A six-race programme is set for Saturday
Podium 5km road racing returns on Saturday (August 8), with GB internationals Marc Scott and Jess Judd among those taking part in the six-race programme in Burnley, Lancashire.
Scott broke the European indoor 5000m best in Boston in February, clocking 13:08.87 for an Olympic qualifying time which improves on Mo Farah’s record mark. He has raced at a couple of meets in the USA since, clocking 7:47.87 for 3000m and then running a 3:35.93 1500m PB in Portland. His road 5km best is 13:45 from 2018.
READ MORE: Marc Scott breaks European indoor 5000m record in Boston
Joining Scott in the elite men’s race line up is Alex Yee, who won the 2018 UK 10,000m title and has run 13:29.18 for 5000m, plus his fellow triathlete Jonathan Brownlee, the two-time Olympic medallist, and Philip Sesemann, Dewi Griffiths, Adam Clarke, Jack Gray and ultra runner Tom Evans.
Nick Goolab holds the current UK 5km road best with his time of 13:27 recorded in Monaco in February, with that mark seeing him replace Rob Denmark and Mo Farah at the top of the British all-time rankings, with the pair having clocked 13:30 in 1996 and 2006 respectively.
That race in Monaco was won by Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei as he smashed the world 5km road record with 12:51 to take 27 seconds off the official global record mark, while France’s Jimmy Gressier ran 13:18 to improve the European record.
World University Games champion Judd ran 15:16.47 for 5000m in London last year, while she clocked 32:16 to win the Trafford 10km in March.
Joining her on the elite women’s Podium 5km entry list is 2017 British 10,000m champion and triathlete Beth Potter, who has a 15:28.3 5000m to her name, and their fellow GB internationals Jenny Nesbitt, Verity Ockenden, Mhairi Maclennan and Aly Dixon.
Nesbitt secured 5km victory at the start of this month when she ran 16:13 at the ChampionChip Ireland Running Series event in Lisburn.
Felt so damn goooood ? https://t.co/AfaFy6cAfa
— Jenny Nesbitt (@jennynesbitt) August 2, 2020
The action is set to start at 6pm with the sub-19:00 race, while the elite women’s and men’s events are scheduled for 7.45pm and 8.15pm respectively.
Due to only athletes and officials being allowed on the course for each race, organisers say the event will be streamed live here via RunningLive.