Veteran athlete on the immense feeling of running Night of the 10,000m PBs and why the event is so special

Chris Thompson is no stranger to Night of the 10,000m PBs.

The 42-year-old On athlete has taken part in the event on a myriad of occasions and has raced the full 10,000m race three times. The first was back in 2014 – a year after the inaugural edition – when he battled but lost out to Andy Vernon for the British 10,000m crown under the lights at Parliament Hill.

In 2018 and 2019 "Thommo" also finished seventh and 14th respectively. This year though he will watch from the sidelines.

There are not many athletes better placed than Thompson to describe how Night of the 10,000m PBs has evolved from a much lower-key meet a decade ago to the extravaganza it is now, capturing the imagination of both spectators and those competing.

AW caught up with the On athlete at the brand's recently opened flagship store in Regent Street the week before the event (May 20).

For the SECOND week in a row, Christopher Thompson is our male 10k winner at the AJ Bell #GreatBristolRun!

Huge well done pic.twitter.com/DP75yBF43S

— Great Run (@Great_Run) May 14, 2023

Thompson, who has won both Birmingham (May 7) and Bristol (May 14) Great Run 10kms since he finished 10th at the London Marathon (April 23) in 2:11:50, is excited to be back in Highgate, albeit in a different capacity, and there was one recurring theme during our interview. The noise.

Not the sirens of the police cars that shot by outside as we started the recording, but the ferocity of the fans who line the Parliament Hill track less than a metre from the athletes. From cheers and cowbells to screams and songs, there's a plethora of sound that hits the athletes.

"It [the noise] gets you right in the stomach," Thompson says. "I love it but you also have to find a way to stay calm. It’s an incredible feeling and racing in that environment is unlike anything else.

"London 2012 will always be the pinnacle when I stepped out on that track with the noise. But I was following the lead pack and I wasn’t having a great day. The thing with Highgate is that it gets you to your very core because people are screaming and they are doing it right next to you.

"When I’ve raced in the past friends know they’ll be able to give me abuse when I’m running and know that I’ll hear it! The event is what you make it and there’s so much to offer. For athletes running across all events, they’re getting to experience the noise and atmosphere akin to championships for elite athletes. It’s about the intenseness of people in your face."

It's Highgate's unique selling point. Night of the 10,000m PBs has always given credence to everything off track as well as on it.

How do you mentally prepare as an athlete though? This year runners from as far as Chile and Mexico to Burundi and Rwanda will take to the track in what is one of the biggest international fields in the event's history. A lot of them will be aiming to nail the qualifying standards – 27:10.00 for men and 30:40.00 for women – for the World Championships in Budapest (August 19-27).

Thompson's bit of advice is to try and use the noise as a rhythmic tool.

"It’s hard to just walk into that arena and feel at home when you’ve never done it before," he adds. "I remember on my first one in 2014 just getting used to that intenseness. That consistency of noise comes round with each lap and I was able to anticipate the difference in noise at certain points of the track.

"I was able to work with those emotions because I could feel what was going on and I’m a very rhythmic runner. You have to ride it like an elevator.

"With Highgate it’s an environment for an athlete to perform well and it’s all about how you use that to your advantage. You have pacemakers and wavelight technology and they are all there to work for you. I think these athletes have come and are coming because they know if they turn up then they can get the best out of themselves.

"It’s not just a party but it’s about having fast 10,000ms."

Chris Thompson emotional after a solid 2:11:50 aged 42 at #LondonMarathon

@Jason_AW pic.twitter.com/tRC7i9wVuj

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) April 23, 2023

So what does the future hold for Thompson after a London Marathon which saw him run his third ever fastest time over 26.2 miles, after the 2:11:19 he clocked on the same course in 2014 and then that 2:10:52 at Kew Gardens which qualified the then 39-year-old for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

He states he's still processing his run in the British capital in April and wants to take some time off in June before looking at options in July.

Thompson is not discounting an autumn marathon and also has his eye on the inaugural World Road Running Championships in Latvia (September 30 - October 1).

As always, "Thommo" is philosophical about what is important for him at this stage of his career.

"For a long time athletes were seen through this small window as a commodity on the back of performance," he says. "It was the case of ‘you’ve done your bit and thank you very much’ whereas now it's different.

READ MORE: Night of the 10,000m PBs preview

"An athlete’s assets may change as they get older and it doesn’t mean they don’t have the skills or knowledge that they can’t help the sport. So it’s nice and refreshing for me that On, as I get get older, have given me that space to do that."

For fast times, festival vibes and free entry for spectators, see On Track Nights.

» Find out more about Night of 10,000m PBs here