Derby 10 Mile

Sunday 17th November 2024 | Author Rob Holehouse

This was the 8th year of the Derby 10 mile, which advertises itself as a flat and fast race with PB potential. Chris Wright and I were the sole representatives at this race from DRC. The Drive from Dronfield to Derby took around 45 minutes.

The event starts and finishes at Derby Arena. There was no problem with parking as there are 2 large free car parks, although it is advised to car share if possible.

The event village is located outside the Derby Arena, where you can collect your race numbers and a bag drop off. The Arena is open to use the toilet facilities, which meant no long ques at portaloo’s which was a bonus.

The sun was shining, 7 degrees with very wind which made it ideal race conditions. At the start of the race you were advised to go into your predicted time wave by 9:45am, ready for the 10am start. Each wave would then set off 1 minute apart.

The event offers six pacers running at the following times:

1hr10, 1hr20, 1hr30. 1hr40, 1hr50 and 2 hours.

Chris and I positioned ourselves in between the 1hr10 and 1hr20 pacers. With the aim of running around 1hr 15.

The route cannot be described as ‘scenic’ but does take in the grounds of Elvaston Castle, but the vast majority of the run is on flat roads.

We set off pacing for a 1hr15 finish, but after a couple of miles on the flat roads, we felt comfortable and was able to pick up the pace. At Mile 8 Chris was feeling strong and decided to up the pace, I could see him getting slightly further away in the distance as the minutes ticked on. As we approached the Derby Arena I saw the signs for 400 metres to go, I could see Chris and 5 other runners ahead of me.

Chris has asked me not to describe the sprint finish so we will leave it there………….

Pos	Name	Club	Cat	M/F	Chip Time
373	Rob Holehouse	Dronfield	V40	M	1:13:12
377	Chris Wright	Dronfield	V40	M	1:13:16

Chris achieved his goal of a 10 mile Personal best. 

At the end of the race we received a bottle of water, cereal bar, medal and a T-Shirt. The race was great value at £22. It was nice to see friends from other local running clubs for a chat at the end. If anyone from DRC is targeting a 10 mile PB, look no further than this event.