CITY RUNNER | GARMIN #4MILER
CAPITAL MARKETS, MARKETING
ROBERT JOHNSON
Best time: 29min 00secs
Distance: 4.10m
Average pace: 07.25 min/mi
Best pace: 06.95 min/mi
PEDESTRIANS, traffic, cobbled streets – there could be countless reasons for being forced change your route in the Garmin #4miler challenge.
But Investec team champion Robert Johnson was presented with the most novel yet as he went through his paces on the banks of the Thames last week.
“I was about to cross Tower Bridge one Sunday morning when I realised the bridge was raised,” Johnson joked.
“As much as it’s a magnificent sight, I had to turn round and go back.”
Johnson’s eight-man team from Investec have altered their initial route in a bid to lower their time after encountering the usual problems that go with city runs.
“Lunchtime is the busiest time for tourists and the hustle and bustle was making it difficult to get into any rhythm,” Johnson added. “Now, we’ve decided to start from St Paul’s, towards Westminster, over Westminster Bridge and then back along the river and over Millennium Bridge. It’s working for us and we’re all beginning to see a difference in our times.”
Johnson also believes that running in a team environment is also helping to increase his speed. “It’s great meeting new people within the company that you wouldn’t normally see and it gives us the motivation to push ourselves further. We’re really beginning to reap the benefits.”