A HOST of athletes from the region set new personal bests at the British Milers’ Club meeting at Exeter Arena this week.

City of Plymouth’s Jake Hughes broke the four-minute barrier for the 1,500m for the first time.

Hughes clocked 3:58.20 minutes to finish four in the men’s A race. That was four seconds quicker than he had previously run over the distance.

There was also another PB for in-form Matthew Bradley, who clocked 4:04.57.

The City of Plymouth runner had only broken his 1,500m PB earlier this month when he ran 4:08.5 at the Devon Open Meeting at Tavistock. He has also set new 3,000m and 5,000m personal bests this month.

There was also a new lifetime best at the 1,500m distance for Tavistock teenager Emma Ryder. She clocked 4:52.30 to take third in the women’s A race.

City of Plymouth’s under-13 athlete Verity Tank was another to set a new PB over the same distance with a 5:18.08 run, while Erme Valley’s Olivia Travers recorded a season’s best of 5:34.68.

In the 800m, City of Plymouth’s Dean Smith finished third in the men’s A race with a 1:55.00 run.

Erme Valley’s Liam Hallows ran a PB of 2:09.55, while there were also new bests for City of Plymouth’s Oliver Woodmason and Tavistock athletes Joe Dix, Will Russell and Jade Kinsey.

Woodmason, Dix and Russell are all under-15 athletes and they clocked 2:11.20, 2:14.84 and 2:18.33, respectively, while Kinsey ran 2:25.49 in the women’s 800m.