Podium Classic 5k - Saturday 14 March 2026

A trio of CLC Striders headed to Leicester for the Podium Classic 5k, an afternoon of stacked 5k races around the 1km loops of a flat and fast cycle circuit.

Building back from a 16-month long injury rehab, Joel Freeland clocked 20:20 in wave one; a confidence booster for a sub-20-minute summer to come. In first first ever official 5k race, Tom Burgess committed to staying with the leading pack early on the second wave, digging in and holding on for a solid 16:43 – a great benchmark for the year to come.

In wave three, Rob Barnett also made his official 5k debut, running a perfectly judged, very disciplined, even pace which saw him move through the field in the closing stages to clock a brilliant time of 15:38, ranking him 3rd in the club’s all-time fastest 5k times.

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