We all thought it was starting to become a thing from the past, but with the arrival of lockdown 3.0, it is back. Virtual racing, once a complete unknown, has now become very popular.

Just because it isn’t racing as we know it, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be something that motivates us. There can be a powerful feeling attached to virtual racing. Whilst we can’t race together, there is comfort in knowing that you are part of a large community of runners who have all united over their passion for a sport when the world is in crisis.

It is a group of people who no matter what the situation, will come together to ensure everyone gets to keep their enjoyment for running strong. That is the power of running; even when you are running alone, you are never on your own.

For many, racing acts as the main source of motivation for training. You feel driven to push yourself as hard as you can in training as you know it will all be worth it come race day.

Yes of course we know it’s not for everyone however, with racing in person cancelled for the time being, virtual racing acts as the next best thing to give you the drive you need. Here are a few virtual races for you to keep your eye on over the next few weeks.

Centurion One Love 50k

If you really love a challenge, and the further the distance the better for you, the Centurion One Love 50k could be perfect. This is the fourth virtual event in the One Community Series and offers athletes the chance to spend Valentine’s Day with their one true love… running.

The event spans over the weekend of the 13th-14th February, and having spent so much time with those you live with over lockdown, you’ll probably be grateful for the chance to get out of the house for a bit longer! For those eager to participate but slightly scared by the 50k distance, there is also a half marathon and 5k event.

This is a great opportunity to have something to aim for during our third lockdown and prepare for some actual races later in the year (hopefully!).

 

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England Virtual Relay Champs

Helping athletes stay connected with their fellow club mates at a time when club training has come to a halt, is the EA 5-mile national club relays. The virtual championships unites men and women into one team with spaces being filled equally by both.

More athletes can run for each team, but it is the four fastest men and women who come together to complete a team. The event is due to finish this weekend, and as it stands Andy Coley-Maud leads for the men with a time of 24:09 and Hannah Viner for the women in 28:06.

Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow are the leading club with a combined time of 3:41:47. The top 50 clubs will progress to round two in February with the winners of that round competing against the leading club from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

If you are eager to get involved there is still time to run as the event deadline has been extended due to icy conditions across the country. All you need to do is get your time logged by 23:59 on Wednesday 13th January!

 

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The Spine Race Virtual Event

In normal, non-virtual times, the Spine Race is considered one of the world’s toughest endurance races. It tests athletes not only physically, but also mentally. The event sees athletes race along the Pennine Way non-stop, battling the brutalist conditions the British winter has to offer.

The virtual challenge however, is open for athletes across the world to partake in. Whilst the traditional event is 268 miles, the virtual ‘sprint’ offers athletes the opportunity to race over 26.8 miles. Athletes can log the distance they run, either at once or over multiple runs, and see their progress on a virtual map starting in Edale and finishing in the wild moorlands of Standedge in West Yorkshire.

For athletes looking to embrace the full challenge as much as possible, a live weather feed allows you to imagine yourself running through those usual brutal conditions.

Lindsays Virtual Road Challenge

ScottishAthletics have been at the forefront of organising virtual races and challenges. If you want to take part in their first of 2021 you’ll need to be quick though, as it ends tomorrow!

The Lindsays Virtual Road Challenge includes time trials over a range of distances with Nynke Mulholland (29:03) and James Donald (23:45) the current leaders in the 8km challenge. Live results can be seen here, and more details on the event can be found here.

@Benny23100 sizzling in his @scotathletics Virtual 6K earlier today.
The winter grind continues. pic.twitter.com/uTgMztXeQA

— Michael Wright (@Michael87Wright) January 9, 2021

Serpiesphere Virtual 5K series

A great example of a club providing competitive opportunities for their members,  the Serpieshere 5km series organised by Serpentine Running Club, works out positions based on a handicap basis, using net time, handicapped time, and your position in your age group, to calculate the final positions.

It’s for club members only so either join the Serpies or take inspiration for your own club or group. The great thing about this event is you can do as many races as the series offers and your performance over each race will be added together and considered, so you can truly track your progress like you would in normal racing.

Runderwear Virtual 10km

Our friends at Runderwear have organised a virtual 10km on Sunday 17th January, a popular weekend for virtual races it seems. The races offers prizes for the top three athletes, male and female, and builds on their very popular virtual 10 mile race in 2020.

