PETE le Grice can look forward to the Frankfurt marathon at the end of the month with increasing confidence after another impressive performance in the Cardiff half marathon yesterday.
The Bristol & West AC runner (pictured top left) showed the organisers of the Great Bristol Run what they were missing – they declined his application for a late entry – with an impressive personal best time of 64mins 21secs.
That not only carved 34 seconds off the time he ran to finish third in the Bath half in March but also earned him the plaudits as second British runner across the line behind Thames Valley Harriers’ Mohamud Aadan.
Remarkably the top ten finishers were all Kenyans.
Le Grice’s time comes on top of further PBs of 14:30.6 in the Cheltenham 5,000, 29:32 in the Vitality London 10,000m road in May and that 2:16.23 to win the Brighton marathon in April.
It was that win which earned Le Grice his selection to represent England for the first time in Frankfurt on Sunday October 30th and all the evidence since is that the Cornishman is more than capable of improving that time as well to cap a brilliant year.
Le Grice wasn’t the only B&W runner to impress in Cardiff as GB international Jenny Spink flew back from her home in Spain to finish seventh overall and first Brit – another phalanx of Kenyans in front of her as well – in a time of 73:26.
Jenny Spink (far left) with Cornwall’s Emma Stepto and Rebecca Robinson.
That is her fastest time of the year and only 25 seconds outside her lifetime best of 73:01 which she ran four years ago – on the same course in the Wales capital.
Having run a marathon PB of 2:35.19 to win the Manchester event in April she, too, looks more than ready to go even faster the next time she lines up for the 26.2 miles challenge.
Also in Cardiff Former B&W runner Tom Merson was 15th in 66:26 and Calne Running Club chairman and reigning Tri Counties cross country champion Simon Nott smashed his PB with 67:13 in 16th.
B&W’s Maciej Bialogonski clocked 70:54 and Andrew Drake, pictured left with his medal, posted a PB of 74:36.
Weston AC’s Chris McMillan finished 32nd in 72:34, just three seconds outside his PB.