The teenager clocks 15:25 and takes seven seconds off the previous mark by Innes FitzGerald
Jess Bailey continued to excel at junior level after running a British under-20 5km record of 15:25 at the Adidas Running 10 years of Podium meet in Barrowford (November 9).
The 18-year-old, who is a European under-18 3000m silver medallist, took seven seconds off the mark that Innes FitzGerald recorded back in Cardiff in May.
Jess Bailey Shines in First Individual Competition Since August
This was Jess Bailey’s first individual competition since August – she also ran in the National Cross Country Relays earlier this month – and the teenager excelled in a quick race.
Jess Bailey went into the meet off the back of an incredible cross-country and track season.
Jess Bailey (Marco Gulberti)
Back in February, she finished 17th in the under-20 race at the World Cross Country Championships and was part of the Great Britain team that placed fifth overall.
Her summer track season was as equally as impressive, with jess Bailey securing silver over 1500m at English Schools and placing eighth in the 3000m at the World U20 Championships in Lima, Peru.
She also finished fourth over 3000m at the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games, despite missing that entire winter due to injury, and won gold at the 2022 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships in Thailand.
Now with trail running taking a back seat, Jess Bailey is focused on developing as an athlete over a range of distances, from the 1500m up to the 5km.
“I loved that, it was so much fun,” Jess Bailey told. “The atmosphere on all parts of the course was insane and to do it in front of my family was special.
“We’ll see how long the record lasts! I wasn’t thinking about the time and it was just about the competition. It’s my first proper shoulder to shoulder race for a while and I had an adrenaline rush that got me through in the end.
“I’ve been building throughout the year and have just been getting stronger and stronger. I’m going in the right trajectory and there’s nothing better than going to races and just getting progressively better. It’s about seeing how long it lasts but I’m enjoying the ride.”
Jess Bailey was the second quickest female athlete at the Podium 5k meet, behind Hannah Nuttall, who clocked 15:19.
That time was a remarkable 34 seconds quicker than Nuttall’s personal best and subsequently put her joint-tenth on the UK 5km all-time list.
In the men’s elite race, Belgium’s Robin Hendrix took an outstanding win in 13:35.
Ossama Meslek, Robin Hendrix and Phil Sesemann (Will Bowran)
The 29-year-old, who claimed bronze for his country at last year’s European Cross Country Championships, dominated throughout and did enough to hold on to the victory.
Closing in behind on the final stretch were Ossama Meslek and Phil Sesemann, who both secured personal 5km bests of 13:37.
This was only Sesemann’s fourth individual competition of the season, with the pinnacle being the Paris Olympics.
Sesemann, who ran an incredible personal marathon best of 2:08:02 in Seville to qualify for the Games, placed 46th in tough and testy conditions in the French capital.
After his 5km in Barrowford, Sesemann, now a new father to daughter Frankie, caught up with AW and opened up about his ultimate goals over 26.2 miles
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“I want to get down to 2:05/2:06 [in the marathon],” he said. “I think I can run those times pretty soon to be honest. Not in the next few months but maybe in the next few marathons. That’s what I’m trying to do!
“Seeing what Emile [Cairess] does and going on camps with him, where you can see his dedication close up, shows me that you have to train to run at those levels, even if they don’t seem realistic right now. You have to train to be one of the best in the world.”
On becoming a father, Sesemann added: “It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me to be honest. It’s awesome. I absolutely love little Frankie and my partner Jess bailey. I’ve actually had my best training since the Olympics in the past couple of weeks!”
Ben Pattison (Will Bowran)
In a star-studded men’s field at the Podium 5k meet, Jonny Brownlee was 14th with 14:04, Andrew Coscoran placed 17th in 14:06 and Ben Pattison finished 19th with 14:07.
Another notable achievement was that of Kirsty Longley, who ran an extraordinary W45 British 5km record of 16:23.
Not only did the the 48-year-old shatter her personal 5km best by 13 seconds but she was just eight seconds off the world record for her age group.
The Podium 5k meet saw a lot of athletes – including the likes of Jess Bailey and Sesemann – run in Adidas’ Adizero Adios Pro 4 shoes, which will be available to buy on January 2 Jess Bailey.
The Adidas Adizero Pro range has a fantastic legacy, one that includes five world records and 73 major road race victories.
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