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September 1, 2025

Reepham Summer 10k, Dinosaur Dash & Great Yarmouth Half Marathon

A glut of August run reports, so here we go….

Reepham Summer 10k – August 1st 2025

Report by Paul Rice:
After a few weeks of mid 20s Celsius days, thankfully we had a much cooler evening in Reepham on Friday 1^st August to take part in the Reepham Runners’ Summer 10K; part of the Sportlink 10K Series.

The race itself started at 7:00pm at Stimpson’s Piece which was a pleasant 10 minute or so walk from the allocated parking at Reepham High School. Bibs were allocated on arrival at the start and the registration and route were very well manned with lots of marshals throughout.

Contrary to the pre-race emails, a bag drop was available at the start as well as limited toilet facilities, a Sportlink stall, coffee, ice cream and food vans.

The race start was a 5 minute walk away from the registration and followed quiet country lanes and a few kms’ stretch of the Marriott’s Way (off road) back to finish at Stimpson’s Piece.

There were three water stations along the route and more water available at the end along with a goody bag featuring a very welcome, for me at least, bottle of local Panther red lager.

It was an enjoyable evening run with good times and a decent representation from RntS including Darren Smith, Kevin Heyhoe, Lorraine Hunt, David Coslett, Andrew Tuckett, Paul Woodhouse, Matthew Freezer, Libby Woodhouse, Jean Shaw Smith and Alexander Chidichimo as well a clutch of friends and family in support. I can recommend it!

Dinosaur Dash – August 8th 2025

Report by Catherine Thorpe:
On a Friday evening, a group of intrepid RntS descended on ROARR! Dinosaur Park for the Dinosaur Dash 5k. I arrived early with Vicki, both thinking the event was 7pm start, but later found it was 7.30pm – better to be safe than sorry!

The course is relatively straightforward – 2 and a half laps around the Dinosaur Park itself, starting in the car park and ending in the park itself. Sounds lovely, apart from two key hurdles – a wasps nest (that one marshal had the pleasure of standing near!), and the infamous Neanderthal Valley, which can only be described as a uphill like no other! I remember this hill from last year…and I was determined to try and run some of it this year!

We set off on our route, and it was lovely to see so many supporters, including some of the children who had completed 2.5k earlier in the evening. It was well marshalled and signed, and luckily it wasn’t too hot! We enjoyed the downhill sections, dodged the wasps and then found ourselves at Neanderthal Valley for the first time – we decided to conserve our energy this time around, as we still had one and a half laps to go!

Second lap comes around, and I am mentally preparing myself for the second uphill! The freshly tarmacked path in the park does help to get a bit of momentum ready for the second uphill, and this year I managed to get halfway! A big improvement from last year, and I was so pleased – on track for all of the hill next year?!

We ran into the park for the final time, and myself and Vicki saw all of the RntS waiting and cheering at the finish! We sprinted towards the end, determined to reach the finish under 40 minutes, which we succeeded in! We then waited for the final runners to come in, giving lots of cheers and encouragement.

Overall, a fantastic and well organised event, with lots of support! I will definitely be back – for either my third attempt at the hills, or the brilliant Dinosaur medal!

Great Yarmouth Half Marathon – August 10th 2025

Report by David Coslett:
I entered Great Yarmouth half some time ago as it is the 9th race of the Sportlink Grand Prix series, this is a series of 10 races spread across the year of varying distances and locations. You need to enter and run at least 8 of the 10 and your top 8 scores count towards the final result.

It was an early start to get to Gorleston, I picked up Kevin on the way as he was also running the race.

The race was organised by Great Yarmouth Road Runners, I ran this race a couple of years ago and really enjoyed the route, the organisation and the marshals are so good.

I picked up my race number and got myself warmed up and ready to start.

The race is all road and takes you through Ashby, Lound, Somerleyton and running through the grounds of the beautiful Somerleyton Hall.

It was so hot on the day, which affected my running, although I was pleased with my time, the organisers put on extra water stations which we were all grateful for.

This is a nice run and I would recommend it.

David: 01:30:42
Kevin H: 01:31:21
Alex W: 01:39:16
Chloe F: 02:35:43

August 8, 2025August 13, 2025

Run-next-the-Sea: Wells Carnival 2025

Once again, Runners-next-the-Sea organised their Run-next-the Sea as part of Wells Carnival 2025. This included a 1.3 mile ‘fun run’ for all the family, and a 5 mile competitive event for those who fancied more soft sand than usual!

A fantastic turn out of 72 runners in the ‘Fun Run’ and 52 in the ‘Competitive Run’. We think the new online booking system worked a treat!

This year we raised funds to split between the club and MacMillan Cancer Support. A charity very close to our heart after losing one of our own, Phil Longwell, only a few weeks back.

The weather this year, was wonderful and was a welcome change to last year. Thanks to everyone in the club for volunteering to help make the event happen and to Black Dog Computer Services for sponsoring.

We know you loved it! Stick it in the diary for next year!

PS: We are aware of a number of under 11s running without their grown up, as agreed when signing up. This is for safety.

