Ben Lindsay is one of 10 of the country's best young middle distance prospects who are set to become the first men to join the On Camp with Kelly' programme.
The scheme, headed by double Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes and which supports our top talent in the middle distances, is entering its fifth year now and to date has been restricted to women, but the 20-year old student will be at Loughborough today for what is believed will be a pilot scheme.
Although the details were not officially released as we went to press, it is thought that if successful, more men will be invited to join Holmes' team in the future.
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Lindsay's Pendle club mate Laura Finucane was among the first intake in 2004; Alison Leonard of Blackburn Harriers joined last year, and Leigh Lennon, who represents Ribble Valley Athletic Club, is currently in Loughborough on her 10-day induction course.
Lindsay is an athlete in demand and on Saturday was racing over the same Edinburgh circuit at Holyrood Park that was used for the World Cross Country Championships the following day.
He was taking part in the first Home International Match over the country in 18 years and England won both the men's and women's team races.
The teams were a mixture of three seniors and three juniors and Ben was the best placed of the juniors from all the home nations in sixth overall.
He was also the fourth and final England team counter to win a team gold medal alongside race winner Tom Lancashire from Bolton, David Webb was third and Steve Vernon fourth.
It was a great consolation for Lindsay who had missed out on making the Great Britain World Championship Team because the IAAF laws differ from our domestic rules rendering him too old for the junior race.
Running four races in successive days wouldn't normally be considered the ideal preparation for a big race, but that is just what Lindsay did over the Easter weekend.
At the Guernsey Easter Running Festival he placed third in a 10 kilometre road race, second in a cross country, then helped his Aldershot club to second in the relay.
To top it off, he made his debut over the half marathon distance and clocked 1:09:28. At the moment, it seems he can do no wrong - on his way to Edinburgh he even passed through Heathrow's notorious Terminal 5 without delay.
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