Colchester FAST 5k is on the brand new cycle track at Northern Gateway in Colchester, Essex. It is a fantastic opportunity to get a really fast time.
Route
The route is 5 x 1KM laps of the pancake flat tarmac course of the newly layed cycle track.
There are only 5 bends in the course, which makes the course super fast and is perfect for a quick time.
Personally, I would prefer to run in an anti-clockwise direction just like a athletics track but it was still fast despite the bad weather running in a clockwise direction.
There were sections running into a small headwind, but come the summer this course will be super fast on a calm warm day and the trees will of matured a little giving the course a little more protection.
Pacers
There are no pacers at the event but it would be brilliant if there was given the super fast track.
Parking
There is plenty of parking at the Northern Gateway Sports Park, just remember to register your car registration in the building to get 2 hours free parking.
Toilets
There are a number of portable toilets available at the event right outside the start/finish area and a few toilets inside the sports park.
Medal
A great medal with a printed ribbon with the event details on it.
Photos
There are several official photographers at the event.
The photos are uploaded to the Active Training World Facebook page where you can download them.
You can request not to have your photo taken for any reason, by wearing a coloured wristband which you can collect from registration and wear it during the race.
Price
Entry fee was £11 for affiliated runners and £13 for unaffiliated runners plus a 6% booking fee which worked out to be 66p for affiliated and 78p for unaffiliated, which I thought was really good value for such a great race and includes race photos.
Who Organises It?
Colchester FAST 5K is organised by Active Training World, who are a national events company established since 2011 and a portfolio of events.
How To Enter
You can the enter via the Active Training World website
Results
Results are super fast to be uploaded to the event chip timing website. We have found the following results from previous events.
| Aug 2021 | Dec 2021 |
Would I Enter Again?
Definitely, this is a well organised race on a super flat course, that provides you with a fantastic opportunity to chase a personal best and is excellent value for money.
Things To Bear In Mind...
- There is plenty of parking but you have to remember to register you car in the sports park and you only have 2 hours free parking. You can pay for more parking time via an app.
- The start/finish area is a great place for family and friends to watch you go past on every lap and they can see you all the way round the 1K lap.
- Its quite a new event and there is only about 50 entrants, so it can be hard to get in a pack and stay with people of a similar pace. As the event becomes more popular I think it will be even better.
Kit
I wore the following race day kit:
Top: My club t-shirt
Shorts: Nike Run Division 3 in 1 Shorts
Compression Socks: Bauerfeind Performance Compression Socks
Trainers: Nike Alphafly 1
Watch: Garmin 245
Headphones: Aftershokz Aeropex
Questions
If you have any questions you would like to ask about the Colchester FAST 5k, please ask below in the comments.
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