Monday, 9 December 2024

PPAC-143 5km Road Race - PPAC SHOWDOWN [8 December 2024]

Our first PAC Showdown 5km Road Race started in perfect conditions at the Sokha course: cool overcast weather with a slight breeze was just what the athletes needed to post their best performances, and that's exactly what was delivered.

The race report and full results are below. See you soon for more fun training sessions and athletics events and stay tuned for our exciting 2025 program of activities!

Results
The field was comprised of our top runners who all set off at smart paces to achieve their goals. Craig, leading from the gun opened up a 30s gap on the first lap which was never threatened by Jack (2nd) and he finished strongly to set a new PB and set the fastest road 5k time we have seen this season – 18:43. Jack's 19:24 was a season's best, and his fastest PPAC 5km result in almost 3 years! These were great results in keeping with the seeding for the two A qualified athletes taking part in the race.

Third placed Hugo put the ultimate feather in the cap of an excellent season, finishing first out of the B qualified athletes with a PB and finally achieving the elusive sub-20 goal in spectacular fashion, taking 44s off his previous best. He was followed closely by Styvenn, who was never more than a few seconds from Hugo at any split. Styvenn also achieved a new PB and going under 20mins for his first time too!

Vincent battled bravely, sticking with the chase pack through the first Sokha lap, before falling off slightly. However, that would not stop him from taking over a minute off his 5km PB with an excellent result. Ty was also keen to get in on the PB action, representing the Veterans qualification category, coming through under 22 minutes for the first time and shaving 45 seconds off his own PB as well.

Closing out the race was Jacques, with yet another sub-22 effort to assert his dominance over the V60 category.

The showdown concludes our 2024 season and we thank all athletes who attended races and training sessions, as well as our amazing session leaders, event organisers and everyone that contributed to the year's activities, and look forward to seeing you all again in 2025!

Full Results (detailed)
Overall five runners set personal bests (PB), improving on their previous times by margins between 12 seconds and 1:16. Four runners improved their best points scores, with Styvenn hitting the 500-point mark and Ty breaking through 300 points for the first time.

Race Replay

Pacing Analysis & Consistency
There were no top rated pacing performances, however, two runners, Hugo & Styvenn, scored big PBs off the back of their sub-2.00 rated pacing. Both maintained a measured pace over the first half of the race and were able to push hard for a strong finish. Higher than usual ratings might be attributed to the competitive nature of the PPAC Showdown race and ambitious pace goals, with several runners unable to maintain their strong initial pace through the final Sokha Lap (Note: all the runners hit sub-4:00 pace through the first +700m Park Lap section!).

The table below shows split times and average pace per km for each section of the race. The Pacing Consistency rating is designed to give runners an idea of how well they have balanced their efforts across the whole race. Ratings below 1.00 indicate excellent pacing, and the lower the number, the better, in general, for optimal performance in aerobic running events like the 5km.

Estimated optimal pacing and potential times based on pace data recorded during the race suggest that following and optimal pacing strategy, runners could improve their times between 3.8s to 5.2s for the three top rated pacing performances (sub-3.00), and 11.8s to 35.3s for the runners with pacing consistency of 14.32 and above.

Volunteers & Supporters
A special thanks as always to our volunteer officials and helpers on the morning - Meyjou, Sivmuyleng and Kimkheang as well as weekly training session leaders Craig & Jack!

We would like to extend our gratitude to all the runners and supporters who made this running event a success and whose support allows us to continue to organise community athletics activities for all. If you would like to contribute via donation, please find our QR here.

Phnom Penh Athletics Club is a community-oriented club with the vision of making high quality contributions to the development of grassroots athletics and access to sport for all in Cambodia. We welcome community-minded runners, coaches and parents (including non-runners/non-sportspeople) to get involved and we appreciate your feedback. We look forward to seeing you all next time!

