Regent's Park Summer 10k Series

#medalMonday

Robert enjoying some shade

To make the most of a planned trip to London Robert McArdle took part in the latest round of the Regent's Park Summer 10k Series in London on Sunday. This event is just like a big parkrun and with it being just a short walk from Kings Cross station is an alternative to the regular events at the Olympic Park. The field was larger than usual as the previous round was cancelled due to the snow and the entries rolled forward ,the irony of that was not lost on the runners as they lined up to race in the soaring temperatures and bright sunshine. With 700 runners trying to start along a two metre wide path it was important to get in the starting pen early, unfortunately this meant the lead runners had to stand beside a very smoky diesel generator and inhale its fumes for even longer than expected as the start was delayed with the last few entry of the day runners were processed. After securing a good starting position Robert was able to make the most of the room he had to complete the first of three laps inside PB pace. As the temperature climbed to 27C the runners weaved to the side of the road shaded by the trees at every available opportunity as they zig zagged their way round the park. It is becoming more fashionable for drinks stops to only provided 15mm of water at the bottom of a large cup making it almost impossible to drink while running and here was no exception! The 700 strong field were a mixed bunch ranging from runners from the top London clubs at the front finishing in the low 30 minutes through to the rear of the field completing the distance in closer to 90 minutes. Lap 2 was where you start to overtake lapped runners which was not a problem as the road on the later part is quite wide. By the last lap Robert’s lack of recent races showed losing almost a minute in the final mile but he was pleased with his performance and is looking forward to his next race at the 5k distance. The post race goodie bag had a decent amount of food as well as some pretty disgusting coconut water, you also got a tube style finishers medal.

Position	Time	Name		Category		Grading	Ranking
95	45:54	Robert McArdle		MV55		71.48%	399