8. Bristol Track Club 5k

*Bristol Track Club 5k Race Report*

Odd Down Cycle Track

To Alex Stewart’s disappointment the Cross Country season is now long past us, so onto one of the most anticipated road races of the year. The Bristol Track Club 5k (a road race in Bath). This was a great chance to compete against a stacked field in what was a great event.

The journey there mainly included discussions surrounding whether the course actually contained a hill, with some questionable comparisons to Pont-y-Pwl being drawn, and a debate around where to park. However, everyone arrived with plenty of time to spare. This provided a perfect opportunity to sit down, relax and talk further about @williamralston_ ‘s marathon. He doesn’t like talking about it apparently. There was some pre-race nerves, with long cues for the toilets. An additional panic was caused when @benwesthenry decided to trust Alex Wood and Will Ralston with reading out the kilometre splits. ‘Don’t ruin everyone’s race lads’. Nevertheless, everyone was excited to get going.

First up in wave 1 was Alex Feltham, who finished with an encouraging time of 22:22, as he continues his recovery from injury.

This was followed Wave 2, which included the Elite Women category. Natalie Bretherton (16:50) finished as a very impressive 6th Female Overall. She was soon followed by Felix Wright (16:54). Both running significant personal bests.

Finally, Wave 3, the Elite Mens’ Race. This featured some fantastic performances. Alex Stewart, fresh from the Midlands Road Relays and subsequent podcast fame, managed to run nearly 11 minutes faster than he did last week. That’s what happens when you start the race on time mate. In all seriousness, Alex managed an outstanding 14:45. This was followed by David Corkey, who managed to record back to back sub-15 5ks (14:57). John Poulter also battled through a stitch to finish well (15:51).
Also a big thanks to Chuan for volunteering the entire afternoon, and a shout out to alumni @will.davidson6 who has been training with the group recently, and clocked a very promising 17:05 in wave 1 (get yourself in wave 2 next time!) on his comeback trail after a 4 year sabbatical ,in preparation for the London marathon
Some muted celebrations began at Odd Down before being kicked off the field. What followed was an enjoyable night at barrelhouse where mainly just running was discussed to be honest.

Thank you to @bristoltrackclub for putting on a brilliant event! We look forward to next year!

Photo Credits @benm.photo