Keep on track of our schedule of πŸƒπŸ’ͺ⏱ training sessions, πŸπŸ…races and more fun activities πŸ‘ŸπŸŽ½ on our Telegram channel!

Connect with us via the following ⬇️

© PPAC 2024

Sunday, 1 December 2024

Final Showdown Qualifying Results [17 November 2024]

In Final 2024 Showdown qualification news, following our November 3km race results, this year's final qualifying table positions have been determined.

The qualified athletes have worked hard to deliver top performances throughout the year reaching our challenging qualification standards and staying within the top 20 of athletes for 2024.

We are very excited to challenge them one final time for the year with our PPAC Showdown. With all of our fastest athletes facing off against each other we are sure to see some fast times.

The race will take place on Dec 8th at 6 am, and while only the qualified athletes are able to take part, we invite all spectators to join and witness the fastest amateur club race in Cambodia!

Qualified athletes (name highlighted green/orange) in the table below can check in for the PPAC Showdown, on 8 Dec, here.

Phnom Penh Athletics Club is a community-oriented club with the vision of contributing to the development of grassroots athletics and access to sport for all in Cambodia. We welcome community-minded runners, coaches and parents (including non-runners/non-sportspeople) to get involved and we appreciate your feedback. We look forward to seeing you all soon!

Keep on track of our schedule of πŸƒπŸ’ͺ⏱ training sessions, πŸπŸ…races and more fun activities πŸ‘ŸπŸŽ½ on our Telegram channel!

Connect with us via the following ⬇️

© PPAC 2024

Sunday, 17 November 2024

PPAC-142 3km Road Race [17 November 2024]

The club's sixth 3km/3000m distance race of 2024 began at 6:05 in great weather and with perfect course conditions on our Boeung Trabek road course. 14 runners joined us for this regular 3km distance club meet and final qualifying event before the PPAC Showdown.

The race report and full results are below. See you soon for more fun training sessions and athletics events and we look forward to seeing you for the PPAC Showdown on 8th December, stay tuned to our Telegram channel and Facebook page for the official announcements and MORE opportunities to qualify for the 5000m Showdown.
Everyone is welcome to join our events and weekly training sessions. Get in touch to find out more about the best training sessions for you!

Race Report
Adam took the lead with a good pace from the starting gun and was followed by a fast pack including Hugo, Vincent, Virakboth, Den and Ty. However, Adam would gradually increase the pace with a strong negative split to take out the win and deliver one of the fastest 3km times of the year! Fortunately, the chase pack were wise enough to hold their pace and not get caught up in the excitement. Hugo (2nd) demonstrated excellent pacing and was rewarded by a 11s PB and his best PPAC performance to date. Vincent followed closely behind, also with consistent pacing to claim 3rd place and wipe 47s from his PB.

This race continued a trend we have noticed in analysis, that the most consistent pacing is closely correlated with the top athletes and PB performances. All athletes can expect to achieve faster times as they approach more even, consistent pacing. We encourage athletes to take a look at the 'Analysis & Pacing Consistency' table and see their predicted Optimal Time and consider using that as a pacing guide for the next 3km! Indeed, Hugo credits his PB in this race to his application of the analysis from the last race – "I did use the optimal pace prediction, it helped me today for sure ... This race was much better for me ... I kept a good pace, the same for the 3km and I had energy at the end for a sprint 200m".

The PBs continued to fall with Rain and Bora setting new 3km PBs by 14s and 59s respectively, and Ty achieved a PPAC Points PB in a first 3km race.

The battle for position was not only at the front of the field – there were competitive efforts from Bora, Narom and Sovanndeth. None of the three were willing to give the others an inch as they were separated by only seconds at the halfway split. Bora eventually crossed the line less than half a second ahead of Narom for an exciting finish!

We were happy to see Alex and Sodaneth reach their first PPAC finish line, after DNF'ing in our last 5km. Sodaneth was rewarded with 1st place female for her brave finish! We always love to see athletes improving. For some, that means shaving fractions of seconds off PB times and for others it might just be finishing a race for the first time! Anyone who is trying their best and pushing themselves is always welcome at any PPAC event!