 

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Morecambe Virtual Half Marathon

If your goal for 2021 has been to debut or get a PB over the half marathon distance, this could be your chance. Why not get started early in the year and get a feel for racing 13.1 miles. There is nothing like hitting your target in the first month of the year, but it also acts as a motivation booster if you don’t quite reach it.

The Morecambe Virtual Half is part of the Lancashire race series that has gone ahead as planned, but all virtually. The event takes place until the 17th of January and must be completed in one run within the time frame, so you still have another week to get your run done. With this event you’ll even receive a medal and t-shirt! If that doesn’t cheer you up over lockdown 3.0, I don’t know what will!

We are all affected by demotivating feelings at times, especially now, so you may be surprised by how much virtual racing can actually help keep your drive alive. Your competitive spirit might take over more than you thought. So, why not give one of these races a go over the upcoming weeks.

The post The FR virtual race calendar appeared first on Fast Running.

Like the furlough pro Zak Hanna, many have found new strength training through the UK and Irish versions of a lockdown. The virtual race season, at first held at arms length by many including myself, has been embraced. Virtual PBs are a thing. Well, kind of.

Now those who have been training hard and seeing improvements all though 2020 are looking to get themselves some real PBs and we’re worried there could be some carnage.

It’s important to remember that there is a slight possibility your watch has been lying to you. It was probably done with good intentions. The latest smart watch and Bill Gates micro chip in your brain registered some low self-confidence and decided to perk you up with a 5k PB.

So what if mile two was a 3:43 and it looked like you ran over a row of houses. Maybe the training is just really working. Ross Barkley could run a 16 minute 5k if he really tried anyway.

Photo: Lindie Naughton

The next start line

Now this isn’t just a sarcastic piece about people who posted “virtual PBs” (although it is a little bit). It’s a warning.

When race day comes, be careful. If your new virtual PB is over a minute quicker than your old PB then it’s certainly possible you’ve come along leaps and bounds in the lockdown.

The fact you’ve removed hours from your work week or commute, or just not been overcooking it at the track every Tuesday, could have unlocked big gains. It’s likely we’ve all improved. Just not that much.

So in the first mile of your next real race you have two options. Go for it and solidify that new PB in the real world or hold back a notch, finish like a train and set a solid season opener.

Both are valid options, because in the 5 and 10k worlds you can dust yourself off, recover and come back another week. Just don’t keep trying to run 14:30 pace if your real PB is 15:45. Set yourself a target somewhere in the middle and work from there.

Stronger together

Some will rightly be thinking they’ll be going even faster when it comes to group racing again, because it’s a whole lot easier than a time trial on a park loop. Yes, that could be true too.

Running in a group our perception of effort is altered. It feels easier for the same effort level because others around you are doing the same. You’re where you belong. Although it works both ways and if someone overtakes you who you think should be behind, the perception of effort can increase too.

So use the fact that some might not read this article. Some might even read this and still set off like a dickhead as the gun goes off. You can reel them in during the second half as you lan somewhere between your real and virtual PB over 5k.

It’ll likely still be a big improvement and if you’re feeling strong at the end, go wild next time.

Photo: Charlie Wheeler

Run from feel

We’ve said it before though, it shouldn’t be all about the watch. Remember Big Nige at Armagh 5k? He ran at the level that felt right. The training had been working and it paid off. In that situation if you run off your watch then you’re potentially selling yourself short. Running by feel is a skill though.

It’s a skill that developed mainly through racing, but can be tapped into during training as well. By working through a range of paces, either in progression runs or varied pace intervals, an athlete can grasp a better feel for their own capabilities.

Take something like a session of eight x three minutes off a three min float. You might be running the efforts around 10k pace, but only dropping 10-20 seconds per kilometre for the steady float in-between. With a session like this you need to be in touch with how hard you are working.

Get either a little too fast and the session becomes your worst nightmare. But ease back a tiny bit for either and it’s still a bloody brilliant training effort to bank. Think about what might be the best approach with consistency of training in mind. This could be the right mindset for your first race back too.

But remember, if it’s cross country then don’t worry. When the gun goes, all bets are off. Go turn those virtual PBs into real ones.

