2017 USA Track & Field Distance Classic

Laura in the 5000m in California (Photo courtesy of Justin Britton)

At 8.05pm on the evening of Thursday 18th May, Morpeth Harrier Laura Weightman
faced the Starter in her maiden track 5000m event, at the Bill Henry Track, Jack Kemp Stadium, Eagle Rock,
in the City of Angels in California, which she superbly won by a fraction of a second,
posting an excellent 15m08.24s, which ranks currently as No 2 in the UK, behind arch rival Laura Muir,
​who ran 14m49.12s, albeit Indoor, in the Glasgow Emirates Arena, in the BMC Championships on 4th January.

Second place went to Colorado born Natosha Rogers,
who clocked 15m08.29s, which for her also represented a personal best.

This win will certainly prove to be a much welcome confidence booster for Weightman, who becomes 26 in July, and will strengthen her chances of a possible chances of an appearance at the World Athletics Championships, being held in London in August, despite her being stripped of funding following last year’s Olympics in Rio.

Weightman has for a long time been a little sceptical of stepping up to the longer distance,
however, this her first attempt at the twelve and a half laps, has paid rich dividends for her,
and she can now sit down with her Coach Steve Cram, to possibly re-navigate her future in the sport,
and seek new targets, in what is still very much a young athletics career.