Camden Sports - by STEVE BARNETT Published: 12 February 2009
Alice Keane and Joanna Mobed at the Middlesex Championships
Runners’ mud trials
SOME of the capitals top young athletes are preparing to step up their training in a final push to be ready for the London Mini-Marathon. In a bid to determine 48 runners who will represent Camden in April, selectors held the first of two special trial sessions in Somers Town on Sunday.
Speedster William Laing was the star of the show as he won the boys’ 15-17 age category after completing a testing 2500m course in 7 minutes, 38 seconds. Max Coventry and George Laing took second and third place respectively as they both crossed the finishing line in under eight minutes.
Ben Mitchell was the first home in the 13-14 age group with a time of 8.37, closely followed by Raymond Vangiladio and Eugene Potter. Meanwhile Peter Laing Jimi Brock and Gabriel Springer took the top three places in the 11-12 age group.
Sophia Parvizi-Wayne won the overall girls race after just edging out Hannah Ashman. There were also strong performances from Isabel Barnes, Lottie Sorbie, Georgia Doolan, Theodora Prosser, Lulu Szego and Hannah Viner.
Camden and Islington’s promising young athletes brought Parliament Hill Fields to a standstill in their previous outing when they braved the freezing temperature to compete in the London Schools Cross-Country Championships.
Alice Keane was in sparkling form as she edged out her rivals in a competitive senior girls’ race. The Camden School for Girls’ pupil overcame the horrendously muddy conditions and competition from 27 other competitors to finish the 3600m course in first place with a time of 13.38.
In the intermediate girls’ contest, Amy-Jane Cotter of North Bridge House School completed the 3000m course in 13.18 to finish 12th out of a field of 96. Camden School for Girls’ duo Lottie Sorbie and Georgia Doolan also ran well to take 26th and 47th place respectively.
In the junior girls’ competition, Isabel Barnes showed great resilience as she completed the 2700m challenge in 12.09 to take 22nd spot out of a field of 165. Edith Ault and Kirsten Sorbie from Camden School for Girls took 28th and 43rd place.
In the boys’ competition William Laing of University College School put in another outstanding display to finish the 6300m senior race in fifth place with a time of 23 seconds flat. School mate Max Coventry also ran well to take 14th position.
George Laing was the highest placed Camden runner in the boys’ intermediate race after completing the 5400m in fourth place. Out of field of more than 100, Jack Morris of William Ellis School finished 18th, two places ahead of Tristan Goodman from University College School.
William Ellis trio Raymond Vangiladio, Lum Berbatovci and Patraic Collas also all ran well.
Finally in the boys’ junior race, Eugene Potter of Acland Burghley finished sixth out of more than 140 runners, while William Ellis class-mates Se Oba Smith and Benji Mitchell finished in 25th and 27th place respectively.