If you’re not ready to come back to real racing just yet then the SOAR X TOUR sees racers test themselves over 1km, 1 mile and 5km consecutively over a 10 day period, with both stage and overall rankings and prizes up for grabs.

Want to run faster? For just £30 per month athletes are provided with a Final Surge plan for each day of the week, coaching advice from Robbie Britton and Tom Craggs, as well as access to the unique Fast Running Performance community.

If you would like more information on joining the project, click here. 

The post Don’t get carried away with your virtual PBs appeared first on Fast Running.

We find it hard enough to stop for a stress fracture, so it’s not surprising that runners have been keeping the racing going however they can and even more inventively now that we are starting to race in a socially distant manner.

Last week ‘Pop up Races’ in Ireland premiered their new format, complete with the Eco Mist Sanitisation tent. It’s not quite the portaloos and sweaty huddles we’re used to but it is great to see races taking place in a responsible manner. They’ll be out in action again in Caragh, County Kildare next week.

It’s just one example of race organisers looking to creative and innovative ways to develop some kind of competitive action over coming months that we have seen.

Some footage from last nights event pic.twitter.com/UNf3M4CQdd

— Pop Up Races (@popupraces) June 10, 2020

Racing is constantly evolving at the moment, so let’s have a look at the ways in which the running world has been clearing the covid-hurdles over the last 7 days.

Blackburn Harriers AC go ‘there and back again’ in full club effort

On the less standard end of the virtual runs this week was the Blackburn Harriers AC’s End-to-End challenge. After participating in various more ‘normal’ events they were looking for something that would keep the momentum going and “challenge the whole club, not just parts of it”.

The idea of running Lands End to John O Groats as a club was cooked up on a 15 minute phone call but clearly captured imaginations as “160 athletes, covering sprints, middle distance, throws, endurance, jumps & hurdles stepped up to the challenge”. The team needed to cover one thousand four hundred and seven kilometres in 48 hours.

From 2.41k from a discus thrower (Sarah Henton) to Jonny Murphy covering just shy of 58k and Jess Judd adding her 22.53k the whole club from track to field to road took part and smashed the two-day target, finishing over the planned distance in one day alone.

So, they decided to “run home” from John O’Groats to their training ground at Witton Park Arena (another 846k). But despite these huge efforts the club had other ideas with many athletes taking part for the second day in a row meaning they again smashed their target and ended up with a a full there-and-back run from the club. For the full write-up (and it’s an inspiring read) follow this link.

Top to bottom in French ultra race

In France the Mil’kil or to give it its official name, “Les 1000 Kilometres de France” is currently taking place. It started at 7am last Sunday and crosses the entirety of France from the English Channel to the Mediterranean.

Unlike the laudable efforts of Blackburn Harriers above, this is not a combined club effort but 33 individual runners covering the awe-inspiring distance. The finish line will be closed 288 hours after the start on Friday June 26 at 07:00.

The organisers stress that it “is not a competition but a meeting of experienced runners, eager to compete against each other” hence, it’s not a virtual event but an actual one. You can track the progress of the intrepid not-racers, but Stephane Mathieu is currently a mere 93km away from the end and leading the competition ahead of Gerard Denis (881k in) and Louis Fouquet (855k).

Annie Paringaux (873k) is way way ahead of the only two other women on the course and looks, failing major events, like she’ll take the win. Mimi Chevillon is currently 688km through her cross-France adventure and Graziella Varette is just over half way, at 541k.

UK ‘virtual race’ roundup

At the time of writing the British Milers Club 3k Time Trial was waiting for final submissions but had Morpeth’s Joe Armstrong leading in 8:18.00 followed by U20s Kian Davis (Preston) and Joe Ewing (Edinburgh) tying for second in 8:19.00.

In the women’s race Lauren Cooper (Parc Bryn Bach) and U20 Megan Keith (Inverness) were neck and neck up front in 9:20.00 with Aly Dixon (W40, Sunderland Strollers) chasing them in 9:38.00.

