Bristol and West Fast 5000s - 22/07/2017

On 22nd July, a group of four CLC Striders travelled to Yate for the inaugural Fast 5000s organized by Bristol and West AC.

Modelled on Highgate Harriers’ iconic ‘Night of 10000m PBs’ this event saw 116 runners compete over 9 separate graded races, and with the weather calm and cool and dry, conditions were perfect for speed.

First up for the Striders was Joel Freeland in the G-race.  Freeland ran a sensible and well-judged race, and was able to put his turn of pace to excellent effect with an impressive last lap of 76 seconds to take 5th place in a time of 19:48.8.

Rachel Vines followed soon after in the F race.  Vines started sensibly towards the back of the field but her strength and endurance soon saw her overtaking competitors, and her consistency was rewarded with an impressive new PB and club record of 18:48.5.

Chris Driskell was next in the E race, and the Brendan Ward-coached athlete ran an even-paced race to fall only marginally short of his target and claim a season’s best time of 17:32.8.

The final Strider to compete was Sam Baylis who having enjoyed excellent form over recent weeks looked at ease as he cruised round to a strong time of 16:45.2.

The fastest female of the evening was Bristol and West’s Kate Maltby with a time of 16:06.9, whilst quickest male and winner of the A race was Tom Merson in a time of 14:40.1.

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