Friday more like FriYAY. I’m sure that thought crossed the minds of many a Kent runner at this year’s first edition of the FNUL over in Battersea Park on Friday 27th.
The park was glowing, but our runners were brighter at the latest Friday Night Under the Lights (FNUL) 5k. It turns out that if you put a timing chip on our lot and point them toward a flat path in Battersea, they stop being humans and start being heat-seeking missiles.
A massive shoutout to Owen Hind, who clocked a staggering 13:58.
Breaking the 14-minute barrier is simply staggering. Well done!
The rest of the squad didn’t exactly hang around to admire the scenery either. The sub-15 club is getting suspiciously crowded:
Joe English: 14:10 (Chasing Owen’s shadow), Noah: 14:26, Kurt Wilkinson: 14:38, Harry Tivnen: 14:52, Jake Simmonds: 15:34, Dave Morgan: 16:13, Simon Vaisey: 16:15, Katie Good: 18:51 (Living up to the surname, as always!)
This is what Owen had to say post-race, “When you’re running 20 mile training days – 5k doesn’t seem very far in the end.”
That’s definitely one for the Train Harder mentality.
He also said something much more endearing on one of the many Kent Whatsapp groups, “There was a Sunday a few weeks ago when it was pissing it down with rain and we were running silly mileage and speed. There was no-one else I’d have rather been with than with you lot.”
I love that. So much of modern life can be done in solitude. We work from home, we order food to our home, we communicate with friends and family from home. Also don’t get me started on how expensive trains are. Running is often seen to be one of those other solitary activities. One where if you just put the mileage in then you’ll achieve the results all by yourself. And I call bull on that. Humans are pack animals. We love to be around one another; talking, laughing, eating, exercising. Whatever it is, we enjoy doing it with others and, in the modern world with our busy lives, running is such an excellent way to be those pack animals again. Owen’s results and all the results that we achieve wearing a Kent AC vest are of course incredible achievements as individuals. However, each of our own efforts is one block in the overall foundation that make up our running and lives. This running community that we are all a part of; the newsletter readers, those who proudly slip on the Kent AC tops and even those further afield who are spotted on a random start line somewhere; improves us all. We see one another and motivate one another. At least that’s what I take from Owen’s post-race sign off. Maybe I’m reading too much into it.
But I do think that next time you see a new runner down at the track, hoping to join in with this amazing community. You know the type; the one who’s ran a few good parkruns, they’re known as the ‘really good runner’ by everyone around them, maybe they’ve got a marathon coming up and they want some proper training. They’re intimidated by the number of people, the thought of stepping on the wrong part of the track, tripping over someone else’s foot or simply not being able to keep up. Basically, it’s their first day of school and they’ve just been chucked into PE with all the sporty kids. I know because that’s exactly how I felt first time I made it down to the Alex Yee Ladywell Arena. The next time you see someone like that; make them feel welcome and we’ll all be stronger for it.
Finally please note a Kent AC parkrun takeover at Hilly Fields on 21st March. Come along to run (in your Kent vest), meet other Kent runners, or volunteer by contacting the Hilly Fields team.
