Carried along by the racing momentum of the successful Belgrave Endurance Night (or Lockdown Burnup, as the cool kids call it), a few of our men signed up for the MK5k PB Special on Friday evening.

Usually one of the main fixtures on the track calendar, the meet became a road race for COVID safety reasons. Instead of 12.5 laps of the track, athletes competed on Milton Keynes’ redways in 28 waves of 10 separated by 5mins - slower waves first, the elite races last.

The conditions were harsh to say the least. A very strong wind drove runners North along the first 2.5km of the course before making the second half hell as they made their way back down towards the finish. A few sharp, short hills sprinkled just a hint of XC over the whole affaire. They were in for a teeth grinder.

The race

First up was Dylan Mitchard. Aiming for his first official sub 17min 5k time, he went into this one with confidence as he had run a solid first ever 3000m at the Lockdown Burnup. Perhaps too enthusiastic, he went through the 3km mark in about the same time as he did the week before. The final 1.5km heading into the wind proved too much for him and he fell off the pace. He finished in 17:22 which is still an official 5k PB, albeit not what he came for.

Second was the real man of the match: Mr Alex Mills. He didn’t get to try his legs over the 3000m distance with everyone else, so Alex was fresh off a holiday and keen to get stuck in. His recent 5000m track TT of 16:45 suggested he was in great shape - and he was! The conditions, the course, the competition, the 5 months away from racing, a loose shoe lace at the 4km mark, nothing was going to stop Alex from putting that 16:45 PB down in the record books. He went home with a 16:44. Considering how the conditions affected everyone else makes Alex’s run all the more impressive. However, he did have to hang around the cute ambulance girls for a while because of an allergic reaction which made his eyes swell up to three times their size. Yikes! Totally worth it, though.

Then came men’s TM Arne Dumez who was also full of confidence after his first sub 9min 3000m just 10 days prior. He had tapered well, he had trained well, and he’d run a great solo 5k TT in May for the Virtual Road Relay Championships as well as a fast road mile for the BMC Roger Bannister Mile TT. What could go wrong, right? Dylan and Alex did warn him… Going through the 3km mark in 9:10, Arne was on pace for a tasty PB. That’s when he found the headwind and simply imploded. He quickly dropped off the pack and found himself in no man’s land, working hard to run slower than half marathon pace. He barely bothered with a push at the end and just snuck under 16mins in 15:58, catching the only lad in his wave who popped even harder than him.

Finally, the real fast boys: Matt Welsh and Callum Stewart. These two were primed and ready for this one - their first real attempt at a sub 15min performance. Matt had been training well during lockdown and clocked a 8:46 PB at the Lockdown Burnup. Callum ran 15:04 in Armagh in February and had been training beautifully during lockdown. They were in shape for it, no doubt. Sadly, it wasn’t to be. “I can’t even blame the wind or the hills”, said Matt. “I just felt shot from 100m in!” So while Welsh was having words with himself at the back, Stewart found himself alone after the first km. He managed to catch 2 runners in the final straight as a consolation prize, but those lonely 4km in the middle cost him dearly on the clock. In the end, it was a 15:51 for Matt and a 15:32 for Callum. No worries, boys. You’ll get it next time!

It’s good to be back

Despite the disappointing and frustrating results, nobody walked away from this one with their heads hanging low. The bad races are a part of the process just as much as the good ones are, they all know that. Alex’s performance made the trip to Milton Keynes worth the hassle, and it was just so good to see a race organised sensibly and efficiently. A huge thanks to the Marshall Milton Keynes AC crew for putting this on! Hopefully we can enjoy more of these sorts of races in the months to come.

Results

70. Callum Stewart (15:32); 104. Matt Welsh (15:51); 109. Arne Dumez (15:58); 143. Alex Mills (16:44 PB); 171. Dylan Mitchard (17:22 PB). Full results available on Results Base.