British athletes claimed victory in Birmingham as the event also served as the World Championship trials for Tokyo
With the iconic Night of the 10,000m PBs at Highgate taking a break this year, the spotlight shifted to the University of Birmingham on June 14, which stepped in to host the British 10,000m Championships.
The event, held as part of the university’s athletics festival weekend, carried significant stakes, doubling as the official trial for British athletes hoping to secure selection for the World Championships in Tokyo this September.
Megan Keith successfully retained her women’s British 10,000m title on Saturday evening, but the victory came under tougher circumstances than the year before. The Scot finished second overall in a competitive field, behind Italy’s Elisa Palmero, who claimed the race win.
The lead pack, made up of Palmero, Keith, Calli Hauger-Thackery, and Izzy Fry, stayed together through much of the race. But with just a few laps to go, Palmero and Keith broke clear, leaving the others behind.
It was a close duel until the closing stages. Keith led at the bell, but Palmero timed her move perfectly, kicking hard with 200m remaining to pull away and take the win in 31:18.03. Keith crossed the line just behind in 31:19.88 — missing the Tokyo qualifying standard of 31:10.00 but finishing as the top British athlete.
This was Keith’s first 10,000m of the season, following a recent outing over 5000m at the Rome Diamond League.
After the race, she said: “It felt good. I wasn’t quite sure how it was going to feel because I’ve just been building back into track training and putting the spikes on. I was aware I could get 4km or 5km in and realise I wasn’t quite ready for that pace yet so it was a pleasant surprise that the place kept tipping round.
“I was feeling good and I knew I wanted to do something at some point because I don’t like being a passive racer, I like to go and do something to be a part of the race. I clipped her [Palmero] heels and that sort of kick started me in going to the front with three laps to go. In hindsight it was maybe a bit bold because I then wasn’t quite ready to go again at 200m. It was a good battle.”
Calli Hauger-Thackery was the second Brit home, finishing in 31:24.21. Her performance was especially notable considering she had raced just days earlier at the Oslo Diamond League, where she clocked a personal best (30:50.64) over the same distance. Running on tired legs, she held on to the leading group for most of the race and delivered another strong performance.
Izzy Fry, stepping up to the 10,000m distance for the first time, finished fourth overall and claimed the third spot on the British podium. Making a smooth transition to a longer race, she clocked 31:47.60.
Abbie Donnelly (32:02.54) and Clara Evans (32:57.81) completed the top five British finishers.
In contrast to the close battle in the women’s race, the men’s 10,000m saw a decisive victory from Emile Cairess, who broke away midway through the race and never looked back. Surging ahead on lap 12, he ran the final stages solo to claim a dominant win in a personal best time of 27:27.95.
It was a long-awaited return to the track for Cairess, who had not raced over 10,000m since 2022. His last competitive outing had been the marathon at the Paris Olympics, where he finished fourth overall. An ankle injury early in the year had forced him to withdraw from the London Marathon, but his performance in Birmingham proved he’s back in top form.
He has already confirmed his selection for the British team in Tokyo, racing in the marathon alongside Hauger-Thackery. The men’s British 10,000m qualifying time for Tokyo is 27:20.00.
He said: “I’m really happy to win and it’s a good time for me too so I’m really pleased with that. I just wanted to run with the lights and try to pick it up. I’m doing the World Champs for the marathon in September so it was irrelevant for me to run 27:20, my goal was just to get a personal best.
“My injury is fine now. I’ve been training for four months so I had four weeks of a slow build-up and then 12 weeks of full training so it’s all good there. For London [Marathon], there just wasn’t enough time to be in any decent shape but I’m back in good shape now.”
Ireland’s Efrem Gidey, who trains alongside British runner Ellis Cross, took second overall in 28:09.36. Cross himself secured the second spot on the British podium, finishing third overall in 28:14.47.
Logan Rees claimed third place among the British athletes in 28:52.25. Ryan Thomson (28:57.12) and Jake Smith (29:13.77) rounded out the British top five.
There was a B race for the men which ended in a sprint finish. Matthew Ramsden and Dafydd Jones ran together for nearly the entire distance, with Ramsden just edging ahead in the final metres to take the win. He crossed the line in a personal best of 29:16.07, while Jones finished close behind in 29:18.60. Tom Butler took third in 29:31.47.
Beyond the 10,000m championship races, the University of Birmingham’s athletics festival featured a couple of elite performances across the programme.
Jess Bailey delivered a standout run in the women’s 3000m. She crossed the line in 8:55.00, well clear of Georgie Grgec, who finished second in 9:00.70. European U23 cross country champion Phoebe Anderson took third in 9:15.64.
Earlier in the day, Birmingham’s Abigail Ives added to the university’s medal haul, winning the women’s 400m with a personal best of 54.29.
