It is the assembly league run at The Dome. The assembly league is a series of short races around but never 5k or 3 miles. I had missed the first Beckenham one because of the house move.
I had been led to believe it would be 5k and given the flat course a PB would be on the cards.
The standard is very high. To finish in the last quarter would be a good result.
I set off too fast. The course is complicated with many loops. The worst bit is a long out and back in section. On my way back in I spot Charlie from the running club at work, some way behind me. He must of started late and will soon pass me.
I push on to the finish, and at the finish there are already loads of finishers waiting to applaud us slower runners home. I take a female runner by suprise as I blast past. Charlie finishes just behind her. He had not been late, just taking it easy.
I look at the time and ask a marshall the course length. 4.5k apparently. (the Garmin had not recovered from the Tube journey). I calculate a 5k time of around 24 minutes and feel disappointed. I check with a Garmin wearing friend and they say it is 4.65km. This moves my 5km time to 23 minutes, 1 second above my PB (much better!)
I had tried to have an early dinner before the race (because of work I usually eat after evening races) but this had not worked and weighed me down the whole way round. A lesson learned there.
The organisation of these assembly league is amateur(in the nicest possible way) the results seem to be typed on a typewriter and posted out in an envelope. I await the results.
I haven't been that close to The Dome before, and it does look just like a big tent.
4.64km 21"28
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