Brits endure bumps in track at their indoor nationals
Pete Mulholland, my No. 1 masters mole in Europe, has resolved the mystery of Steve Peters’ DNF at Britain’s masters nationals over the weekend: “There appears to be a major problem with the track in . . . lanes 3 and 6. . . . . On the final bend . . . is a fault which at first glance presents a ‘ripple’ effect. Coming into the finish, at speed and ‘downhill’ with concentration towards the finish line at its peak, a bump on the track is the last thing you would wish to encounter. Peters had voiced his concerns to me after his 200m semi, when he was warned by an official as he was very close to having come out of his lane after stumbling on hitting the fault on the track.”
Pete says he received this note from Dr. Peters:
“Yes, I hit the same ridge on the track as I did in the semifinal. I went to inspect it just before I ran but it was impossible to judge where it was at top speed. I felt the ridge as I hit it and was tilted out of my lane and twisted sideways. I could not control the twist and the inevitable happened.
“I have spiked my calf quite badly and have lots of burns on my back and shins but no joint damage. I have slightly pulled a hamstring so I will have to ease back in. Very disappointing that after the fall a member of staff in the stadium approached me smiling and said: ‘We will have to get the angle grinder out on that track’.
“Never mind it’s happened now so I can only lick the wounds and come back fighting… and I will!”
We hope Dr. Peters will come out of this 100 percent — in time for the Eurovets indoor meet later this month.
One Response
Good to hear that Steve is ok. I was in the same race, and saw him go down. The cuts looked nasty. The management at Picketts Lock appear to know all about the bumps – basically there is a slight ridge from lane 3 to lane 6 just where the banked turn begins to drop into the finish straight.
I can’t say I’ve been troubled by it myself on the two occasions I’ve raced lane 3 at the track, but while photographing other age groups coming off that turn over the weekend, it’s very clear that you can easily catch a spike or lose balance.
FWIW others might care to sympathise with the tough qualifying conditions we Brits had to endure in the M50 sprints at the GB Champs. The track has a 6 lane 60m straight, and there were 18 M50 entrants – so only winner plus three fastest got to the final.
This eliminated Wally Franklyn, multiple Euro and Worlds medallist, and myself, a Euro 100m finalist last year. It’s tough in M50 sprints in the UK right now!
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