While Great Britain & Northern Ireland’s cross country runners were winning medals in Turkey, the GB & NI 100 Kilometre team were winning medals further afield in Bengaluru, India at the IAU World Championships.
In temperatures reaching well over 30 degrees during the race, both the men’s and women’s GB & NI teams won hard-earned team medals, with Sarah Webster taking a superb individual bronze medal.
In the women’s race, Webster, along with the French duo of Floriane Hot and Marie-Ange Brumelot, traded places in the early stages.
Webster made a break, and at one point, held a three-minute lead. As the race progressed and the temperature rose, she was passed first by Hot, the defending champion from the last championships in Berlin in 2022, and then Brumelot. The two French runners stayed strong to the end. Hot recorded 7:08:43, and Brumelot took silver in 7:12:22, leading them to the team title.
Webster held on for a superb bronze medal, recording 7:19:18. GB and NI’s first individual medal at a 100km world Championships since Jo Zakrzweski also claimed bronze in 2016 in Spain.
Backed up by Melissah Gibson, who finished 5th in 7:35:27, and Julia Daves, 9th in 8:01:05, the GB and NI team took the silver medals, with USA third.
The brutal conditions led to several runners dropping out. Britain’s Caroline Turner among them. She retired after 80 kilometres once it was certain GB and NI were going to have three finishers for the team competition.
In the men’s race, the British men were led home by Alex Milne: Milne, a top 10 finisher at the 90km Comrades marathon in June. Respectful of the conditions, they all ran superbly paced races, finishing strongly with five runners in the top 20 more than any other country.
Jarlath McKenna was 9th in 6:51:20, James Turner 11th in 6:53:17, Joe Turner 13th in 6:53:43 and Chris Richardson 16th in 6:56;16. Dougie Selman finished a little further back in 29th position in 7:22:48.
Finally, in the World Masters championship held within the race, Sarah Webster took gold in the FV45 category and Jarlath McKenna the bronze in the MV40 category.
Men’s Individual Category
1.Jumpei Yamaguchi (Japan) 6:12:17
2 Antonio Jesús Aguilar (Spain) 6:25:54.
3 Haruki Okayama (Japan) 6:37:54.
4 Toru Samiya (Japan). 6:39:58
6: Chikara Omine ( USA). 6:40:57
7 Alex Milne (Great Britain). 6:43:21
29 Dougie Selman. (Great Britain) 7:22:48
Women’s Individual Category
1.Floriane Hot (France), 7:08:43.
2Marie-Ange Brumelot (France) 7:12:22.
3.Sarah Webster (Great Britain) 7:19:18.
4 Miho Nakata (Japan). 7:25:52
5. Melissah Gibson. Great Britain) 7.35.27
6. Domimika Selmach (Poland). 7:37:15
14. Julia Davis Great Britain. 8:01:05
Team Category (Men)
Gold.Japan (19:30:09).
Silver Spain (20:02:32).
Bronze: Great Britain & Northern Ireland (20:28:18).
Team Category (Women)
Gold: France (22:27:05).
Silver: Great Britain & Northern Ireland (22:55:50).
Bronze: USA (23:36:49).