With entries closing shortly, let’s look ahead to the British Masters Indoor Track & Field Championships. Over 40 British record holders are entered for the event, which is due to take place at Lee Valley on the 5th and 6th of March.
Here we take a look at the men’s entries.
M55s Go Vertical
As should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with masters athletics, Mark Johnson is entered for the pole vault. A 5.26 vaulter at his best, the Leeds City athlete has seven British records indoor and out.
With a clean sweep of national records from M40 to M55 indoors, including a European record as an M50, Johnson will hope to go close to his 4.40 age group best.
Johnson’s clubmate Steve Linsell is due to compete in both the high jump and the discus, though it is the former where the Northern Masters athlete holds five British records. Breaking the M55 record two years ago with a jump of 1.71 to win the British title, Linsell has cleared 1.68 this season.
Stacked M60s
Recent M60 shot put record-breaker and former decathlete Allan Leiper is due to compete in seven different field events, including all five throws. The fight for medals in the shot should be close, with seven men entered expecting to throw over the ten metre mark.
Joining Leiper in the discus is John Moreland, the British M60 record holder. A throw of 56.84 in 2020 secured Moreland the record, and the MMAC athlete has already broken 50 metres so far this year.
Alongside four other events, Andrew Waddington is in the high jump, for which he holds the British M60 record outdoors. Setting a mark of 1.62 at the British Championships last year, the SCVAC athlete jumped 1.58 earlier in the year on his way to the British M60 pentathlon title.
Paul Guest holds the M60 records for long jump indoors and out, and it is that he is entered for, alongside the triple jump and 60 metres. A mark of 5.37 at Loughborough secured the SWVAC athlete the British indoor record earlier this year, and he could go further still.
Finally in the M60 category, Tennyson James is the British record holder for the 60 hurdles, and he is due to race that alongside the 200 and 400 metres at the championships.
World Record Holder Entered in M65s
After a second place at the British 3000 Championships earlier in the year, David Bedwell is due in the 1500 metres at Lee Valley. Until Wednesday, David was the British record holder for the indoor mile, setting a time of 5:21.41 in 2019.
That record stood until our next British record holder took on the distance at the Ayo Falola Dream Mile event. Set to tackle the 800 and 1500 metres double at the championships, Paul Forbes raced to a new world record of 5:04.02 to break the world record for the mile.
Prolific this indoor season, Forbes has set an M65 world record over 800 metres, lost out on the 1500 metres best by under a second, and could be fancied to have a second attempt in Lee Valley.
Kevin Archer is the outdoor M65 British record holder over the mile, and will also tackle the 800/1500 double.
Distance Record Holders in the M70s
Entered in six events is the multi-talented Adrian Essex. After setting the British M70 record for the long hurdles at Nuneaton last summer, he will hope to race well over the shorter 60 metres hurdles.
David Oxland is another athlete who has had a highly active indoor season. breaking the 800, 1500, and 3000 metre records. At the Championships, the Midland Masters athlete will again take on the 800 and 1500 metres, perhaps with another record to come.
Take a look back on David Oxland’s record breaking performances in our archive here.
Mile record holder indoors and out for the M70 age group Derek Jackson is also in the metric equivalent. A shot put record holder as an M65, Neil Griffin is on the start list for the M70 event.
M75s Entered for Runs, Jumps, and Throws
Victor Novell jointly holds the British M75 record over 60 metres, and will tackle that event along with the 200 metres. Also in the 60 metres is Allan Long, who owns both the indoor and outdoor triple jump records in the M75s.
Attempting a quintet of throws events is Barry Hawksworth, who has the British record at M65 and M70 in the weight throw.
M80 Shot Putt Record Under Threat
John Scott broke the M80 shot put record just a few days ago at the Scottish Masters Championships, with a put of 11.14. The Northern Masters athlete could better it again at the championships in a deep field.
Warwick Dixon Leads M85s
Prolific winner at the British Championships last year, and holder of all British M85 outdoor throws records is Warwick Dixon. Entered for all five again at Lee Valley, any of the SCVAC athlete’s records could go in this early season meeting.
Take a look back at when Warwick was featured on the BBC here.
M95 Entered in Three Events
Oldest athlete at the championships, Dalbir Singh Deol, is up for a treble of the 60, 200, and 400 metres. Running for Veterans AC, Deol has the British records for the three events indoors at M90.
Deol will look to better Charles Eugster’s British records in the 60 metres and European record in the 200 metres. The record over 400 metres is vacant at British and European level.
If you want to get a piece of the action, get yourself to Lee Valley by entering below.
For a look at the women’s entries, click here.