Fun Run Results (1.3 miles)

Position	Name	No.	Time
1	Monty Wood-Davis	184	00:06:45	1st Male Finisher
2	Henry Wood-Davis	185	00:08:13
3	Cian Hall	189	00:08:18
4	Robert Page	66	00:08:33
5	Charlie Foley-Wray	190	00:08:42
6	Emilia Wynne	172	00:09:05	1st Female Finisher
7	Ralph Birch	69	00:09:07
8	Matt Birch	68	00:09:08
9	Kitty McKenzie	71	00:09:11
10	Hamish McKenzie	73	00:09:12
11	Elliott Floyd	177	00:09:38
12	Sam Nickless	160	00:09:39
13	Alex McGuire	195	00:09:54
14	Franky Payne	162	00:10:14
15	Seth Foley-Wray	191	00:10:25
16	Connor Nickless	159	00:10:26
17	Pip Rawlings	182	00:10:27
18	Ellis Beesley	141	00:10:29
19	Leo Keane	200	00:10:33
20	Molly Keane	198	00:10:34
21	Sophie Kemp	156	00:10:34
22	Brendan Keane	196	00:10:36
23	Leanne Beesley	142	00:10:38
24	Sammy Nickless	161	00:10:44
25	Cameron Scott	165	00:10:56
26	Saul O'Loughlin	194	00:10:58
27	Noah Howitt	175	00:11:03
28	Rebecca Keane	197	00:11:08
29	Rosa Keane	199	00:11:08
30	Kitty Hopkinson	180	00:11:12
31	Mike Hopkinson	179	00:11:13
32	Heather Howitt	176	00:11:15
33	Richard Page	67	00:11:17
34	Lottie Wynne	173	00:11:23
35	Tom Wynne	174	00:11:23
36	Caroline Kemp	155	00:11:24
37	Demi Beesley	140	00:11:33
38	Lee Beesley	143	00:11:33
39	Tilly Byworth	186	00:12:07
40	Joey Hardwicke	150	00:12:08
41	Beth Mullan	157	00:12:09
42	Charlie Mullan	158	00:12:10
43	Gemma Scott	166	00:12:18
44	James Scott	167	00:12:18
45	Freya Byworth	188	00:12:31
46	Giles Byworth	187	00:12:32
47	Matilda McKenzie	72	00:12:37
48	Ollie Hardwicke	149	00:13:02
49	Finley Stevenson-Brown	168	00:13:18
50	Paige Brown	144	00:13:19
51	Rupert Foley-Wray	192	00:13:21
52	Alex Foley-Wray	193	00:13:22
53	Eva Clarke	147	00:13:30
54	Dylan Clarke	146	00:13:30
55	Mary Gillies	64	00:13:31
56	Emily Sparrow	181	00:13:34
57	Rebecca Floyd	178	00:13:38
58	Anna Geileskey	183	00:13:39
59	Freya Clarke	148	00:14:06
60	Alice Clarke	145	00:14:07
61	Annabel Voysey	169	00:14:13
62	Zara Wilson	171	00:14:14
63	Neil Wilson	170	00:14:15
64	Sarah Page	65	00:14:30
65	Florence Higgins	152	00:14:36
66	Rachel Higgins	154	00:14:37
67	Sylvester McKenzie	74	00:16:50
68	Sean McKenzie	70	00:16:51
69	Ottilie Higgins	153	00:18:22
70	David Higgins	151	00:18:23
71	Millie Payne	163	00:19:08
72	Tracey Payne	164	00:19:09

Competitive Run Results (5 miles)

Position	Name	No.	Time
1	Ben Simpson	56	00:33:05	1st male finisher
2	Tom Rankin	21	00:33:42
3	George Smith	52	00:33:53
4	Mark Hooper	13	00:34:46
5	Alex Morton	16	00:35:31
6	Ollie Payne	20	00:37:31
7	David Holloway	12	00:37:33
8	Lottie Hitchcock	48	00:37:38	1st female finisher
9	Robert Hodgkinson	50	00:38:17
10	Bethany Willox	33	00:38:20
11	James Haycock	10	00:39:19
12	Georgia Grey	54	00:39:35
13	Sarah Diss	6	00:40:39
14	James Bennett	39	00:40:49
15	Chris Chorley	36	00:40:51
16	Mark Breeze	2	00:41:17
17	Joel Floyd	43	00:41:26
18	Patrick Murray	41	00:41:35
19	Taylor Fawcett	40	00:41:36
20	Chris Vurley	32	00:41:45
21	Andrew Page	57	00:42:13
22	Phil Henry	11	00:42:44
23	David Burlingham	3	00:43:10
24	Katrina Dobson	7	00:43:23
25	Paul Dawn	58	00:43:38
26	Brian Cordely	51	00:43:56
27	Susi Crane	55	00:44:08
28	Daniel Morris	15	00:45:42
29	Milo Bartolozzi	46	00:45:48
30	Mario Bartolozzi	47	00:46:01
31	Reiner Hermes	53	00:46:56
32	Callum Short	25	00:47:31
33	Paul Rodriguez	22	00:47:39
34	Paula Short	26	00:48:05
35	Jacob Cox	5	00:48:21
36	Charlotte Smith	27	00:48:27
37	Bobbie Saverzape	37	00:50:35
38	Alex Payne	17	00:51:55
39	Clara Harris	42	00:53:08
40	Miranda Johnson	38	00:53:41
41	Chris White	44	00:55:58
42	Elizabeth Johnson	49	00:57:04
43	Debbie James	14	00:57:23
44	Rachel Dann	45	00:57:25
45	Lottie Payne	19	00:57:47
46	Jacqui Scott	24	00:58:47
47	Caroline Butcher	4	00:59:00
48	Abigail Trinder	30	01:01:59
49	Lora Townsend	29	01:02:01
50	Anthea Green-Jones	9	01:02:03
51	Amy Payne	18	01:05:27
52	Sam Allard	1	01:20:14

