Why is the 5K so popular? Easy. It's because with a minimal amount of training, just about anybody can run one. And lots do: parkrun (the free Saturday-morning runs in public areas across South Africa and in 20-odd other countries) organises hundreds if not thousands of events a week - or soon will again - each attracting tens of thousands of people over the year. And with the emergence of popular fun runs timed to coincide with Easter, Women's Day, Halloween, summer holidays, Christmas and so on, there are even more to choose from. Whatever your reason for targeting five kays - to finish fast, finish your first or simply have a blast - this guide will help you get fit, strong and ready for a good time.
You Want To Run... A SUB-30 5K
Breaking the 30-minute barrier in a 5K race is a challenging yet achievable target for relatively new runners, those returning from a lay-off or long-time recreational runners.
Who's up for it? / First-timers who can run continuously for 30 mins and improvers at the 6- to 7-minute-km mark.
Find your level / Warm up, then run three 1K reps, with 1-min recoveries between each. Any flat route will do; an athletics track is easiest to measure, otherwise measure the distance using a GPS, running app or Google Maps. Run as fast as you can, but try to maintain a consistent pace across all three repeats. Your average pace will give you an idea of the pace you should be able to maintain in a 5K.
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