Spectators attending the European 10,000m Cup in London on 19 May, which will be staged in conjunction with the Night of the 10,000m PBs, will be able to follow the action from a unique angle this year.
Not only will spectators be able to watch the action from lane three again, it will also be possible for fans to follow proceedings from a pedestrian bridge which will span the eight-lane Parliament Hill Athletics Track.
The bridge concept has been a long-held idea of race founder Ben Pochee and event partner Pro:Direct Running has stepped forward to make this a possibility.
“We’re incredibly grateful for this opportunity and I’m thankful to Ben Pochee for allowing us to be a part of the event in this way. Not only is it a great way of announcing that we’re serious about athletics, it allows us to connect people closer to the sport,” said brand manager Dan Prettejohn.
This year we #TakeItToTheBridge
— Night Of 10k PB's (@NightOf10kPBs) April 26, 2018
Thanks to partners @ProD_Running
for breathing life into the idea.#Lane3BeerNCheerhttps://t.co/27B2IWZahV
A volunteer-powered celebration of 25-lap racing hosted by Highgate Harriers in north London, the Night of the 10,000m PBs was established in 2013 with the twin goals of improving standards domestically and making 10,000m racing aspirational.
The British Trials for the 2016 Olympics and 2017 World Championships have both been held in conjunction with the Night of the 10,000m PBs. This year’s event will be the biggest to date with the European 10,000m Cup being incorporated into the programme.
According to preliminary entries, 59 men and 57 women representing 29 Member Federations will be taking part in this year's event. For many, the foremost goal will be the European Championships qualifying standards of 28:55 (men) and 33:20 (women).
“Night of the 10,000m PBs was born from a desire to improve racing standards and spectator engagement has become central to the event’s success. It is for this reason why our 2018 partnership with Pro:Direct to create a pedestrian bridge is pivotal,” added Pochee on the event’s continuing innovations.
“True engagement means offering spectators the chance to see the racing unfold from multiple angles and improved atmosphere will further assist athlete PBs.”