 

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A great start to day one of the #bmc3k @crossers7 at 8:34 held a one second advantage over Chris Thomas (8:35) with Paul Miles next (9:05) . @amiebagnall94 leads the women’s rankings with 10:18. Great performances in the age groups led by U17 @charlie_harding17 with 9:22. For full report see @athletics.weekly . . #runforgood #mindcharityuk #bannistermile #bmc1k

A post shared by British Milers Club.com (@britishmilersclub) on Jun 18, 2020 at 3:36pm PDT

The scottishathletics Hill Challenge has been making the most of the home-land’s terrain with racers asked to climb as many vertical metres as possible within 30 mins or 15 mins for the youngsters. The rules state: “runners use a slope, hill or steps in their local area and record total vertical ascent.

The challenge can be completed like hill reps or as a hilly run, planning the run to have as much vertical ascent as possible in your local area.” Submissions close on Monday but James Gordon, an U13 from Pitreavie is currently high above the rest for the 15 minute results, with 120 vertical metres climbed.

Sophie McGinty (Greenock Glenpark) is currently second overall with her 117metres. Desside’s Robbie Simpson stands atop 590 metres worth of elevation and the gents leaderboard for 30 minutes of reps while previous Hill Champs title holder Scout Adkin of Moorfoot leads the ladies with 434 metres.

Martelletti & Davies lead The British Masters Virtual 5km Relays

The British Masters Virtual 5k Relays are also in progress at the time of writing. For individual performances it might be hard to beat the 14:41 set by current 1st place holder Paul Martelletti (VP&TH). He’s also top of the age grade rankings at the moment and leading the podium ahead of Chris Livesy (14:45, Salford Harriers) and Andy Coley-Maud (14:47, Clapham Chasers).

Springfield’s Liz Davies is currently strides ahead of any female competition with her blistering 16:54. Elizabeth Renondeau (Vale Royal) is closest behind with 17:22 and Alexa Joel (Billericay) currently sits in third place with 17:23.

At the more gentle and instagram-friendly end of things, the Midsummer Run Europe took place yesterday. Participants apparently treated to an online comrades-lite moment with a “motivational introduction and starting pistol” as the sun started to rise for the first time in Europe that day (in Oslo 4:43am).

Then, they had to wait until the sun started to rise in their own location before setting off on their 5, 7.5 or 10k run. Over 5k, the UK winners were Sarah Moyles of Lonely Goat Running Club, 26:24, 19th) and Nick Carey for UKNetRunner (21:38, 10th).

Nicola (6th in 39:34) and Kristian Sinclair (18th in 38:50) of Lliswerry Runners did their family proud, earning bragging rights for being top for their country over 7.5k. 10k belonged to Ameleie Karlsson of Tunbridge Wells Harriers (45:44, 6th) and Sean Crawford (44:59, 58th).

Want to run faster? For just £30 per month athletes are provided with a Final Surge plan for each day of the week, coaching advice from Robbie Britton and Tom Craggs, as well as access to the unique Fast Running Performance community. If you would like more information on joining the project, click here. 

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As I type, the Scottish Athletics Tru Wealth Virtual Relays are in progress and it’ll be interesting to see how their top finishes compare to last week’s competition in England.

The racing takes place from Friday 10 April to Monday 13 April and at time of writing the 5k short leg table was topped by U20 runner Joe Ewing of Edinburgh AC. Joe’s 14:50 is 35 seconds faster than his formal PB.

Ewing’s time brings him in comfortably ahead of Inverness Harriers’ Cameron Young who himself ran a V-PB of 34 seconds to reach home (or wherever) in 15:26. Metro Aberdeen currently hold the bronze spot with a 15:41 courtesy of Tom Brian and, you guessed it, another PB – this time of 32 seconds.

For the ladies Fife AC’s Jenny Selman is currently holding top spot with a 17:36. Interestingly the ladies are currently not boarding the PB train. Morag Millar of Central AC was a little way outside her race PB, though for the moment it is enough to hold on to second – 18:26. Jennifer Cruikshanks of Fife is third as a type, in 19:16.

Jenny Selman with her silver medal from the British Indoor Champs. Credit: British Athletics

The Fife ladies are either just the ones getting out there early in the competition window or they are all set to dominate, as Annabel Simpsons currently holds the fastest time over the 10k long-leg, with a 36:54 . Central take the next two spots though thanks to Fanni Gyurko with 36:55 and Jennifer Wetton with 37:11.

