Phnom Penh Athletics Club: March 2022

Monday 7 March 2022

PPAC-93 5km Road Race

First event of the month is our third 5km road race of the year, already one quarter of the way through the 2022 5km series.
We have a strong line up this week with twenty-six athletes including a few new faces, and the race start has reverted to 6 am as mornings get earlier and we head into the warmer period of the year.

At the front of the pack we have Andarge, Patt and 5km first timer Hiroshi putting in a superbly paced effort to traverse the field for third overall. Meyjou is first across the line in the women's category followed by top youth athlete Erika, just ahead of third placed Xiao Ju. Soboros's seventh place overall sees him lead the boys category this week.

There are PBs for Pasi and Bertrand, both knocking around 20 seconds of their PBs as they get closer to 22-minute range, and two excellent PBs for Chansovatey going sub-30 for the first time and Erika going 2:33 better than her previous top 5km performance (a 9% improvement!).

This week's leaders in the consistency rankings are Hirsohi, Pasi and Vannak, all with sub-1.00 consistency ratings, indicating excellent pacing from start to finish. There are clear opportunities for yet further improved performances for PB scorers Chansovatey, Erika and Bertrand with more balanced pacing. A more conservative approach to early pacing could lead to better performances across the board.

Thanks to race officials Jack and Neil, photos by Jack and for everyone's support and contribution. We look forward to seeing you all at our next event.

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Thursday 3 March 2022

PPAC-92 3km Road Race

A smaller 3km race this week at our new course in Chbar Ampouv. 8 athletes toed the line comprising 4 seniors and 4 junior athletes.
The Chbar Ampouv course features a 1.5km loop with tight turns on either end of a long straight. The course has proven to be fairly fast in recent races and conducive to good performances.
However, with a smaller field and several athletes returning from absences, it would prove to be a tough day for everyone. The conditions were relatively cool, despite the later than usual 6:40am start time.

In the seniors race, Matthieu and Jack raced together in the early stages and pushed each other to keep the pace honest. Jack held a three second lead at the halfway point and was able to maintain the pace to finish first, while Matthieu slowed slightly but still held on to a comfortable second place and secure a 7 second PB.

Once again, consistency in pacing proved vital with our top two finishers joined by King in the top three consistency rankings. In the mid-pack, Matt and Muyngim also ran together, with Muyngim 7.5s ahead of Matt at halfway and increasing her lead in the second lap to take third overall.

The junior athletes were spaced apart for most of the race. Uddom and King took first and second in the youth category by running big negative split efforts, suggesting that even faster future times are on the horizon. Well done to King as the only youth athlete to set a PB in this meet, improving on his previous best by 13 seconds. Meanwhile, Sothearath and Nob worked together for most of the race, with Nob leading by half a second at the halfway point. In the second lap, Sothearath responded to this challenge by taking the lead and piling on a substantial 16 second gap by the finish.

Thanks to Meyjou for managing the timing this week, and we look forward to seeing all PPAC athletes at the 5km road race next week as we return to our usual Sokha course.