Max Burgin’s catch-me-if-you-can tactics don’t quite work in Manchester as Dan Rowden wins UK 800m title as Neil Gourley, Will Battershill and Chris Snook also take men’s endurance titles

Max Burgin only knows one way to run. Hit the front, run as hard as you can and try to hang on.

Such tactics must intimidate some of his rivals before the race even starts. But in this year’s UK Championships men’s 800m final Daniel Rowden timed his finish to perfection to take gold in 1:45.13 as Ben Pattison snatched silver with 1:45.15 as Burgin collapsed across the line exhausted in third with 1:45.16.

The heats on Saturday (July 8) saw Burgin, the defending champion, run his first race of the year following a battle in recent months to control Achilles issues. He front-ran in typical style but “only” with a 52sec first lap whereas in Sunday’s fireworks as he led through 400m in 49.74.

At this point he held a lead of around six metres over Rowden, Yusuf Bizimana and Pattison with Olympic 1500m medallist Josh Kerr bringing up the rear.

If anything Burgin seemed to extend his lead down the back straight as he passed 600m in 76.78. Coming into the home straight, though, he began to visibly tire as Rowden and Pattison in particular began their charge.

Into the final 10 metres, Burgin began to lose his form and appeared to stub his toe into the track, falling forward dramatically over the finish line as Rowden and Pattison eased past.

Burgin is known for being sick after races. This time, though, he collapsed entirely and was stretchered off the track.

“Coming down the home straight it was just a case of trying to hold form,” said Rowden, who will now chase the qualifying time of 1:44.70 in Italy and London in coming days. “You know if Max turns up, he’s in good shape. If he’s on the start line, he’s a force to be reckoned with.”

Behind the top three, Ethan Hussey finished strongly for fourth in 1:45.72, Kerr picked some rivals off on the last lap to finish fifth in 1:46.35 and Bizimana was sixth in 1:46.43.

Neil Gourley won a slower, tactical 1500m race in 3:46.16 as he out-kicked Elliot Giles, George Mills, Matt Stonier and Adam Fogg.

In a déjà vu of the deluge that hit the championships 24 hours earlier, Mills led in the latter stages through the rain with Giles well placed on his shoulder. Into the home straight, Giles hit the front as Stonier attacked from wide but Gourley found a gap on the inside and surged through to take gold.

“You don’t even notice the weather when you’re so locked into what you’re doing,” said Gourley, who plans to head to St Moritz for the first time for a spell of training ahead of the World Championships.

Will Battershill also showed a fine turn of speed to out-kick Zak Seddon in the 3000m steeplechase. Battershill ran 8:44.19 in Manchester and now plans to attack the selection standard of 8:18.50 at the Gyulai István Memorial in Budapest in a few days’ time.

Nineteen years after his mother, Verity, won the UK 5000m race walk crown, Chris Snook won the men’s 5000m race walk title in 21:35.72. “I got challenged today but got my head down, got through it and had a pretty good result,” he said.

“It was difficult, though. I wasn’t expecting it to be so hot. I’ve also been battling illness for a few weeks, which hasn’t been great. But I gave it my all and I’m pleased.”