DAMIAN Hall is within touching distance of winning his first Great Britain vest after producing the performance of his career over the Bank Holiday weekend, WRITES KEVIN FAHEY.

The 40-year-old from Box, who is a member of Corsham Running Club, finished a superb runner-up in the 11th Hoka Highland Fling 53 miles race which incorporated the British Athletics UK Ultra Trail Championships.

It was a performance that not only shocked Hall himself but also stunned the ultra world - in the British Athletics official preview Hall was not included among the 11 strong contenders for the title.

“I wasn’t one of those mentioned but that was fair enough especially as two years ago, when I ran this event for the first time (it is an event held biennially), I was new to the sport and made every mistake you could make and barely got into the top 20,” said Hall.

“For me it was a real sense of redemption and this time I got everything right. While it is not 100 per cent guaranteed, Britain take six runners for the World Trail Running Championships in Portugal in October and, in theory, the first three runners on Saturday should be selected.

“They don’t announce the team until June and I am just blown away to be in contention. It is just so exciting and it is beyond anything I could have imagined.”

The manner of Hall’s performance in the Highland Fling, which is staged along the West Highland Way through The Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park before finishing in Tyndrum, should certainly impress the selectors as he ran a canny, controlled race which illustrated just how much he has improved over the past two years.

Ignoring the fast starters, which included eventual winner Donnie Campbell and hot favourite Joe Symonds, Hall ran his own race and it was only in the last quarter that he moved into a podium place.

“My coach Ian Sharman told me to be patient and disciplined and don’t get burnt up by going off with the leaders,” added Hall.

“I was fifth at halfway and then moved up to fourth by 40 miles although I was starting to feel very weary. To be honest I would have been happy with fourth as top ten was my aim beforehand but then someone shouted to me that I was only three minutes away from third and that really got me going.

“I caught the guy in third and he told me second was not far ahead and I caught him too although he was harder to shake off.

But shake him off he did and Hall was able to celebrate the best moment of his career as he ran down the finish to the sounds of bagpipes and across a stretch of red carpet.

“I gave it everything and felt quite emotional because I just could not believe I had finished so high up in a field of that quality.’’