The British runner defies the aging process once again with a W60 world record of 4:56.77.
Claire Elms, Britain’s most prolific masters 1500m and mile record holder, broke her own W60 1500m record at Wimbledon on Wednesday (May 27) when, aged 62 years and five months, she became the oldest woman to break the 5-minute mark.
Appropriately wearing race number 62 and competing in the third race of the Hercules Wimbledon 1500m PB meeting, eight of his 10 rivals were young enough to be his grandsons.
It was much cooler after the previous day’s record temperatures, but unfortunately the change in weather meant a strong easterly wind with gusts over 20mph which definitely affected the times.
Unlike many of the younger athletes, Elms was at the back of the field for the first 800m and had to run wide, but couldn’t run clear and was out of action at the bell. He passed half his opponents on the final lap but felt slowed when he hit a strong headwind on the home straight.
However, he maintained his form well and his 4:56.77 lowered the world record of 4:56.85 from 2025.
After setting the W55 1500m world record in 2019, a bad dose of Covid and lack of further racing affected him in the immediate aftermath, but his best outdoor times over the past seven years show his consistency and no sign of slowing down.
2020: 4:58.23
2021: 4:58.45
2022 4:58.34
2023 4:57.10
2024 4:57.14
2025 4:56.85
2026 4:56.77
Having already set significant world bests in the 5km (17:45) and 5mile (29:53) this spring, she will be hoping for better conditions and a more defined run to go significantly faster over the 1500m in the season.
He currently holds an unprecedented 16 different British 1500m or mile records or best indoor, outdoor and road mile records between the W45 and W60 age groups.
The fastest 1500m of the day was Dominic Nolan (3:47.94) ahead of South England U17 champion Joseph Skanes in 3:48.50. Caspian Holmes, 15, ran 3:54.83 in another heat, while Sophie Tooley (4:20.80) had the fastest women’s time.
Elms wasn’t the only recent record-setter, though, with Andrew Ridley improving the M60 800m world record to 2:06.67 at the BMC race in Winchester on May 20, although that was off his indoor world mark of 2:05.13.
Former senior international Christine Harrison-Bloomfield set European W55 sprint times of 12.67 and 26.26 at Stratford on Monday.
Senior marks there included a Welsh 200m record of 22.79 for Hannah Brier ahead of Success Eduan’s 22.81.
