Night of the 10,000m PB’s: where elite runners line up beside fire-eaters and knife jugglers

Over the past decade, Night of the 10,000m PB’s has produced moments you’d never expect to witness at an athletics meet: Tornado jets roaring overhead. Lamborghinis parked on the infield. Bands cranking out live tunes on the track while athletes are competing. But race director Ben Pochee highlights a moment during last year’s event that eclipses them all, distilling what the night is all about.

“The women were lining up for the British Championship trials,” he says. “In front of them on the track was a circus act called Spikey Will wearing nothing but a pair of Union Flag underpants lying on a bed of nails with a member of the public standing on him. The crowd were going wild.” 

This juxtaposition represents exactly what Ben was aiming for when he launched Night of the 10,000m PB’s: a delicate balance of the raucous atmosphere alongside athletes at the pinnacle of their sport, making it unlike any other live event you’re likely to attend. 

The by-product of this febrile atmosphere is that it buoys athletes to access gears they never knew they had. “When [British distance runner] Jo Pavey ran at the 2014 event she said it was louder than the 2012 Olympics,” says Ben. “Moments like that are the catalyst for me to get more people spectating—to provide that atmosphere as a conduit to performance.”

A talented middle-distance runner himself in his day, seeing success for both his club, Highgate Harriers, and England, 52-year-old Ben realized during the London 2012 Olympics that there was a huge opportunity with 10,000m running.

“Traditionally, the 25-lap race was just watched by one man and his dog,” he laughs. “I looked at how athletics was presented in the UK, and realized things haven't changed in more than 100 years. I wanted to create something that could become a beacon – if we did it well enough, we could gather the best in the UK for a decent race.”

Ben is not alone in identifying audience engagement as a major challenge for athletics, and in the decade since the London Games it seems little has changed. A decade later, British track pro Eilish McColgan put out a call for new approaches to showcase the excitement and drama of track and field. This is the goal of the new On Track Nights series, and Night of the 10,000m PB’s, which was cited by McColgan as an example of best practice, has been one of few events to show what’s possible. 

Ben began to formulate new ways to build a fun atmosphere and make track events something that even non-athletics fans would enjoy. After grappling with ways to maintain the integrity of the sport while revolutionizing how people engaged with it as spectators, he found inspiration within a different sport entirely.

“I’d spent a period of time cycling in Belgium after being sidelined from running with an injury,” he says. “They hold short bike races, called ‘kermesses’, where they cycle loops through a town. All the locals turn up to watch with alcohol and food. It's like a festival with a high-level bike race in the middle. There's so much energy.”

With kermesses acting as a template, Ben began look into regulations around the crowd being on the track. “I discovered that it was allowed if you got the officials to agree. For the first races in 2013 there were only 150 people on the track, but it felt novel and daring.”

If you’ve never attended Night of the 10,000m, “novel” and “daring” are exactly how you’d still describe it. The fact that you can actually stand within high-fiving distance of the runners plays a huge role, whether it’s in the catchily named ‘Lane 3 Beer ‘N’ Cheer’ or a ‘Lactic Tunnel of Love’ – marquees over the track that athletes charge through on each lap.

“Standing in lane three, you get a tangible sense of how fast these athletes are travelling,” says Ben. “You can see deep into their eyes and experience what they're going through to produce these times. You gain an understanding of the physical capabilities of human beings at the highest level.” 

Since the event’s inception there have been many historic moments, including Jess Martin (née Andrews) securing her place at the Rio Olympics  in 2016, Jess Warner-Judd taking the win last year to book her place in the World Championships, and the debut of the European Cup at the event, in 2018. “That was the first time in decades that that three British men in the same race finished under 28 minutes – Alex Yee, Chris Thompson and Andy Vernon,” says Ben. “Now Yee’s an Olympic gold medalist.” 

And he’s hoping there could be a moment this year to add to this list, as one runner is looking to achieve a time that’s never been recorded on UK soil before. “Kenya’s Samwel Chebolei has run 27:10, but if he cracks 27 minutes it’ll be a UK record,” says Ben.

As one of the 8,000 spectators, if you can tear your eyes away from the track, a world of entertainment awaits you on the infield. “This year, we're turning up the Victorian circus extravaganza vibe with a multitude of acts,” says Ben. You’ll also find climbing walls, physical challenges, food vans, Night of the 10,000m beer, a DJ and a pop-up On store, where you can have a t-shirts printed with designs by a London artist, and many other attractions.

Across the evening, there’ll be eight 10,000m races, culminating in the Championship races. In addition, this year, youth 800m races will make their debut. “These will include some of the UK’s best young athletes under 17 and under 20, so if you're bringing youngsters [to watch] it’ll provide inspiration.”

And perhaps the most remarkable part of the evening? There’s no entry fee. “If you’re looking for free entertainment and activities for families, this is about as good as you can get,” says Ben.

Despite the fast times and big-name pros, Ben remains focused on keeping the emphasis on the night being fun. “When you become fast and serious, there’s no fun. Just because these athletes are running at Olympic level, it should still be enjoyed by everyone taking part.

“I’m proud that I've created something that accurately reflects what the sport means to me,” he adds. “When I see everyone having a great time, it makes me want to shout to those who’ve never watched a 10,000m race before, ‘This is our sport. This is why we love it.’ It’s friendships. It’s passion. It’s knowledge. It’s people celebrating tenths of seconds. You see all that love come pouring out.”

Night of the 10,000m PB’s is part of the On Track Nights series. The 2023 event takes place at Highgate Harriers’ Parliament Hill track on May 20. For more information, visit ontracknights.com.