There are some races that become annual fixtures in the diary, and for Barry Dolman the London 10k is certainly one of them.

This year marked Barry’s fourth consecutive appearance in the race, and, impressively, his times have improved on every visit. He clocked 37:49 in 2023, followed by 37:38 in 2024, before making a sizeable leap last year with 37:16.

This time around, however, Barry arrived in London with considerably more speed in his legs.

He had already recorded two 10k PBs this year, beginning with a 36:53 at Stubbington in January. He then produced an outstanding 35:49 at the British Masters 10k Championships in Chichester, earning himself a superb bronze medal in the M55 category.

So, with the bar already set pretty high, what could Barry produce on the streets of central London?

Quite a lot, as it turned out.

The London 10k is one of the capital’s most iconic road races, starting and finishing alongside Green Park and taking runners through Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, Leicester Square, Charing Cross, the Embankment and Westminster. Along the way there are some fairly distracting landmarks to admire, including Trafalgar Square, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.

Not that Barry appeared particularly interested in the sightseeing.

It was a hot day in London, but Barry wasn’t taking any prisoners, setting off at 6 minute pace for the opening mile.

The second mile is slightly downhill and Barry took full advantage, winding the pace up to 5:39. He then came through the 5k point in 18:13, after a third-mile split of 6:01.

With half the race completed, it was time to keep the pressure on.

Barry responded with a 5:46 fourth mile, before clocking 6:04 for mile five. The sixth mile came in at 6:13, but with the finish line now firmly in sight, there was still enough in the tank to bring him home in a superb 36:54.

That was only a few seconds outside his Chichester PB, but the performance was particularly impressive given the heat and the quality of the field.

It was also a quite remarkable winning margin.

Barry was first M55-59 by almost four minutes, finishing well clear of the 468 other runners in his age category. His 36:54 was a seriously impressive performance in a field of 469 M55-59 competitors.

Overall, Barry finished 180th out of 13,868 competitors, with an average pace of 5:57 per mile.

Up at the sharp end, there was an equally impressive battle for the men’s title. Just two runners dipped under 30 minutes, with Seyfu Jamaal edging out Run Bournemouth Half Marathon winner Oluwatosin Adedji by a single second, stopping the clock at 29:48. Eight men broke 31 minutes, while 14 finished inside 32 minutes.

The women’s race was won by Lucy Jenks in 33:50, good enough for 44th overall. Holly Archer of Cambridge & Coleridge was second in 34:32 and 62nd overall, with Becky Briggs third in 34:43 and 67th overall.

For Barry, though, the London 10k was another excellent marker in what is turning into a remarkable season.

His last big race was the Cape Town Marathon in May, where he ran 2:50 and finished 11th in the M55-59 category for the Abbott World Marathon Majors Age Group World Championships.

Barry has also been making his presence felt in the World Marathon Majors Age Group rankings. His superb 2:48:32 at the Barcelona Marathon earlier in the year propelled him to 134th in the rankings and secured qualification for the Tokyo Marathon, where he will compete as one of the Abbott World Marathon Majors Age Group contenders.

And Barry isn’t finished ticking off the majors just yet.

He is now building towards the Chicago Marathon in October, as he continues his quest to complete the Seven Star World Marathon Majors.

Before then, though, there’s unfinished business back in London.

Barry will return to the capital for The Big Half, where, given his current form, he is likely to be going all out for another PB.

And with the way this season has been going, could we even see Barry break 1:20 for the first time?

On current evidence, you certainly wouldn’t bet against it.