Full Results (detailed)

Analysis and Consistency
Two runners, Vincent and Hugo, recorded a sub-0.10 and sub-0.50 ratings respectively, which are very high ratings for optimally executed race pacing, but overall, more even pacing for the rest of the field could lead to athletes hitting much closer to their potential.

The Pacing Consistency rating is designed to give runners an idea of how well they have balanced their efforts across the whole race. The most evenly paced runs with ratings below 1.00 indicate excellent pacing, and the lower the number, the better, in general, for optimal performance in aerobic running events like the 3, 5 and 10km.

In the table below you can compare your pace between the first and second halves of the race, as well the time difference between the splits, and along with the pacing consistency rating, see how it all contributes to your overall finish time. We also suggest an optimal pacing strategy and potential improved finish time (at equivalent fitness level) based on your recorded splits.

Volunteers & Supporters
A special thanks as always to our volunteer officials and helpers on the morning - Jack, Sivmuyleng and Kimkheang, as well as our dedicated weekly training session leaders including Craig.

We would like to extend our gratitude to all the runners and supporters who made this running event a success and whose support allows us to continue to organise community athletics activities for all. If you would like to contribute via donation, please find our QR here.

Phnom Penh Athletics Club is a community-oriented club with the vision of contributing to the development of grassroots athletics and access to sport for all in Cambodia. We welcome community-minded runners, coaches and parents (including non-runners/non-sportspeople) to get involved and we appreciate your feedback. We look forward to seeing you all next time!

Keep on track of our schedule of πŸƒπŸ’ͺ⏱ training sessions, πŸπŸ…races and more fun activities πŸ‘ŸπŸŽ½ on our Telegram channel!

Connect with us via the following ⬇️

Registration forms
  • New runners (adults) register here
  • Under-18s: Provide a completed and signed (by parents/guardians) U18 registration form to phnompenhathletics@gmail.com or hand to us on the day of the event.

© PPAC 2024

Thursday, 7 November 2024

Showdown Qualifying Update [3 November 2024]

In Showdown Qualification news, following our November 5km race results, Tom and Hugo have all but guaranteed their places in the  'B' standard race with their 3rd qualifying performances and with healthy total points scores. Ty has also reached qualification for the Veteran's category with his third performance.

Vincent has signaled his intent to threaten the leader board, as he is poised to take one of the last remaining spots if he can deliver another strong performance at our next race - 3km on the road coming up on 17 November. Lison has reached her third qualifying result and pulls up right alongside Meyjou at the top of the Women's 'B' standard qualification table.

Check-in for the upcoming and final 3km qualifying event, on 17 Nov, here.


Phnom Penh Athletics Club
is a community-oriented club with the vision of contributing to the development of grassroots athletics and access to sport for all in Cambodia. We welcome community-minded runners, coaches and parents (including non-runners/non-sportspeople) to get involved and we appreciate your feedback. We look forward to seeing you all soon!

Keep on track of our schedule of πŸƒπŸ’ͺ⏱ training sessions, πŸπŸ…races and more fun activities πŸ‘ŸπŸŽ½ on our Telegram channel!

Connect with us via the following ⬇️

 © PPAC 2024

Monday, 4 November 2024

PPAC-141 5km Road Race [3 November 2024]

PPAC's November 5km was back at the regular Sokha course. 21 runners made it to the start line in wet and humid conditions though the rain stayed away for most of the race!

The race report and full results are below. See you soon for more fun training sessions and athletics events including our next 3km race on 17 November!

Results
Adam provided the pacing duties for the sub-20 group and it looked promising early with a strong pack including Paul, Andarge, Tom, Hugo and Vincent sticking with him for much of the race. Eventually two athletes were able to break the elusive 20-minute barrier, while several others strode ever closer to that impressive mark. We love to see athletes pushing boundaries and attempting challenging goals, so there is never any shame in falling short of a target.

