Davies and Lavender top GB 50km rankings for 2022

In this post, I look at the GB 50-kilometre rankings for 2022, while also trying to put them in a global context.

Intertwined with some thoughts on where 50km as an event is heading Internationally.

In some ways, 2022 was the year 50km as an event came of age.

One simple sentence in a World Athletics post has given fresh impetus to 50km as a stand-alone event. 

“Given the increasing popularity of 50km road races, the decision to add the distance to the list of events for which world records are recognised was made at the 225th World Athletics Council meeting in Tokyo in July 2022.“

I wrote in October about the European championships 50km event in Spain HERE. Results from that race dominate the GB rankings for the year.

Women’s GB rankings for 2022

Alison Lavender with her superb silver medal behind Ireland’s Caitriona Jennings in Spain tops the GB rankings. Her time of 3:21:36 moves her to 7th on the all-time GB list and also ranked her 7th in the 2022 DUV global rankings. Sally O’Gorman’s 4th place in Spain in 3.22.23 ranks her 2nd closely followed by Rebecca Bunting. They were the only 3 female GB athletes to break 3 hours 30 minutes this year. Interesting to note all three were running their first 50km events. British Athletics ongoing policy of also considering fast marathon times for selection for 50k championships indicates the view that training for a 50k is indeed very similar.

Davies tops the mens 50k rankings for 2022

Men’s GB rankings for 2022

Andrew Davies with his year leading 2:53:09 when taking Bronze in Spain heads the rankings. With a marathon PB of 2:14:20 set in Seville earlier in the year, he also showed that a solid marathon pedigree is what is needed to challenge at this level. Behind him, second-ranked Will Mycroft recorded an excellent 2:53:23 . Alex Milne’s time of 2:54:33, improved almost 2 minutes on his previous 50km effort from 2019 to place him third.
Cardiff’s Dan Nash, who had won bronze at the championships when last held in Romania in 2019 came in fourth with 2:55:00.
In the two domestic 50km road events Gareth King, who tops the 100km rankings, ran a useful 2:55:48 in Belfast and Robbie Britton ran 2:57:17 in Perth. The faster marathon times of those above them in the rankings, possibly indicates, that to compete at 50km at the top level internationally, basic marathon speed is an important element.

ALL Time Mens and Women’s 50km rankings

As the event gathers momentum it is interesting to look at the current all-time GB rankings
Dan Nash who broke Jeff Norman’s long-standing British 50k road best in 2019 with 2.49.01, leads the road marks. Norman a former Olympic and Commonwealth games marathoner with a PB of 2:12:50 still has a superior track mark from 1980 of 2:48:06! A challenge for someone in the future maybe!
Davies has now moved to 5th on the GB all-time list with Mycroft and Milne moving to 6th and 9th respectively
With the American C.J.Albertson, a 2.10 marathon runner, taking the men’s 50km record down to an impressive 2:38:43 this year, it will be interesting to see if any of the growing band of Africans running low to mid 2.40’s this year can match that in 2023. This writer is pretty convinced, with the growing interest in 50km as an event, it will be on several runner’s radars.

Women’s GB all time rankings

Alyson Dixon, like Norman for the men a former Olympic marathon competitor with a PB of 2:29:06 still tops the all-time women’s list. Lavender and O’Gorman’s times from Spain move them to 7th and 8th all-time. 

Dixon also has the 5th best Global all-time mark according to the DUV rankings. 

Former Boston Marathon winner Des Linden’s time of 2:59:54 is recognised as the fastest in a mixed race, the only sub-3-hour female clocking so far. Linden has a marathon PB of 2:25:55. ( her Boston time of 2:22:38 is on a “Net downhill” course.) 

It must be a matter of time before a competent marathon runner takes on the challenge of also going sub-3, in the right race conditions, and bettering Linden’s mark. Who would bet against that happening in 2023. The future of 50k racing is bright.

A report on the IAU European 50km Championships can be found HERE

The comprehensive DUV global rankings can be seen HERE

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