Twin girls ranked fastest U11s in Britain
Identical twin girls have been ranked best under 11s in Britain after achieving sub-20 5K times.
Isobel and Eve Beddow crossed the line at Birkenhead parkrun in 19.12 and 19.47 respectively securing their first and second place on Run Britain rankings.
The 10-year-old sisters run for Wirral AC regularly competing in the Manchester League cross country.
'I was ecstatic on the day I got the time but totally exhausted. When I found out I was first U11 on Run Britain I was really, really proud,' said Isobel.
Eve was also delighted to come second to her twin sister.
'Getting a sub 20 was something I never thought I'd be able to do, particularly half way round when I wanted to stop, but I pushed on and really glad I did,' she said.
Isobel started running in winter 2020 at the age of nine, while her sister focused on football. The following June Isobel entered her first competition and won the 75m.
'Until then we had no real idea she was quick, we just understood she liked running and was determined. We took Eve to the next competition in the July and she also did incredibly well, picking up two medals,' said mum Karen Beddow.
Inspired by their wins the twins started attending foundation training once a week with Wirral AC. When the track season finished they started doing cross country and competed in the Manchester Cross Country League 21/22 and also represented Merseyside in the National Schools Events.
As junior parkrun started back up again post pandemic, they started to run it regularly on Sundays.
This year they progressed to the full parkrun on a Saturday, running with an adult volunteer from Wirral Endurance Programme who provide a buddy system for runners whose parents can't keep up with their children.
'For some time they had both been hoping to do a sub-20 5K parkrun and this summer they both did. Combined with their Manchester League cross country times and their previous times, these times pushed them into first and second spot on Run Britain for U11,' said Beddow.
The girls' commitment to running means their parents have never has to persuade them to train.
'They do it because they love it. As parents we feel incredibly proud. We can see how much enjoyment they get from running but we can also see how much effort they put into their training. They listen to their coaches, take their advice and just generally throw their heart and soul into it. As a parent, there is no better feeling than watching them thrive in something that they love, and we really hope it will continue,' said Beddow.
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