Burton sending three to London mini-marathon
BURTON Athletic Club’s Ewan Withnall and Lincoln Shaw won their age group races at the East Midlands trials in Leicester to qualify for the London Mini-marathon.
Shaw’s was by some way the most dramatic victory.
He had just missed out in the under13 race last year but, still in the same age group, was determined to put that right.
He was among four leading entrants who had had little between them in the cross country season and, in a strong wind, settled into the leading pack.
Towards the end, Shaw picked up the pace and struck out into the lead. Into the last 100m, the boys in second and third closed in on him but he found a bit extra and won the 2.66km race with a final sprint.
It was more straightforward for Withnall, the strong favourite in the under-15 boys’ race.
After a steady start in the pack, Withnall pulled away after 600 metres and established a 20m gap.
He pushed on towards the end and came home well clear.
Lewis Boyce found the effects of a recent chest infection held him back in the same race and came ninth.
It was a tougher ask for the Nettleton twins, Charlotte and Millie, in the under-15 girls’ race, in which they soon spotted that most of the opposition were literally head and shoulders above them.
In the end, Charlotte came 10th and Millie 11th and they will be back for another crack at qualifying next year,
The West Midlands trial was held at Stourport and Saffron Bowley ran really well to make it a trio of Burton runners gaining selection for London.
The top five in the under-17 girls’ race were guaranteed selection, so that was Bowley’s minimum target.
A slow start saw her ninth but by the end of the 1.4km first lap she had moved to seventh.
She closed down and passed the next two in front of her to reach fifth and pulled away to clinch selection, a fine example of well-judged racing.
It is the first time the Burton club have qualified three for the London Mini-marathon races, which will take place on Saturday, April 20, ahead of the main marathon.