There is something very special about these events. The racing is split across multiple, seeded races through the afternoon, beginning with an open race and followed by increasingly rapid groups of about 100 racers every half hour until the event peaks with the A races in the evening. The course itself, almost an exact duplicate of the course in Barrowford, is flat, fast and smooth. The race was, for me, tight and action-packed, with plenty of elbow contact and clipped heels as we all tried to take the shortest route to the finish.
Mark Walker celebrated his birthday in style (and pain), recording his fastest 5k since 2019 in a rapid time of 16:22. I knocked 16 seconds off my PB and crossed the line in 16:34. The standout performance was from rising star Matthew Walker, who knocked 31 seconds off his PB to finish in a phenomenal 15:42.
The organisers succeeded in bringing a festival atmosphere to the event, with music through the day, sponsors promoting their running gear (lots of freebies, cakes and coffee) and activities and stalls to keep friends and family entertained, well-fed and happy. The online coverage this time round was also brilliant, available on Youtube here.