August 5, 2025September 25, 2025

RntS 5k Championship Handicap Run

So far, we’ve had an amazing 64 different people take part in these two events, and maybe half that again volunteering!

Well done everyone! Here are the full results from last night (click to download) and also the results from the two events which can be sorted to your hearts content!

Placings to date and average placing

1 Sarah Baker 6.3

2 David Ralph 9.3

3 Jason Jeary 11.3

4 Nick Loades 11.8

5 Paul Woodhouse 13.0

6 Jennifer Simmons-Brack 13.3

7 Emily Bingham 16.0

8 Andrew Tuckett 16.8

9 Sean Lynn 17.0

10 George Forrester 17.7

Name	Park 1	Beach 2
Paula Smith		0:25:14
Oliver Harris		0:24:19
Alex Howard		0:24:34
Alexander Chidichimo	0:35:04	0:34:08
Andrew Brasier	0:35:28
Andrew Tuckett	0:22:22	0:22:55
Andy Payne		0:25:51
Angela Harcourt	0:34:12
Anthony Cude		0:25:41
Becki Cushley	0:28:36	0:28:28
Catherine Thorpe		0:35:15
Cathryn Foley-Wray	0:24:21	0:23:17
Chris Lubbock	0:27:32	0:31:20
Christine White	0:36:54
David Coslett	0:19:28
David Naylor		0:31:52
David Ralph	0:23:16
David Sharp	0:31:14
Debbie Moore	0:34:20	0:32:21
Emily Bingham		0:29:56
Emma Kiley		0:33:21
Freya Straffon-Lawrence	0:23:40	0:23:44
Gary Thorpe	0:35:27	0:38:39
Gemma Pickering		0:24:17
George Forrester		0:32:38
Glyn Ingram	0:24:07
Gordana Sucur-Hills	0:22:03	0:22:35
Guy Gifford		0:28:41
Hayley Jones	0:33:47	0:33:13
Hilary Duncan		0:31:32
Jade Robertson	0:25:53
Jason Jeary	0:25:20
Jennifer Simmons-Brack	0:32:58	0:33:23
K Louise Hubbard		0:34:20
Kamal Bhamra		0:33:28
Kevin Heyhoe	0:19:46
Kevin Webb		0:30:58
Kirsty Grand	0:27:30	0:28:01
Kirsty Lack		0:28:29
Kyle Hastings		0:22:30
Lavona Rivington	0:28:48	0:29:15
Lizzie McLucas	0:35:02	0:36:39
Lorraine Hunt	0:22:36
Lucie Tudor	0:35:45
Lucy Martin		0:30:04
Lucy Harrison	0:46:44
Matthew Freezer	0:24:50	0:25:08
Maureen Rumsby	0:28:58
Michael Turner		0:24:32
Nick Loades	0:24:56	0:24:20
Nita Jackman	0:31:20
Paul Littleproud	0:30:34
Paul Rice		0:27:09
Paul Woodhouse		0:24:18
Paula Bazley	0:31:57	0:31:16
Peter Jones		0:29:01
Rob Jackman	0:21:29
Robert Lyddon		0:28:03
Sarah Baker	0:26:43	0:26:31
Sarah Saunders	0:37:07
Sean Lynn	0:22:08	0:23:16
Seb Moore	0:31:35	0:33:35
Suzanne Wedderburn		0:29:08
Tim Mardall	0:18:21	0:18:29
Tracy Linger		0:31:23
Vicki Armes		0:36:31
Vikki Powles	0:31:58	0:33:06
Zoe Smith	0:29:19
Marie Pacey		0:28:33

July 31, 2025August 21, 2025

Boudicca Way 50k

Thanks to Kirsty for her report:

On Saturday 19th July, Kerrie, Marie and I took part in the 2nd Boudicca Way 50k; starting at Diss and finishing in Trowse, this is a beautiful route taking you through some beautiful villages and lots of greenery. Last year’s event happened to fall on the hottest day of the year and this year it also promised to be a scorcher. With this in mind, the organisers (Boghopper Races) allowed two earlier starts for those who wanted to try and beat the heat a little as well as the official 830am start. Like many others, us 3 opted for the 730am start so we got dropped off at the hall, went through mandatory kit checks and got our trackers and we were ready to go! The weather prediction had changed slightly during in the week and rather than the scorching sunshine we had lots of liquid sunshine! Fortunately it was still quite warm and wasn’t too bad, it also dried up shortly into the run and it was really lovely. Kerrie and I ran together and as always we had lots to talk about and the miles absolutely flew by. Without the excessive heat from last year which was extremely energy sapping and that we’ve done a few of these now, we managed to take 90 minutes off our previous finish time. What a result! Marie had another excellent run too and was there to clap us in. A lovely route, organisers and a generous cut off time for those wanting to dabble in the longer distances. Checkpoint refreshments were spot on and we even had ice lollies towards the end which was very welcome by then!

