RntS 2 Mile Handicap 2021 – Run 1

The first handicap of the year, coinciding with the first day of lock down restrictions easing, meaning training can start again (in groups of no more than 12 people).

And the sun was shining too!

NameRun1 290321
Daniel11.48
Ant12.40
David C12.42
Shane13.25
Lorraine14.45
Amanda14.51
Paul15.20
Bob H15.27
Stuart15.39
Tara16.01
Seb16.19
Bob L16.49
Michael16.56
Paula16.56
Susie16.58
Lucy Mc17.38
David S17.51
Kerrie19.01
Jodie19.21
Lynne19.33
Jane21.13
Shirley22.43
Lucy H26.50

RntS 5 Mile Beach Run 2020

This year, due to the strange situation the planet finds itself in, the RntS 5 Mile Beach Run needed to be handled a little differently.

To allow for social distancing and to adhere to EA rules, the participants set off in groups of no more than 6 runners, based on their speed, at timed intervals.  This meant, with the fastest runners heading off first, there would be as little overtaking and grouping as possible.

Following a Saturday of high winds and heavy rain, the RntS God was smiling upon us and delivered a blue sky, sunshine and a bit of a breeze.  Recent weather meant parts of the course were muddy and slippery, but the majority was OK (if you can call sand, water and sand dunes OK!).

As with last year, entrants were asked to donate to the Royal British Legion seeing as we’re once again close to remembrance weekend and that the poppy collectors will be far and few between this year.

The total collection amount raised was £183.  Great work everyone. 👍

NameTimeCategory
Daniel Grocott32.20M
Ant Cude34.59M
Kevin Heyhoe35.38M
Darren French36.26M
Shane Hunt37.31M
Lorraine Hunt39.10F
Amanda Marshall39.24F
Steve Twyford39.26M
Paula Smith40.32F
Alex Curtis40.36M
John Kenyon41.05M
Jodie McCallum42.07F
Bob Humphries42.19M
Seb Moore44.08M
Amberly Wright44.21F
Stuart Williams44.42M
Chris Lubbock44.46M
Bob Lyddon45.00M
Hayley Wright49.53F
Hayley Jones53.00F
Sophie Defew56.16F
Rob De’Licy60.10M

The Blickling Half Marathon

Official Times:
Daniel – 1:25:06.4
Rob – 1:49:50.4
Katie – 1:52:58.3
David H – 2:00:01.1
Nita – 2:12:10.9

“It was great to be back at an event…morning butterflies!!.. I really enjoyed it!!  I think they did a really good job too as we didn’t really make contact with anyone…was kinda surreal!!.. I think I saw about 3 other runners all day!!.. good fun though!!..”
Daniel (Bib 12)

“On arriving they had 3 designated car parks all free of charge so plenty of spaces for all. On walking to the event you had to be masked and hand sanitise on arrival to the start line.. ID was checked randomly- I was one of the people who was checked. Numbers were ticked off.  As you prepared to set off. Rolling start meant you could start at any point within your 20min time frame – this was actually quite nice as you could take your time and not feel rushed or pressured!  I only actually overtook 4 people in the whole race and only had 2 people overtake me. It was well organised.  Drinks station half way around with bottles of water.  Marshal’s were good but few and far between so although it was a race it was quite mentally draining as you pretty much did the whole half marathon alone with no music and very few people to motivate you around the course.  On finishing you collected your medal and water and then had to head straight back to your car.”
Katie (Bib 284)

“I had wondered what the atmosphere would be like, how this would work in a covid-safe way, and how if would ‘feel’. My first, and only, problem was toilet facilities prior to running (arrived early, and Rob was 2 waves ahead if me..) as I didn’t want to go down to the start early, and wasn’t sure what public facilities were open. Start was awesome, felt very safe, good to do a few zig zags on the field as probably wasnt fully warmed up… But set off well, loved having no queues for the loo, and a clean start, no issues being mixed up with runners who don’t end up in the ‘right’ time wave. Marshaling was great, all friendly, and helpful . Loved the run, was good running in space at the start, this made up for not having close runners later on to use as unofficial pacers😉 Water bottle bins were great… Virtually no litter… Awesome for the environment and the clean up teams… Runs should always do this…? The course was awesome, had i known what it was like in terms of hilly-for-norfolk I wouldn’t have even tried for a PB….as it was I shaved a minute off my previous so was v. happy. The clean start helped but so did my improved running with my fellow RntS.😊 I’d be very happy to run again under similar rules, there are advantages, and the happy marshaling teams made up for the lack of cheering crowds, spectators were sensible and i never felt it was too crowded or ‘unsafe’ Massive well done to the organisers, and thanks to the marshaling teams. 👍I’m not sure my legs will recover for a week… I’ve not run uphill like that, that often, in a race before, and particularly for the finish!!”
Nita (Bib 496)

Virgin London Marathon

Virtual 40th London Marathon completed. I am very lucky that I had Lucy and David running with me.

