Masters excel at the Ayo Falola Dream Mile meeting in north London as the main race sees history made.
The Ayo Falola Dream Mile at Lee Valley on Wednesday (Feb 4) provided two world records and four further UK records while additionally four British athletes went inside four minutes in the mile for the first ever in a UK indoor race, Steve Smythe reports.
Andrew Ridley broke his own world record in the M60 mile with 4:44.12 while Clare Elms regained her W60 world mark with a time of 5:25.07.
British marks were set by M35 Harry Wakefield (3:59.07), M50 Kojo Kyereme (4:26.62), M80 Peter Giles (6:48.50) and under-15 Madison Kindler (4:51.34).
The best and fastest mile race came in the men’s A race in Wakefield’s race as Jack Higgins (3:56.89) out sprinted twin brother Ted (3:57.05).
Elms, British masters’ most prolific middle-distance record-setter ever (with 27 current British bests and 10 world marks) had run a world over-60 mark in this meeting two years ago of 5:30.89, although that record was beaten a few days later by the previous record-setter and her good friend American Sue McDonald (5:30.73).
That record lasted until November 2024 when beaten by Ireland’s world champion Anne Gilshinan (5:27.66) which then fell to new to the age group and US Olympian and multiple world W55 champion Michelle Rohl (5:26.65) in January this year.
Elms had broken Rohl’s 3000m W60 world record in Cardiff on the same day Rohl set her mile mark and in good form for just her second indoor race of the winter she targeted the American’s mark with even-paced running. That she did with four quarters all around 81 seconds after being a few seconds down on Rohl’s time at halfway.
It was also the fastest mile by a 62-year-old or older indoors or out and already the holder of the world outdoor W60 records at 1500m (4:56.85) and mile (5:18.97) she here added the indoor mile to her world indoor record at 1500m and was just inside her 2025 mark of 5:03.1, but there was no official timing at that point for it to be officially ratified.
As she was solo most of the race and running conservatively, Elms is confident she can go much quicker but may need to given the great number of middle-distance records in the age group over recent years.
Elms’ race was won by W40 Laura Haggarty in 5:04.54 after a brave effort by the Scot to break the British best of 4:58.81 recently set by multiple world champion Ellie Stevens.
Though behind the older Elms, European medallist Nikki Sturzaker went top of the W50 world rankings for 2026 with 5:30.44.
World and European outdoor champion Ridley improved his own world mark from last year to go along with his world outdoor marks at 1500m (4:21.21) and mile (4:41.81).
Already having set a 800m record this winter, he was expecting to be up against great rival Rob McHarg, who had beaten him in an epic world record 1500m in the British Championships last winter. However the Scot was unable to race and instead Ridley tucked in behind M55 world champion Mark Symes and was through halfway just over 2:20 and looking strong and determined.
Sign up to the free Athletics Weekly newsletter – just click here
Symes was targeting a world mark of his own in chasing Tony O’Brien’s 4:38.10 from December as O’Brien had to watch the race after injuring himself warming up.
Symes kicked hard over the last two laps but needed more help and fell just under three seconds short with 4:41.05.
Three seconds back, Ridley ran 4:44.12 to take a second off his mark which last year broke McHarg’s record set in the previous race.
Wakefield (above, red vest) finished fourth in a well-paced mile behind the Higgins twins who carried on their sensational winter form and Joe Tuffin (3:59.06) but more importantly he also broke four minutes and his 3:59.17 took nearly 10 seconds off of Dave Proctor’s four-year-old M35 mark to add to his age group records set in the summer.
World indoor champion Kyereme took five seconds off of European champion Dean Richardson’s month-old mark by finishing second in the C race in 4:26.62.
The mark was only three seconds short of Sean Wade’s 10-year-old world mark and Kyereme could have benefited from more pacing help having gone to the front much earlier than planned but he powered through the final lap to eclipse the previous British best.
Peter Giles though set the most significant margin for a British record when his 6:48.50 improved Doug Milsom’s previous M80 best by almost a minute.
But for being solo almost a minute behind his much younger competitors and after a very fast start, professional musician Giles fell just six seconds short of the world record as he added to his long list of achievements since turning 80. It was his first opportunity to run an indoor mile since joining the M80 ranks.
While much of the focus was unusually on older athletes – the two world record races were run immediately after the senior A races and before the BMC programme of 800m races – there was an outstanding junior run too.
Madison Kindler, who has dominated the cross-country races this winter including a big victory in the South of England Championships, finished strongly in the women’s B race and her 4:51.34 narrowly edged Shaikira King’s mark from four years ago.
The women’s A race saw a clear win for in-form Molly Hudson (4:32.36) ahead of Saskia Millard (4:43.81) and that time was a track record.
Pick of the BMC races after the miles was the women’s A race which saw Abigail Ives (2:02.07) lead home Under-20 Lyla Belshaw (2:04.85).