Night of the PBs and Olympic Trials - May 2016 (Part 4)
10K’S Races 1 to 4 (May 2016)
Race 4
MOHAMUD ADAANS’ run would not have been out of place in the Elite Olympic Trial & British Championships race 5, at Parliament Hill.
The Thames Valley Harrier had a really impressive turn of speed over the last couple of laps.
Aadan, has been a Middlesex road & cross country champion with a best of 30:34 for 10k on the road.
Over the years he has won British league track races and Metropolitan league cross countries.
He was born 11/1/90. His best 5k time on the track was at the BMC Grand Prix at Oxford, on the 18th of July 2015.
On the 21st of May all the first three, out of 29 runners in race 4 ran PB’s 1, Mohamud Aadan (TVH) 29:39.60; 2 Dominic Shaw (New Markse/Tees Valley Tigers) 29:48.35; 3 Nick Torry (Serpentine/Kent) 29:59.42.
Mohamud:- “I really wanted to run in the ‘A’ race but I had never raced 10k on the track so, I had no PB. They put me in this race. I am happy to win. I think I wanted 29.00 but the pacemakers dropped a little behind.’
You must have more faith in yourself, after what you have just done and the way you attacked the race.
‘I should have even taken the race on with 10 laps to go and then, it would have given me a better PB with 20 seconds off. Anyway, I don’t regret it as, I won the race. Now I have a PB to be invited to the Championship itself.’
Which races would you point to as one’s that made you feel it is worth continuing and doing well?
Obviously I think this year it is a bit too late for me to make the team, obviously, but next year I want to make the team in the cross-country or the track.
Maybe the next World Championships hopefully, I want to be on the line.”
Have things gone well with Thames Valley Harriers
‘Yes, very well. They have supported me quite well. Everything is going on well.”
I saw you in very testing conditions in the mud, winning the Middlesex at Alexandra Place last year. That was very tough with a big hill in it. Then, in the big ones you don’t always run so well.
‘It is the winter; it is difficult for me as, is too cold for me. Sometimes when I go out to Kenya and come back the weather is not so good.
I get the flu virus and stuff and I was sick for three weeks.”
You are OK at Claybury in the first Metropolitan league of the season, because the weather is not severe then.
‘I originally came from Somalia.
Did you ever feel like running for Somalia in the Olympics?
No!
I grew up here so, if I get the opportunity, I will run for England’
‘I came from Somalia in early 2007.
You are very happy with the way things are going
‘I have finished my college and graduated and concentrating on my running now’
I want to get something out of running full time, and then go back to work.
I am a petroleum engineer.”
First 3 of 29. 1 Mohamud Aadan (Thames Valley Harriers) PB 29:39.0; 2 Dominic Shaw PB 29:48.35; 3 Nick Torry, V35 PB (Serpentine RC) 29:59.42.
Race 3
JAMES HOAD was in a battle with Adam Kirk-Smith that, was only resolved in the later sages of the race. He was born 25/6/92 and ran his best marathon of 2:26.17 in 2014 and his personal bests in 2015 included 69:75 for a half marathon; 14:54 for 5000 and was Surrey 5000m Champion.
The Race “I sat in the group. See how I felt. Keeping comfortable till the last 2k and decided to try and push on. It is almost a minute off my PB.
He runs for Bedford & County. He is also a member of Thames Hare & Hounds.’
“I only joined Bedford a couple of years ago.’
“I started running seriously when I was at Cambridge University. It was in my second year.’
‘I was studying chemical engineering. I got a ‘Blue’ in my last year. In my fourth year I ran in my ‘Blues’ cross country and ran the marathon.
I graduated two years ago.
What did he consider his best distance?
The first race I was really proud of was my first marathon. Longer the distance I was diffidently better.
Relatively I have not been running that long now, 4 or 5 years of serious running. I want to try and run faster at a shorter stuff and I will go back to the marathon next year. I seem to do well at longer stuff but I seem to be doing OK now at this (Track).
He really appears to love athletics and started at University.
“I was very lucky at University (Christ’s). There was a good group. It helps so much having people you know and can train with. It got me into it.
I really enjoyed it there running and orienteering. I am OK at orienteering but, a runner doing orienteering, than the other way round.
I don’t want to go back to the marathon until I know I can run faster. I did London in 2014 and Frankfurt last year, when I did 2:28 but the training had not been brilliant. I am not going to another one till I am really ready and hopefully sub 2:20. We will see what happens!
‘I work for BP. It is a nice balance there and I can fit in running well. There is a good group I train with at Battersea. They work in the city.’
First 3 of 25 1 James Hoad (Bedford & County/Thames Hare & Hounds) PB of 30:46.06; 2 Zak Tobias (U23, Bristol & West) PB of 30:47.32; 3 Javier Casado Fenandez (V35, Durago Kirol Taldea, Spain) 30:59.94.
Race 2
TOM CROUCH
“Started about six years ago, my wife brought me into running. She did running and I did bike racing. We got married. I started running after that.
Adam Kirk Smith kept on going into the lead. You were not thrown at all. He is a Middlesex Champion.
“To-days race we had a pacemaker to 4k and he was about what he said he would be. We both wanted to get less than 32 minutes.
It was really just him and me. I was prepared to keep the pace going. There was a couple more as well. We each took a few turns in the middle of the race, and a few of the guys did not want to follow so, Adam and I took it in turns. He set off with about six laps to go and going quicker and we started to edge to the 32’ but I did not fancy it with six laps to go but left it to five to slowly bring him in. I thought, with about 2 laps to go, I will just go now.”
