Jo Pavey runs BMC members’ record and world W40 best as a number of qualifying marks are met at Watford

A BMC record, world W40 best, two World Junior Championships qualifying standards and four Commonwealth Games qualifying marks were achieved at the opening event of this season’s BMC Grand Prix in Watford on Saturday.

Fresh from winning the British 10,000m title the weekend before, where she ran a European Championships qualification time as well as a UK W40 record, Pavey returned to the track to run the 5000m in 15:11.92 which not only beat the England qualifying mark of 15:15.0 but also broke the BMC members’ record.

Pavey’s 10,000m outing had been her first track race since finishing seventh twice at the London Olympic Games in 2012 and giving birth to her second child last September. Having turned 40 last September, her time over 5000m in Watford was also a World Masters W40 record and easily bettered Helen Clitheroe s recent UK W40 record.

Behind Pavey, Beth Potter beat the Scotland qualifying mark for the Commonwealth Games in second with a PB of 15:40.79, while other Glasgow qualifiers were Northern Ireland s Katie Kirk in the 800m and Scotland s Mark Mitchell in the 1500m.

Adam Hickey won the men’s 5000m event in 14:04.25 as Ryan McLeod took the runner up spot with 14:10.75.

Kyle Langford and Amy Griffiths took important steps towards selection for the World Junior Championships at the meeting, as Langford ran a 1:47.41 PB for second in the 800m A race while Griffiths was fifth in the women s 1500 A event in a PB of 4:17.56.

Lynsey Sharp and Ross Murray were also back in action, Sharp winning the B 800m race in 2:03.90 and Murray finishing fourth in a 1500m won by Wales international Tom Marshall in what was only Murray’s second 1500m since the Olympics.

In the women’s 800m A race , which saw the late withdrawal of Jenny Meadows, Alison Leonard ran 2:02.79 to beat Kirk who posted a Commonwealth qualifier.

Charlene Thomas had to dig deep in the women’s 1500m to hold off Melissa Courtney as the pair clocked 4:14.08 and 4:14.16 respectively.

Tom Wade kicked hard in the last 200m of the men’s 3000m steeplechase to claim victory in 8:49.25, as there was a runaway victory for Kerry O Flaherty in the women’s event as she clocked 10:10.72 to finish 32 seconds clear of Laura Deadman.

See the May 22 issue of AW for more in-depth coverage from the BMC Grand Prix opener in Watford

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