ADAM Hickey and Gemma Kersey are hoping victories in Sunday’s Southend’s 10km will provide the platform for international recognition this winter.

The two training partners, coached by Eamonn Martin, are hoping to make the Great Britain team for the European Cross-Country Championships in December.

And if Sunday’s performances are anything to go by, the duo can head into the next few months in confident mood.

Hickey, 26, won his fifth straight Southend 10km on the bounce and set the fastest time of his life on the seafront course of 30m 39s.

While Kersey was a comfortable victor and ran 30 seconds faster than she did when she won the same race 12 months earlier, clocking 35m 40s.

“For me and Adam, our goal this winter is to make the team for the European Cross-Country Championships,” said Kersey, of Basildon AC.

“Everything we are doing now is aimed towards the trials for that in November, that’s the end goal.”

Echo:

Gemma Kersey

Southend AC’s Hickey made his senior Great Britain debut at last year’s European Cross-Country Championships and helped the team to a bronze medal.

And he wants to be back in the team for this year’s championships in Samokov, Bulgaria.

“That’s my big aim, to get into the team again,” said Hickey who, if times are anything to go by, is in better shape today than 12 months ago.

His winning time on Sunday was nearly a minute quicker than 12 months earlier and even if he didn’t get under 30 minutes, as he had wanted, he feels in good shape.

“I’m really happy,” he said. “I went out hard from the start with the aim of making it an honest race.

“I would have liked to have got under 30 minutes. Even though it’s my fifth win a row here, I don’t feel that I’ve ever ran to my full potential here and I would have liked to have got under 30 minutes on my home course, but I’m happy.”

Hickey’s plans before the trial race for the European Cross-Country Championships may include the Great South Run, an international-class 10-mile race at the end of the month.

“It’s a possibility,” he said. “It would be my first big road race, but I also might do another 10km and some cross-country races before the trials.”

Echo:

Adam Hickey leading the Southend 10k

Kersey certainly won’t be on the start line at the Great South Run, with Sunday’s race just her third at the 10km and she said it didn’t feel any easier.

“I feel a lot stronger than 12 months ago, but the effort still feels the same,” she said. “I still feel as knackered as I did last year! I thought it would be easier but it’s not because you are running faster.

“I’m pleased because it was 30 seconds faster than last year and I won, so I did everything I wanted to.”

Kersey, 22, will be going for a place in the Great Britain under-23 squad for the European Cross-Country Championships and, for the second year, will be running with the seniors over 8km in a bid to qualify.

Last winter was her first full season running against the seniors and by the end of the cross-country season she had adjusted well enough to finish eighth at the UK Intercounties Championships in March.

“This time last year I was unsure about going up the distance from 4km as a junior to 8km to a senior,” she said. “But the difference now is that I’m going into this year knowing I have the endurance to run 8kms and thinking I can make the team.

“I finished last year in the best shape of my life over the distance and I know I have got the endurance in my legs.”