IN WHAT was one of the largest gatherings at an outdoor track meeting for many moons, Isle of Wight athlete Dan Eckersley travelled to Worthing, which staged an open meeting in glorious April weather.

Dan’s specialist event is the 3,000m steeplechase, but on this occasion he decided to open up his season with a 3,000m flat race, which attracted a decent field.

Isle of Wight County Press: Dan Eckersley.Dan Eckersley.

After an opening lap by the leaders — who clocked it in 65 seconds —Dan, of Cowes, sat back behind them to pass the first 400m four seconds later.

Although this left him somewhat isolated, it proved to be the correct tactical decision as he continued to churn out identical laps — finishing an excellent third spot in 8mins 49.62 secs.

Isle of Wight County Press: Dan Eckersley.Dan Eckersley.

With the track at The Fairway, Sandown, now back open, Dan will now work on developing more speed to compete in the bigger races as the season unfolds.