Hale 10K 2026: A PB I Was Not Expecting

Going in With No Expectations

The weeks leading up to the 2026 Hale 10K had been frustrating. A foot injury about seven weeks earlier had disrupted my training, and my weekly mileage had been patchy at best. I was meant to be in the middle of marathon training for the Manchester Marathon in April, but instead I was managing an injury and trying to stay fit without making it worse.

I decided to run the Hale 10K with no time target. No pace band, no splits plan. Just go out, run hard, and see what happened.

The Race

Hale 10K is a fast, flat course around Altrincham and Hale — essentially my home turf. I know these roads from years of training runs, which helps mentally. The field is competitive and the race is well organised.

I went out hard and settled into a rhythm by the second kilometre. My body felt better than I expected given the inconsistent training. By 5K I knew I was on for a good time, and the second half of the race was about holding on and not fading.

I crossed the line in 41:15 — a new PB by nearly two minutes from the same race last year, where I ran 43:05. For context, my first ever 10K race back in 2017 was over 50 minutes. So going from 50-something to 41:15 over the years feels like genuine, hard-earned progress.

What It Means for the Marathon

The PB was encouraging, but the foot injury remains a concern for the Manchester Marathon on 19 April. My original goal was sub 3:30, but with the disrupted training and a skiing holiday eating into another week, I have adjusted my target to sub 3:45. That is still a massive improvement from the 4:11 I ran last year on zero preparation. This time I actually have a plan — just not the perfect one I originally wanted.