From Geoff Howard…
It would seem that, in common with many runners, running mile races has been a significant omission in my competitive range peppered, as it is, with fell races, trail, marathons, 10ks, parkruns etc.. etc. It was back in 2017 that I first noticed the annual Leeds Golden Mile on the track at Beckett’s Park. I tried it, somewhat apprehensively never having had much speed, and was hooked – doing it again whenever possible.. My appetite aroused I even went down to London in the next two years to run the Ealing Mile (a monthly UKA licensed event around a park perimeter exactly a mile long). So when I saw this year’s Hyde Park Mile was on last Wednesday evening (28 June) I entered even though bedtime would have been more normal. Again it didn’t disappoint. Far from it – a very well organised, friendly, very runnable, flat two lap course with runners setting off in twelve heats of about twenty five. Those with the longest predicted time went first and the fastest runners went last. Looking at the composite results, it looks as if there might have been a real ding dong between Harriers Michael Abrams-Cohen (5m 8.9s) and Dave Foyston (5m 12.6s) except that they were in fact in different heats. Reluctantly realising that I am unlikely to see sub seven minutes again, I was semi-happy with 7m 24s.
Mark Bostock, Wakefield, was quickest man (4m 31.3s) and Fran Robbs de La Hoyde quickest woman (5m 33.2s) but just as noteworthy was the slowest runner in 15m 12.8s and the fact that over thirty runners clocked somewhere between that time and nine minutes.
There are very few opportunities to run a mile race, let alone one that has pb potential, and I find it odd that there were only we three Harriers at Hyde Park. Possibly mile races are seen as being for the elite (shades of Bannister, Coe, Ovett, Cram etc) but this great local one is as inclusive as you’ll find anywhere.