Wirral Athletics Club has proven that they are a force to reckon with by winning a nationwide social distancing event.

On May 6, the Wirral AC young endurance program participated in the National Mile virtual competition to celebrate the 66th anniversary of Sir Roger Bannister breaking the four minute mile.

In the age graded results they won the overall team title, beating Salford Seniors, who were medallists at the Northern Cross Country Championships, and Cardiff Seniors, who were medallists at the National Road Relays.

Ronan Kearney, Coach in the Wirral Endurance Program, said: “I’m very proud of our squad today. The results of the Roger Bannister Mile were finalised at midnight, and I know the great man would be delighted that so many young people tackled the mile in his honour. Our training group was the largest participating team in the whole event, with over 30 runners.”

Running on measured courses around the Wirral, they had to submit evidence of their time and distance online to the British Miler’s Club.

The team was racing against thousands of senior and junior athletes across the country. In addition to being the largest team in the event, Wirral proved that on a like for like basis their endurance program can beat the very best.

One highlight for Wirral was the outstanding performance of Keira Brady Jones, who at just 15 clocked a phenomenal 4 minutes 45 seconds for the mile. Keira is the current National indoor Champion over 800m as well.

The success in this event comes as little surprise for the Wirral endurance program, which has eight specialist coaches and over the last few years has become one of the strongest programs in the North of England, with multiple National and Northern team titles, winning seven team titles at the 2020 Merseyside County Cross Country Championships.