Team Neat Run Vitality London 10,000

Bank holiday Monday's are usually for lie-ins and eating brunch, however this week Chess and Catty were up bright and early, heading to Green Park to represent Team Neat at the Vitality 10,000 race.

This early morning madness was all for our partner charity, SportsAid, following the 1-mile serpentine swim the Team completed last September where Rob came out victorious (and we haven’t heard the end of it since)! SportsAid are an awesome cause who help the next generation of British sports stars by giving them financial support and recognition during the critical early stages of their careers – something Lee and Charlie definitely understand the importance of. 

Before the race began, having conquered their first big challenge - the queue for the toilets - Chess was in the black wave and Catty was in the green, so they said their goodbye and took their places in their allocated ‘pens’. 

Luckily, the unpredictable English weather had come up trumps and it was the perfect weather for a run; warm but cloudy with the occasional short splatter of rain to cool you down!

As the race began, any nerves quickly disappeared as Chess and Catty started off from The Mall on the 10k's very scenic route. It passed through many of the city’s most epic landmarks, such as Nelson’s Column, St Paul’s Cathedral, Somerset House, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, looping back to finish back near Buckingham Palace. 

The choirs, musicians and supporters lining the route gave the event a great atmosphere, inspiring Team Neat to keep going, and Catty had an extra boost of motivation to step up her pace when she was overtaken by a huge foam shoe! The Mind Over Marathon guys were also there with Chevy Rough, cheering on runners at the 8k point to get them through the home stretch. 

Under an hour after they set off, Chess came home first, with Catty close behind, joining 12,400 other people to cross the finish line on the day! This was a record feat for Vitality – their largest London 10,000 yet, with 121 more people participating than last year.

Of course all that running called for Neat shakes all round, and Team Neat headed to the Neat Cafe for an obligatory post-race refuel. All in all, it was an awesome event for an epic cause - a bank holiday Monday well spent!