The British 5000m star will race on the roads in Trafford this weekend.

Andy Butchart is among a top field announced for the rescheduled Trafford 10k on Sunday (September 2). The Scottish athlete was forced to miss the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast after breaking his foot running in February.

The fast Trafford 10k was rescheduled from March due to adverse weather conditions and race organiser Dave Norman hopes this new September date will be more suitable to fast times. Athletes can come off a fast summer on the track and have shiny new 10k road PBs to start the autumn.

Fast Fields

Butchart leads a pack of 10 men who have previously run under 30 minutes for the distance. Marc Scott, fresh from his blistering run at Mid Cheshire 5k, will also challenge for the win and actually has the fastest 10k mark (28:07) in the field.

Scott Overall (28:49/13:28) and Nick McCormick (29:04/13:18) complete the four men who have run under 30 minutes and 14 minutes for 10km and 5km respectively.

McCormick is fresh from setting a season’s best 14:46 at the Podium 5k this Bank Holiday Monday.

The women’s field has Jessica Piasecki (32:41/15:29) with the quickest times and the only runner to have broken 33 minutes. Like McCormick, Piasecki was also victorious at the no frills Podium 5k. The 28 year-old former British half marathon champion ran 15:55 in Barrowford and starts as a favourite in the women’s race.

There will be six sub 34-minute women chasing for the win, including the ever improving Elsey Davis who has had a cracking 2018 so far.

Kendal’s Rebecca Robinson (33:09/15:48) has the second fastest set of PBs in the field so look out for the mountain runner featuring in the top 10. Juliet Potter (33:27/15:27) has the quickest 5k PB of the women’s field but her 10k best was back in 2008.

Former 800/1500m runner Charlene Thomas is also an exciting prospect for the race, having run her 33:27 PB this year at the Brighton 10km.

Fast times

The weather forecast for Sunday looks to be perfect for fast times and the move to September will hopefully pay dividends. Last year only five runners broke 30 minutes, but in 2016 it was 28.

Yet even in the tough conditions of 2017, which saw Chris Thompson run a solo 28:55 for the win, 126 runners broke 33 minutes. Tough times brings out tough people and the speed of the pack will show again this weekend.

The race is organised by Dave Norman, someone at the heart and soul of British distance running. After running 15:29 at Podium 5k this week, the Altringham runner warmed down with Piasecki and is excited to see how the two 5k winners run this weekend.

A fountain of running information Norman said: “Nick McCormick is entered and after retiring in 2014, he has competed in three hometown races this year ‘for fun’, but is now training for the New York Marathon where he hopes to run 2:25.”

Related: McCormick and Piasecki winners at Podium 5k

Related: Butchart to miss Commonwealth Games

Are you a fan of Fast Running? Then please support us and become a patreon. For as little as the price of a monthly magazine you can support Fast Running – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.