The route is quite flat, bit getting closer to the end and through High Ash it does get quite a bit hillier – the Boudicca North to South in November would mean lovely downhills at the start!

May 29, 2025

Fighter 5K

Thank you Lucy H for your report on the inaugural Fighter 5K:

The inaugural Fighter 5k, put on by West Norfolk Athletics Club, took place at Massingham Airfield on Sunday 17^th May.

I had ambitiously entered the race last summer, as part of my far from a thoroughbred, but not ready for the knacker’s yard health and fitness drive.

Until this year I hadn’t done much (if any) running since 2019. Injuries, a variety of health issues, life, work, bereavement, covid and more meant that I had found myself in a position where I physically couldn’t. This had a significant impact on my mental as well as physical health. Despite having completed a few parkruns this year and starting to feel a degree of ability, I was very nervous about pinning a race number on and participating somewhere other than the safe space of Holkham park.

Kirsty Lack offered to support me by joining me, at my pace, all the way around. Kirsty is a dear friend and knows that contrary to outward appearance or opinion of those who don’t know me that well…. I can be insecure, lacking in self-confidence (particularly about exercise and body image), and that my inner saboteur is a powerful and mischievous beast.

As part of the Lucy reboot I started C25k with the RntS coaching team in Fakenham. It’s been a breath of fresh air and real boost to go back to literal basics, in a safe space, with people in a similar physical and/or mental mindset about running. Coupled with expert coaching and support, my fitness was already improving – it must have, that’s what Strava said! Homework for Week 4 is 5 minutes warm up, 4 minutes run 1 minute walk x 5, 5 minute cool down. What better way to tick off homework than getting back to a race in good company.

Back to the Fighter 5k, a marshal directed us to the airfield from the village centre, we arrived at around 0840. We realised that it was a touch chilly as soon as we got out of the car but made our way to pick up race numbers and see who was about. There were a few random runners and a couple of RntS about, as time progressed more and more navy blue hoodies and some well-worn green ones came into sight and we naturally grouped together. 29 club members took part, which is a great turn out, all their results are further down below the pics. Time to get ready to go, we couldn’t really hear the race briefing that well, a combination of weather conditions, a not very commanding voice at the mike, and runners talking (a personal bugbear of mine from parkrun…). Nevertheless, after having a quick chat with Poppy, a potential new RntS member currently running elsewhere it was 3-2-1 go.

Garmin set and running, Lucy and Kirsty over the start line. In my head I could hear the coaches words “start slow and finish strong”, “imagine you’re holding a pringle in between your thumb and forefinger”, “your elbow is a lever”, “don’t clench your hands it’s a waste of energy”, “don’t hunch your shoulders”, “no wet fish hands”, “imagine you’re wearing Pat Butcher’s best earrings and you can’t let them touch your shoulders” – that last may be mine…

So far so good, the crowd started to thin out ahead as expected, the only competition I was in was with myself. I could see Sarah S and Candy ahead, lovely to see c25k graduates from prior years, but couldn’t hold on to them for much beyond 700m. As we approached the 1km mark I realised I had ignored coach advice 1 – “start slow, finish strong”. I had done my version of the opposite “get carried away and try to keep up”… post-race analysis shows that my first km was a lifetime best so every cloud and a lesson learned. Sadly I paid for my exuberance during km 2, when I had a lot more walk (like Beyonce) breaks than I would have liked. Kirsty tracks in miles on her Garmin, so proudly announced when we were a third of the way through, just over 15 minutes, that’ll do. Head up and stride on. It was at around this stage in the race we realised we were playing cat and mouse with another runner who was jogging then having walk breaks. I have no idea how many times we passed each other on the flat, mostly level with some wobbly parts, path, but will come back to her later.

Half way, and starting to feel good, I sighted a tree or a marshal point in the distance and ran to it, a little further if I felt I could, then back to walking. This seemed to work well as before I knew it we were at the 4km mark. My legs felt ok, knees average, but seeing that it was “the final km” re-energised me somehow and on we went. I had put my glasses in my pocket so only had a blurry idea of time at this stage.

We approached the 400m to go sign and I saw a glorious and familiar rabble ahead. True to form it was a large collection of RntS whooping and cheering, which seemed to get louder as we got closer. Also getting closer as we were about to round the final corner was our cat and mouse chum, Kirsty casually asked “we going to get passed her once and for all then?”. A few more strides and my inner Helen Reddy (I am woman (hear me roar)), came to the fore, we went past her and on to the final straight. 10-15m to go and it was my version of sprint finish time. My chip time was 46:58. My second best ever 5k time.

