A really popular, flat and fast race in the last of the Friday 5 series based in village of Great Bentley in Essex.
Course
The course is one of the fastest routes you will find for 5 miles with long stretches to maintain momentum with only a few turns.
You start a short walk away from the village hall with the road closed. The 1st mile is a long straight before turning left, creating a loop back to the main road and lastly, you turn right to run back towards the village hall before entering a estate to cut through to the finish at the village hall.
Water
There was 1 water station just before the 2.5 mile mark. Cups of water were handed out as you passed and there were large bags to drop your waste.
Medal
There was a very blingy blue medal to collect at the end.
Parking
You park opposite the village green near the football club and there is plenty of signs and marshals to guide you where to park.
There is lots of parking spaces and organisers ask you not park anywhere else in the village.
Toilets
Possibly the most portable toilets I have seen for the size of the race, with around 30 portable toilets and 2 urinals meaning there was little to no queuing before the race.
Photos
No photos provided, or at least none that I have found online.
Cost
Entry is great value at £13 for affiliated runners and £15 for unaffiliated runners.
Who Organises It?
It was organised by Great Bentley running club.
How To Enter?
You can enter via the main Friday 5 Series website and you can also see dates and venues for all 6 races in the series.
Results
You can find the results on the race results website. You can change the drop down to find the results for all races in the series.
Would I Enter Again?
Absolutely yes, I am probably being a little biased as I made a bit of breakthrough with my running but it is such a flat fast course I think this will become a race I enter every year.
Things To Bear In Mind?
- A very popular race, so enter early to avoid not getting a space.
- There is a bag drop provided to keep your bags safe.
- Tea, coffee and cake is available before and after the race in the village hall.
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
Questions
If you have any questions you would like to ask about the Great Bentley Friday Night 5, please ask below in the comments.
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