With Leeds City harriers focussing on the National and races such as the Dewsbury 10km getting called off due to the weather, there aren’t many results to report. However, there have been several notable performances.
James Wilkinson and James Walsh both competed for the Puma team at the Armagh 5km in Northern Ireland on 9th Feb, a race reknowned for strong fields, fast times and a great atmosphere. Despite neither training specifically for the 5km at the moment, both rose to the challenge, especially Wilko who won in 13:54, equalling the course record ahead of a very handy field. Walshy was not far behind, finishing 6th in 14:01 after setting the pace earlier in the race. In the women’s 3km race, Claire Duck maintained her excellent recent form to finish 10th in 9:54.
Just 2 days after Armagh, James Wilkinson was in action once again, competing over 3000m at the National Indoor Championships and Trials in Sheffield. He pushed the early pace, seeking a qualifying time for the World Indoor Championships, but the exertions of Armagh took their toll and he finished 5th in an indoor PB of 8:02. Simon Deakin made a rare appearance indoors and finished 9th in 8:10, also an indoor PB and his 3rd fastest time ever, indoors or out.
The Alsager 5 mile race went ahead in fairly treacherous, snowy and icy conditions on Feb 5th, and times were inevitably slower than usual. In a race run by Luke Cragg (a familiar face at South Leeds training sessions), Dave Webb finished 3rd in 24:55 to show that, despite a quiet winter, he is still in very good shape and could make a major difference to the team at the National.
