Jonny Glen became one of the first athletes from Inverclyde to compete at the British Athletics Championships, playing a part in the men’s 5,000 metres final.
After posting a solid 14min 1sec personal best in a 5 kilometre road race just weeks before, confidence was running high for the 23-year-old heading into the race in Manchester, marking the first year that the Championships had moved away from its usual home of Birmingham in over 10 years.
A medal was unlikely for the Greenock athlete, but a personal best in a fast field was certainly a possibility.
The pace at the start was relatively casual, led by eventual winner and firm favourite in the field, Marc Scott, who has twice ran for Britain at the World Championships.
But Jonny struggled to move with the pace when Scott picked it up, initially being dropped from the pack as he managed his own pace.
Despite having the slowest personal best coming into the Championships in the field, Jonny’s well-formed pace had him finish in 14th in the final behind some of the country’s quickest distance runners.
Although a very respectable performance, Jonny expressed his disappointment post-race, wishing for a faster time – but he remains one of the only athletes from the area to compete at the British outdoor Championships.
He clocked a time of 14:23:91, just half a second slower than his track personal best, finishing second among Scottish athletes in the race.
A British Championships debut with positives to take away from it, Jonny made the three-hour trip home with his father Morris, who was cheering him on from the stands – socially distanced.