Eventual first place finisher Paul was more than happy to let the lead pack go during the opening Park Lap, confident in his ability to reel them in as the race unfolded. Paul moved from 5th place after the park lap, to 1st by the end of the first Sokha Lap and was never challenged thereon securing a well deserved PB. Once again we see the race winner also topping the consistency score, further demonstrating the importance of a solid pacing strategy. We welcome back Andarge (2nd), who was straight back to his fast ways with an impressive sub-20 performance. Tom rounded out the podium with 3rd place in another improved performance that has all but locked up his place in the PPAC Showdown next month!

The women's field had exciting and competitive battles. Meyjou and Lison were side-by-side for most of the race, with neither allowing the other to get away. Barely a second separated them at either of the split marks, but Lison was able to finally pull away in the final lap to head Meyjou (2nd) by a mere 4 seconds at the finish line. Newcomer Isabella was extremely impressive in her debut PPAC race, taking out 3rd place with a strong points-scoring performance!

Bora and Kamlaingek produced large negative split performances, meaning that they got faster later in the race. This is a good indicator that they are capable of even faster times, and we look forward to seeing these athletes perhaps taking a few risks and testing their true limits next time!

We were very pleased to see a big group of first-time PPAC racers including Adam and Estelle, who train with us every week on Thursday evenings, as well as Isabella, Bethan, Narom, Alex and Sodanet.

We congratulate all runners taking part, including those participating for the first time, whether you completed the distance or just made it some of the way. Every runner is welcome and we look forward to seeing you continue your running journey and hope to see you at the finish line again soon!


Full Results (detailed)
Overall two runners with previously recorded 5km times set personal bests (PB), improving on their previous times by margins between 6 to 22s. Two runners improved their best points scores, with Tom not far off the 500-point mark.

We are now pleased to record athletes' event streaks - a measure of consecutive club events attended either as a runner or volunteer (or both!). The last two columns in the table below show individuals' total events participated in, and current and maximum all time streaks. 

Race Replay

Pacing Analysis & Consistency
Two runners – Paul & pacer Craig – produced excellent sub-1.00 pacing performances.

The table below shows split times and average pace per km for each section of the race. The Pacing Consistency rating is designed to give runners an idea of how well they have balanced their efforts across the whole race. Ratings below 1.00 indicate excellent pacing, and the lower the number, the better, in general, for optimal performance in aerobic running events like the 5km. 

In the table below you can compare your pace between the first and second halves of the race, as well the time difference between the splits, and along with the pacing consistency rating, see how it all contributes to your overall finish time. We also suggest an optimal pacing strategy and potential improved finish time (at equivalent fitness level) based on your recorded splits.

Volunteers & Supporters
A special thanks as always to our volunteer officials and helpers on the morning - Jack, Craig, Meyjou, Sivmuyleng and Kimkheang as well as weekly training session leaders Craig & Jack!

We would like to extend our gratitude to all the runners and supporters who made this running event a success and whose support allows us to continue to organise community athletics activities for all. If you would like to contribute via donation, please find our QR here.

Phnom Penh Athletics Club is a community-oriented club with the vision of contributing to the development of grassroots athletics and access to sport for all in Cambodia. We welcome community-minded runners, coaches and parents (including non-runners/non-sportspeople) to get involved and we appreciate your feedback. We look forward to seeing you all next time!

Keep on track of our schedule of πŸƒπŸ’ͺ⏱ training sessions, πŸπŸ…races and more fun activities πŸ‘ŸπŸŽ½ on our Telegram channel!

Connect with us via the following ⬇️

Registration forms
  • New or Unregistered runners (adult) register here (please use if you didn't complete on or before race day!)
  • Under-18s: Provide a completed and signed (by parents/guardians) U18 registration form to phnompenhathletics@gmail.com or hand to us on the day of the event.

