Abdinasir Mohamoud Elmi was ready to face the highest standard field he’d been in yet at the Mizuno Podium 5k event on New Year’s Eve
After sending shockwaves through the London running community with his astonishing Battersea Park 5 Mile course record, Abdinasir Mohamoud Elmi was back for the Mizuno Podium 5k on New Year’s Eve.
The Xmas 5 Miler was his first race in London so no one really knew who he was. He duly dispatched quite a few 29 minute 10k runners there and it wasn’t long before they realised he was the real deal. Mahamed Mahamed’s course record had stood since 2021 but Abdi was able to better it by 10 seconds.
The runners line up for the start of the Elite Men’s race
It was a big achievement but Abdi wanted more. Knowing there was prize money at stake, the Mizuno Podium 5k was a no brainer. You do usually get some sub 14 minute 5k runners turning up for the Podium races though so it was likely he would have some stiff competition to overcome. Abdi was on a roll though and was unbeaten so far so there was every chance he would come out on top again, regardless of the opposition.
In such a fast race, the start was crucial for Abdi
The closest he’d come to being defeated so far was in the Hampshire Cross Country League fixture at Wellesley Woods in Aldershot. He was taken to wire by Joe Wigfield that day but Abdi was the stronger of the two at the end and prevailed.
Just like he did in the Xmas 5 Mile race, Abdi went out hard in the Podium 5k Elite Men’s race and was able to establish an early lead. At one point he was going at sub four minute mile pace. He wasn’t able to build up a gap over the other runners immediately like he did in the 5 Mile race though. They weren’t far behind at first. Jacob Allen of Highgate was there and he’d run 29 minutes at the Telford 10k. Thomas Keen of Cambridge & Coleridge was there as well and he also had a lot of pedigree.
Abdi attacked the race hard from the outset
The course wasn’t as good as the one for the 5 Mile race as that was 1.5 mile loops. This one was just up and down the same stretch with a track loop on each lap. It was essentially one short lap followed by three long laps.
By the time they got onto the second lap though, Abdi had extended his lead and now had a sizeable advantage. He’d gone through the first mile in 4:21 so was seriously motoring at that stage and no one else could keep up. He was about five seconds ahead then.
Abdi left a lot of quick runners training in his wake to begin with
He’d maintained the gap coming onto the third lap, going through his second mile in 4:33. After that though, the chasing pack began to close in on him and gap between them was lessening. By the time they’d come onto the fourth lap, Abdi was still in the lead but there wasn’t much of a gap at all any more. There five other runners hot on his heels and it was getting tense.
At one stage Abdi was at least five seconds ahead of the chasing pack
The race finished with a lap around the track but by the time they got onto the track two men had overtaken Abdi. They were Tomer Tarragano of Brighton & Hove and Thomas Keen of Cambridge & Coleridge. Then Joseph Tuffin of Birmingham Running A&TC went past him as well.
The course involved going round the bandstand before heading back the other way
It was such a shame as Abdi had bravely taken the race on and fought hard to maintain his advantage until the last 500 metres. His last mile split was a 4:30 and it was enough to see him get to the line in 13:54.5. It was still an incredible time from Abdi but he was obviously gutted not to have won.
It was a head to head sprint finish between Tomer Tarragano and Thomas Keen and in the end it was Tomor Tarragano who got to the line first. Thomas Keen had a very slightly faster chip time though. That was 13:48.6, with Tomer recording a 13:49 for both gun and chip time.
The chasing pack were hot in Abdi’s heels
Joseph Tuffin got in in 13:52.5 so he was two seconds ahead of Abdi in the end. Jacob Allen took 5th in 14:00.8, with Liam Dee of Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers taking 6th in 14:06.7. Ben Bradley of Aldershot, Farnham & District was 7th in 14:16.9 and he’d finished 6th in the 5 Mile race that Abdi won before Christmas.
Oliver James (peach coloured vest) was in the race as well
There was also another Bournemouth AC man in the race and that was Ollie James. He was going well for the first two miles, clocking a 4:40 and a 4:44 mile splits. It was when he got to 2.3 miles though that he started to suffer. His pace then dropped and he ended up bailing out.
Ollie was in the main pack going at 4:40 pace at first
It was a shame as he’d been going so well up till that point and was on course for a tremendous time if he could have continued at that rate. It won’t be long before he’s clocking a 14:45 on the road though.
Ollie ran out of steam with a kilometre left to go
Aiden Lennan of Southampton AC was in the race as well and he finished in 14:54.7 which put him in 36th place. Fred Harris of Poole AC was there as well and he got round in 15:42.9.
Reveé Walcott-Nolan of Luton AC won the Women’s Elite race in 15:39, with Poppy Tank of City of Plymouth taking 2nd in 15:44. Reading AC pair Mia Waldmann and Jess Gibbin were 3rd and 4th in 15:52 and 15:58 respectively.
Poole AC star Fred Harris ran well to finish in 15:42.9
Abdi wouldn’t have to wait long for his next opportunity to get back to winning ways as he was part of the strong Bournemouth AC army assembled for the Stubbington 10k. It would be interesting to see what sort of time he’d produce there on a course which is, without a doubt, one the fastest in the southern region. That was the next race in the Hampshire Road League calendar and Rich Nelson and his merry men were confident of putting on a good show there and hopefully being the club with the lowest scoring four.