BBB10K: We Have a Winner

Thank you, all of you that took the time to sign up to Open Podium ahead of the BBB10km. I think that went well. Didn't it?

We had 66 runners take on their target times. 46 of you beat your targets. Rhys — who thankfully seems OK — matched his to the second.

I'm sure you'll all agree the Battel Bonfire Boyes put on a fantastic race. The best BBB10K yet? I think so. The sun always seems to be shining on this race, and the crowd lined the high street louder than ever before.

The medals? Wow! What a beaut. And they even had pacers. Great pacers, if you ask me.

Not to mention a Target Time Award, for the very first time. An award won by Kirstie Carlton-Blake, who knocked 4 minutes and 2 seconds off her goal. It was close.

Andrew Fleming, who banked a podium at Kings Head Canter on Monday, continued his fine form, just 7 seconds behind, with a TTR (target time result) of -3:55.

Kirsty Marsden, one of the runners I coach (PB Runner), ran a blinder to bank a top 3 finish — just 13 seconds off her namesake at the top of the leaderboard.

There were top 10 finishes for Laura Stapley (-3:28), Rose Smith (-3:19), Wayne Taylor (-3:09), Jo Edwards (-2:45 — another of my coached runners), Jacqueline Patton (-2:38), Adam Holland (-2:24) and John Simcox, aka Baggie Runner (-2:24). It's great to see a mixture of abilities in that top 10 — Wayne and John both finished in the top 50 overall, but still smashing their targets.

The average target time result was -0:15 across the field, dragged down slightly by the numpty who finished last — me, though in fairness I was pacing. If anything, I think that highlights just how accurate the targets were for everyone actually racing, which is something I've worked hard to get right for everyone involved.

BBB10K is also part of a 10K Autumn/Winter Series. It includes 5 races — still to come, we have Hove, Beckley, the new St Michael's Hospice race, and Chichester 10K.

Points are calculated slightly differently for the series, based on how much % you beat your target by, rather than minutes and seconds. As a result, it's Wayne Taylor who sits top of that leaderboard with 85.4pts. Again, it's me at the bottom, with 10pts to my name.

The prize for this series? A £25 coaching voucher, courtesy of me, Coach Simon, from PB Runner. So get yourself entered into those upcoming races for a chance at that prize.

What's next at Open Podium? Well, this weekend we have the Hellingly 10K and the Rye Ancient Trails 15/30K. You can help the site grow by telling your friends, tagging it on your Instagram posts and stories, or even sharing some Race Reflections and tips if you get the time.

Thanks for reading. Well done everyone who raced Sunday. Hope to see you at an event soon. 

Credit Blog Image: Roman Pavlenko