US-based Brit goes No.4 on British all-time rankings as we bring you the highlights from the track, road and country in the UK and overseas in recent days

Most eyes were on Valencia this weekend for the half-marathon and marathon races. To read about the world record in the Spanish city and other fast performances, see more here.

The Track Meet, San Juan Capistrano, California, USA, December 5

The first four achieved Olympic qualifying times. Eric Jenkins won the 10,000m in 27:22.06 from the Australian record of Pat Tiernan (27:22.55) and Ed Cheserek (27:23.58).

In fourth, Briton Sam Atkin ran a two-minute PB with 27:26.58 to set a European lead for 2020 and Olympic qualifier as he went fourth all-time in Britain ahead of the likes of Brendan Foster and Dave Bedford.

The only Brits who are now quicker than Atkin over the 25-lap distance are Mo Farah (26:46.57), Jon Brown (27:18.14) and Eamonn Martin (27:23.06).

Atkin (pictured above) had run a 5000m PB the day before of 13:18.57 and meant he completed the greatest ever two-day distance double by a Brit surpassing Bedford’s 1972 Olympic trials double of 13:17.2/27:52.44.

Born in Grimsby, Atkin has competed for Lincoln Wellington in the past and beat Ben Connor to the North of England under-17 cross-country title 10 years ago. He went to study at Lewis-Clark State College in Idaho several years ago, though, and has clearly flourished lately to find such good form.

Atkin’s friends and relatives in the UK woke up to see his fine result too. These included his twin sister, Jen, the current Miss Great Britain beauty pageant winner.

At the same meeting in Calfornia, Luis Grijalva won the 5000m in 13:16.75 from Cooper Teare (13:17.13) and Drew Hunter (13:17.55).

Olympic 1500m champion Matt Centrowitz won another section of the 5000m with 13:32.92, while US record-holder Shelby Houlihan won the women’s race in 15:02.55 with Elise Cranny also inside the Olympic standard with 15:04.88.

Eight women achieved Olympic qualifying times (31:25) in their 10,000m race led by Rachel Schneider’s debut 31:09.79 from Eritrean Weini Kelati’s 31:10.08 national record.

Braganca Paulista, Brazil, December 6

South American record-holder Darlan Romani easily won the shot with 20.91m while world No.1 Auriole Dongmo from Portugal won the women’s event with an Olympic qualifying 18.57m.

Yokohama, Japan, December 5

Kenyan Stanley Waithaka won the 10,000m with 27:48.27.

South Island Championships, Christchurch, New Zealand, December 6

The 2017 world champion Tom Walsh won the shot put with a 19.22m throw.

Perth, Australia, December 4

Commonwealth Games pole vault bronze medallist Nina Kennedy cleared an Olympic standard 4.70m.

Fukuoka, Japan, December 6

Yuya Yoshida won the famous marathon in 2:07:05, taking more than a minute from his PB. Shohei Otsuka was second in 2:07:38 and Natsuki Terada third in 2:08:03 as the first 13 went under 2:12.

Tashkent, Uzbekistan, December 6

There was a Uzbekistan record and Olympic qualifier for Andrey Petrov in 2:10:06, while Mariya Korobitskaya also clocked a national record and Olympic qualifier of 2:26:42.

Running Grand Prix, Goodwood, December 6

In cold and breezy conditions on the far from flat Goodwood circuit, M40 Ewan Cameron took three minutes off his marathon PB with 2:19:17 to win the men’s race by over five minute and go into the UK top 10 for 2020.

Steph McCall won the women’s race in a PB of 2:44:35.

The men’s half-marathon race was a much closer affair with Ross Skelton (66:48) just heading Paul Navesey (66:52), while Tracy Barlow won the women’s race in 78:02.

Barlow was third Briton in this year’s elite London Marathon and the second athlete Naomi Mitchell just missed her 10km PB by 10 seconds as she won in 34:27.

Clare Elms’ 37:44 was the pick of the veteran performances as she went top of the UK W55 rankings.

George Dollner won the men’s 10km race in a PB 31:08.

Remembrance Run Hertfordshire 10km, Hemel Hempstead, December 6

Ryan Burling led two others inside 30 minutes in misty conditions. Burling (below) won in 29:49 with Tom Frith (29:54) and Timothy Lefroy (29:58) also inside the half-hour barrier. Elle Roche won the women’s race in 35:46.

Lindsays Scottish Athletics Invitational, Scone Palace, December 5

Scottish cross-country champion Jamie Crowe won the men’s 2.8km race in 8:13, two seconds clear of Sean Chalmers.

Inter-Counties under-20 champion Megan Keith won the women’s race comfortably over the same course in 9:33 from the 2019 England under-20 steeplechase champion Holly Page.

Junior Performance Cross series, Cookham, Berkshire, December 5

In one of the first cross-country races to take place following the expiry of England’s lockdown, this invitation-only event was hosted by Copas Pick Your Own Farm, Martin Duff reports.

Due to coronavirus restrictions there were no more than seven runners in each wave and 15 seconds between each.

Chiltern Harriers dominated the under-13 girls’ event with Izzy Martin just getting the overall verdict from clubmate Emily Ford as both were quickest in their wave.

For some it was their first outing of the year and this was true of Windsor’s Ross Van Heerde who won the under-20 event. For others it was their first run out since the initial lockdown in March and Radley’s William D’Arcy, who was 12th in the Inter-Counties, took the scalp of Welsh champion Frank Morgan, who was seventh there.

Another Welsh champion also had to finish runner-up in the under-15 boys event. Iwan Thomas was comprehensively beaten by Chiltern’s Thomas Redmond in the top wave of their event. Fifth here was English National under-13 champion Alden Collier.

There was one winner from across the Severn Bridge as Welsh Schools champion Bethan Hardman, who started in the second under-15 girls’ wave, wound up five seconds to the good of opening wave winner Rachel Clutterbuck.

South of England under-15 champion Charlotte Dewar (below) won the under-17 race and got the better of under-20 Windsor clubmate Amy Young, who was tenth in the under-20 English National.

Additional information and the leading results are in our Clubhouse section for subscribers – read here.