Barry Dolman was gunning for glory in the MV55 bracket at the British Masters 10k Championships in Chichester
There are solid race performances – and then there are race performances that underline, in no uncertain terms, that an athlete is operating at the very top of his game. At the iconic Goodwood Motor Circuit, Barry Dolman delivered exactly that.
Incorporated within the ever-popular Chichester 10k, the 2026 British Masters 10k Championships brought together the very best endurance talent from across the country, with medals awarded to the top three in each five-year age category. Against a field stacked with quality and depth, Barry rose magnificently to the occasion.
Barry (right) was there with his mates Loz Wickham (left), Stacey Dickinson (centre left) and Philip York (centre right)
Currently deep into marathon preparations for both the Barcelona Marathon on 15th March and the Cape Town Marathon in May, Barry has been consistently logging 75 to 80-mile weeks since mid-January. The foundations are solid, the engine finely tuned.
The signs have been there for some time.
At the Stubbington 10k, after completing a half marathon distance training run earlier that very morning, Barry astonishingly went on to clock a personal best of 36:53, securing 1st place in the MV55 category. Just before Christmas, at the ever-popular Friday Night Under the Lights Christmas 5 in Battersea Park, he dipped under 29 minutes for five miles – a clear indicator that something special was brewing.
And let us not forget his marathon pedigree. A superb sub-2:55 at the New York City Marathon on a testing, undulating course, and a lifetime best of 2:53:16 at the Sydney Marathon in September 2024, confirm that Barry’s credentials are firmly established on the big stage.
From the gun at Goodwood, Barry meant business.
A controlled 5:49 opening mile was followed by 5:52 for mile two. Then came a decisive injection of pace – 5:38 for mile three. Passing 5k in 18:10, he had already positioned himself superbly within the MV55 contest.
The second half was where the real statement was made.
Barry raced to a magnificent PB time of 35:49
Mile four in 5:43. Mile five in 5:45. Then the hammer blow – a blistering 5:29 for mile six, his fastest split of the day. That surge ensured a 17:39 second 5k and a beautifully judged negative split. The clock stopped at a hugely impressive 35:49.
In a championship of this calibre, that performance secured Barry the bronze medal for 3rd place in the MV55 category – an outstanding achievement in a field of 100 MV55 athletes. Only Mark Symes of Aldershot Farnham & District AC (34:27) and James Allan of Alnwick Harriers (35:44) were able to finish ahead of him.
The group with MV35 supremo Rikki James of Southampton AC in it
The overall race was won in commanding style by Charlie Sandison of Hercules Wimbledon AC in 30:07, with John Beattie of Leeds City AC taking second in 30:19 and Jack Woods of Worthing & District Harriers third in 30:36. Beattie, competing as an MV40, claimed gold in that category.
In the women’s race, Naomi Taschimowitz of Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers led the way in 32:33 (FV35), followed by Kate Estlea-Morris (33:25) and Lauren Reed of Havering AC (34:46), the latter securing FV40 gold.
Elsewhere across the age categories, the depth of quality was striking. Rikki James of Southampton AC took MV35 gold in 31:04. James Baker dominated MV45 with 33:08. Will Green of Serpentine RC was a remarkable M50 winner in 31:57.
In the older age groups, David Williams of Guildford & Godalming AC claimed MV60 in 36:12, Eric Southam took MV65 in 36:48, while Jonathan Haynes of Bishops Stortford Running Club was the sole MV70 under 40 minutes with 39:49.
An extraordinary 48:37 from Peter Giles of Hercules Wimbledon secured MV80 gold, and David Moorekite of Larkfield AC, the lone MV85, completed the championships in 55:18.
It was a great run from Barry and a good day out with his mates
But for Bournemouth AC, the headline is clear.
Barry takes his place on the podium during the medal ceremony
To produce a 35:49 in championship company, off the back of heavy marathon training and weeks of sustained mileage, speaks volumes about Barry’s condition. The negative split, the decisive final mile, and the podium finish against the very best in the country mark this out as one of his finest 10k performances to date.
Barry was proclaimed as of the top three MV55s in Britain
With Barcelona looming and Cape Town to follow, one thing is certain; Barry Dolman is in formidable form – and there may well be more medals yet to come.
It was a proud moment for Barry to obtain a British Masters 10k Championships bronze medal