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On Camp With Kelly – European Championships Novi Sad Serbia 26th July 2009

Louise’s training partner Charlotte Purdue clocked her third sub 16 minute time in the women’s 5000m final on Sunday but it was not enough to see of the challenge of Norwegian Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal, who also won the steeplechase on Saturday.  Grovdal led from gun to tape to win in 15:45.45 with Charlotte taking silver in 15:55.96, 45 seconds ahead of third placed Veronica Inglese from Italy who clocked 16:41.96.

Charlotte was the only athlete brave enough to follow Grovdal’s pace.  As she went through the first kilometre in 3:05.06 she has a five metre lead over Charlotte with the rest of the field 100 metres back.  But as Grovdal piled on the pace the gap back to Charlotte had stretched to 20 metres and to 50 metres by the 3000m point.

UKA – European Championships Novi Sad Serbia 26th July 2009

As predicted, Norway’s Karoline Grovdal took out the pace and Purdue was the only other athlete capable of following her impressive lap times. Within several laps however, Purdue was stranded, detached from Grovdal but way ahead of the pack and putting on an impressive solo time trial. Grovdal took gold with 15:45.45, with Purdue getting 15:55.96 and Lithuania’s Veronica Inglese securing third.
It was a welcome end to a long week where Purdue had to wait almost the entire length of the athletics programme to get on the track:
“It’s been so hard waiting,” she laughed. “Today I had to sit in my room whilst most of the team headed for the beach! But that’s okay as I can do the beach anytime.
“I planned to run my own race – I knew I would probably have to although I got a bit carried away with some faster laps earlier when Grovdal went off.
“I watched my training partners Simon Horsfield and Louise Small win medals yesterday – both bronze – so I had to make sure I went at least one better – I really wanted to win, but there’s always next year, I’ll still be a junior.
“I’ve bought myself about six pounds of pic ‘n mix as I made a bet with friends that I could give up sweets until the European Juniors, and that ends today! I think it’s been about fifty days so I’m looking forward to it!”

 

 

© Athletics Weekly

Britain dominate the junior and under-23 races in Brussels
By Steven Mills, December 14th 2008
At the European Cross Country Championships, Britain decimate the opposition
Women’s junior race
THE British team completely decimated the opposition in the junior race at the European Cross Country Championships and their dominance was absolutely unprecedented. Stephanie Twell successfully defended her title, as she led the junior girls home to the team title, filling the first six places, akin to Kenyan dominance at the World Cross Country Championships.

On a testing course, the British squad started conservatively but after the completion of the first lap, the sextet moved up to the fore en masse and after six-minutes, Twell and last year’s bronze medallist Charlotte Purdue started to gradually wind the pace up. The Russian team, who were leading the team race at the end of the first lap quickly fell back as the British team made their strength show and as the bell sounded, the British team were in the top five positions and the team race was a foregone conclusion.

Twell, who is a class act on the track with a 4:05 PB for 1500m, looked tremendously strong as she pushed on incessantly from Purdue, and the 19-year-old was never headed as she stormed to her third junior crown, with consummate ease.

Purdue, last year’s bronze medallist improved her position by one place, taking the silver medal and the 18-year-old Lauren Howarth took the bronze medal. Emily Pidgeon, who won the silver medal in 2005, passed Emma Pallant in the final 200m to come through for fourth place, just ahead of the world bronze medallist and having missed the break, Laura Park ran a tremendous last lap to move up from 13th to sixth.

All of this meant that the junior squad won their fourth successive junior title with the lowest possible score of 10-points, which is something that has never been achieved at the history of the championships. Furthermore, Twell became the first ever three-time victor in the junior division, which was a fitting end to a glittering junior career and judging by recent results, Twell will be poised to make an impression in the senior race next season.

Ukraine and Russia won the silver and bronze medals in the junior race, but were nowhere near the British phalanx.

© UK Athletics 14 December 2008

The Norwich Union Great Britain and Northern Ireland Team enjoyed a record-breaking SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Brussels on Sunday, topping the medal table with 12 medals including four gold.
On a day of unprecedented achievement, every GB & NI team in every age group won a team medal, Stephanie Twell (Aldershot, Farnham & District) won her third successive junior women’s title, a race in which the six British athletes filled the first six places. The latter is the first occasion one country has ever accomplished this feat at either a World or European Cross Country Championships.

U20 WOMEN, 4K
The GB & NI junior women’s team produced an astounding performance filling the first six places in the junior women’s race, led by individual gold medallist Stephanie Twell. Twell’s victory, in her last international as a junior was the third successive time she has won this title, another unprecedented achievement.
19 year old Twell, who narrowly missed a place in the Olympic 1500m final in Beijing, ran conservatively in the opening stages, but with about a third to go on the 4k course had opened a significant gap to club-mate Purdue.

