Lewisham resident and GLL Sport Foundation Athlete Clare Elms has continued her record breaking form as the country's most prolific masters middle distance runner.
This year, Clare has already set world masters indoor records over the 3000m and mile, as well as setting a world W60 outdoor record in the 1500m (4:56.77) and world W60 bests over 5km (17:48 then 17:45) and five miles (29:53 and over the last 20 years she has set over a 100 British or European or World Records or world age bests).
Clare Elms has set a world W60 3000m record with an incredible 10:28.76 at the annual Ron Hale Open at The Alex Yee Ladywell Arena in Lewisham, London on Sunday 5th July 2026.
Competing at The Alex Yee Ladywell Arena, the 62-year-old bettered German Silke Schmid's highly regarded record of 10:28.94 from 2019. She had previously narrowly missed out on bettering that mark in 2024 (10:33.34), 2025 (10:31.73) and last month (10:31.15), but she finally reached her target on Sunday 5th July.
She achieved the feat in temperatures of around 30C and it was her fastest time over 3000m since her then British W55 record set seven years earlier.
Clare is part of the GLL Sports Foundation programme which supports high performing athletes of all ages and across a variety of sports. To find out more about the GLL Sports Foundation visit
https://www.gllsportfoundation.org/
Clare is a member of Kent AC who train out of Ladywell Arena twice a week and regular compete in competitions across the region. Having taken up running in her 40's Clare is proof that it's never too late to try something new. To find out more about Kent AC visit
https://kentac.org.uk/
Well done Clare from all of the team at The Alex Yee Ladywell Arena and across GLL. Your achievements are truly inspirational.
