Elizabeth Yelling, GBR

PIC 

Personal Bests:

PIC

1993

Liz was 2nd in the AAA Juniors and won the English Schools 1500m in 1993, when she also ran for the British junior team. 

1995

Liz had a fine cross-country season, winning the Southern Junior, 2nd in the CAU Junior and 5th in the National Junior before winning the Southern 1500m on the track, with three sub 4-20 times in the year. She also ran for the UK Under-23s at 3000m and ended the year with a fine 10th in the European Cross-Countries. Injuries held back Liz since she was the first Briton in the 1995 European cross-country

1996

She was third in the CAU and had second places at the British Universities and UKs, but missed most of the track season.

1997

Liz was 3rd in the National cross-country, but missed most of the track season.

1998

Liz won the Reebok Cross Challenge series and, with an individual bronze, helped the British team to the team gold at the World Students cross-country, going on to her best season to date on the track.

1999

She was 3rd in the National Cross-Country, a week after running for Britain in the Chiba Ekiden road relay. She then came in as a reserve to run in the World Cross-Country Championships. 

After a steady track season she ran brilliantly at Velenje to place 4th in the 1999 European Cross-Country Championships. 

2000

She was runner-up at the World Cross-Country Trials and was then Britain's third scorer in the World 8km race. She ran a personal best of 26:09 to win the Hillingdon 5 Miles in March, and made her 10,000m track debut in the European Challenge, 24th in 33:11.84. 

She improved that to 33:07.9 for 8th at the AAAs. She took over two seconds off her personal bests for both 800m and 1500m, and at 3000m won for England against France. In October came her best performance of the year as she won the Stroud half marathon in 72:31 (compared to her previous best of 75:06 from 1998) and she earned a team silver medal when she was eighth, Britain's second finisher, in the European Cross-Country.

2001

Liz was a clear winner in the CAU/Trials race, had a 27-second winning margin to take her first National Cross-Country title and had her best ever run at the World Cross-country Championships. 

She ran personal bests for 3000m in July (9:08.13 and 8:57.3) and with 4:15.01 for second place in the AAA 1500m. 

She was then 4th in the Great Scottish Run, half marathon with a PB 72:26 (winning the UK title) and was 4th in the Cheltenham 10km race (2nd AAAs) in 33:20. She then took another 57 seconds off her best for 23rd place in the World Half Marathon. 

She was a clear winner of the Reebok Cross-Country Series in 2001/02 when gained her fourth top ten place at the European Cross-Country Championships, leading the British team to the silver medals, and won the UK and national titles before another fine run with 18th at the World Cross-Country. 

She left her job as a part-time maths/PE teacher to become a full-time athlete in December 2001.

2002

On the track in, Liz took over 40 seconds off her 10,000m best when 7th in the European Challenge race in 32:26.53 and ran a personal best of 15:45.08 for 4th at 5000m at the Commonwealth Trials and took over 28 seconds off her personal best when 4th in the Commonwealth Games 10,000m in 31:58.39, was 20th at the Europeans in 32:44.44 and was easily the fastest British woman in the Great North Run half marathon when 8th in 71:42.

2003

Liz won the Liverpool cross-country, her ninth successive win in Reebok Challenge Series races, but was then fourth at Margate, suffering the after-effects of a cold. Not fully fit, she was 30th at the European Cross-Country, but was Britain's third finisher and earned a team bronze medal.  Returning after viral problems, she was 2nd in the CAU Cross-Country and third in the overall Reebok Cross-Country series before an encouraging run at the World Cross-Country when she was 19th (fifth European) in the short-course race.  She ran 32:22.21 for 7th in the European Challenge 10,000m. An Achilles injury held her back, but she was pleased with her second in 33:37 in the London road 10km in July and improved to 33:02 for third at Tilburg, while preparing for her marathon debut in Berlin.

2004

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