The Highgate Harriers Night of the 10,000m PBs will once again be hosting the England Athletics & British Athletics 10,000m Championships – this year even more opportunities are on offer as athletes will be battling for places in the Rio Olympics and coach development opportunities are also on offer.
The Night of the 10,000m PBs takes place at Parliament Hill Athletics Hampstead Heath on Saturday 21 May has become a highlight of the distance running calendar and this year there are even more reasons to be there.
Places on the British Olympic team to be won
The men’s and women’s A races serve as both the England and British 10,000m championships. As well as the medals in the national championships this year there will be even more at stake. In Olympic year these races also serve as the official trials for Rio at 10,000m.
The first two athletes across the line in both of the men’s and women’s event will secure selection for the Rio Olympics at the distance subject to having secured a valid qualifying mark. For full selection criteria for the 2016 Rio Olympics please see www.britishathletics.org.uk/world-class/2016-selection-policies.
British Athletics Performance Director Neil Black said: “We’re delighted that the Highgate Harriers Night of the 10,000m PBs will act as the 10,000m trial race for the Olympic Games. This event has established itself as the best 10,000m race in the country and is the perfect place for British athletes to test themselves over the distance. It is also a great opportunity for the public to see world class athletes up close for free and be part of a unique atmosphere.”
Endurance Seminar
The event will include an endurance seminar including Charlie Spedding, Nick Rose and Eamonn Martin.
The three of them have unique insights that they can share with coaches and athletes.
Charlie was 1984 Olympic bronze medallist and London Marathon winner. His time of 2:08.33 stood as the English record for marathon until 2014 when it was beaten by Mo Farah by 12 seconds.
Eamonn Martin was the winner of 1990 Commonwealth 10,000m championships.
He broke Brendan Foster’s British 10,000m record in 1988 and held the record for more than 10 years. In 1993 he won the London Marathon.
Nick Rose remains British record holder for 10K with 27:34 having set his mark on the roads at New Orleans in 1984. Nick won bronze at the 1980 World Cross Country Championships when he led the English team to the gold medals – the last time the team title went outside of Kenya and Ethiopia. He is also the former British record holder for half marathon with a time of 61:03 in 1985.
Opportunities for personal bests and fast times
A number of races for both men and women will be held giving strong opportunities for athletes to run personal best times. The races will be seeded and paced to ensure that they are all highly competitive.
Once again there will be music and spectators will be able to get up close to the action as after the gun goes the cordon is moved towards the inside lanes giving spectators a unique experience of being close to the competitors and creating a unique noise and buzz for the athletes. Spectators will be able to enjoy hot food and drinks and bar. With admission free to spectators all are welcome to attend and enjoy the action.
England Athletics Head of Coaching Martin Rush said, “The Night of the 10,000m PBs will once again be an invaluable opportunity for distance runners and their coaches. The goal of Olympic qualification will clearly be in the sights of some athletes but we are also delighted that there will be competition opportunities catering for many other athletes who are looking to improve and test themselves over 25 laps and opportunities for coaches to hear insights from the likes of Nick Rose, Eamonn Martin and Charlie Spedding.
“The atmosphere at this event is really unlike anything else in the sport so I would encourage as many people as possible to attend to watch the athletes in action and enjoy the whole experience.”
