Race Date: Saturday 24th May 2025

This is a championship event so when instructions state “…ensure your footwear complies with current rules and regulations…” it is well to take note. According to the World Athletics List of Approved Athletic Shoes the only footwear in the cupboard that would do the job were a pair of calf strain inducing racing flats bought when these were top of the range and no-one had even heard of carbon fibre. Lining up at the start it was therefore surprising to see some of my competitors wearing their “modern” racers and this was after the footwear had been checked by the starter’s assistant. Discouraged right from the off as surely they were gaining an unfair advantage my own performance was an utter shambles and the third poor race in a row. However, chatting after our twenty five laps of the track it transpired that, for masters only events, shoes with a maximum stack height of 40mm are permitted so not your Alphaflys etc but allowing certain modern racers. Rule 5.13.3 applies WMA Technical Rules.

Live and learn as they say.

Link to full results which include a W70 world record in the F75 10,000m British Masters Open Events – Throws Pentathlon, 10,000m & 1 Mile Champs Still, remain top of the Steel City 10,000m rankings for the fourth year in a row and currently ranked 5th M65 in the UK. Mainly because no-one else runs the infernal distance.

Saucony Fastwich 9 One step away from plimsols but top shoe in it’s day.