The Poole 10k does not start until 2pm in the afternoon, so on the plus side no mad rush to get to the start line, however it can be hot at this time of the day in June. Fortunately  the temperature was suitably amiable, the route being a bit windy in places. A 2 lap course with a hill at about the 4/8k mark. A number of sport related concerns stalling out under canvass in the field adjacent to the start.
   This event attracts a massive field of over 1000 runners. At the start I met up with Noel Grimley , who had managed a PB of 42mins 49secs at the Netley 10k in Southampton a few weeks earlier. For myself I had failed to finish at the Hyde Park 5k on Friday so decided to set of at a more  measured pace than normal .
 Going over the bridge inside the first 1k I spotted Noel ahead of me at about 50 metres, given that I went through 2k at 8:03 Noel was going sub 4 mins per k at this point, I drifted out to 12:16 at 3k and at the halfway mark Noel went through at 20:40 and myself at 20:58. The hill being a time factor. I remained  close behind  Noel for the entire 2nd lap and  as always i made a mad dash for the finish at about 800 metres to go mark, cranking it up to a sprint at 200m and ended up running past Noel just before the finish line. I  was aware of the electronic time display on the run in although there was not much of a time issue for me at this point of the run as my intent  to beat my season best of 41:38 had long gone but Noel did not spot the timer and had messed it up with his watch, the end result was that he was just a few seconds outside his PB.

  Poole Festival of Running 10k.   2pm Sunday June 2nd
     132nd Sidney DeLara      42mins 48secs
     134th  Noel    Grimely     42mins 55secs.