CECILIA MORRISON AND CLARE ELMS 'STAR' MIDDLE DISTANCE RUNNERS OF THE BRITISH MASTERS AT CARDIFF

CECILIA MORRISON ran to two World Age Records at Cardiff in the 40th British Masters Championships on the 3/4 of July. Cecilia won the W70 1500 in 6:04.59, on the Saturday and 5000m on the Sunday in 22:19.99. Then she went on to the European Masters Championships (15-24 July in Hungary) to win the W70 1500 by a large margin in 6:11.05. Ritter of Germany was second in 6:28.67. The UK's Betty Stracey was 5th in 7:27.42
    She told Runners Digest correspondent Alastair Aitken " I started running when I was 61, doing a couple of marathons which I hated doing but, then turned to the 1500 which I love doing. I have always enjoyed the 5k anyway. In the Winter I do 10k's for endurance."

STEVE SMYTHE, a good veteran runner for Dulwich Runners and Cambridge Harriers, with a Best marathon of 2:29 and also, the Results Editor ot Athletics Weekly, has been an invaluable coach to CLARE ELMS (Born 26/12/1963) who won the W45 1500/5000 at Cardiff in 4:44.58/17:25.88 and, he talked about her amazing two weeks leading up to those Championships.
    " 4:33.27 in the South of England Championships at Crystal Place in the senior race was the most outstanding, when she ran to a W45 British record.She led the race for the first two laps. If she had been actually able to follow somebody  there I think she could have got close to breaking 4:30. She beat the British record by seven seconds anyway. The last two weeks have been her best running ever. 400 PB on Monday, a 2 mile PB last week and a mile PB nine days ago so, she has set 200, 400, 800, 1500 and mile PB's and an outdoor 3k.'
    He added ' If anything her run at Dulwich was her best run when she ran 2miles in 10.32 when, she broke the Dulwich Senior Women's record held by Meredith Pannett, who was a very good runner.'
    Probably 'Age for Age' grading 4:33, which was a British record by seven seconds, because of the way the race was run. After she led for 800 then got into a box and had to get out of it. If she followed someone in something, like a BMC ne I am sure she could run a bit quicker.'
  In the British Masters cross country Championships in Ireland she beat runners much younger to win outright?
   " Yes, since I have come into veterans athletics it has always been like the big cross-country to me but, maybe, the Home International might be slightly better. It was always something I wanted her to do well in. The first couple of years she did not do perhaps as well as she could. Because it was at Belfast I think the standard was down. She beat everyone, after only going with 600 to do and she won by 15 seconds. The very next day she won against good people in the Southern Veterans cross-country Championships, including Lisa Elmore who finished in the top 20 in the actual Southern senior race. That was only 24 hours later.. She did not lose a cross-country race against seniors since November. Obviously she would not have won if she had run the Southern or National Senior race but she won Kent Leagues, British Masters, Kent Masters and a Surrey League.
   Exactly a year ago Clare was injured and unable to run at all?
   She has a slight niggle now but she came to the British Masters last year injured, having to drop out after only two laps of the 1500 and had May to July out and was always catching up but she has caught up and sort of gone by!