In the men’s long-leg Douge Selman of Corstorphine seems to have got the PB memo, running a 30:22. He’ll be hoping no one goes faster than him. Jamie Crowe of Central AC has a faster PB on paper but is currently settling for second place after hitting stop on Strava at 30:48 and Edinburgh AC’s Andrew Fyfe is nipping at his heels (metaphorically – please don’t shame him) with a 30:53.

The ‘original’ Scottish Road Relays

You might be forgiven for feeling a sense of deja vu. Last weekend we also a Scottish Road Relays taking place organised by the University of Edinburgh Hare & Hound Running Club. They put together a fantastic full report on the results for us and you can check it out here.

5000+ compete in Virtual National Road Relays

If you’re in any way engaged with social media it can’t have escaped your attention that over the last week the Virtual National Road Relay Championships took place.

As a quick recap – Leeds City won the mens’ club competition with a combined time of 2:57:08 and Herne Hill Harriers took the women’s crown in both the 6 stage (1:43:20) and the 12-to-score races (3:37:09).

Lucy Reid of Tonbridge AC, who came third in the Great Birmingham Run last October, was fastest lady overall in 16:19. Reid has been in fantastic form in 2020 resulting in England selections for both Granollers Half Marathon and Antrim Coast Half Marathon.

Grant Sheldon’s time of 13:38 was enough to see him top the men’s list albeit with a little debate around the course he chose. A full report on the club results and top 10 can be found over here. So head on over and read up on all the action including the battle for the top in the men’s race and the top 10 competitors.

 

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@officialbighalf didn’t disappoint! Thanks to everyone who came to cheer! . . . . . . . . #bighalf #roadracing #pb #hairbyamytyrer #halfmarathon #londondhalfmarathon #vitalitybighalf

A post shared by Lucy Reid (@lucyreid92) on Mar 1, 2020 at 11:34am PST

Hughes tops some impressive Age Graded performances

In the meantime, let’s have a little dig into some of the other results. In age graded performance terms, Leicester’s Tommy Hughes can be mighty happy with taking the top ranking performance (98.87%) and a time of 16:09. The Olympian from Barcelona is now 60 and continues to perform at an incredible level.

Also doing it for the 60-plus-ers and just behind him was Pontypridd’s Mark Horsmanin 16:22 (98.20%). The mere whippersnapper Graham Rush of Leeds (V35 – 95.66%) who was 7th overall but third on the adjusted table with 14:02.

In the women’s age-graded times Lucy Reid of Tonbridge came out top with a 16:19 getting her 90.50%. W40 Kirsty Longley (Liverpool Pembroke Sefton) was next in 17:07 and 90.35% and Holly Archer (Cambridge & Coleridge) took the third adjusted place with 90/22% thanks to a 16:11 performance.

In the veteran’s overall category British Army and Wallsend athlete Danielle Hodgkinson clocked a 16:49 for first place, followed by the aforementioned Kirsty Longley and Guernsey’s Jenny James in 17:09.

Danielle Hodgkinson competing for England at the 2019 Parelloop 10k. Credit: Tom Craggs

Stalwart of the London racing scene, Paul Martelletti (V40) posted a 14:36 to top the mens vets ranking for VP&TH, with Kojo Kyereme of Shaftsbury Barnet logging a 14:53 and Bedford’s Darren Deed coming in under 15 to take third in 14:58.

There was an (imaginary) photo finish in the men’s M50+ competition as Tim Hartley of Notts AC dipped for the virtual line in 16:08 to nudge a win over the age-grade champion, Tommy Hughes. Mark Horsman was behind him again in this category too.

For the W50+ women one Debra Mason of Long Eaton RC took top spot in 19:08. Back in 2005 Debbie competed for GB at the World Championships in Helsinki where she ran the marathon alongside Paula Radcliffe and Mara Yamauchi (amongst others).

It’s been a while since she’s logged a power of 10 performance, so it was great to see her name on the board and see what she’s up to. Chasing Debbie for the W50 honours was Karen Murphy (Barnet) with a 19:26 – the fastest we’ve seen from her in a while. Clare Joliffe rounded out the medal spots with a 19:30 for Bristol & West.

