SOAR Mile 2018

The SOAR Mile 2018, held on Friday 27th July, was a great event with more than 200 runners taking part in 12 races at the London Marathon Community Track in Olympic Park.  After several weeks of relentless sunshine, the weather burst just before the event began with a big wet thunderstorm but the rain and the air had cleared by the time the races started, making for much improved running conditions.

As with other events such as Night of 10,000m PBs, the Milton Keynes MK 5000 PB Special, the Orion Harriers' FAST Friday races and the Kent AC 10,000m, this is part of a move in grassroots athletics to put on exciting events with a dusting of razmattazz alongside top quality racing. In this case the venue was adjacent to the iconic former Olympic stadium which added to the sense of occasion, and there was free beer!

As with some of the events mentioned above, spectators were encouraged to stand on the track and cheer from the outside lanes, here in lane three. This does make for a good atmosphere, my only suggestion for next year would be to maybe pull people back a lane to leave three lanes completely clear. In one of the races I watched people in lane three began to lean and step into lane two making it difficult to overtake in the closing stretch.

Hannah Viner (Highgate Harriers) was the fastest woman on the night, winning the £150 cash prize for her 4:47 mile.  The elite men's race was won by Dale King-Clutterbuck (Newham & Essex Beagles) in 4:05:37. He has gone under 4 minutes before,  but the windy conditions on the night probably cost him a few seconds.

Kent AC coach Ken Pike gives out final instructions

I ran in one of the earlier races. I was in two minds about taking part as I haven't been running much recently let alone racing (insert tedious achilles injury excuses), but really didn't want to miss the event as I hadn't run this distance on track before. Ended up with 6:02, so slightly annoyed for not pushing a little harder in middle of race as I have run faster on the road. 

SOAR Mile 2018 from Tim Soar on Vimeo.

Nice photo story at SOAR website

Full results

Westminster Mile 2018

The Vitality Westminster Mile last month (27 May 2018) was apparently the biggest ever timed mile event,  with a total of 8,048  runners in 39 waves taking part compared to the previous record of 7,664 set at the New York Fifth Avenue Mile last year. It was a pretty diverse crowd, more so even than your average parkrun - maybe runnng a mile is less daunting than 5k.

The race took place on a course around London's St James's Park, starting at approximately the point where the London Marathon ends, and finishing in front of Buckingham Palace.

There were various waves including for parkrunners and Masters, I obviously messed up  booking my place online as I ended up in one of the family waves.  Still it was started by Mo Farah which was cool enough, and once I'd squeezed past the toddlers and parents I had quite a race against some fast teenagers. Coming back from injury I was way off my PB but 6:11 is still top 40 for age on power of 10 so whatevs.

Running down Birdcage Walk was a strange experience, my previous efforts along there being in the last few hundred metres of the Marathon. I wasn't quite so exhausted, but running flat out for a mile brings a different kind of pain.

A fast and flat enough course with a well organised operation, my only criticism was that the combination of mass race and major tourist destination in current security climate made it quite difficult for spectators. I really wanted to get to Birdcage Walk to cheer on some of my clubmates in the  final stretch, but I ended up in a huge bottleneck of people trying to get in/out of the area in front of Buckingham Palace.

Wandering around Green Park afterwards, who should I see but Seb Coe, president of the International Association of Athletics Associations. Maybe not somebody I would always see eye to eye with politically, but nobody can deny that he cares about the sport and obviously he is a running legend.

After commenting on my Kent AC vest ('great old club') we had a brief chat about the previous week's Night of 10,000m PBs at Highgate, which we had both attended. Always a good night out, this year featured the added excitement of clubmate Alex Yee winning the British 10,000m Champs, cheered on by a Kent AC contingent on the final bend chanting 'Yee, Yee, Yee'.

Up on Parliament Hill I had a go at running round the cross country course, famed for its cold muddy challenge during National and Southern champs. It was much easier going on a sunny afternoon, but I got very lost in the woods and ended up, as you do on Hampstead Heath, next to some random pond or other. 

Women's A Race at Night of 10,000m PBs

City of London Mile 2016

The third Amba Hotels City of London Mile took place on 19 June 2016, with more than 2800 runners taking part in 16 races ranging from family waves to elite men's and women's fields. The free event is organised with the fine The Running Works shop, and takes in an iconic route starting by St Pauls Cathedral and running round the Bank of England before finishing on Cheapside.

The race organisers had listened to feedback from last year and made some improvements on what was already a good event. The start, for instance, had been moved on to a wider section of road to avoid the early congestion some found last year. 

It was my second year of taking part, and in fact only my second mile race, and I was pleased enough to take 14 seconds of last year's time and finish with a PB of 5:42.  Top 20 Power of 10/Run Britain for my age for the distance on road,  I'll take it! At the front of the field, Australian Rio hopeful Luke Matthews set a course record to win in 4.03 (full results here)

well this might be the first and last time I make top 20 in GB rankings (for age), so you'll just have to forgive me for posting

I strongly recommend taking part next year if you get the chance - registration usually opens in February. Nice technical t-shirt too (not included in the free registration)

See also: City of London Mile 2015

City of London Mile 2015

The mile race has an iconic status in the history of British athletics, brought up as many of us have been on the legend of Roger Bannister and the first sub-four minute mile in 1954. Not only that but the mile itself is woven into the English language in numerous idioms - 'saw it a mile away', 'go the extra mile', 'walk a mile in my shoes' etc. (though those who want to maintain that the mile is something distinctly British should note that its name derives from the Roman unit for a 1000 paces - mīlle passus or passuum).

As most of international athletics is based on metric distances, the mile race rarely features in major events, but it is going through something of a renaissance with two big London events launched in the last few years. The Westminster Mile started in 2013, and last year was joined by the new City of London Mile. 

The second race of the latter took place today, in cool and slightly damp conditions (though the drizzle had more or less stopped by the time running started) . Really it was 16 races, including 12 waves plus a wheelchair race, youth race, and elite men's and women's races. The start and finish point were both in the vicinity of St Pauls Cathedral, with the course heading on roads past Mansion House and the Bank of England.

The first wave passes to the South of St Pauls - this stretch was also on the route for the 2012 London Olympic Marathon, though I think running in the opposite direction.

 It was the first time I've run a mile race, of course if you're used to running longer distances it all goes by very quickly and you certainly don't have much time to make up for any delays or slow sections. The event, which was free thanks to sponsorship of Amba Hotels, was enjoyable and well organised (OK apart from the baggage pick up which was fairly chaotic - maybe a bigger tent next year?).

After my run I stayed to watch the elite races - in fact you can manage to see the start and then cut round the back of St Pauls to see the finish. Men's race was won by New Zealand's Julian Matthews, finishing his first road mile in 4:04, ahead of Australia's Collis Birmingham (4:05) and GB's Tom Lancashire (4:05). The women's race was won by Alison Leonard in 4:40, followed closely by Jemma Simpson (4:41) and Australia's Zoe Buckman (4:43). 

(results here)

All in all, a great event - look out for next year's.

5:55:32 - I'll take it.