1500m, mile, 3000m and 5000m and once her heel improves will look to target some longer road records in the autumn.
The Kent AC athlete had entered the English Masters International cross country trials at Crewe this weekend but competed on the track instead after already being selected for the English team at the event in Belfast in November.
Elms also recently starred in a mini-documentary on Callum Elson’s Youtube channel – The Distance Project – focusing on her background in running and ambitions in the sport.
Mark Edwards (Getty)
Another highlight from the weekend came from Mark Edwards after he smashed his UK M45 shot put record with a best throw of 17.26m.
Edwards, who competed for England at the 1998 Commonwealth Games, has a personal best of 20.88m in the discipline and is still fourth on the UK all-time list.
In 2011, Edwards was also banned for three years after testing positive for two prohibited substances.
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