Hardy & Saville lead Maverick VR

The Maverick running team normally specialise in putting on trail races in some of the most beautiful spots in the country. In fact, some of my happiest running memories are from their races. For now though they are running the Maverick Adidas Terrex Virtual Run Series for four weeks. You can enter a 5k, 10k or 15k performance run on any terrain and the race window finishes each Friday evening.

At close of play this week Nick Hardy of Tipton Harriers topped the leaderboard with his 15:25. It looks like that might also have been his entry for the National Road Relays. There’s another interesting debate to have – is it ok to submit the same run to multiple virtual event?

Bristol and West AC’s Ben Maliphant was not just socially distant but would have been a fair distance behind Nick in a real world race, finishing in a creditable 16:50 to take second place ahead of Jamie Giles (Serpentine RC) who completed his 5k in 17:53. G

iles’s time was a PB and part of a “buggered up” (his words) interval session which resulted in a 10k and 5k double PB-whammy. Clearly the silent streets of London make a great race track.

The top lady for the week was Maverick’s own Brittany Saville, who clocked a 19:38, just nudging ahead of Tracey Horne (Zoot RT). Sophie Flanagan was third in 20:45. Over 10k it was Suze Berry (47:27), Suzy Heath (48:10) and Yvettea Callas of trail club, Never Stop London, (48:14) who filled out the podium places.

The men’s 10k winner was…. Oh wait… Jamie Giles. With the run that keeps giving, Giles killed three racing birds with one stone to finish his 10k (PB) in 36:55. Michael Harris was next in line with a 38:50 and Maverick Trail Division’s Ben Rajan completed the top three in a 39:31 over a Hackney-Walthamstow Marshes course – though we did note the 41:09 moving time Ben ;-).

Finally, the 15k had only one competitor duck under the hour mark and that was James Phillips of Precision Hydration. He raced his chosen route in 55:12 leaving him streets ahead of Tom Coombes (1:01:37) and Thomas Morrison (1:03:18). Alice Sowden topped the women’s rankings in one hour flat. She was followed by another Never Stop London runner – Yvette Casallas – in 1:16:34 and V40 runners Vic Mayes (1:17:25)

Virtual edition of a classic

Virtual Isle of Man Easter Festival of Running is taking place from the 10th-19th April. It offers an array of straight and, we suspect rather less straight forward, races. There is a Pint race and a chunder mile…

The ideal setup is that you run each race on consecutive days, much like the real event. However, the organisers appear to be flexible on that particular rule. The races are the “Port Erin 10k”, the “Peel Hill Race” which must be an uphill route with minimum 300ft climb in at least 2 miles. Then the “Douglas 5k” which must be an out and back. Finally, for the brave/foolish, a Pint race or Chunder mile….

More information over on their facebook page.  At the time of writing only a handful of 10ks have been logged. Andy Norman is leading the pack for the moment, in 32:01. James Hoad is next in 32:36 and Simon O’Meara currently holds third in 34:33.

First lady to clock a winning time (for now) is Natalie Wangler with a speedy 36:54, ahead of Vicki Cronin in 40:15 and Grace Randford, who is representing the U20s with her 40:52.

 

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A few from a great weekend on the Isle of Man over Easter #Easterfestival #IOM

A post shared by Andy Norman (@stormin2936) on Apr 6, 2018 at 7:16am PDT

Get involved…

If you’re after some more racing over the coming week we’ve got you covered. The Maverick series is back for round 2/4 and there’s still time to post an entry into the aforementioned Manx festival.

Expect some swift times in the virtual Podium 5k – known for attracting speedsters in their ‘normal’ races, they are hosting a knockout 5k competition. Log a 5k time with them on Facebook or Twitter from 11th – 18th April and the fastest 128 will be taken through to the next round. From then on, every fortnight the bottom 50% are culled, until the final four duke it out for cash prizes. No point to point routes – check their Facebook for full rules.

For a different type of competition, the slightly enigmatic Straw Bear Striders are hosting the Fraud-Bear Virtual 5k champs. There will be multiple classifications on both the Male and Female side, where virtual jerseys will be awarded to the leaders of each classification at 8pm daily, for the preceding days racing.

They are: Maillot Jaune – fastest time, Maillot Vert – fastest mile split incorporated into their 5k. Maillot à Poi’s Rouges – the individual with the greatest negative elevation. Maillot Blanc – fastest U23 time and Maillot Renard Argent – fastest V50.

