Setback for runner Katie Knowles (From Falmouth Packet)

Setback for runner Katie Knowles

5:25pm Thursday 9th July 2009

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Truro runner Katie Knowles, who represented England in last year’s Commonwealth Youth Games, has suffered an injury setback that has ruled her out of the summer season’s track racing.

She has had a persistent Achilles problem since early May and her focus now is on recovery in time for the cross country season starting in October.

The 18-year-old former Truro School student first began feeling pain after her heats in the BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport) Indoor Championships and since then it has gradually got worse.

“It’s very frustrating, particularly as I had made an encouraging start to the year, leading up to one of my best runs ever in April,” recalls, Katie, who is sponsored by Truro-based Lowena Homes.

“After spending two weeks in Portugal warm weather training, I came back and ran in the Senior National Road Relays for my team, Bristol and West AC. We finished third behind Charnwood and Aldershot and Farnham AC.

“I also recorded the 11th fastest time of the day over the 5k course, running 16.14. This was faster than some of the women who represented Great Britain in the World Cross Country Championships the previous month.”

In January Katie represented England in a cross country race in Seville, Spain, finishing second in the under-20 women's race, eight seconds behind another England runner, Lily Partridge. In the same month she won the Midland Cross Country Championships (U20) by 55 seconds.

In February, Katie ran her first indoor 3,000m race in the Senior National AAA's Championships, finishing 11th in a time of 9.35, only five seconds outside her outdoor personal best.

In March she competed in the BUCS Indoor Championships over 3,000m, reaching the final and finishing second in what was a very slow and tactical race at the beginning. Katie was three seconds behind Emma Pallant, who last year came third in the World Juniors over 1,500m.

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