Bain believes he can go sub 14min. for 5k
CHRIS BAIN has his sights set on the 14min. barrier for 5km after breaking the Channel Islands road record last week.
The Edinburgh University medical student embraced the elite atmosphere of the Armagh International Road Race and clocked a rapid 14-23, yet he only crossed the line 64th in a testament to the sheer quality on show.
But his run was in a class of its own in CI circles, as he slashed 11sec. off in-form Jersey athlete Sam Maher’s record set last February.
This marked a 24sec. PB for Bain, who maintained a consistently swift tempo around the Mall before storming the final kilometre in an unofficial 2-42.
‘I’m really happy with the run and it continues the positive momentum I’ve been building over the winter,’ the Commonwealth Games hopeful said.
‘Taking the Channel Islands record off Jersey is always an added bonus too.
‘The field was unbelievably stacked, which meant I had to aggressively work my way through the pack, which was challenging at times as it was just so busy.
‘I’m hoping in a less chaotic race I should be able to go faster yet and to maybe even start looking towards the 14min. mark.’
That 14min. mark is significant because, although he never ran as fast on the roads, Lee Merrien boasts an overall Guernsey record of 13-57.66 from the track.
Within the same race in Armagh, fellow Scotland-based Guernsey athlete Sam Lesley ran a PB of 15-30. The Shettleston-based athlete improved his previous best by 6sec.
Last weekend, competing at the Barcelona Half Marathon, Sarah Eagles produced an Island Games B standard run of 87-17. The veteran was on track to beat her PB of 86-02 from Manchester in October but faded in the closing miles to still post her second-fastest time to date.
Also in Barcelona, fellow veteran Rich Hann continued his comeback from long-term injury with his second-quickest half marathon ever and best in over five years, posting 78-20.
n ABI GALPIN ran an indoor 400m personal best and finished third at the Keely Klassic, while Eloise Scholes posted her first Island Games standard at the BUCS Championships last weekend.
Indoor round-up to follow
