St Mary’s Alumnus Matches British 10K Record

Alumnus of the Endurance Performance Centre (EPC) at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, Emile Cairess has matched the British 10km Men’s record in a race in Spain last weekend.

Emile completed the 10km Valencia Ibercaja race in 27:44, finishing the race as the first-place European runner and fifth overall. His performance took half a minute off his previous personal best time of 28:14 to make him the co-holder of the British record alongside fellow St Mary’s alumnus Sir Mo Farah. The previous record was set in London in 2010 by Sir Mo, two years before he going on to win his first two Olympic Gold medals at London 2012.

During his time at St Mary’s, Emile competed regularly on the track, road, and cross country. He won the Men’s race in the British Universities and Colleges Sports (BUCS) Cross Country in 2019 and came third in the 10km race in European U23 Championships in the same year.

Speaking of his performance, EPC Performance Coach Craig Winrow said, “It is great to see Emile continue his success as a senior athlete and run such a quick time. St Mary's EPC are delighted to have been part of his running career and his continued success is a great motivation all our current EPC students. We wish him all best for the coming year with three major championships to qualify for in the World Athletics Championships, the home Commonwealth Games and the European Athletics Championships.”

Since launching in 2001, the EPC has helped develop some of the world's best distance runners, including Sir Mo Farah, Steph Twell, Charlotte Purdue, Adelle Tracy, Charlie Grice, Beth Potter, and Andy Vernon, amongst many others.

From competing at BUCS events to the Olympics, St Mary’s EPC provides the perfect environment for all standards of runner. Athletes have access to dedicated on-site accommodation, the Sir Mo Farah Athletics Track, a modern strength and conditioning facility and extensive running in nearby Bushy and Richmond Parks. Alongside this, runners can access world-class coaching and support services; expertise that has been developed since the programme started in 2001.