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Without the opportunity to race against others ‘virtual racing’ provides a great opportunity for people to push themselves. It is great to see that the running community are still ‘racing’.

Whilst your results may not be published on Po10, with a little bit of detective work, the help of Strava and the virtual relays, we have been able to appreciate some of these performances. It just shows that running can really be good fun!

*Note: Do not try this at home if you are unable to keep at least 2m from others at all times.

**Even more notes: Yes, yes we know that GPS’ aren’t always accurate, people can run point to point with the wind behind, that you can decide to run down the face of Ben Nevis and that even if you don’t do all of that it’s still not ‘racing’. Read this in the spirit it is intended – celebrating people still getting out running and training! 

Sub 32 10km for Judd in turbo charged ‘tempo’

Kicking off the time trial round up with an impressive ‘PB’ was Jess Judd. Jess, who had been preparing for New York Marathon, which unfortunately got cancelled due to Covid-19, had definitely been noticing the benefits of increasing her mileage.

With the help of her (half) pacer, England and sub 30-minute 10k runner, Rob Warner, Judd committed to running a 10k. In what started off as a ‘tempo effort’ as part of a session soon became much more than that.

Not only did Judd run a rapid time, but had this been an official race, it would’ve classified as a personal best. Judd clocked 31:52, taking 24 seconds of her previous best of 32:16.

Warner started off pacing Judd but soon got carried away by his legs. He managed to clock a time of 31:16 for the distance. In his own words, he said I ‘might not be able to take full credit on pacing’, but we’ll appreciate the half effort!

Impressive benchmark 5km for Weightman

GB athlete Laura Weightman also committed to running her own solo 5k time trial. Weigthman stuck close to home after her original plan to race after a month’s training camp in South Africa, fell through due to Covid-19.

Weightman headed to what is known as Leeds’s fastest and flattest housing estate to do her effort. She clocked an unofficial 15:14, an impressive seven seconds faster than her best time recorded on PO10. Weightman said

‘Through March and April, I usually run the road relays and wanted to run a 5km and 10km as well. With the Olympics sadly but rightly postponed and a few months of uncertainty ahead, we decided to add a time trial into training. This would stimulate racing, give us a good bench mark of fitness and a focus to training.’

Weightman knew she ‘was in good shape but didn’t quite expect to go that fast (15:14)’. She accepted that there is ‘always room for slight GPS error’ but she used a regular training loop that she knows is fast.

Both Laura and her coach, Steve Cram, were ‘pleased to hit a fast time and have some confidence in fitness going into the next block’. For now, she is enjoying simply running, getting outside once a day and maintaining a good base. A fantastic run from Laura.

 

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5km time trial around Leeds fastest housing estate, if you know you know!! With no races planned for a number of weeks having targets in training helps break up the blocks, maintain focus and keep you motivated!

A post shared by Laura Weightman (@lauraweightman1) on Mar 27, 2020 at 11:11am PDT

Leeds based Beth Potter put her own form to the test aiming to chase down Weightman’s time. The GB triathlete and former British 10,000m champion ran 15:24, a decent 4 seconds faster than the PB she boasts on the track! That lockdown frustration is really powering people along!

Up in Scotland there had been some impressively fast times set in the past few days as athlete’s geared up for the official Scottish Athletics ‘Virtual’ Road Relays.

Kris Jones had an absolutely storming run. Despite being faced with a strong headwind, his legs carried him along. Jones clocked an impressive 13:51 for the 5km distance. His time is in fact 12 seconds faster than his road 5k PB and only six seconds off his best track time!

Jones’ performance was spurred on by some healthy competition posed by U23 athlete, James Donald. The Dundee athlete clocked 14:13, which was also faster than his 5000m best and just 7 seconds slower than his road time. Seems as though ‘Strava PB’s’ could be the new thing!

Mhairi Maclennan was also out testing herself over 5km, stopping her watch at 17:14. After missing out on racing at the Inter-counties due to illness, Maclennan is using this time wisely to bring herself back to strong form.

Virtual National Road Relays kick off

This weekend was a big weekend in the newly found virtual racing world with the Virtual Road Relays commencing on Saturday.

