Although some may publicly downplay or deny it, all Belle Vue Racers love to run on the track, with Thursday sessions at Sportcity being a staple of training. That love would surely be put to the test in a 10km time trial, back “by popular demand” after last year’s inaugural run celebrating 25 years of Belle Vue Racers. 25 laps – a challenge far exceeding any interval you’ve run or could even imagine. Just you, the clock and the nagging thought of “what lap am I on?” that kicks in after lap 6 (or was that 7??).
For the men, there was a trio of sub-39 minute times, with Daniel Anderson finishing first in a blistering 37:38. Vic Walsh (38:21) and Meng Tang (38:50) followed, both improving on their times from last year. Annie Hirsch was first over the line for the ladies in 45:50, an impressive age-grading of 85%. She was followed by debutant Rachel Watson (47:31) and Leah Evans (49:50). Of the PB performances, special mention goes to Federica Caldana who took a massive 10 minutes out of last year’s time. Finally, thanks to Ruth and Anthony for their help and encouragement on the night, dealing with some shattered (but hopefully not traumatised) runners at the end. Meng