© PPAC 2024

Sunday, 20 October 2024

PPAC-140 3km Road Race [20 October 2024]

The club's fifth 3km/3000m distance race of 2024 began at 6:05 in good weather and with excellent course conditions on our Boeung Trabek road course. 8 runners toed the line for this regular 3km distance club meet.

The race report and full results are below. See you soon for more fun training sessions and athletics events and we look forward to seeing everyone back for our next races on 3rd and 17th November, stay tuned to our Telegram channel and Facebook page for the official announcements and MORE opportunities to qualify for the 5000m Showdown.
Everyone is welcome to join our events and weekly training sessions. Get in touch to find out more about the best training sessions for you!

Race Report
A smaller field of 8 runners showed their willingness to demonstrate their speed and put their training to the test. A big welcome to first time PPAC racers Magdalena, Warren and Maya, as well as our PPAC training regulars Lindsey and Bora who were also appearing for their first race.

In the men's field, Hugo and Tom set a hot early pace, demonstrating plenty of the speed they have developed from the Tuesday morning PPAC Early Bird training sessions. However, it was Jack with precision pacing who moved from 3rd to 1st to secure the win and finally claim an A Standard qualifier for the PPAC Showdown. Hugo (2nd) and Tom (3rd) also produced B Standard qualifiers and continue their march up the qualifying table in a bid to lock in their invites to our premier event in December.

Lindsey (1st female), was unchallenged leading from wire to wire and producing one of the the fastest female 3km times and highest point scoring performances of the year. Maya (2nd) and Magda (3rd) also demonstrated solid pacing with consistency scores of 1.25 and 2.23 respectively (see below for more information on pacing).

Warren and Bora, both on determined return journeys back into running, have taken the exciting first step of showing up and getting it done.

Well done to Tom for a twelve second PB and to Hugo and Tom who both scored points PB's. It was a close one for Jack who just missed out on a personal best by less than half a second despite great pace and pacing consistency!

Full Results (detailed)

Analysis and Consistency
One runner, Jack, recorded a sub-0.10 rating, which is among the highest possible ratings for optimally executed race pacing, and overall half of the performances demonstrated a good quality of pacing.

The Pacing Consistency rating is designed to give runners an idea of how well they have balanced their efforts across the whole race. The most evenly paced runs with ratings below 1.00 indicate excellent pacing, and the lower the number, the better, in general, for optimal performance in aerobic running events like the 3, 5 and 10km.

In the table below you can compare your pace between the first and second halves of the race, as well the time difference between the splits, and along with the pacing consistency rating, see how it all contributes to your overall finish time. We also suggest an optimal pacing strategy and potential improved finish time (at equivalent fitness level) based on your recorded splits.

Volunteers & Supporters
A special thanks as always to our volunteer officials and helpers on the morning - Meyjou, Sivmuyleng and Kimkheang, as well as our dedicated weekly training session leaders including Jack.

We would like to extend our gratitude to all the runners and supporters who made this running event a success and whose support allows us to continue to organise community athletics activities for all. If you would like to contribute via donation, please find our QR here.
Phnom Penh Athletics Club is a community-oriented club with the vision of contributing to the development of grassroots athletics and access to sport for all in Cambodia. We welcome community-minded runners, coaches and parents (including non-runners/non-sportspeople) to get involved and we appreciate your feedback. We look forward to seeing you all next time!

Keep on track of our schedule of πŸƒπŸ’ͺ⏱ training sessions, πŸπŸ…races and more fun activities πŸ‘ŸπŸŽ½ on our Telegram channel!

Connect with us via the following ⬇️

Registration forms
  • New runners (adults) register here
  • Under-18s: Provide a completed and signed (by parents/guardians) U18 registration form to phnompenhathletics@gmail.com or hand to us on the day of the event.

© PPAC 2024