Bathtub Half wins for Jake Smith and Abbie Donnelly

Jake Smith and Abbie Donnelly got here out victorious on the GetPRO Bathtub Half Marathon on Sunday March 16, which additionally served because the official British Athletics trial for the 2025 World Athletics Highway Operating Championships’ half marathon.

On a sunny morning in Bathtub, Smith confronted an exhilarating problem from Ethiopia’s Omar Ahmed, the defending champion from final 12 months’s occasion. The 2 athletes exchanged leads till Smith broke free across the three-mile mark, securing the win.

Smith, who’s getting ready for subsequent month’s TCS London Marathon, confirmed he’s returning to his finest kind after battling by means of damage and sickness lately. With a time of 62:20, he completed simply 11 seconds shy of the course file (62:09), set by Ethiopia’s Tewodros Shiferaw in 2007.

This marked Smith’s quickest half marathon since September 2022 and was the quickest time ever by a British athlete on the Bathtub course. Ahmed, additionally from Ethiopia, completed second in 62:43, whereas Dewi Griffiths, who had set the tempo early within the race, claimed third with a time of 63:03—his finest half marathon efficiency since 2019.

Within the ladies’s race, Donnelly was dominant from begin to end. The sixth-place finisher in final 12 months’s European Championships half marathon in Rome, Donnelly led the elite ladies’s subject all through and crossed the end line in a time of 69:54, which ranks because the third quickest profitable time within the historical past of the Bathtub Half Marathon.

Behind her, a fierce battle for second place came about between Natasha Phillips and Annabel Gummow, with Phillips finally securing second in 72:06. Gummow completed third, 20 seconds later, at 72:26.

The race served because the official trial for the 2025 World Highway Operating Championships half marathon, which was initially scheduled for San Diego however is now in search of a brand new location. Donnelly, who had already met the qualifying commonplace with a time of 69:41, cemented her choice with at this time’s victory.

Smith, however, must run beneath 62:00 earlier than Could 11 to ensure his spot on the championships. Phillips may also be aiming for a sub-70:00 time to safe her place on the Nice Britain workforce.

Dewi Griffiths (left), Jake Smith (center), Omar Ahmed (proper) (LM Occasions)

Reflecting on his efficiency, Smith mentioned, “I can’t imagine I’ve simply run that point (62:20). I’ve run quicker than that, however that was once I was within the form of my life. I’m solely 20 seconds off getting a qualifying time for the World Championships and possibly that basically robust final kilometre value me that. There was some critical competitors right here at this time and the environment was nice, you couldn’t hear your self assume on the course.”

Donnelly mentioned, “It means a lot to have gained right here and to get the time I used to be in search of. I constructed up the stress rather a lot in my head and to have gotten the win makes all of the exhausting work value it. This course is hard and wanted some good coaching. I do really feel the stress and I get actually nervous earlier than huge races, however I stayed relaxed at this time and managed to shelter behind a few of the male athletes on the windier components of the course which helped. I’m very blissful.”

Natasha Phillips (left), Abbie Donnelly (center), Annabel Gummow (proper) (LM Occasions)

Along with the elite races, greater than 11,000 runners participated within the mass occasion, overlaying the two-lap route that begins and ends in Royal Victoria Park.

For the total outcomes from at this time’s GetPRO Bathtub Half, click on right here.