It was a lead she never looked like losing and she was strong at the finish, clocking 13:28, Purdue was second in 13:39, followed by surprise bronze medallist Lauren Howarth (Leigh Harriers) in 13:55, Emily Pidgeon (Stroud & District) was 4th in 14:00, Emma Pallant (Aldershot, Farnham & District) was 5th in 14:05 and Laura Park (Ellenborough AC) was 6th in 14:05.


Purdue said: ”I was hoping for gold. It’s one place better than last year. So next year I will be going for gold and the year after that! There were no team tactics. I couldn’t believe it at the finish when I looked around and all the girls came in one after the other. This is a good stepping stone to the worlds.”
From UK Athletics

 

Twell and Purdue picked for Euros

 Purdue - set for Chiba Relay run days before trials

 

17 November 2008

 

Steph Twell and Charlotte Purdue (both Aldershot, Farnham & District) have been pre-selected for the Norwich Union Great Britain & Northern Ireland Team for the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Brussels, Belgium on Sunday 14 December.

Twell won the senior women’s race in Saturday’s Gateshead International, the opening event of this winter’s McCain UK Cross Challenge Series to demonstrate she is in fine fettle.

Twell and Purdue, both of whom will race in the junior women’s race in the Belgian capital, took gold and bronze respectively at last year’s Europeans in Toro, Spain. 19 year old Twell made history at the 2007 European Cross Country Championships, becoming the first athlete ever to defend the junior women’s title, after winning gold in San Giorgio su Legnano, Italy in 2006.

It preceded a remarkable year on the track which saw her win 1500m gold at the World Junior Championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland before going on to be the youngest British track and field athlete to compete at the Olympic Games in Beijing, where she reached the 1500m semi-finals.

In Brussels, she will be looking to extend her remarkable record yet further in what will be her final championship as a junior athlete and has been pre-selected so that she can complete her preparations, giving her the best opportunity to defend her title.

 

17 year old Purdue is another prodigious talent and - like Twell - is coached by Mick Woods.  She will be making her GB & NI senior debut at the Chiba Ekiden Marathon Relay in Japan on 24 November and will not race at the European trials which will take place in Liverpool just four days after she returns from Japan, allowing her to recover and focus on the European Cross Country Championships. 

Twell and Purdue led the GB & NI junior women to the team gold in 2007 and with the current strength in depth of junior women’s endurance running in the UK, they will be hopeful of making a strong defence of this title in Brussels.

 

Britain finish seventh in the Chiba International Ekiden
By Steven Mills, November 24th 2008 © Athletics Weekly


Purdue is the standout performer with a 15:32 5km leg
Chiba Ekiden, November 23
THE British squad finished a creditable seventh out of thirteen teams, as the mixed-gender team clocked 2:10:12 for the 42.195km distance but a young Ethiopian team were the class apart, winning in 2:05:27, defeating the host nation by more than one-minute.

Scott Overall ran a good first leg, covering the opening 5km in 13:44 to put the British team in fourth place, and only 10-seconds behind the Ethiopians, who led after the first stage but the 17-year-old Charlotte Purdue was the standout British competitor on this occasion, running a very swift 15:32 for the second 5km to move the British team into third place, with a time, which surpassed luminaries such as European 5000m record-holder Liliya Shobukhova. Meanwhile, the Japanese moved into the lead after 10km.

The British squad dropped to fifth after Ian Boneham’s 29:44 10km leg, whilst the Ethiopians regained their lead, thanks to a 28:20 leg from Dejene Gebremeskel but Freya Murray put the British squad back into a podium position, clocking a 16:08 5km leg but Britain drifted down the field, as veteran Ian Hudspith ran 30:29, which dropped Britain down to sixth place.

Caroline Hoyte anchored Great Britain into the stadium, losing one place on the 7.195km leg.

