Potter stunned by unofficial 5k world record

Beth Potter admits she stunned herself by running an unofficial 5 kilometres world record at the Podium 5K in Lancashire on Saturday.

World Athletics officials will today begin a formal process to decide whether to ratify the Glaswegian’s time of 14 minutes and 41 seconds on the roads of Barrowford.

Her astonishing effort was two seconds below the existing women’s global best of Kenya’s Beatrice Chepkoech and ten seconds beneath Paula Radcliffe’s old British mark.

While attention focused on the continued impact of the shoe technology on show, it underlined the resolve of the 29-year-old, who has had to shrug off missing out on selection for the British triathlon team for the Tokyo Olympics – blocking out Potter’s rapid surge up the world rankings since she switched from athletics in 2016.

“I can’t believe that happened,” she said of her run in Lancashire . “There’s been a lot of hard training. And a big point to prove.”

Despite the time, Potter revealed she has yet to decide whether to return to athletics to hunt a Tokyo berth over 5,000 or 10,000 metres, having come 34th in the latter event in Rio five years ago.

“I don’t know what I’m doing yet,” she added. Although the Scot’s time was listed as official yesterday on the rankings of Run Britain, and the race was given a licensing permit, Podium 5k organisers will now be asked to provide formal evidence over a range of details including course measurement and doping control.

Meanwhile, Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya broke the women's world half-marathon record in Istanbul yesterday, clocking 1:04:01.