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Peak performances from Steve and Ross

Ross Millington in the 1500m

Ross ran the second fastest 1,500 metre time in the UK this year.

Stockport Harriers' Steve Vernon and Ross Millington both produced peak performances this week to end their season on top form.

Steve was representing Great Britain in the final Grand Prix Mountain Running event which attracts the best Mountain runners from across the world who compete in the series of races at some of Europe's highest peaks.

The final Grand Prix event started in the the Italian mountain town of Susa and climbed over 15,960 metres to the mountain top finish at Costa Rosa.

The field included the world's top three mountain men including last year's World Mountain Running Champion Jonathan Wyatt of New Zealand and athletes from over 20 nations.

The tough challenge did not deter Steve from going with the pace up the climb that eventually cut the field down to size, with Steve running hard in the last quarter overhauling Australian Ben Dubios, Simon Gutierrez of the USA and Ricardo Meja of Mexico, he was only 16 seconds off Italian Gairdo in third at the finish.

Steve led the GB team who finished second team ahead of the USA by only two points, with the Italians winning the event.

Ross Millington also saved his best performance until last in a season that has seen the 15-year-old improve with every race. Ross ran the second fastest 1,500 metre time in the UK this year in the under-17 age group.

Ross, from Woodsmoor, entered the British Milers Club Gold Standard race at Trafford on Tuesday night. He was the youngest in the field and raced against some of the top senior middle distance runners in the region to finish an amazing third in a new personal best of 3 minutes 55 seconds, smashing his under-17 Stockport Harriers' club record in the process by over three seconds.

Both athletes have figured prominently over the last twelve months for Stockport and are now taking a well earned two week rest before they prepare for the cross country season that gets underway in October.

Steve Vernon will be back training at Woodbank with the Harriers' squad now he has left the National Endurance Centre for athletes at St Marys in London. He is aiming to represent Great Britain at the season's big two races; the European Cross Country Championships at Tilburg in Holland in December and the World Cross Country Championships at Foukoka in Japan next March.

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