A massive hug for Kirsty for being amazing, a bottle of water grabbed, maybe a tiny pack of Haribo too, and up to thank the RntS for their support. Hearing the encouragement and support was quite humbling, and made me quite emotional. I knew that Phillippa, one of the RDs at Holkham parkrun was walking the course so stayed to cheer her in.

What was it like taking part in a race again? Yes, I was nervous before, and after… so very proud. I’m not only proud of me for how far I’ve progressed, I’m also proud to be a member of such a supportive, encouraging, friendly and fabulous running club.

Would I recommend this race to someone new/returning to running? Yes, it’s flat, off road but on tarmac, supportive marshals, a nice local event to have supported.

Club member times ranged from 18:43 to 52:10. Everyone’s success was celebrated equally, well done to you all.

	Chip Time
David Coslett	18:43.9
Anthony Cude	18:49.5
Kevin Heyhoe	18:55.3
Rob Jackman	21:28.2
William Ayley-Dodd	22:09.1
Michael Turner	22:58.8
Nick Loades	23:20.0
Matthew Freezer	23:42.2
Paul Woodhouse	24:29.6
Sarah Baker	26:13.5
Becki Cushley	26:16.2
Kirsty Grand	26:18.7
Zoe Smith	26:31.0
Nita Jackman	27:08.0
Vikki Powles	29:02.3
Emily Bingham	29:03.1
Libby Woodhouse	29:12.0
Paula Bazley	30:40.2
Mark Riseborough	31:58.7
Emily Jackman	34:08.5
Sarah Coxon	34:12.9
Lizzie McLucas	35:03.7
Christine White	35:31.8
Sarah Saunders	35:34.7
Vicki Armes	36:07.9
Vanessa Green	36:13.3
Lucy Harrison	46:58.8
Kirsty Lack	46:59.1
Jack Barham	52:10.0

A mix of official photos and those taken by Paula Smith, supporting and cheering today, are below.

A great group photo, sadly Sarah S and Candy were keeping warm in the car despite Will saving a space for them!

May 14, 2025May 16, 2025

GEAR 10K

Thank you to Nita for her GEAR 10K report:

I’d signed up for GEAR straight after last year’s, along with Rob and Zoe. It was my 2nd time at the run, and their third, Sarah C joined later in the year after we persuaded her it would be a good first 10k. We sussed a car share, and then a good parking spot through local knowledge but missed the RntS group photo as we weren’t as prompt arriving as we’d hoped (aka almost late ) GEAR always needs thought as to parking because of the road closures.

When we checked results we realised there were 30 RntS there! There was always someone from the club in front, behind or passing in the other direction. One of the great things about this run is the couple of times you double back and see the faster runners on the other side.

It’s a lovely run for seeing the town, and crosses out and back over the river too. The penultimate K along the river bank was windy ( it always will be) and knocked a few seconds off, but personally I was just enjoying running, not pushing too hard, as I’d not trained for any time or even focused on the distance)

Rob and Zoe got a new pb, Sarah C a very respectable 1st 10k time, I got all excited cos I thought I’d also got a pb, but then realised I was a little bit off my best ever, if I’d have known, I’d have pushed it, but I thought I was so far off I didn’t even calculate from my watch times as I ran, so I had no idea whilst running…just shows how much of running well is in the head for me.

I’d highly recommend this as a first 10k, although it is very very busy and the start is packed, it is well managed, it has a lovely vibe, local support is great and it’s also reasonably flat, with enough twists and turns to make it pass quickly and not so many to be tedious. Consider where to park, in good time, and enjoy the rest. It is very popular, so not one for a late sign up.

Awesome turn out from our club and lovely to see so many faces new, familiar and in between, and a wide range of speed and experience, a great run for all!

Nita

May 6, 2025May 12, 2025

The TCS London Marathon

Many thanks to David C for his report from taking part in the London Marathon:

I was so pleased to get my name pulled out of the hat for the club place and to run the marathon that I have wanted to run for so long and felt honoured to be running for the club. I got a training plan in place and had some great training runs with club members, who I am very grateful to, a special mention to Kev who gave up time to run many of those training runs with me.

Going to the Expo and picking up the race number was a great experience and made it all seem very real, with lots of stands selling merchandise and AI running experiences. I stayed in a hotel near to the start to make the marathon morning easier as I was starting early. I knew it was going to be a warm one so really had to think about my hydration before and during the run. This was not to be a problem as there were so many water stations along the course.

I got to the red start pen in good time and got myself sorted to be ready to start, chatting to other runners. I could see the elite runners begin on the TV screen. Soon we were ushered into my wave start and off we went to the start line. There were so many people and it was already getting warm, but I couldn’t wait to start. The race began and off I went. It was hard to get into a rhythm with so many people, weaving in and out due to all the different start times, but the atmosphere was amazing. It was great seeing Ana at mile 2 looking comfortable with her run.

The support along the way was so good, with family and friends shouting their support and so much encouragement from others along the course which all helps to carry you along.