Fastest legs
1st leg – 5km Ali Abdosh (Ethiopia) 13:34
2nd leg – 5km Yuriko Kobayashi (Japan) 15:08
3rd leg – 10km Dejene Gebremeskel (Ethiopia) 28:20
4th leg – 5km Belaynesh Fikadu (Ethiopia) 15:34
5th leg – 10km Humegaw Mesfin (Ethiopia) 28:54
6th leg – 7.195km Mariya Konovalova (Russia) 23:31
 © Athletics Weekly

 

Great Britain and Northern Ireland finish seventh at International Chiba Ekiden Relay

 © UK Athletics    24 November 2008
Charlotte Purdue (AFD) helped the AVIVA GB&NI team to seventh place in the team standings at this year’s International Chiba Ekiden Relay in Japan, clocking 15.32 for her 5k leg of the race.
On her senior GB&NI debut Purdue, who currently sits in tenth place on the McCain Power of Ten UK Rankings for 5k, showed great form ahead of the European Cross Country Championships to be held in Brussels, Belgium on Sunday 14 December.
Her time is faster than the U20 5k record of 15.42 held by Sian Edwards however due to the downhill gradient it may not be ratified.  
Purdue's coach Mick Woods said: "Charlie had an outstanding run. Training has been going well which was a good indication that she was in great shape.
"Although the downhill course makes it hard to know how good it actually was, it was the third fastest run of the day so I'm over the moon.
"I told her to run as she normally does in relay's and run positively. Despite being young she shows alot of maturity, especially being able to cope with a senior debut."
The AVIVA GB&NI team finished with an overall time of 2:10:12, helped particularly by Scott Overall (Blackheath & Bromley Harriers AC) who clocked the fastest lap of the team with 13.44.
Team members Ian Boneham (Notts AC), who completed his 10k in 29.44, Freya Murray (Chester le Street & District), who finished the fourth leg with 16.08, Ian Hudspith (Morpeth Harriers), clocking 30.29 as he crossed the line and anchor leg Caroline Hoyte (Arena 80 AC) who finished the 7.195k distance in 24.55, returning to the international fold after last representing GB & NI at this event in 2001 made the trip a successful individual and team affair.
For the second year running Ethiopian men’s and women’s teams took both victories, once again confirming their international dominance of endurance running.
Team results were:

1st - ETH 2:05.27
2nd - JPN 2:06:39
3rd - RUS 2:08:04
4th - JUT 2:08:47
5th - AUS 2:09:6
6th - CHIBA 2:10:00
7th - GBR 2:10:12
8th - USA 2:11:54
9th - CAN 2:11:56
10th - CHN 2:12:11
11th - SWE 2:12:16
12th - BRA 2:14:15
13th - ROU 2:15:37

 

On Camp with Kelly Latest News

 

Charlotte Purdue pre-selected for European Cross Country
17 November 2008 © On Camp with Kelly


Charlotte Purdue‘On Camp with Kelly’ athlete Charlotte Purdue (Aldershot, Farnham & District) has been pre-selected for the Junior Women’s race at the Spar European Cross Country Championships in Brussels, Belgium, on Sunday 14 December.

Charlotte, who won the bronze medal at the championships 12 months ago, has been pre-selected together with her training partner under coach Mick Woods, Steph Twell, who is also the reigning champion.  In 2007 they led the team, which also included OCWK athlete Charlotte Roach, to team gold medals.

Charlotte has been in fine form already this winter, running the second fastest leg amongst seniors at the South of England Road Relays on 27 September and the National Road Relays on 18 October as well as the second fastest Under 20 leg at the Saucony Cross Country Relays on 1 November behind Twell.

The trials for the remaining places in the Norwich Union Great Britain and Northern Ireland Team for the European Cross Country take place at the McCain UK Cross Challenge meeting in Liverpool on Saturday 29 November and a number of ‘On Camp with Kelly’ athletes will be in contention for places in the Under 20 and Under 23 teams.

Charlotte travels to Japan this week to compete for the Norwich Union GB Team in the prestigious Chiba Ekiden Marathon Relay in Japan on 24 November and will not compete in the trial race.


Photo © Mark Shearman

 

On Camp with Kelly Latest News   Charlotte Purdue selected for Chiba Ekiden
21 October 2008 © On Camp with Kelly


‘On Camp with Kelly’ athlete Charlotte Purdue (Aldershot, Farnham & District) has earned her first ever selection for the senior Norwich Union Great Britain and Northern Ireland Team.

Charlotte will compete in the prestigious Chiba International Ekiden Relay in Japan on 24 November.  The Ekiden is a relay over the marathon distance and Charlotte will run one of the 5km legs.  She will be joined in the mixed team by Scott Overall (5km), Ian Boneham (10km), Freya Murray (5km), Ian Hudspith (10km) and Caroline Hoyte (7.2km).

Charlotte’s selection follows her excellent performance at the ERRA Road Relays on Saturday 18 October where she clocked the second fastest leg and helped Aldershot, Farnham & District to first place.  Also in the winning AFD team was fellow OCWK athlete Emma Pallant.


Photo © Mark Shearman