We had the best support crew – Olivia, Mum & Dad, Tasha, Chloe, Angie & Sophie and Jackie on her bike from Wells 😊😊
Official time: 5:33:32

RntS 2 Mile Handicap 2020 – Run 2

First handicap back in the park for the year that won’t be forgotten!

NameRun1 280920
Ant12.31
Cam12.55
Kevin H12.58
Thomas13.53
Lorraine14.31
Paula14.56
Reece14.57
Bob H15.10
Edward15.23
Seb15.47
Julie16.22
Bob L17.29
Chris L17.38
Paul18.04
David S18.07
Sophie19.04
Hayley J19.07
Tasha20.10
Chloe22.14
Angie22.32
Shirley24.38
Robert25.08

 

 

Centurion Running Chiltern Wonderland 50

I couldn’t have been happier when I arrived at the start line of Chiltern Wonderland 50 on Saturday 12th September. Organised by Centurion Running, CW50 is a 50-mile (80km) race that starts and ends in Goring-on-Thames, a small village in South Oxfordshire. The race loop mostly involves running on the Chiltern hills though some of it is on the Ridgeway. The whole area is breathtakingly beautiful.
With countless races having been cancelled due to COVID-19 it was touch and go whether this race would even take place. Thanks to the organisers putting into place many safety measures ( https://centurionrunning.com/blog/2020/08/04/2020-cw50-additional-information-guidelines ) the event was given the go-ahead.
The elevation profile is 5600 feet ascent and 5600 feet descent. The gradient on some of the hills was pretty phenomenal to experience. The climb up to Turnville village to by Cobstone Mill (which featured in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) was less than half a mile but the gradient there is 19% average with points that are 35%. I don’t suffer from vertigo but I wasn’t going to look back down to see where I’d run from. Spectacular as it would have been to see the scenery I had no intention of losing my balance on such terrain!
There were 5 aid stations each of which had a strict cut-off. I was able to meet first 4 cutoffs comfortably but was only within 2 mins of the cut off at the last aid station (at the 41 mile mark). I had to grab what I needed and leave promptly. How I wish the next stretch had initially been downhill… By now I was too tired – my quads were achy and didn’t want any more climbs. The last stretch (9 miles) was tough not because of the climbs (as they were not as steep as any before) but because my quads were quite tired. About 7 miles to go I had to put on my torch which worked wonders in the dark helping me to tread carefully in more technical terrain in the wooded areas. I heard an owl twice running in pitch black woods with only my torch providing light. It was an awesome feeling. I had to switch the torch off when I realised I was approaching some animals on an open field where it was dusk light with beautiful mist in the valley. I decided to walk down rather than run as I didn’t want to anger the cows! The runner in front who had saved me from getting lost on more than one occasion said they were horses… Phew that’s better but best not to run just in case. I had seen cows on the route in 4 places but was lucky that they were either sitting down minding their own business or were behind a gate. The last stretch between the final aid station and the finish at Goring seemed to go on forever. The last 4-5 miles there was no scenery to enjoy and I was racing against time. The runner in front of me who had started after me but had caught up with me kept encouraging me to go for it. I went past her and gave it my all several times. The time was ticking I knew it would be touch and go. 12:58:00 … I had 2 mins left to be at the finish line yet it was nowhere to be seen. 13:00:00 I’d timed out. There would be the letters DNF next to my name. Did Not Finish… I felt strange but I was in one piece and would be arriving at Goring on foot without having to be collected by anyone to be taken there. That itself felt good. My run gave way to a steady walk all the way down to Goring. It would take me 20 minutes to walk that last bit. There would be no medal no finisher’s t-shirt but I’d done the loop. I was at Goring.
The event was a great learning experience. As has happened on so many of my long distance races I questioned myself as to why I was doing this to myself and thought never again. 4 days after the race I decided that I would have another go next year…
Hydration / Nutrition during the event: I believe I got my levels of hydration right using water in one bottle and Tailwind in the other and topping them up at every aid station. I also had some Coke in the latter half and it was blissful. I felt comfortable in myself with the amount of fluids I was taking and the kind food I was having: dates, salted boiled potato, banana, crisps, cake and several babybells. In addition I had GU gels, which each time I had one almost immediately gave me the energy to tackle some of the climbs. My gut felt ok throughout.
Things I learnt: 😀 Make an effort to shuffle however tired you may be. You never know when these extra minutes will make a huge difference; 😀 Remember to have GU gels in the latter part of the run, too, to be able to carry on strong; 😀 Have the course MAP on GPS so as not to worry and stop when you don’t see signs for some time or rely on other runners to doublecheck you’re on the right track ( I did have the MAP with me but I realised the platform I’d uploaded it onto was not triggered by GPS! Doh!! Check properly); 😀 Remember not to stop to talk to people to explain what you’re doing however nice this may feel at the time – as one young boy said while his family could have carried on with the chat, “Don’t let us distract you. Carry on, you’re doing well!” 😎

Virtual Run-next-the-Sea 2020

A slightly different setup this year for the annual Run-next-the-Sea which takes place during Wells-next-the-Sea Carnival week. With everything being upended due to Covid-19, this year the run was held virtually.

