Running2London's leading female middle distance athlete, Bridey Delaney, kicks off her European campaign this Friday night (2nd July) with a race over 1500m in Spain. Here in Australia, Jeff Hunt will return to the Gold Coast Half Marathon on Sunday, where he looks to improve on his fourth placing from the 2009 event.
At 9:40pm in Madrid, Bridey will bid for a place in the Commonwealth Games team in the 29th Meeting de Atletismo. Not only is the weather expected to be hot in Madrid, so is the women's 1500m field, which includes Spain's all time 1500m great Natalia Rodriguez Martinez.
A sub-4:00 athlete, Martinez was first across the line in the 2009 World Championships in Berlin but was subsequently disqualified for rough-house tactics. Alongside Martinez, six athletes in the field have a PB quicker than the 4:09.50 required by Bridey to qualify for the Games, so it certainly looks like a good race is on the cards.
On the domestic front, Jeff returns to the Gold Coast Half Marathon, the race where he recorded 62:44 on debut in 2009. That race kicked off his sensational 2009/2010 season, which included a PB at 10,000m (28:19) and his 2:11 debut Marathon in Beppu. The half marathon, on Sunday 4th July, will be Jeff's first real race for some months after a period of training with limited racing, in what was the preferred preparation for athlete and coach. In what will be a busy 2010 campaign, Jeff will aim to continue the form he carried into his marathon debut, with the year culminating in the Commonwealth Games Marathon on 14th October.
