That said, the Dunedin runner held his own in a world-class international field, and emerged happy with his performance, at the Night of 10,000m PBs race at Parliament Hill in London at the weekend.
Chignell finished 22nd in 28min 14sec — 22sec shy of the personal best he set at the same event a year ago, and well short of the 27min 30sec New Zealand record.
It was still a time only 12 New Zealanders have bettered.
Of those, only brothers Jake and Zane Robertson, Matt Baxter and Chignell himself have dipped underneath the mark in the past 15 years.
"I’m relatively happy with that one," Chignell told the Otago Daily Times.
"The build-up since the start of the year has probably been less than optimal. But the aim for me today was to come here and put my neck on the line. It was going to be a bit of a rip, s... or bust operation.
"I went out there halfway at national record pace. I just unfortunately didn’t come home as quick as I could. But that’s the name of the game."
That pace was certainly blistering.
Led by two-time Olympic 5000m medallist Paul Chelimo, the field set off well ahead of the New Zealand record.
Chignell stuck with the leading group through the early stages, although found his place among a smaller chasing group in the middle of the field for most of the race.
He continued at national record pace through 5000m, but slowed through the latter laps.
Chelimo pulled away by himself, clocking a scorching 27min 12sec to finish nearly 20sec ahead of second-placed Vincent Mutai.
It was the fifth-fastest time in the world this year, and takes him to eighth on the all-time American rankings.
"It’s pretty unbelievable," Chignell said of being part of the race.
"Every time I come over to Europe, I get into higher-class fields. I didn’t get a PB. But I still ran 28min 14sec, I still ran pretty quick.
"It’s cool coming here, knowing I belong, even though the result wasn’t exactly what I wanted."
The event had a festival feel to it. Marquees were set up on both straights and entertainment took place on the field, while the only two lanes were used for most of the track, allowing fans to get up close to the action.
There was hype and energy from a crowd of several thousand, which packed out the track in Hampstead Heath.
"Until you come here, you don’t realise how good it is", Chignell said.
"It’s way bigger than last year and last year I said it was the best event I’ve been to in my life.
"If you want an atmosphere to run a fast 10k, you come here. It’s got to be the best 10k in the world. The atmosphere is just amazing."
The trip was a quick one for Chignell.
He heads back to Dunedin this week to plan what is in store for the rest of the year.
— Jeff Cheshire, in London