There were 3 classes for the Junior Fun Run:
Under 5 – Run for 10 mins
6-10 – Run for 15 mins
11-16 – Run for 20 mins

The senior runners had to complete 5 miles and submit their times after completion.

This year’s charity was Homes for Wells, a very worthwhile cause (take a look here: https://homesforwells.com/).

As there was no official route or race, it’s not fair to have a podium (some people ran flat routes, some ran 10 times up and down a hill, some ran in circles in their garden and some ran on the beach to name but a few route choices) but all of the competitors and times are listed below.

Well done everyone.  Hopefully we’ll see you all in person next year!

Fun Run Results

NameCategoryStatus/Distance
Amelia Woodhouse5 and underCompleted - 0.5 miles
Young Dand5 and underCompleted - 0.31 miles
Charlie Linger5 and underCompleted
Rabone5 and underCompleted
Sophie Woodhouse6-10Completed - 1 mile
Bella Barker6-10Completed - 1.3 miles
Jessica Barker6-10Completed - 1.34 miles
Aiden Linger6-10Completed
Rabone6-10Completed

Competitive Run Results

NameTime
Stephen Woodford29.29
Niall McCallum33.30
Abbi McCallum34.27
Tom Rivett36.16
Anthony Cude36.36
Kevin Heyhoe36.49
Shane Hunt36.54
Kevin Short37.55
Rob Jackman38.06
Lucy Barnes38.19
Glyn Ingram39.09
Jon Sutton39.16
Lorraine Hunt40.17
Hayley Murfit40.23
Justin Elvidge40.31
Fiona Robinson41.15
Jodie McCallum42.53
Bob Humphries42.55
Paula Smith43.01
Amberly Wright43.14
Sean Lynn43.18
Julie Fisher44.52
Evette Price45.05
Paul Woodhouse45.23
Bunny Cook46.08
Libby Woodhouse46.19
Tara Betts47.33
Nita Jackman48.34
Roland Bewick48.38
Cat Cameron49.19
Bob Lyddon49.58
Bob Lyddon49.58
Hayley Jones52.50
Jodie Harvey54.15
Mark Riseborough54.26
Kerrie Coslett54.37
Alison Norton55.12
Hayley Wright57.09
Kirsty Lack57.42
Joanne Summers58.09
Nur Hooton59.52
Chloe Fisher60.50
Tasha Woodhouse61.00
David Sharp62.00
Sophie Broomfield62.43
Sophie Defew63.00
Alison Hodgson64.54
Shirley Browell64.59
Lynne Dowdy68.00
Denise Leeder71.44
Susy Dand72.35
Gill Bewick73.00
Angie Barker74.00
Teresa Harris74.00
Nikki Crossman74.45
Tracy Linger80.47
Lucy Harrison82.10
Teresa Abel87.12

RntS Friday Five Challenge – Event 5

NameGenderRntS F5 #1 (miles)RntS F5 #2 (miles)RntS F5 #3 (miles)RntS F5 #4 (miles)RntS F5 #5 (miles)
CeriF54.2051.28
Jodie MF46.0741.26
GlynM37.4545.31
AlexM32.4932.5632.59
Kevin SM37.2737.3538.0537.4838.04
EvetteF45.0043.0443.0542.4542.58
AmbieF50.0445.4149.0843.12
Hayley WF49.5246.2046.0751.0348.43
LynneF64.3862.0159.0958.07
NameGenderRntS F5 #1 (km)RntS F5 #2 (km)RntS F5 #3 (km)RntS F5 #4 (km)RntS F5 #5 (km)
SusieF29.4428.17
Chris PM29.49
TashaF31.4531.24
Kevin BM36.53
Jodie HF30.4630.39
SophieF32.1531.5431.44
EmmaF33.3033.49
LibbyF29.3728.4528.1227.48
Hayley JF32.3231.1031.3732.04
CamM27.1226.1324.5020.45
PaulM28.5528.4828.1527.5122.43
Bob HM27.2724.4523.5023.39
JulieF25.1324.2724.3824.32
RobM24.4523.1522.4524.58
MarkM26.4526.5126.4927.41
NitaF32.4728.3227.5628.52
ChloeF33.4833.5531.2832.53
JaneF34.1333.4136.0533.30
AngieF36.3734.5833.4236.00
TeresaF39.3138.4938.2137.07
ShirleyF40.3439.4538.5237.59