Jenny Nesbitt, after winning the World XC trials in Loughborough, could be racing European XC Champs on home soil .

Welsh Duo Jenny And Ieuan Set For Manchester 10K Tests

Welsh internationals Jenny Nesbitt and Ieuan Thomas are amongst the world class elite fields competing at the Great Manchester Run 10K on Sunday.

Nesbitt will be lining up alongside the likes of Kenyan legends Hellen Obiri and two-time World Marathon Champion Edna Kiplagat.

Obiri was crowned World Cross Country Champion in Denmark earlier this year, ensuring her place in history becoming the first female athlete to claim world indoor, outdoor and cross country titles.

Nesbitt also competed at those World Championships in Aarhus, having qualified by winning the British trials in Loughobrough.

Earlier in the year, the Worcester athlete won the Welsh Cross Country title at Pembrey.

In January, Nesbitt set a 10K personal best of 33:10 in Valencia and comes into the Great Manchester Run on the back of a Welsh Athletics altitude training camp in the United States.

During her time on the other side of the Atlantic, Nesbitt finished seventh in the prestigious Carlsbad 5000 in California and ran 32:46.55 over 10,000m on the track at the Payton Jordan Invitational at Palo Alto.

Cardiff AAC’s Ieuan Thomas bagged a fourth Welsh 5K title

World Championship, Commonwealth Games and European Championship steeplechaser Thomas also faces a formidable field in the men’s race in Manchester.

The Cardiff Athlete will be up against the likes of Jacob Kiplimo, the 2017 Under-20 world cross country champion and 2019 silver medallist from the senior race

The Ugandan is the fastest in the men’s field with a personal best of 26:41 set on the non-record eligible course in Madrid on New Year’s Eve, where he became the fastest man to ever run the distance.

Thomas, who has a 10K personal best of 29:13 has enjoyed a good start to the year, finishing second at the Welsh Cross Country Championships in Pembrey and fourth in the Brecon Carreg Cardiff Bay 10K where he recorded 29:35.

The 10K will follow the Great Manchester Run Half Marathon. Action form the 10K can be seen live on BBC2’s coverage between noon and 14:20 on Sunday.

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