British Masters Outdoor T&F Champs

[Mon 23rd Jul]

I spent the last weekend at Derby competing in the British Masters Outdoor Track and Field Championships and ended up having an amazing weekend.

On a very hot Saturday afternoon I prepared to race in the 100m which was a straight final with all 8 lanes occupied.  The heat was getting to most of the athletes and I was no exception, feeling drained before the start even though I’d been drinking all day.  Once underway it turned out to be one of the most competitive races I’ve ever been in and although I did not manage a great time (12.26s) I came away with a bronze medal.

Sunday was just as hot as Saturday and I decided to keep my warm-up to a minimum so I arrived late at the stadium, registered, declared and then completed my warm up in 20mins – ready to race!  I was well up for this one, again it was a straight final of 8 athletes and again had a very good field (2 GB runners in this one).  As I came out of the blocks I heard Eric Smart shouting go on Dave and I gave it everything, running what felt like a great bend and staying ahead for the first 120m which was the point at which the 2 GB runners started to pass me but I didn't let it phase me, I kept my form and came home again in 3rd place and in doing so set a new PB of 24.71s.

A fantastic weekend and a fantastic season – all of main goals for this season have been met – gold at the indoor county championships, 2 national level medals at the Scottish Masters and 2 more national level medals at the British Masters.

Roll on 2013!

Dave