Tom has a dual interest so how does he accommodate that –The Duathlon (Just running and biking).
“I have bike raced for 15 years. I used to be a Pro bike racer. Fell bikes—Fell racing. We used to use Premier Calendar and Elite British Champs and things like that. I actually ride to and fro from work so; I do about 150 miles a week on the bike. I try to stick the running on top of it.
Going from one to the other must have been a natural thing for him
Yes. It is an endurance event. The main difference is that running is doing a really consistent pace where as it is different with bike races. It took me a few years. I do 4 runs a week. They are both endurance events. The main difference is that running is at a really consistent pace 76, 76, and 76. For bike racers it is fast slow, fast, and slow. It took me took me a few years to work out the best pace. I think I would be better at cross country and you get that hill and t hen you would get a bit of a rest.’
Performances he has done as a bike rider with the duathlon or running?
There would be four. 4 for a reason. Bike racing. I raced in Premier Calendar race and got into the breakaway and finished about 15th.
That was for professionals, Elite Europeans and everything.’
‘My first year I started doing duathlons and started to add the two together. I won the age group World Championships. That was a highlight.
The next year I will be racing the French elite and I had been finishing 27th/28th. Last time I was 27th which is with the best and, actually this 10k race’
‘It has been a target for to do about 32 minutes for 10k. That has been my aim.”
First 3 of 25 Tom Crouch (St Albans Striders) PB of 31:52.03; 2 Adam Kirk Smith (London Heathside) 31:57.68 PB; 3 Thomas Straughan PB 32:01.47
Race 1 ‘A mixed race’
Firstly I will mention the first three women. 4th overall out of 21 finishers was Svenja Abel, as the first woman in 34:37.45. She had been having injuries and because she had no mark of running PB’s for 10k on the track, she was put in the first race. However she proved, by the way she ran, she should have been in a higher grade but, it must have been the organiser’s dilemma, as she had not got a 10k time on the books. Highgate club coach Jacky Bayliss said “She had just come back from Germany last night, and phoned me. She had been injured for the last two weeks. Ideally she should have been in the next race. She did not run too bad”. However in the Winter Abel was a close second in the Southern Cross country senior Championships and was a Metropolitan League winner. The second woman was 9th and it was Hannah Viner, the Middlesex Junior cross country Champion in 36:03.87 which was a PB. In 10th place was the 3rd woman Hannah Oldroyd (Saltaire Striders) also in a PB of 36:33.55.
ELLIOTT HIND of Leighton Buzzard was fist past the post in 33:17.87, as the first winner of the day in a Ben Pochee Night of the personal bests!
His previous best time for the distance was 34:35 last year.
“I wanted to do 33:30; I knew the pacemaker was bang on that so, I sat behind him. He did a great bit of the work. I thought he was only going to do the first 4k but he stayed on till 8k, which was really helpful, it then meant I had to dig in for the last bit. The crowd was really excellent so it helped me round.”
Started running “I have been running nearly all my life, as my Dad, Andrew Hind, was a really good track runner. He had Hampshire records 3k and maybe 5k as well. His marathon was not very good compared to his track stuff. He ran 2:53 as his best. My whole aim was always to beat that and, I did at Manchester in 2:48. My younger brother Owen Hind is the runner in the family and, he runs for Kent AC. He ran for England in the recent All Ireland race in Dublin. It was his first call up for GB and he was 4th in a PB of 30:28. I have been trying to encourage my wife Sarah Hind, as well, who ran a 10k PB this week so, all round it is good news. We live in Milton Keynes, and the Milton Keynes club have got a good running team. I am a member of Leighton Buzzard, and, I also train with the Milton Keynes athletics club which is fantastic. A great road running scene and some really good marathon runners. We train two or three times together and I do 3 or 4 sessions on my own apart from that. I just love the thing about running is, that the work you put in you get out. This year I have been working hard on my nutrition and eat better, rather than rushing into it, I have been building my training up and it is really paying of at the moment.
It is great to see the times tumbling down and I will see how far I can go. I really have got no idea still. I am just enjoying myself and seeing what I can do. I am doing the Abingdon in October.
I hope to take a few seconds off. I paced Manchester really badly. I felt fantastic the first half.
‘I crossed half way in 73.50 (2:48 at the end) and suddenly I thought, probably a bit quick there. Marathons are a cruel game. You just get punished. I got slower and slower in the end. It was a blur really. I spent all Winter dreaming of that magical finishing line then, when I got there I really barely knew where I was”.
Favourite distance “Probably half marathons. I seem to be able to keep it going till that time. I came 4th in the Watford half marathon in February in 1:14 so, hopefully, if I can try and get that down towards 1:10 or something like that, I would be really pleased.”
Bill Adcocks told me doing a 20 is good preparation, more than a half marathon, before the marathon itself! I certainly did one before my first of 21 marathons!
“It is a good distance but I just like running. Just enjoy myself and see what I can do.’
His favourite surface “A nice country road is beautiful. To be honest I really like everything. I went to University in Leeds and did a few Fell races. Being in and around the South East there are not many fells to run up. I just want to keep working and see what I can do.
First 3 men:- 1 Elliot Hind (Leighton Buzzard) PB 33:17.87; 2 Alex Percy (Under 20, Wreak & Soar Valley) PB 34:04.3; 3 Tom Wilmer-Reid (Highgate) 34:14.14