Hannah Nuttall tried mixing up her tactics against an elite field at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship and while the gamble did not pay off, she had no regrets.
The 29-year-old from Preston was among the early pacesetters in the 5000m in Budapest in a competition that brought together the very best athletes.
But while she was able to maintain that position for approximately two and a half kilometres, when Ethiopia’s Likina Amebaw made a move, Nuttall had nothing left to give and found herself dropped by the lead group.
In the end, she came home in 11th place, with a time of 15:00.04, approximately 30 seconds behind winner Amebaw.
But after reaching the World Championship final in the event last year, and showing her intent this time around, Nuttall believes she is on the right path.
She said: “I kind of wanted to play a different tactic. I felt like I was ready for it and I felt like I was in PB position, so I just wanted to give it everything and just go for it.
“I think, sadly, I just didn't have it. I felt like I was kind of pushing a little bit earlier on, and the effort was a bit harder than what I would have liked. But sometimes you can push through it and you're fine, and it's just like a battle of a 5K. That's kind of how it can feel sometimes.
“It's just one of those things. When the move went, I just didn't have anything to respond. So, yes, I found out pretty quickly that it was going to be a hard day. But I gave it my all, and that's everything I could do.”
Nuttall will now turn her attentions to the World Road Running Championships in Copenhagen next week, hoping to kick on from this performance in Budapest.
And even though her new tactic did not work on this occasion, she intends to keep trying to stay with the world’s best rather than playing it safe.
She added: “I think the fact that I felt like I could be up there is a big move to be making, and I think I just need to keep doing that. One day it will pay off, and I'll hopefully stay up there.
“I think I'm definitely going in the right direction, especially in my mindset as well. I want to be up there. I'm not just there to kind of come in the middle of the pack. I want to be up there.”
Novuna is the Official Finance Partner of British Athletics and proud sponsor of the GB & NI Athletics Team. Find out more at www.novuna.co.uk
Share