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Summer Spectacular

Thursday 18th July 2019

Summer Spectacular Text

There have been so many spectacular performances by Phoenix athletes over the last couple of months it’s been hard to keep up with them so here is a selection of some of the most notable ones.

Pride of place as ever naturally has to go to our Olympian Charlie Davall Grice, who followed up three impressive 1st places  in prestige races around the globe – mile wins at 3:54 and 3:56 miles plus a 3:34 1500m  - with his incredible record-breaking run - 3:30.62 - in the Diamond League 1500m race in Monaco on July 11, shaving a massive 3 seconds off his PB and beating Steve Ovett’s longstanding Phoenix club record.

Spencer Thomas has also been in outstanding form, setting a new PB of 1:47.10 in Belgium in early  June and following up with a win at the  England Athletics U23 Champs on June 22 (1:47.3) and  2nd place at the European U23 Champs in Sweden on  July 14  (1:49.06). Our European Champion U20 Toby Harries also produced more great performances at the National U23 Champs - finishing second  in the 200m  in 20.75, and at the European U23 Champs, finishing 4th in 21.17.

Meanwhile Simon Heath has been in record-breaking form here in Sussex, clocking some amazing times in some of the hilliest of local road races, completing both the Horsham and Heathfield 10ks in just over 33 minutes and the Bewl 15-miler in 1:26, taking him up to four wins in this year’s Sussex Grand Prix Competition. Despite a minor setback at the Phoenix 10k (only 3 days after Bewl!) when he had to settle for 5th place overall and 3rd place amongst the SGP-club runners, he still looks on course to claim the individual SGP title at the end of the season with an unbeatable (and we think unprecedented) perfect 6 wins/3000 points. Rachel Gorman has come close to matching Simon’s achievements in the Grand Prix, coming home as first woman finisher in the Horsham 10k by a country mile and repeating the feat at Heathfield (despite stopping en route to tie her shoelaces!)

Amongst the other amazing performances, you might have missed we have Archie Davis running a 3:40.30 1500m PB at the BMC Meeting on June 29, finishing neck and neck with George Mills who also clocked a PB of 3:40.32. George also claimed silver behind Spencer Thomas in the 800m at the National U23 Champs. 

Dave Powell  - a few days before his  50th birthday - broke the 30-minute barrier recording 29:55 over 5 tough miles on the South Downs in our traditional Blackcap Handicap on June 27. Jess Prior finished as 1st F20  in the British Age Group Triathlon Champs on June 9 clocking 2:17:46 over the standard distance course.

Milly Dickinson ran 2:16.32 at the Phoenix Open on May 29, and followed up with a win in the U17F 800m at the Sussex Schools Champs on June 8 and second place in the SE Schools Intercounty Match on June 15th. Finn McNally won the Worthing 10k on June 2 clocking 30:39. On May 26  Steve Atkinson (with a stress fracture in his foot!) ran the prestigious Westminster Mile in 4:54 to finish as 3rd V50; and on the same day Paul Whelpton clocked 38:46 over  the windswept flyovers and underpasses of the A34 in Birmingham  to win the V65 category in the Birmingham Masters International 10k for the second year running.

Many more performances and impressive individual PBs achieved by our athletes of all ages and abilities are listed on our Results page, and congratulations are due to all who have been part of our spectacular summer so far. Don’t forget to make sure your own performances, and/or your children’s, are listed on Power of 10 and runbritain – and please send us in pictures and reports from your races!