ELLIE Wallace opened her cross country season with an excellent top ten finish in the Cardiff Challenge at the weekend.
With the event now added to the World Athletics Tour, in addition to its long-established status as the opening fixture in the highly popular British Cross Challenge, the quality of the field weas even better than usual.
Outstanding Kenyan prospect Pamela Kosgei, who is still a junior, claimed victory from the British pair of Amelia Quirk (Bracknell) and Jess Gibbon (Reading) while there was an excellent run by Taunton AC’s Elle Twentyman to finish fourth.
Wales Commonwealth Games 5000m runner Jenny Nesbitt was fifth and former British junior international Megan Keith sixth before Wallace crossed the line in seventh.
That represents Wallace’s best result in this competition as a senior woman. Last year she placed 12th in the same event and was then subsequently 36th at Liverpool, which also incorporates the trials for the European Championships.
She was also first in the Gwent League competition.
Behind Wallace it was great to see former Bristol & West AC junior international Annabel Gummow, now racing for Herts Phoenix where she lives, finish 11th while Westbury Harriers’ Rosie Hamilton-James also made the top twenty in 19th.
Katrina Entwistle was the top Bristol & West AC runner in 21st .