PBs and club record start the track season for DAC

A host of PBs, topped by a new club age-group record, was the reward for an early-season outing for several Derby Athletic Club track athletes.

The first Charnwood open of the season, at the Paula Radcliffe Athletics Stadium in Loughborough in April, saw DAC middle-distance runners make an impressive start to the 2025 outdoor season. The success follows a great winter cross-country season for the club. There were also PBs for DAC in sprints and high jump at the event.

The standout performance came from Olivia Lee, who broke the DAC U15 girls’ record for the 1500m, knocking more than four seconds off Wendy Farrow’s record set in 1986, almost 40 years ago.

Olivia’s new club record time of 4 mins 32.74 secs put her in the number 1 position for 1500m girls in her age group in the UK – and is 14 seconds inside the English Schools standard.

DAC athletes set PBs in the 800m, the 1500m and the 3k at the open meeting, in what for most was the first track event of the summer season.

In the 3000m Will Croft (U17) made his debut, coming third in his race with a strong 9:46.71. DAC U15 girls running the 800m included Sophia Trafford, second in her race (2:38.29, a 7 sec PB), Alice Lincoln, sixth in her race (2:23.41, a 2 sec PB), Dayna Kayes, fourth in her race (2:32.67, a 2 sec PB) and Jess Whitehead, sixth in her race (2:35.47, a 2 sec PB).

In the 1500, U15 boy Seth Burton set a PB in his debut race, coming second in 5:00.95. Also setting PBs in the 1500 were U13 girl Joyce Lenton who came fourth in the same race (5:07.37, an 18 sec PB), U15 boy Osniel Segal, who came second in his race (4:31.30, a 6 sec PB), U13 Will Saunders, ninth in his race (4:57.11, a 3 sec PB), U20 Hayden Murphy, seventh in his race (4:22.04, a 6 sec PB) and U17 Sam Watson, eighth in the same race (4:27.03, a 3 sec PB).

In the high jump, Oscar Fuller (U15B) set a PB of 1.60, only to set a further PB of 1.65 days later at the Staffordshire Midweek Open in Burton.

And sprinters Kaylah McKenzie, (U17W, 12.21), Dayna Kayes (U15G, 13.91) and Grace Wheldon (U15G, 13.49) all set PBs in the 100m at the Charnwood event.

Well done to all who raced, big congratulations for the PBs, and here’s to a great outdoor season.