Ticking the landmarks off along the way, I got to mile 17 and the struggle began, my legs felt heavy and it was getting hotter, I had a bit of a wobble and gave myself a bit of a talking to. I saw so many casualties along the way, so was very grateful that I felt good and knew I could get to the finish.

A highlight was at mile 22, seeing the legend John Barnes giving out lucozade drinks, those that know me well know that I am a big Liverpool fan!

With only 4 miles to go I kept pushing and using the crowds to get me to the finish. It was amazing running past Buckingham Palace and seeing the finish line come into sight.

What an experience and honour and one that I will never forget. I am so grateful to the club for giving me the opportunity to finally get to run London Marathon.

October 24, 2024October 24, 2024

Robin Hood 100

Thank you Nur for your Robin Hood 100 report. 💪

21st-22nd September 2024

Robin Hood 100 is an event that’s held every two years and places get filled up very quickly once race entries open so I wanted to guarantee a place well in advance and signed up in May 2023! Never had I thought I would consider registering for such a distance but wanted to give it a go. I decided I would use each month of 2024 up until the event in September to take on a long distance race to help my monthly running distance that would contribute to my training. By the beginning of September this year I had already run 1000 miles (1,600 kms) which included running at least one race each month and going to the gym for strength training (resistance training, weights, rowing) usually twice a week. I checked various 100-mile training plans. Long hikes were part of these plans. I mixed and matched and planned my own training. I kept the running mileage steady but also benefited from long hikes organised by my hiking group, Muddy Boots. It wasn’t only about running, hiking, and going to the gym but I was aware I had to ensure that I could prepare myself mentally for the challenge. I had to believe I could do it. With each month that went by prior to the race my confidence grew as I was finishing each race I entered with reasonable results.

I knew 60% of the route (Sherwood Forest, Creswell Crags and Clumber Park) through having run a race in the same area (Dukeries 40, in May 2024) and this gave me added confidence as it was like recceing some of the route before an event.

The initial part of the route involved running through some field edges with rugged terrain and then on a long stretch on the Chesterfield Canal towpath which was beautiful. My ever first ultra (in 2017) was on the same canal towpath but in the opposite direction. The canal was like a river, winding its way through land. The water looked clean and inviting! The towpath was quite narrow in places and rugged, too. After leaving the canal towpath at around 20 miles, runners take on a 30-mile loop covering Sherwood Forest and its surroundings. This loop is then repeated before the 20-mile run back on the same canal towpath. There are altogether 17 aid stations (all outdoors). Using these stations as a stepping stone to conquer before the Finish at 100.5 miles I had planned my pacing strategy as such: 13-min miles up until 41 miles followed by 14-min miles till 71 miles which is then followed by 16-min miles till 90th mile and finally 15-min miles till the finish. I hoped to finish around 25 and a half hours (cut-off being 30 hours). During the race my pacing plan worked almost impeccably until 31 miles. I saw Tim earlier in the race and later kept in touch by text messages. This was great as I was getting positive feedback from him. He was very impressed by my pacing as it had clearly been going to plan. Tim was also updating the rest of the family and friends while I concentrated on the event.

By 41 miles my pacing was out by an hour. I didn’t worry too much about it. I was running comfortably and really enjoying the beautiful trails and the scenery. At 51st mile I had access to my drop bag for the first time. This was an important point in the race as I got changed (there was a changing tent at this aid station). I also changed my shoes and socks – it was a recommendation I had read about in the build up to the race. It was definitely a good decision. I then had some soup, bread, tomatoes and grapes from the aid station. All in all I knew this would be a long pit stop! It was about 45 mins (maybe longer?!) but it was worth it. I felt strong and bouncy afterwards and continued enjoying running in the dark.

By 61 miles my pacing was out by two hours. Still I didn’t worry too much. It was well after midnight, possibly 1 am! By this point the batteries of two of my torches had already died so I was now using the third one. To make life a little complicated it started to drizzle, soon afterwards giving way to torrential rain. I didn’t mind it too much but did start getting a little worried what would happen if my torch died in the middle of the forest and I wasn’t able to replace the batteries in the pouring rain. I made it to the aid station at 71 miles still in good spirit. This was the slowest part of my race. 10 miles – but it had taken me nearly three hours to do it! Instead of running I had jog/walked this part to match the pace of those runners I saw during this loop. It was comforting to know that if my torch did die there would be people near me. Thinking back I realise if I had continued to run, the possibility of the battery lasting the 10 miles on full beam would have been high. I guess I didn’t want to take any chances. Being in the forest loop for 3 hours in the rain meant that I was soaked by the time I arrived back at the aid station at 71 miles. It was 4 am! I needed to shelter from the rain, dry my hands, and change my torch batteries. I had to huddle under the aid station tent and hope for the best! As I was battling with batteries I realised my teeth were chattering. “Oh no please don’t get cold” I said to myself. The runners who had arrived at the aid station similar time to me were all contemplating on quitting and I was asked if I had decided to stop, too! Oh no, no, no I thought to myself and said I would be carrying on but that I had to take some shelter from the rain before getting back out in it again. The problem is by now I was getting really cold. I managed to sit down as some people had already been collected and there was space to sit down. The seat was wet and cold but I just had to make do. What did I need to do to make sure I didn’t end up getting hypothermia? There was no way I was going to give up as I felt good physically (except feeling cold) andI would kick myself if I were to stop. So many people had sent me good luck wishes beforehand, many had contributed to my fundraising page (helping me raise £530 for Beat), many cheered on virtually while I ran. My family had full belief in me, and so did my friends. As I thought about all this in a split second while trying to avoid getting hypothermia, I remembered that I had my warm hat and a base layer both as mandatory kit in my running vest. I put these on. I am so glad I did as I felt better very soon afterwards. And that’s despite realising my dry bag had frayed at the seams so my base layer had got a little damp! It wasn’t disastrous though. Hat and extra layer on, soon my mind said I was warm enough and that I could carry on if the rain slowed down a little.

