No Half Measures
We look ahead to this weekend’s Bath Half
The return of Dave Coales to the start line of the Bath Half Marathon on Sunday will be among the most heart-warming stories of this year’s event.
The Team Bath AC runner has been a regular in the city’s premier event but his last appearance in 2017 marked a low in his career.
On that day Coales struggled to get to the finish in a time of 82mins 40secs, which was his slowest time for the distance.
More worryingly he didn’t feel well and following many months of visits to doctors and specialist and undergoing numerous test he underwent a Cardiac Ablation Procedure in Sep tember 2017.
“It’s been a long road back to put it mildly, but I’m delighted to be back,” said Coales.
“I remember saying 18 months ago that I was determined to get back. My personal best is 71 minutes, however after health issues I will be more than happy with 78-79 minutes.”
On Sunday Coales is representing Rotork in the Corporate Challenge w-here, along with 45 of his Rotork col leagues, he will be raising money for Children’s Hospice South West.
“We are still looking for support and anyone who is interested should l-og onto www.justgiving.com/fund raising/rotork-bath-half-2019,” added Coales.
“-It has been good fun training col leagues and trying to pass on my experience of over 30 half marathons and 27 full marathons. I’ve been very keen that they don’t make some of the mistakes I have made in the past.”
Joining Coales on the start, as he has done every year since the race was launched in 1982, will be Pat Rogers, who is looking in good form after injury issues have troubled him in more recent times.
Tom Davies has looked sharp this winter and is capable of beating his personal best of 76:21 and maybe even breaking 75 minutes to qualify for next year’s London Marathon Championship start.
T-eam Bath’s leading man on Sun day could be Aaron Pritchard, who was left frustrated last spring when in great form as first Bath was cancelled due to the snow, followed by the Reading half two weeks later.
P-ritchard is looking for 71-72 min utes and on form should improve his best of 73:34 recorded in the 2017 Bath Half.
Ewen Malloch reckons he is short of his best form but with a lifetime best of 68 minutes is more than capable of dipping well under 75 minutes.
In the women’s race Eilidh Bell makes only her second appearance of the year after a personal best of 36:59 f-or fourth in the Speedway 10k in Jan uary.
“To be honest I would like to think I can run a personal best in Bath but I am not sure what shape I am in,” said Bell.
“I had a month off from December and into the New Year and went hiking in Nepal but since then I have been training okay and the 10k I did in January. As for the half we’ll have to see what happens on Sunday.”
To date Bell hasn’t raced Bath and admits she has been hearing mixed messages about the event.
“I have heard mixed reports about the Bath Half course,” added Bell.
“I know a lot of people run PBS on it although they say it is not a flat course by any means, but the atmosphere and the crowd support is excellent and that really helps to push you on.
“On the other hand some people reckon it is totally flat. As for being two laps I don’t mind that at all. When I ran my marathon PB in Spain last year that was on a two-lap course and I found it really helped with pacing myself. I am looking forward to it.”
■■ Dan Jones’ decision to run the Vitality Big Half in London on Sunday rather than Bath this weekend was rewarded with an emphatic personal best.
It has been a long time coming for the Team Bath AC runner as he carved 1min 12secs off his seven-year-old best with a time of 72:34 to move into the top ten of the 2019 South West rankings for the distance.
“I am really pleased with that time,” said Jones, a former winner of the
Running Bath/chronicle performance of the month competition.
“-For the first four miles I was run ning at under 72 minutes pace but c-onditions were pretty blowy on Sun day and that cost me.
“I reckon had they been better I would have broken 72 minutes but I didn’t feel too bad at all at the finish and that bodes well for the London Marathon, which is my next big target.”
On the evidence of that performance Jones is looking in shape to go under 2:30 for the first time in London next month.
■■ Youngster Dylan Stoneman had a fantastic run in the Inter Counties Cross Country Championships at Prestwold Park, Loughborough, on Saturday.
Representing Avon & Somerset the Beechen Cliff schoolboy finished an impressive 13th – just six seconds away from making the top ten.
Remarkably just 12 months ago in the same race over the same course Stoneman finished 126th, which underlines the huge improvements he has made, including his recent 3-0th place in the English Champion ships two weeks ago.
Stoneman will now be hoping to finish off his season in style when he represents Avon at the English S-chools’ Cross Country Champion ships in Leeds on Saturday.
Combe Down runner Max Davis continued his fine season with 40th place in the under-20 men’s race while Ella Treby, Freya Spruit and A-lex Parsons also performed credita bly.
■■ Team Bath AC is hosting a Minors
Open Athletics meeting at the sports training village, University of Bath on April 7 – and entries are now being taken.
The event is specific to U11 and U13 age groups only and offers a great opportunity for the young athletes to o-pen their season. For more informa tion, visit teambathac.org/team-bathac-minors-open/
■■ County champion Alex Parsons will spearhead the Avon inter boys’ team at the at the English Schools’ Cross Country Championships in Leeds on Saturday.
Parsons was an impressive winner a-t the Avon Championships in Febru ary and while the South West event was cancelled due to bad weather, he’ll be looking to improve upon his 46th place last year.
In support will be his Team Bath clubmate Justin Davies, while other local athletes taking part include Dylan Stoneman, Will Connors, Max Davis and Lucy Fitzpatrick.
■■ Earlier this month 1,142 men and women raced the 10km and 408 raced the 5km distances at the Bath Two Tunnels races.
In addition the children had a fun colourburst run before the start of the races.
In the 10km race, Alan Baker won o-verall at 34:06. The women’s cham pion was Erin Willmers in 39:33.
In the 5km race Jason Scott won overall in 18:23 while Claire Sparrey clocked in at 21:41.
■■ The Chronicle’s athletics coverage is sponsored by Running Bath, the city’s premier running shop. Visit Running Bath at 18 High Street, or call 01225 462555 for more information.