Attracting the cream of the crop as far as British distance running goes, the Telford 10k is the fastest out there of its distance, making it perfect PB fodder. The likes of Jack Rowe, Phil Sesemann and Kadar Omar were all competing in the latest edition along with a whole host of other superfast stars looking to fulfil their potential.

Bournemouth AC man Oliver James was in the mix as well and he’d run a brilliant 30:48 time at the Trafford 10k earlier in the year. He’d also ran a 14:34.45 on the track at the Wimbledon 5000m Festival Night. He also ran a 4:08.85 at the Bury Mile race in August.

Some of his most impressive performances throughout 2024 had come in cross country races though. He finished 6th in the Junior Men’s race at the English National Cross Country Championships in September. He was also 2nd in the Under 20 Men’s race at the Welsh National Championships and was 7th at the Southern Championships near the start of the year.

At the beginning of January last year he finished 2nd Under 20 Male in the South West Inter County Championships behind Will Rabjohns of Poole AC. He’s also been smashing it in the Senior Men’s races in the Hampshire Cross Country League, finishing 6th at Popham Airfield, 7th at Kings Park and 12th at Aldershot.

At the Telford 10k he went through 5k in 15:12 and it was going pretty well at that stage. He was still feeling good and a PB looked like it could well be on the cards. Unfortunately it didn’t pan out that way though on this occasion and the second half of the race didn’t go according to plan. In fact, he ended up collapsing 50 metres from the finish, making for a disastrous conclusion to the event.

Somehow managing to crawl over the line, he amazingly still finished in 31:55. It wasn’t what he was hoping for though and was some way off the sort of time he’s capable of at his best.

Finishing 180th overall, he crossed the line just ahead of Southampton AC man Matthew James who recorded a chip time of 31:52. There were just 1,311 runners who successfully completed the race that day. Jack Rowe came out on top setting a new course record with his time of 28:01.

Phil Sesemann took 2nd place in 28:26 and Kadar Omar came 3rd in 28:33. Aron Gebremariam, who won the Under 20 Men’s race at the National Cross Country Championships, came 4th in 28:58. Charles Brisley of Newham & Essex Beagles crossed the line a second later to take 5th place, with Jacob Allen of Highgate sealing 6th in exactly 29 minutes.

22 athletes finished in under 29:30 and 58 men got in in under 30 minutes. The standard really was truly incredible. One of those was City of Salisbury man Jaymee Domoney, who is BAC member Sophie Read’s boyfriend. He managed a brilliant PB of 29:50. That put him in 41st place and he’d even got to the line before Jonathan Cornish who came 43rd, although his chip time was 29:48.

Southampton AC man Rikki James was 53rd in 29:54. 124 athletes finished in under 31 minutes and 193 were inside 32 minutes. That gives a good indication of how much top class talent there is out there on the British running scene at the moment.

Sam Costley, also of Southampton, finished 68th in a time of 30:08 and former Bournemouth AC man Harry Smith recorded a stunning PB of 30:19. That put his average pace at 4:52 and was enough to see him take 78th place.

Amelia Quirk of Bracknell was the fastest female, finishing in a time of 32:34, with Sarah Astin of Belgrave Harriers arriving shortly after to take 2nd female spot in 32:42. Natasha Phillips of Dundee Hawkhill was 3rd female in 32:56 and Ethiopian runner Atsede Gidey was 4th woman in 32:58.

Felix Dennison of Poole AC finished 279th in 33:22 and Benjy Williams, also of Poole AC, got round in 34:28 which put him in 356th place.

It was a shame that Ollie hit the wall in the way that he did but when he races, he puts absolutely everything into it. So much so that he goes dangerously close to the line of maximum performance and over the edge. A similar thing happened at the Overton 5 last year when he was battling so hard for 3rd position that he ended up hitting the deck near the end and needed medical attention after the race.

The most important thing though was that he was okay and that mattered far more than any time he may have got. He’ll no doubt come back stronger this year and nail a new 10k PB somewhere along the line.

It’s been an incredible year for Ollie though and its clear to see the progress he’s been making. He’s certainly got the talent in his locker to go right to the top, as well as the attitude as well. His work ethic is high and his commitment to bettering himself never wavers, despite the extraordinary levels he has reached. He’ll surely look back on the previous year with huge pride in what he’s achieved and It will be exciting to see what he can produce in 2025.