I had 5.5 miles to the next aid station and a little over 10 miles to the one after where I would be able to use my drop bag for the second time and more importantly meet my friend, Akgün, who would be pacing me from that point onwards till the end of the race. I was in touch with Tim and Akgün, updating them now and again on how I was doing. Akgün volunteered to come to the next aid station to pace me. This was a great text message to receive. “Yes that would be lovely” I replied. This would mean I had only 5.5 miles to run in the rain before I saw him. By now it was nearly 5 am! Off I went. Running helped me warm up further and although my feet felt soaking wet I was enjoying being out on the course again. Creswell Crags is where the next aid station was and it would be my second time going through it during this race. In my opinion approaching this area is one of the toughest parts of the race as you have to go up a slope and then run on rugged terrain through overgrown bushes before you descend to the majestic Creswell Crags. As I went up the slope with my torch still on I could see several cows at the top of the hill and there would be no way of avoiding them if I wished to continue. I have over the years overcome my fear of cows to some extent as this was not the only race where I encountered cows at close proximity. There were four of them but fortunately they all looked calm. I switched my torch off not to arouse curiosity and carried on climbing towards them. Luckily by then I could see the route without any torchlight as it was almost morning light. Up and up the slope and then down the rugged terrain. Soon afterwards I could see two people waving at me and saying something. I couldn’t make out what they were saying but realised it was my friends, Akgün and his wife Reşide. It was a lovely moment. I wanted to walk a little but there was no time to hang around. We ran to the aid station which was less than half a km. I didn’t need to stay too long there. A few hugs from Reşide for positive energy, off we went. Now there were 25 miles to the end of the race. I thought this is doable. There was still time to the first cutoff at the next aid station where I would have access to my drop bag for the second time. This is where soup was on offer, too, so I was looking forward to that. Arriving there within 30 mins of the cutoff I decided there was no time to hang around but I wanted to change my shoes, which I did. However I didn’t put my spare insoles in it to get the added benefit of cushioning. I also made the mistake of not changing my wet socks. This all meant I ended up feeling every bit of the terrain on my soles while my feet slid to and fro within my shoes. The last 20 miles were not the most comfortable as a result. I am amazed that nonetheless I ended up with only one blister which disappeared within 4 days after the event. It wasn’t only my feet that were uncomfortable during those last 20 miles but I could feel some chafing, too! Amazingly though my legs weren’t complaining and neither was my hip. They held on till 90 miles when my legs started to get very tired and my hip said “hello, do you remember me?!?” It was then that I thought I should have a carb gel to stay on top of tiredness. It was the first and only gel I used during the whole event. In fact I used real food all the way: tomatoes (lots of them!), satsumas, bananas, watermelon, pineapple, grapes, cheese, peanut butter sandwich, salted potatoes (lots!), baked crisps, hula hoops, dates, oat bars, soup (butternut squash and corn), and a bar of snickers as a treat after half way. As for what I drank – apart from water, some electrolytes and small sips of flat coke which always goes down a treat during ultramarathons. It’s not a drink I normally drink otherwise.

At mile 90, I saw my friend Reşide, who cheered me on, and soon afterwards Tim who was waiting with a small bottle of flat coke which tasted the best ever coke I’d had and suitably caffeinated I carried on to take on the last 10.5 miles albeit a little slowly.

My pacer Akgün’s role in this race can never be underestimated. It was fantastic to have him as a pacer during the last 25 miles of the event. I had never run with him before but it was him who’d got me into ultrarunning in the first place (back in 2017!) and when he volunteered to pace me, I thought that it was a fabulous idea. I am so glad that I agreed. His pacing skills and doing the thinking work of how long is left and whether we’re on the right route, etc., all helped tremendously. If it wasn’t for him the last 3 miles would have been particularly tricky – I kept thinking I was nearly at the finish but that finish never came. I wanted to slow down but he made sure I didn’t.

When I finished I wondered if it had all been a dream. It wasn’t. It was real and it felt good.

I am forever grateful to the volunteers in the event who were very positive and wished the best for every runner. I am also very grateful to everyone who believed in me and in particular to Tim, Akgün and Reşide who dedicated their time and effort into making the event a success story for me during the weekend of 21st-22nd September.

Robin Hood 100 is one of the several races that Hobo Pace organises. I’ve actually done 4 of their events to date and would fully recommend anyone interested in trail running to check them out. There’s something for every trail runner, from 10 miles to 100, all in beautiful surroundings in Nottinghamshire.

