trio take part in british athletics championships

There were three Morpeth Harriers in competitive action at the Muller British Athletics Championships at the weekend.
 
San Francisco-based James Young returned home to take part in one of the most keenly-contested events, the Men’s 1500m. Running in the first of Friday’s heats, Young qualified in third place in a time of 3 minutes 43. 99 seconds behind one of the event’s overall favourites, Josh Kerr of Edinburgh AC along with Jake Heyward of Cardiff to make Saturday evening’s final.
 
This proved to be a very close contest between Kerr, Neil Gourley of Giffnock North AC and Jake Wightman of Edinburgh, with Wightman winning in a time of 3:40.26 ahead of Gourley ( 3:40.38) and Kerr (3:40. 63).
 
Young meanwhile finished in a very respectable 7th place with a time of 3:44.61, some three seconds off his best for the season of 3:41.06.
 
Also in action in difficult blustery conditions on Saturday was veteran hurdler Nisha Desai, who placed 3rd in Heat 4 of the 400m in a time of 1 minute 2.97 seconds, just over a second off her best for the season  but sadly not making the following day’s final.
 
Sunday saw another Morpeth Harrier competing with Scott Beattie, currently studying at Tulsa University, involved in the straight run final of the Men’s 5000m.
 
Beattie finished in 7th place with a time of 13 minutes 51.36 seconds, some way off his personal best set in the States earlier in the year, with the race itself won by Marc Scott of Richmond and Zetland Harriers in a time of 13:42. 82.