A sizzling evening at Trafford saw Holmfirth Harriers’ 800m Club Record fall for the first time in 19 years as Ted Chamberlain ran a superb 1.67 personal best in the Men’s BMC 800m A race.
Fresh from a huge, 6-second personal best over 1500m (3:47.15) at the BMC Loughborough Grand Prix three days earlier – a result which made Ted the third fastest Harrier of all-time over 1500m – Chamberlain was in inspired form at Trafford.
Although he was seeded in the Men’s 800m A race for the first time at a BMC Gold Standard meet, Chamberlain didn’t look a step out of place despite having the slowest PB on paper.
The race featured former fell runner and Halifax Harrier, Max Wharton, a 1:47 800m man and Nicholas Landeau from Trinidad & Tobago, himself a highly capable 800m athlete, operating around the low 1:48 mark.
Paced by Trafford AC’s Reece Ingley, the pack went through 400m in a fairly steady 54 seconds with Landeau leading, Wharton in second and Chamberlain tucked in behind his fellow Yorkshireman in third.
As Landeau and Wharton wound up the pace with 300m to go, Chamberlain stuck with it, staying relaxed and smooth throughout, putting in a solid last 200m to ensure he finished right on the coattails of Landeau, who held on for the win (1:49.16) and Wharton in second (1:49.61).
Chamberlain’s 1:50.07 was easily enough to surpass his own lifetime best of 1:51.74, run in May this year, and Mark Buckingham’s Club Record of 1:51.52 from 2004.
Shortly before the BMC meet had got under way, two Harriers had tackled 3000m with great aplomb.
U20 athlete Isabel Richardson continued her excellent start to the season by adding an impressive 10:47.18 to her Yorkshire County and West Yorkshire Schools 3000m titles in heat 2.
V55 Gary Graham, a man currently ranked 10th over 3000m in the V55 category, dug deep in heat 3 to run 10:35.30.
