FAST5000: Where elite runners go to bag a 5K PB

Words by Howard Calvert. Photography by Kevin Sabah and Vong Ladi.

London’s annual Night of the 10,000m PB’s has inspired countless runners, but it has only inspired one to launch their own track night. 

Simon Messenger took part in the 2015 event, and the combination of theatrical flames, circus acts and a rousing, party atmosphere lit a touchpaper in his imagination.

Six years later, France’s FAST5000 was born— an evening of 5,000m races designed to entertain and inspire both those watching and those on the track. It’s this shared philosophy that put both events on the schedule for the first On Track Nights series, which is redefining racing by combining fast times on the track with a festival atmosphere.

“We don’t hide the fact that FAST5000 was directly inspired by Night of the 10,000m PB’s,” Simon tells On. “Both in terms of the impact on the athletes and the community, and how it presents athletics in a different manner.”  Simon – who was born in Britain, grew up in France and moved to the UK for university— and his British wife Pippa relocated from the UK to France in 2017 due to Simon’s day job in sustainability consulting. As runners, they quickly realized how strong the UK athletics scene is compared with France’s. “There isn’t the same volume of events, special track meets or 5K events that bring people together in the same way in France,” says Simon.

So in 2020, when the world went into lockdown, Simon and Pippa began some serious planning. “With all the spare time, we decided to take the plunge to create the biggest 5,000m athletics event in France within five years,” says Simon.

Despite only launching in 2021, FAST5000 is well on its way to that target, in terms of the volume of people taking part as well as spectating. “We wanted to demonstrate that athletics can be fun and different—not just for a handful of athletes taking part, but for the whole community,” says Simon. 

He explains that their vision was to create a “sports spectacle” that appeals to both diehard athletics fans and those who’ve never watched track before. It piques interest with features including final-lap gongs and motion-picture-worthy pyrotechnics. There’s the opportunity for fans to watch from lane three and the theme from the South Korean survival drama series Squid Game pumps through the PA system as runners enter the stadium.

Spectators can also refuel at food and beer trucks while being entertained by circus acts and DJs, with bouncy castles, trampolines and climbing walls keeping mini athletes busy. “We aim to create a festive, family atmosphere,” says Simon. “The hope is that kids come along, watch some athletics, think, ‘This is amazing!’ and feel inspired to take part in the sport themselves.”

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Something else you can’t miss is the oversized hedgehog mascot, who entertains the crowd by dancing throughout the day. Pippa herself donned the costume in the first year of the event (she couldn’t take the role last year due to being pregnant). “I ended up walking – and dancing – 38km on the day,” she laughs. “Just seeing the crowds cheering in lane three was incredible.”

“The best thing for me is seeing it all come together,” adds Simon (pictured above right). “The athletes tell me how much they love the atmosphere. Some athletics events in France drag on late into the evening—I’ve been at races where the 5K events can be at 2am, which doesn’t make sense. We wanted to give every athlete the Olympic experience and treat them like superstars.”

The plan’s coming together well: last year, 10 men ran sub-14 minutes, including British athlete Ellis Cross, who won in 13:46.03. This year, 60 men are aiming for sub-14 5Ks and 100 women are targeting sub-17, plus a men’s 1500m and a women’s mile race are being introduced for the first time, where they’re hoping someone will break the French mile record. 

Spectators will be treated to 18 races in total, and within those races the chance to watch the European half-marathon record holder Julian Wanders, Team USA’s World Cross Country Champion Emmanuel Bor, and top French athletes like Margaux Sieracki. Attendees will also have a chance to see On Athletics Club stars tearing up the track, including Ethiopian Tsigie Gebreselama (14:43 5K PB), Italy’s Sinta Vissa, and Britain’s George Mills, all for a grand entry fee of €0.

Organizing something of this scale is a husband and wife effort. Simon leads preparations, with Pippa plus two other key volunteers supporting. Even with this extra assistance, Simon says that planning takes him around 30 hours a week for the six months leading up to the event. 

“It involves juggling a lot of plates,” says Simon. “Everything is planned, pre-planned and pre-pre-planned so we don’t end up in May wondering what we’ll do this year.” Both work for climate change consultancies, and they utilize skills learned on the job to make the event the success that it is.  Despite this, as all runners know, all the pre-planning in the world can’t prepare you for elements beyond your control on the day. “Last year, we ended up having no electricity the morning of the event,” says Simon. “Hopefully that was a one-off because my heart won’t cope with it two years in a row.”

Then they went from zero electricity to experiencing a terrifying surplus when a monster thunderstorm rocked the stadium in the late afternoon. 

“It was one of the biggest storms I've ever seen,” says Pippa. “And it occurred directly over the track, which meant we had to stop races for an hour. Luckily, we were the only event within Greater Paris that wasn't canceled as a result.”

When the last race is run, Simon and Pippa also experience an overwhelming sense of pride and relief that they’ve managed to successfully pull it off. 

“Afterwards, I slept for about 24 hours,” laughs Pippa. “But there’s genuine happiness at what we’ve produced. And it’s not just about the performances on the day—it’s about how the crowd reacts and seeing them enjoy athletics.”

Simon agrees. “The smiles on the runners’ faces is the main thing for me.” 

FAST5000 is part of the On Track Nights series. The 2023 event takes place on 10 June 2023 at the Stade du Parc des Sport in Montesson, Paris, France. For more information, visit ontracknights.com.