World records for British masters in Cardiff

Clare Elms runs W60 3000m mark of 10:37.53 in South Wales while Joe Appiah clocks M55 60m hurdles record of 8.39 at Lee Valley.

On a weekend of stunning world and British records elsewhere, Clare Elms regained the World W60 3000m record in the British Masters Championships in Cardiff on Saturday in a time faster than the men’s M60 winner, Steve Smythe reports.

Coincidentally Elms wasn’t the only Kent AC athlete setting a world record on Saturday as fellow world champion Joe Appiah set a 60m hurdles record of 8.39 in the London Indoor Games at Lee Valley in his M55 debut.

There was also a possible 800m world record for Andrew Ridley at Cardiff.

Elms had set a world record in the Irish Championships last March of 10:43.34 before going close to that mark with a world title win in Florida.

That 10:43.34 was beaten by US Olympian and W55 World Masters champion Michelle Rohl in December just after she turned 60 and ran 10:41.68.

Later on Saturday, Rohl actually set a W60 mile record of 5:26.65 in the New Balance Boston meet where world 800m and 2000m senior records just a few hours after Elms had taken her 3000m mark.

In Cardiff, Elms, who is now two years older than Rohl, was ten seconds slower than the American at halfway, running cautiously due to being on an antibiotic course due to an infection.

However, feeling comfortable at 2km, she gradually got faster on each of the last five laps and took over four seconds off the world record with 10:37.53 but feels she can go quicker later in the season with this being her first indoor race of the year.

Her next race is next week over a mile in Lee Valley a distance she holds the world outdoor mark of 5:18.97.

Winner of the race was Irish guest and W40 Rachel Murphy (10:24.87) but remarkably the 62-year-old Elms was fastest of all the British masters women entrants.

Kat Alpe won the W40 gold in 10:50.83 and Sara Ellen was first W35 in a PB 12:19.30.

Elms would have had to run in the W60 plus race to win a BMAF medal but she chose the W35 event to go for a time but the older athletes race did see a battle between two world record setters from 2025.

The race was won by outdoor mile record setter and European champion Anna Garnier (13:03.76) who won W70 gold in easily outkicking multiple world and European champion Sarah Roberts (13:09.22) who took the W75 title.

Clare Elms regains her world W60 3000m record in Cardiff with 10:37.53 👏 pic.twitter.com/Efeo6Xrc3b

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) January 24, 2026

Other women’s titles were won by W45 Jillian Malone (11:32.44) and W50 Lucie Tait-Harris (11:54.81).

Pick of the men’s winners was former World masters champion and former world indoor finalist James Thie who took M45 gold in 9:24.94 ahead of M50 champion Brent Brodie (9:31.94).

Another Welsh success came in the M35-40 race with M40 Oliver Roberts (9:12.13) leading home M35 Matthew Hughes (9:13.66).

Chris Nicoll won the M55 gold in 9:55.65 ahead of M60 winner Phil York (10:42.92).

A separate M65 race was won by Paul Reddaway (10:58.10)  while the oldest race – M70 plus saw a narrow win for Dave Oxland (11:57.88) ahead of Dave Bedwell (11:57.99).

Further back Geoff Newton (16:06.85) won M80 gold in his indoor debut.

There was a possible world  record in the open 800m races.

The listed M60 record is 2:09.11 by Scot Rob McHarg but British rival and reigning outdoor world champion  Andrew Ridley, ran 2:08.65 in finishing third in a race won by M40 Oliver Williams in 2:04.09.

However, Ridley had run 2:08.53 in December and not got that time  ratified and it’s unclear whether this latest mark will be ratified.

M45 Oliver Pool (23.83) was the quickest 200m runner on the day.

M50 Stephen McCauley came within a metre of the British record with a 15.56m throw while W55 Lesley Richardson won the women’s contest with a 8.49m throw.

In the championship Pentathlons, gold medallists in the oldest men’s  age groups included M60 Andrew Waddington (3033), M65 Brian Slaughter (3022) and M90 Tony Bowman.

W65 Susan Frisby won the W65 gold with a world class score of 3669 points while other winners in the W55 plus contest were W55 Tamzin Gribble (3019), W70 Nicky Buckwell (2743) and W60 Christine Pates (2308).

Nia Rutter (3519) won W40 gold with 3519 points while Sally Gilding (2839) took the W45 title.

Wilford Floyd Wilks (3198) won M55 gold while Scott Whittle (3174) took the M50 title.

Latvian M40  Kaspars Kazemaks (3521) got the highest men’s score while Mark Beer (3396) was top M40.