Teuten sets new best at nationals

The 24-year-old City of Portsmouth athlete recorded his best result yet in the biggest domestic race of the cross-country season.

A storming last lap saw him make up 12 places to finish 15th in a time of 43min 52sec.

It was a great result in a high-class race with 1,730 finishers.

Aldershot’s Jonny Hay finished first in 42.09.

Crucially, Teuten was in a good place at the start and despite some issues during the race he finished well.

He said: ‘The start was particularly bad if you weren’t in a good place.

‘If you were in a pen on the left side you started running down the hill so it was much easier.

‘There were very few athletes from the far right side at the front.

‘Conditions were quite difficult but you expect that.

‘I got a stitch midway through and it cost me time.

‘Luckily I cleared that pretty well and went past 12 people on the last lap.

‘It’s a good feeling finishing a race strongly like that.’

Teuten also won the battle to predict his finishing position after City chairman Phil Budd had inadvertently set him a challenge.

He added: ‘It was quite amazing. Phil asked me where I thought I was going to finish and I told him I was hoping to get top 15.

‘He said he thought top 20 would be difficult but more achievable.

‘You could say it is a good way of motivating someone to give them a challenge.’

The City ace showed he is getting back to his best after a hamstring injury.

‘I’ve had a strange couple of weeks,’ said Teuten.

‘I picked up a hamstring problem so went to see the physio to get a preventative strategy for it.

‘He said I have poor hip flexibility which is causing extra strain on it, and that with correction over three months I could be 10 seconds per mile faster than I am now.

‘In the long term it means I could be right at the front of these big races, which is very encouraging.’