Narbett hopes to spring more surprises now
RISING Bath star Eddie Narbett is hoping to spring a few more surprises over the coming months and years.
The 21-year-old Team Bath AC runner caused a stir when he scorched to an impressive personal best time of 30mins 15secs to win the Melksham Town 10k road race held over the Castle Combe motor racing circuit at the start of the year.
That time, which would have placed him sixth on the South West Rankings for 2020, was certainly a great way to celebrate the start of a new year and announce his arrival as a serious player in the region.
Afterwards Narbett, who was relaxing at his family home near Marshfield as he waited to hear whether he could resume his geology studies at Edinburgh University, reflected on that run and also his hopes for 2021 and beyond.
“I was very, very happy with that performance,” said Narbett.
“That was my first serious 10k for three years when I ran 33mins 58secs. I had in my mind that with a perfect race scenario in ideal conditions I would have a chance of going sub 30 minutes.
“So for a solo run, having taken the lead from the start and been ten seconds clear of the field after 1k, I was really happy with that time.
“My training had started to click in the summer and I ran a PB of 14mins 53secs for 5k in August [Mid Cheshire 5k] and improved that to 14:37 in November [Sri Chinmoy 5k, Fife].
“I was keen to do a good 10k after that and when I saw the Melksham Town 10k was going ahead I managed to get an entry.
The result may have shocked keen followers of the sport who remember the former Kingswood School student as a decent young athlete but one never quite good enough to force his way onto the podium at county schools’ level.
Narbett twice qualified to represent Avon at the English Schools’ Cross Country Championships finishing a career best 165th on his farewell appearance as a senior boy in the 2017 event, the same year in which he placed 11th in the South West regional qualifier.
So, in short, Narbett was far from a high flier as a teenager.
“At school I occasionally made the county team and was always first or second in my year and to be honest I was fairly content with that and never trained that hard,” added Narbett.
“Then I went off to university and suddenly I was a small fish in a very big pond so that was a big wake-up call. There was a very good group of runners at the university and I found that very motivating.
“It also made me realise that natural talent is not the only factor towards success. You have to put in the hours and work and within that group we all spur each other on and bounce off each other.
“I would say in Edinburgh we have one of the best groups of young runners in Scotland and that has been such a big help to me.”
Even then Narbett was held back by two years of niggling shin injuries and it was only in 2020 that he managed to put together a consistent period of
sustained training with the result that the personal bests have followed.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to restrict competitive options but last week’s 10k success has left Narbett feeling very optimistic about the future.
“We know things are difficult at the moment but I am looking long term and next I will be trying to get a scholarship to an American university and spend a few years over there, possibly doing an MBA,” explained Narbett.
“I have been speaking to some colleges and hopefully my time last week will help me. I am a late developer as no-one pushed me when I was younger.
“A lot of young athletes train too hard and burn-out is a common factor. Now I train hard because I want to; it is my choice and no one is forcing me to do it.
“I enjoy the sport and I have some big ambitions.”
Watch out for the name. Eddie Narbett’s time could be coming.
The athletics coverage in the Bath Chronicle is sponsored by Running Bath