Whilst this is not an event we are all familiar, the opportunity for individuals to take part in a team event without their clubmates physically being nearby brings a boost that everyone needs. Each club is required to have a men’s and women’s team of 12 people, but a team of 6 for women would also count.

The rules ask that athletes abide by the governments social distancing guidelines by keeping 2m from other people, avoiding popular exercise routes, and completing the 5k distance alone.

Each individual runner has from Saturday 4th April to Wednesday 8th to complete the 5k. They then simply upload their performance by 12:00pm on Thursday 9th and the leaders will be announced. A refreshing bit of fun at a scary time.

Promoting club camaraderie

Fast Running spoke to ‘race’ organiser James McCrae about what sparked the idea in his mind and how he hopes to help the running community in this unprecedented time. Here is what he said:

‘The idea for setting it up came from the Belgrave vs Herne Hill. A few people, including Mark Hookway and Massi Dendani thought it would be good to have a version of the National event given its popularity with athletes and I ended up becoming event director!

Given the lack of competitive opportunities so far, we thought it would be a competitive chance for athletes and help promote club camaraderie between team-mates even in these difficult times. Hopefully it’s given people a little motivation and something to aim for.

I’ve made sure that the event complies with the latest guidance. I have stressed the need for people to run from home and not all head for their local parkrun route. Obviously safety has to be a key aspect too.

We’ve had a great response so far with athletes so far, and I’ve been staggered at the number of entries received, which are still coming in now. I’m looking forward to seeing how everyone gets on!’

For an amazing cause

A JustGiving page has been set up to collect donations for those taking part in and supporting the event. The total, which will be dontated to the NHS, currently stands at £2300.

In light of the first Virtual Road Relays taking place tomorrow we have decided to set this up to raise money for the truly inspirational work that the NHS are doing!!!

Please donate and spread the word#ProtectTheNHS#SaveLives https://t.co/6DdY6QmDmd

— Matt Bergin (@MattBergin_) April 3, 2020

There are plenty of rapid runners looking to grab the title of the fastest leg. For the men, the likes of Marc Scott, Nick Goolab, Dan Jarvis, Jake Smith and Emile Cairess will be looking to top the leaderboard. US-based Matt Leach, James West and Chris Olley will also be searching for fast at-home routes in America. There were also late entries from two of Britain’s finest middle-distance runners, Charlie Grice and Jake Wightman.

For the women, the competition is just as fierce. Leading entries include recent British indoor 1500m champion, Holly Archer. Archer is joined by Jennifer Walsh, Nicole Taylor, Rebecca Murray and Philly Bowden.

Also entered with speed over the shorter distances are Mari Smith and British outdoor 1500m champ in 2019, Sarah McDonald. British Marathoner and recent Big Half winner, Lily Partridge, has also entered with the hope of testing her speed.

Whilst all performances haven’t yet been completed, the current standings are visible. As soon as the event opened on Saturday, plenty of runners were getting their time trials done. As of 12:00pm on Sunday 5th April, 133 men had run under the 16-minute mark. These were the top three standings.

Top three men
1) James Crowe (Central AC)- 13:59
2) Frank Baddick (NEB)- 14:04
3) Richard Weir (Derby)- 14:07

Top three women
1) Sarah Astin (City of Norwich) – 16:25
2) Georgia Malir (Leeds)- 16:36
3) Fiona Brian (Metro Aberdeen)- 16:37

Good luck to anyone who hasn’t yet completed their Road Relays 5k run, the standings could easily change!

Other great solo Strava efforts

Witham RC were also on board with virtual running with the Witham Running Club Social Distancing Virtual Championships (WRCSDVC), where trophies were even up for grabs! The first virtual event was the 5k.

The first athlete to take part ran at 6:15am and the last at 7:52pm. The overall winner was Heydon Mizon who clocked a sub 17-minute 5k (16:47). Mizon, the V45 athlete, has a PB which is actually equal to this time! Very impressive!

Tim Woulfe of Braintree & District set a Strava PB over the shorter distance of a mile in the Witham Virtual Champs. Despite the slight 21ft decline, Woulfe clocked 4:28 for the distance, an absolutely rapid run for a solo effort!

Keep safe and sane, and run when you can!

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The post Virtual and virtually 5kms and beyond – weekend roundup appeared first on Fast Running.