Beth Potter, Alex Yee head speedy triathletes at Podium 5k

Alex Yee breaks previous British 5km road race record **

(** Unfortunately, six seconds after Mark Scott…!)

There was no shortage of fast running in Lancashire on Saturday evening – with plenty to suggest that many of Great Britain’s Elite triathletes have not let the Covid-19 issues stop their training. Despite an obvious lack of racing, there were lots of personal bests recored at the Podium 5k event in Barrowford.

Rio 2016 Olympian over 10,000m, Beth Potter, won the European Elite Triathlon Championships in 2019 and took the win on Saturday. Her 15:24 time was four seconds quicker than her 5000m track PB and allowed her to set a course record time.

Fastest ‘triathlete’ was Alex Yee, who like Potter bettered his track best over the distance, which was set in 2019 at the Anniversary Games (13:29:18). His 13:26 was one second inside the previous British 5km road record – but that honour went to race winner, Mark Scott, with new best figures of 13:20.

Bronwen Owen, Ben Dijksra, Jonathan Brownlee and Grant Sheldon all impressed, in what for many would have been their first (non-virtual…) competition for many months. Impressive.

Podium 5k Races – Barrowford, Lancashire

Podium 5k Elite Female Race

1st – Beth Potter (Shaftesbury Barnet) – 15:24
2nd – Jess Judd (Blackburn Harriers) – 15:36
3rd – Verity Ockenden (Swansea AC) – 15:37
4th – Bronwen Owen (Leeds City AC) – 15:45

Podium 5k Elite Male Race

1st – Marc Scott (Cambridge & Coleridge) – 13:20
2nd – Alex Yee (Kent AC) – 13:26
3rd – Phil Sesaman (Leeds City AC) – 13:39

7th – Ben Dijkstra (Leicester Corinthian) – 13:44
8th – Jonathan Brownlee (Bingley Harriers & AC) – 13:46
9th – Grant Sheldon (Cambulsang Harriers) – 13:51