Young athletes in the spotlight at Night of the 10,000m PBs

Popular event at Parliament Hill in London will feature 800m races for under-17 and under-20 runners this year

Teenage middle-distance runners will get the chance to shine at the Night of the 10,000m PBs in 2023 with the event adding some junior 800m races into its programme on May 20 in London.

“The goal is to use the Night of the 10,000m PBs platform to help youngsters run faster and get experience of racing at bigger events with crowds,” says event director Ben Pochee.

“This year we will host four 800m races for under-20 and under-17 men and women and these races will take place just before our championship events when the crowds and atmosphere really start to bubble up to the boil.”

It is not simply the chance to race in big crowds in amid a super atmosphere, though. The athletes will be targeting qualifying times for the European Under-20 Championships in Jerusalem from August 7-10 and the Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad & Tobago on August 4-11.

To help them hit the times, they will benefit from WaveLight pacing lights too.

More generally the 2023 meeting is partnering with On Track Nights and has World Athletics Silver status. Young athletes’ races aside, it features the British Championships and World Championships trials for 10,000m with a total of £30,000 in prize money up for grabs.

Pochee adds: “My aim is to up the ante further with fun, entertainment and wild revelry that our event has become renowned. Our event atmosphere has clearly aided performances in the past and I want our next generation to tangibly benefit too.”

The event is an invitational, so no entry fees are needed but qualifying standards apply and expressions of interest are to be received by April 23 by emailing [email protected]

Standards for the 800m races are: under-17 men (sub-1:56) and women (sub-2:12) and under-20 men (sub-1:52) and women (sub-2:10).

Qualifying times for the European Under-20 Championships are 1:49.0 and 2:06.0 and for the Commonwealth Youth Games they are (for English athletes) 1:51.0 and 2:08.0.

The Emsley Carr and Millicent Fawcett Mile races, however, are moving north. Last year they were held at the Night of the 10,000m PBs event but on May 27 they will be staged at the British Milers’ Club Grand Prix in Manchester.

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