Night of the 10k PBs (May 2018) - part 9
Alastair Watson (June 2018)
(Night of 10,000m PBs - Race 4)
When did he decide to go ahead?
“Jack Grey was in a little trouble holding his side and, we were coming up to the 5k mark and I just felt good and pushed the pace on. With 3 to 4 laps to go it started to kick in. I got under 30 which was the main aim to-day. I am 40 years old now. My fastest was 29:36.15, in the Olympic Trials in 2016. (His finishing time was 29:56.83 at that time).
‘I enjoy the trip down to this meet. The spectators, it is just the noise, the sound when you go though the two tunnels is unbelievable, keeps you going when you are tired and I feel, it really pushes me by about 10 to 15 seconds.’
How did it all begin for Alastair Watson?
‘I ran a bit as a teenager but not competitively then, I came back to it at 29 and started again with a 3:05 marathon in the Robin Hood Marathon, on 20 to 30 miles a week.
He said chuckling ‘that probably needs revising’ I would think that would not be a difficult task for him, as he has run a half marathon in 65:41 in Manchester in 2016. He went on to say “About 5 to 6 years ago I started taking my mileage seriously. I joined the sessions at Notts AC and I just kicked on from there really.’
That paid real dividends, as he won the Midland cross country Championess in January 2015 in Nottingham. What a year for him and his club Notts AC ‘Unfortunately recently the team has broken up a bit but then We had our six runners in the first 10 in the Midlands Championship and, took that form to the National at Parliament Hill Fields.‘
Notts won with 213 points, followed by Bedford, Leeds, Highgate, Morpeth and Serpentine.
(Notts scoring six were 23, 24, 32, 39, 41 Alastair & 54th for six to score with 213 points.
He came 11th in the National Senior at Castle Donigton, on the on the 27th of February 2016.
‘For me a highlight was getting an England vest as, I ran for England in the Home Counties international’ at Falkirk on the 19th of March 2016. (He finished 3rd). Also probably when I was in the Olympic trials ‘A’ race here which was a big PB.’
His final words to me at the Night of PB’s so successfully put on by Ben Pochee and others was
“I enjoy it here, hope to come back for many years but, the standard is getting better each year.”
The First six in Race 5 on the 19th of May, out of 38 starters were. 1 Alastair Watson (Notts/Hermitage) 29:56.83; 2 Oliver Fox (Wells City & Cambridge University) (PB) 30:16.60; 3 Jonathan Poole (Serpentine) (PB) 30:17.24; 4 Nigel Martin (Sale Harriers Manchester) 30:17.69; 5 Kojo Kyreme (Shaftesbury Barnet, V40) 30:22.11 and 6 James Straw (Lincoln Wellington) 30:23.33.