Bristol track open - Saturday 18 April 2026
Nine CLC Striders made the journey south for what is one of the best 5k events around and a great season-opening tester over this short-form road distance. Set off in three ‘waves’ depending on anticipated finish times, the event attracts runners from all over the region and beyond in search of a new 5k PB. Run over a closed circuit, smooth tarmac cycle track, the only thing standing between the competitors and their goal times is the prevailing wind, the slight incline and their determination to push themselves to the max.
Isabel Brinsden raced in the second wave and – although her final time is still to be officially resolved – once again showed her pure running class as she broke the club record by at least 47 seconds, registering a finish time just shy of the 17-minute mark of anything between 17:02 to 17:04 (confirmation pending).
In the earlier wave, Nick Ledwold clocked a new 5k PB of 18:26, Alex Doherty ran a PB of 19:21, Tim Elliott also ran a PB of 19:35 ,and Karlien Heyrman equaled her PB from 2016 with a time of 19:36. Tim Brock ran a PB of 21:32, while Joel Freeland finished in 20:34 and Rachel Vines in 20:40. Last but not least, Vet 75 David James smashed his 24-minute target with a time of 23:34 to go third in the UK rankings for his age category for the year to date.
