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By Rob Cole
Charlotte Arter is setting her sights on Berlin and the European Athletics Championships following her stunning weekend run in London.
The 26-year-old Cardiff AAC runner made the most of the euphoria surrounding the ‘Night of the 10,000 PBs’ at Highgate, London as she stripped 22 seconds off her previous best to book her place in the British team for Germany in August.
Arter, who ran for Team GB at the World Half Marathon championships earlier in the year, came home in third place in the 10,000 metre race in a time of 32 min, 15.71 sec to crack the qualifying time (32:30) for the August championships and move into second place on the Welsh all-time rankings.
Only Welsh record holder Angela Tooby has now run faster than her. She clocked 31:55.30 in Rome in 1987, while Arter’s time at the weekend moved her ahead of Susan Tooby (32:20.95) and Eli Kirk (32:17.05).
Arter said: “This the first stage in the race calendar, so now I can get back to training and look at planning for the Europeans in August.”
Israel’s Lonah Chemtai won the race in 31:32.56 with Romania’s Ancuta Boboce in second in 31:42.69. The next Brit home after Arter was Louise Small in 32:34.71, just outside the qualifying time.
Jenny Nesbitt, who ran in the 10,000 metres for Wales at the Commonwealth Games, also carved a huge chunk off her previous best as she finished seventh in 32:38.42. That was 20 seconds faster than she had ever run before – her pb came at the Gold Coast in April – and moved her into fifth on the Welsh all-time list.
Arter will now join Swansea’s Caryl Jones in the British team. The Commonwealth Games marathon runner has already been selected among a six strong British team for the Berlin race.
Dewi Griffiths, now taking the first tentative steps back after suffering hamstring and shin splint problems that wrecked his chances of going to the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, has also achieved the qualifying time to run in Berlin in the marathon.