October 17, 2024October 20, 2024

Cardiff Half Marathon 2024

Thank you Sarah for your Cardiff Half report. 💗

The event was very well organised.

The course was great. Mainly flat with a few short but serious hills. Plenty of great views to enjoy.

Despite our worst fears the weather conditions were perfect. The heavy rain waited until we had all collected our medals before the heavens opened.

The support was fantastic from start to finish.

Roland Bewick broke through ‘the wall’ to finish the race in under two hours. Chip time 1 hr 59 mins 55 secs. Awesome!

Ceridwen Howell had a fantastic race. This was her 4th half marathon in the super 6 series. Chip Time (very impressive) 2 hrs 33 mins 15 secs.

Gill and Sarah Saunders soaked up the atmosphere, sang with every choir, danced with every band and generally had a good time. Chip Time 3 hrs 13 mins 54 secs.

If you are looking for a half marathon next year then I would definitely recommend Cardiff.

On a personal note, thanks to everyone who has given me the courage and confidence to get to the start line. Special thanks to Gill for being my awesome run buddy. Thanks to Roland for the compeed! Huge thanks to our support team, Nicola and Patrick.

October 2, 2024October 17, 2024

Sandringham 5K & 10K 2024

Run Sandringham 5K and 10K are organised by Good Running Events Ltd, https://www.goodrunningevents.co.uk/ a race organisation company who also manage other races at Sandringham, their latest addition – the Illuminate 5K (19th November, 7:00 and 8:00 pm start time) – is an after dark light trail run through the Sandringham Luminate 2024

I had planned to run several 10K in 2024 but after my trying 5-mile race at Worstead I elected to wait until later in 2024. Sandringham 10K was filling up fast so I chose to register and see whether I could prepare successfully for a good run. Training was a hard slog and I never got above a 10K training run due to fatigue.

It was a cool morning as we set off for the 10-minute drive to the race venue. Parking was easier than previous years. Despite the rain during the week the grass field wasn’t too bad.

We met up with runners from Sandringham parkrun and Runners-next-the-Sea, apprehension beginning to creep in as we waited. The 5K got under way at 9:25 am then a long wait as the organisers were waiting for the 5K finishers to start coming in. Eventually they got the 10K runners heading towards the corral start area but it wasn’t until 10:00 am that they released us. A long wait for the runners who had warmed up, my warm up was the first 10K of the race!!

I set off very steady following some parkrun buddies aiming for 60 – 65 minutes. The course goes in front of the house and around the gardens leaving the grounds at St Mary Magdalene Church and across and past the Sandringham visitor centre. The winding course goes through the parkland taking the same route as the Sandringham parkrun before crossing over into the muddy forest trails for the last 3K or so and back to the finish. The 5K follows the same course past the house and gardens then into the forest trails.

All finishers received a medal and a few snacks; and there were awards for first three male and female only.

Malcolm Senior

Well done to the RntS finishers. Especially Alex who came 4th in the 5K finishing just outside the award places:

Sandringham 5K Results

Postion

Gun Time

Chip Time

Alex

Walpole

Runners-Next-the-Sea

19:16.3

19:13.6

101

Peter

Jones

M65+

Runners-Next-the-Sea

32:48.2

32:25.0

134

Emily

Bingham

Runners-Next-the-Sea

34:28.5

34:04.8

135

Sarah

Coxon

F45-49

Runners-Next-the-Sea

34:35.2

34:11.0

137

Gary

Thorpe

M60-64

Runners-Next-the-Sea

34:38.9

34:14.7

177

Lizzie

McLucas

Runners-Next-the-Sea

37:36.2

37:12.6

Sandringham 10K Results

Position									Gun Time	Chip Time
550	Phil	Longwell	M	391	M50-54	39	Runners-Next-the-Sea	911	00:58:31.0	00:57:53.9
697	Katherine	Carr	F	241	FO	124	Runners-Next-the-Sea	901	01:01:45.7	01:00:46.8
749	Malcolm	Senior	M	477	M65+	23	Runners-Next-the-Sea	1327	01:03:28.7	01:01:41.6
759	Nick	Loades	M	481	M55-59	55	Runners-Next-the-Sea	895	01:03:20.4	01:01:55.5
760	Kirsty	Grand	F	279	F50-54	34	Runners-Next-the-Sea	1423	01:03:21.0	01:01:55.7
871	Debbie	Moore	F	355	F55-59	21	Runners-Next-the-Sea	908	01:06:03.0	01:04:37.3
985	Mark	Riseborough	M	551	M45-49	59	Runners-Next-the-Sea	893	01:10:29.5	01:07:48.8
986	Vikki	Powles	F	435	F45-49	56	Runners-Next-the-Sea	890	01:10:29.4	01:07:48.9
1002	Gemma	Pickering	F	451	F45-49	59	Runners-Next-the-Sea	251	01:10:25.4	01:08:20.0
1018	Catherine	Thorpe	F	465	FO	220	Runners-Next-the-Sea	896	01:10:13.1	01:08:49.7