Richard Weir & Mohamud Aadan (August 2016)
Richard Weir born 7/8/84 & Mohamud Aadan born 11/1/90.
Richard Weir (Derby & County AC) was the 2016 & 2015 English and CAU Inter-Counties 5000m Champion. That was at Bedford both times.
In 2016 he won in 14:18.91 from Mohamud Aadan (TVH) who did 14:27.03. Aadan built up a sizeable lead by half way that, appeared difficult to close but Weir did manage to pull back the deficit. The 2015 event was a very competitive race throughout and, he won (14:24.59) from Adam Hickey of Southend (14:26.93) with Mohamud Aadan 3rd 14:30.23, 4th Alexander Teuten; 5 Antonio Silva; and 6 Alastair Watson.
Richard Weir explains about the two races “Completely different. No last lap burn up this time. I think Mohamud took it on from the start.
I was not really interested making it fast so, I hung back a little then, I saw the gap grow and, I thought ‘Let’s get moving here lest I would have egg on my face”
Mohamud Aadan who took up athletics at college in 2009, having given up football, remarked “Richard Weir’s 800 & 1500 are better than mine
That is the only thing I need to work on which makes a difference.’ (His listed best so far is 3:59.7 indoors in 2011 but he ran a good 10k in the second highest grade 10k at Parliament Hill fields, when winning in Ben Pochee’s Night of Personal Bests in May when he did 29:39.60)
Aadan remarked “I wanted a 200m gap in the race to-day. 100 was not enough. He was watching me from behind and, it was windy in the back straight.’
He added ‘I was pleased with my run at Ninove on the 23rd of July when, I did a PB of 13:57.32. For 5000.’
Despite wanting to improve his track times he did say “I am looking forward to the cross country season” Already a Middlesex Champion over the country, he is likely to be one of the best again in the North London area, of that there is no doubt. Mohamud is the man who wandered into the Thames Valley Harriers clubhouse in 2009 and said ‘I would like to join your club’ then his running began and he has never looked back.
Richard Weir’s best time to date for 5k was 13:41.83 in Belgium on the 28th of May 2016 and, his best times for 800/1500 are 1:50.67 (2012) and 3:41.93 (2015)
The races he was most pleased about “I won the Northern for the second time. Winning for the first time was a memory. I have had a few silvers and, bronzes and a few minor places. A win is always nice as well, the same with today.’
Richard’s fastest 3000 was in 2016 in Dublin where he ran 7:56.6, coming 2nd in the Morton Games on the 22/7/16 ‘My 13:41 in Belgium for 5000 was a personal best by five seconds and in the Morton Games I was a close second.’
It is very noticeable that Richard Weir has done well in BMC races. He ran six 1500’s inside 3:47 in 2013; 4 inside 3:46 in 2014 and 5 inside 3:45 in 2015!
I first met Richard Weir, after he had taken Derby into 2nd place on the 3rd leg of the 12 stage road relay at Sutton Park in 2014.
“I have has some good road relay runs. That is my distance but definitely track is my distance over 5k
When did it all begin for Richard “First it was a school cross country and then track after that”
As an Under 17 in 2000 he ran the 800 in 1:57.13 and the 3000 in 9:11.4
Who then had coached him “Spencer Duval (AAA’s 3000 Steeplechase Champion in 8:24.64 in 1995). ‘He knows his stuff.
He was coached by my previous coach Dave Sunderland and he followed on the good work he had done and it is working well.”