The Royal Navy Athletics Team compete in one of the fastest 10km races in the UK 24 March 2023 Storyline: Athletics Sunday 5th March 2023 saw two Royal Navy athletes compete in the return of the Trafford 10km road race, widely acknowledged as one of the fastest 10km races in the UK. The race lived up to its reputation with the top seventy five runners completing the race in under thirty one minutes, and the winning female running the second fastest road 10km of all time on UK soil by a female British athlete. Conditions were perfect for racing with minimal wind and a comfortable temperature. The course, which loops around the lanes of Partington, is pan-flat with its biggest incline being a bridge over a canal. This made for a highly competitive race. This year’s race incorporated the Inter-Area Road Race Team Championships, with Athletes representing North of England, Midlands, Wales and a UK Armed Forces (UKAF) team. Two Royal Navy Athletes competed in the event; LCpl Dylan Naylor RM representing UKAF for the first time and Lt Chelsea Baker earning a Midlands vest after a phenomenal end to 2022 and stellar start to 2023. Both Royal Navy Athletes had great success at the race running huge personal bests. LCpl Naylor ran sub thirty-one minutes to finish in a time of 30:55, breaking his previous personal best by a huge fifty-five seconds. His success helped the UKAF male team to place a very respectable third place in the Inter-Area match behind the North and Midlands teams, but ahead of the Welsh team. Lt Baker continued her stunning form breaking her previous personal best by twenty-three seconds to run 33:50, comfortably placing her in the top thirty females based on 10km times for 2023 thus far. Only the Midlands and North of England raised teams for the female Inter-Area match and Lt Baker’s brilliant time contributed to the Midlands winning by one place. The future looks bright for Royal Navy Athletics, going into the road racing season after a highly successful cross-country season. With the Inter-service Half Marathon Championship at Fleet on 26th March and the Inter-Service Marathon Championship at the London Marathon, the Royal Navy teams will be toeing the line high in confidence.
