Brennan helps Team GB claim third in World Masters Championships

VETERAN Phil Brennan took part in a staggering eight races in ten days to help Team GB finish third in the medal table at the World Masters Athletic Championships in Perth, Australia.

Having already competed in both the 800m and the 5,000m finals, the Stratford AC athlete continued with five more races, including four finals.

Having originally intended to rest after a tough 5,000m race, Brennan got “bored hanging around’, so three days later he was lining up in 30C temperatures in the M70 10,000m final.

Despite the conditions, the 74-year-old managed to finish in seventh place, in a personal best time of 49.22.44.

Two days later, Brennan competed in the heats of the 1500m, qualifying for the final in a season’s best time of 5 minutes 57.38 seconds.

The next day, in the midday sun and with the temperature over 30 degrees, Brennan ran in a fast 1500m final, won by the Frenchman, Jean Claude Demarque, in close to world record time.

Brennan finished in a battling ninth place, in a time of 5.59.87, a mere 2.5 seconds slower than the previous day’s heats.

After a restless night, Brennan was up at 4.30am for his final day of competition, beginning with the final of the half marathon as part of a strong GB team.

Due to the early start, he forgot both his hat and sunblock, and suffered in the strong sun and high humidity. However, Brennan overcame these obstacles to win a team gold as part of a triumphant British team.

His time of 1.53.50 helped GB beat their nearest rivals, France, by a massive 20-minute margin.

If that was not enough, Brennan then rounded off a busy ten days by leading off in the M70 4x400m relay team that finished just outside the medals in fourth.