Sub-4 mins in the Dave Clarke Mile

Another scintillating night of Mile racing at Wimbledon Park on 22 July saw winner Jack Kavanagh of Holland Sports, and second -placed athlete, Charlie Brisley (Newham & Essex Beagles) both dip under 4-minutes in the final race of the evening, the Dave Clarke Mile, sponsored by the Lauriston Runners Club. HW’s Andrew Penney was third in a PB of 4:0.68, which moves him into third place on the All-time ranking list, a sliver behind Mike Beevor’s time of 4:01.6 set way back in 1960.Given that the event also gives athletes 1500m split times, Andrew also moves up to fourth on that list with a time of 3:45.01.

The Mile record, of course, is held by Club Chairman, Dave Clarke, who posted his best time of 3:56.9 at Crystal Palace in 1982.

‘My favourite distance on the track was probably the Mile,’ he says. ‘For a distance runner the 4-minute mile is the equivalent of going under 10 seconds for a sprinter. There is such a satisfying symmetry about running four laps (of the old 440-yard track that is) within 4 minutes.’

In the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, when he set his raft of club records, Dave regularly trained with ‘a great group of runners’ based at Lauriston Cottage alongside Wimbledon Common, and it is in recognition of that connection that the Lauriston Runners Club generously sponsor this annual Mile meeting,

Fastest HW Woman of the night was Ruby Carter (left) who added to her set of five all-time Women’s records on the road with a first one on the track as she clocked a PB of 4:45.5 for the Mile.

Also posting a big Mile PB of 4:15.78 in the final race of the night was U16 Theo Creed (below left) who continues to enjoy a stellar season on the track. That time was good enough to break the old U17 record.

Next fastest, in the penultimate race of the night, was U18 Max Barckhahn who set both a Mile PB of 4:06.55 and a 1500m PB of 3:56.84.

In Race 13 (of 15) U20 Jack Hobden set a Mile PB of 4:21.36, while Charlie Eastaugh, who has a best Mile time of 4:06.55 from this meeting in 2021, celebrated turning 35 with an instant Vets Mile record of 4:23.25. And the irrepressible Clare Elms of Kent AC banked two new W60 World records for both the Mile and the 1500m (improving on the 1500m record she set at Wimbledon Park over the distance in May).

Earlier in Race 8, U14 Jamie Cardigan (below right) who only turns 12 this month ran 4:59.81, good enough to break the old U13 Mile record. Photograph by Wenjia (Cassie) Chen.

Thanks to Mark Hookway for all the other race photos.

Above: Charlie Eastaugh setting an M35 Mile Record

Thanks to Mark Hookway for the race photographs above and left.