Under the shadow of the London Olympic Stadium lies the Community Track, a state-of-the-art 400m Mondo Oval that was purpose built as the warmup facility for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. With the arrival of West Ham Football Club as the new tenant of the Olympic Stadium, debate about what would happen to athletics' presence at the park – after all, as one of the flagship sports of the games, and the talk of the '2012 legacy', removal of the track would have caused some controversy. Thankfully, this wouldn't be an issue. Transformation of the warmup track added stadium seating and a premium track surface, turning it into a prime training and racing facility in the heart of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Alongside Nike, we took to the Community Track last Saturday 16th August to Race A Mile, a night of women's track racing over the iconic four-lap distance.
The sun was just dipping its head as numbers were pinned to race-kit and the first race of the night was eagerly preparing to take to the track. Conditions couldn't have been better. Over the public address system, a very familiar voice rang out; with commentator extraordinaire Lloyd Kempson calling the first race to the line.
Things got out fast with the entire field of racers starting ahead of the pacemaker, who steadily reeled in the quick starters and carried them through the full mile distance. As the night continued, the atmosphere for each race was boosted by our DJ and some close races that came down to the final 100m. Race 4 saw three women all enter the final 50m neck-and-neck, sprinting for the line, eventually won by Erin, breaking the 6-minute barrier for the very first time.
But it wasn't just about times and racing to win. Race A Mile was a chance to gather the London running community to come together and celebrate women's running at all levels. We welcomed first time racers to the track alongside seasoned track runners searching for a new PB. Spectators and supporters came through to cheer and watch, proving that you don't need to have professional level athletics meetings to have an exciting, encouraging and enjoyable evening of racing!
As part of the event, we gave away an entry to Nike's After Dark Tour race that will be coming to London in November. The series of races around the world is focused on developing and celebrating women's running through unique racing experiences backed by one of the world's best-known sportswear brands.
Many thanks to our partners for making the night possible: Nike for sponsoring and providing Vaporfly 4 shoe trials; Heck for the delicious vegan hotdogs; Lucky Saint for the post-race brews; Lloyd Kempson for commentating; Daisy Mae as our DJ; and all of our volunteers and officials for making the gears turn smoothly!
Did you Race A Mile? For the full gallery and to download your photos, visit the link here.
