Streets of fire!
The Vitality 10,000m race took pace on the streets of London yesterday and it was an exhilarating event for the 16,500 runners who took part, as well as all the spectators who lined the route.
The headlines were stolen by Ellis Cross, who won the men's race ahead of British sporting icon Sir Mo Farah and Eilish McColgan, who won the women's race, but for many of the thousands of athletes taking part, it was an achievement just to get over the finish line.
Among the thousands of club athletes and casual runners was the two-man Sycamore Trust team of Trevor Hazell and Steve Dixon. Dagenham born Trevor is an experienced distance runner, whereas Steve entered the race to try and raise some money for Sycamore, and improve his fitness in the process.
Trevor (left) & Steve before the race
The Vitality 10k was originally set for May 2020, but was postponed twice because of the pandemic. An event did take place in Hatfield, Herts, last July and Jo Wood from Mullis & Peake Solicitors, took part on our behalf, but this was the first time that the race had been ruun in central London since 2019.
There was a carnival atmosphere in Green Park as the athletes assembled prior to heading for the start line. Runners were placed into ten waves according to their ability and the Sycamore team were split into two at this point, with Trevor going in the second wave, just after the elite athletes, and Steve following behind in the fourth group.
The route took in many of London's famous landmarks, starting on The Mall and going past Nelson's column and St Paul's Cathedral, before heading back along the Strand and finishing in front of Buckingham Palace.
Steve with his medal after the race
Trevor finished in a very respectable 45 minutes, 24 seconds, with Steve coming in a little later, posting a time of 51 minutes, 39 seconds. After completing the race, Steve said;
"I was delighted to complete my first ever official 10k and I was pleased with the time. Most importantly, I raised over £1,000 for Sycamore, so a huge thank you to everyone who contributed."
You can still contribute to both our athletes fund raising efforts. To support Trevor, who has other fund raising races for Sycamore planned this year, go to; https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/trevor-hazell07
To support Steve, go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/steve-dixon24
The mens race was won by Ellis Cross in a time of 28:40.
The women's race was won by Great Britain's Eilish McColgan in a time of 30:23.
In the elite wheelchair races, Great Britain's Danny Sidbury took the men's event in 21:23, while Samantha Kinghorn showed her versatility in transitioning from sprint disciplines to win in 24:45.
The Vitality 10k finish line!