Cambridge & Coleridge AC ace Hannah Irwin makes dream debut for Great Britain at European 10,000m Cup
Hannah Irwin had a dream Great Britain medal-winning debut at the European 10,000m Cup.
The Cambridge & Coleridge AC member’s performance at the Night of the 10,000m PBs on Parliament Hill had earned a first GB vest for the event in Pace, France.
She was part of a seven-strong team, and they returned home with the bronze medal.
“It feels pretty cool to have won a team bronze medal with GB. It is not every day you get to do that,” said the 23-year-old.
“Athletics can be quite an individual sport, so to have achieved something like that and to be able to share it with some amazing people makes it even greater.
“The whole weekend was an amazing experience filled with so much positive energy.”
Abbie Donnelly led the team by taking ninth place in a personal best 32min 20.82sec.
Irwin was the next Brit across the line.
Having taken 46 seconds off her personal best just a few weeks ago, Irwin crossed the line in 14th place in 32.44.38, a place in front of compatriot Lauren Heyes.
Philippa Bowden was 22nd and Jess Gibbon was 23rd to make sure GB finished on the podium, although Steph Twell did not finish.
“The race itself was quite a messy one,” said Irwin.
“The first 2k at least was very bunched with people tripping all over the place.
“There was lots of barging and the pace kept slowing then picking up for a few seconds, then slowing back down again.
“This made it quite difficult to get into a good flowing pace and probably ended up with us all wasting quite a lot of energy.
“However, by the halfway point it had spread out quite a bit.
“I ended up running quite a bit of the race on my own, but I do a lot of solo training, so that did not phase me.
“The final 3k started to bite a bit as the start of the race had fatigued my legs, but I was pleased to hold on a finish 14th. It was also my second fastest time, so I can’t complain.”
She added: “It was amazing to have the opportunity to gain some championship experience and I am proud to finally call myself a GB runner.
“I can’t wait to do it all over again.”
Irwin, whose new personal best set on Parliament Hill last month is 32min 25.34sec, will also be competing at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games this summer, for Northern Ireland.