CurraNZ ambassador, middle-distance runner George Mills, has been crowned the 2020 British 1500m champion after lighting up the British Athletics Championships with a stunning victory in Manchester.
The title makes George, 21, a double British Champion over the distance, after winning the 1500m event at the British Indoor Athletics Championships in February.
He credits CurraNZ for being a ‘massive’ part of his journey on his remarkable comeback from serious injury which took him out of the sport in 2017 and 2018.
George’s rise through the quality-laden middle-distance ranks this year has been deeply impressive. Like every other athlete, George has had to adapt his year around Covid, but he went to the British Champs in good shape.
He says: “My coach and I thought there would be a chance of winning a medal at the British Champs if everything went perfectly, but I certainly didn’t go there expecting it. The race was more about learning and getting more experience.
“The race was super slow through the first lap and it almost became a 400m race. Fortunately, I had the right position and pace and was able to attack at the right time.”
With British middle-distance running stronger than it has been in many years, George knew he had his work cut out and went into the race ranked just outside the top four on PBs.
“Two of my rivals had raced in the final of the World Champs last year. My coach told me to believe in myself in the race and just execute the strategy. So, to win, was awesome - there is no better feeling than winning my first National Outdoor title.”
He credits CurraNZ for assisting his rise in becoming one of the leading middle-distance runners in Britain, having been a brilliant junior ranked amongst the best in Europe.
George, a University of Brighton sports science graduate, put in a huge amount of rehabilitation following his run of serious injuries. His goal in his comeback year in 2019, was to get through free of injury. This year, having turned professional, has been about ‘pushing his boundaries’.
“I’ve been using CurraNZ for a year now and my times and performance show that I’ve been improving massively - and CurraNZ has got to have had some sort of say in that.”
With two national titles in the bag and two subsequent PBs in Europe just this week, the year has turned out beyond his wildest expectations.
George says: “While I knew I was probably capable of running the times I’ve run this year and if I’m honest, I’m probably ahead of schedule. To actually go and win two titles and take four seconds off my 1500m PB was not what I was expecting at all.”
The Yorkshire athlete pinpoints the CurraNZ recovery benefit for helping him cope with 15-16 training sessions a week.
“It’s pretty intense but I need to do that to get to where I want to be. I’ve been training two or three times a day for the whole year but my body is coping with it and I’m feeling really good. I know I’m recovering better with CurraNZ and seeing the benefit. It’s really interesting having a sports science background, to read the research and use the product – and observe this progress.
