Wednesday, September 15, 2010

UK ATHLETICS - WORLD HALF MARATHON CHAMPIONSHIPS

Andrew Lemoncello (coach: Greg McMillan) and Claire Hallissey (coach: Keith Brackstone) are the Aviva Great Britain and Northern Ireland team representatives for this year’s IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Nanning, China on Saturday 16 October.

The US-based duo – both targeting marathons later this year - will be looking to improve on their top 30 performances in the 2009 edition of the event when they led their Aviva GB & NI team mates home.

Lemoncello, who clocked 63.11 in the Marugame Half Marathon in February, is the only British male athlete to run inside the 63.30 guideline standard within the qualifying period and has built on that performance with a succession of quick 10ks, most recently finishing fourth in the BUPA Great Yorkshire Run (29:08).

Hallissey, who makes her full marathon debut in New York in November, was the impressive winner of the official trial race in Bristol with a new lifetime best of 72:02 in less than ideal conditions. Having backed that up with a 10k PB of 33.01 on 12 September, she’s now in a good position to better her 22nd place finish in Birmingham 12 months ago.

Ian Stewart, UKA’s Head of Endurance, said: “Andrew and Claire have been committed to increasing their mileage in recent years and both athletes have proved they can deliver solid performances over this distance within world class fields. We respect the fact that a number of athletes made themselves unavailable for selection, and others are focusing on the Commonwealth Games, but I’m confident that both athletes we have selected will perform well in Nanning.”
 
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