SJ Ball – Yes it’s back! Friday 27th March 2020, the Sandhurst Joggers ball will be held at Pine Ridge Golf Club. There is an early bird deal for £25 per ticket, get in quick before it goes up to the regular price of £30. This is bound to be one of the events of the year – don’t miss out!
SJ Events
Sandhurst Parkrun – Yes, the test event for the Sandhurst parkrun took place this weekend, which means it’s almost here! While there are no official results, I can tell you that Craig Bowles was the first runner through in the run through event. I’m sure we’re all looking forward to getting out there and trying it ourselves! A couple of pictures below…
Sandhurst Cross Country – This Sunday saw the running of the Sandhurst home cross country event, and it was a proper cross country event. Wet, muddy, it had all the makings of a perfect race. There was some great running on display, with some photos below:
Onto the weekend running and starting with parkrun…
Bracknell – 7 SJs headed to Bracknell for their local parkrun fix, with Paul Sliwiski coming through first, in a time of 22:56. Not far behind as first SJ female member was Sarah Hyatt in a time of 24:05.
Not content with coming through as first member, Paul Sliwiski also recorded a PB with his time; great run Paul!
Frimley – 4 members headed to Frimley Lodge this week, with Clive Rolfe coming through as first member in a time of 20:51.
Rushmoor – 4 members headed to Queens Avenue for their parkrun this weekend. First member through was Graham Bolton, in a time of 27:47. First female member through was Margaret Wakeling, in a great time of 32:03.
It was a 50th parkrun for Liz Evans, who came through in a time of 33:45; well done Liz, great run!
California Country Park – 3 SJs headed to California, with Nik Light coming through as first member in a great time of 20:10. Helen Davey came through as first female SJ member in a super time of 25:38.
There were PBs for Dave Bartlett (24:59), and Helen Davey (25:38) – great running by all at California!
Tourism – As always, there were members out and about this weekend, with the following runs…
Alice Holt – On their first visits to Alice Holt, Alison Winders and Jane Ralls ran times of 28:16 and 32:34 respectively; well done ladies! Basingstoke – John Paul Featherstone was back at War Memorial Park, running a time of 28:46 this weekend. Bedfont Lakes – Stuart Overhill ran a time of 24:10 at Bedfont. Birkenhead – Iain Findlay ran a great time of 23:26 at Birkenhead. Dinton Pastures – Jon Payne and George Green ran at Dinton this weekend. It was Jon’s first run, and he recorded a great time of 21:17 to come through 11th overall. George also posted a super time of 25:25; well done both. Folkestone – Martin Gould ran a time 23:43 in his first run at Folkestone. Homewood – Helen Vizard ran a time of 25:37 to record a course PB, and come through as 6th overall female; well done Helen! Houghton Hall – Andy Summerskill ran a time of 28:23 at Houghton. Luton Wardown – Yvette Glacken was at Luton this weekend, running a great time of 38:42. Westmill – Kate Parker ran her 99th parkrun, and her first visit to Westmill in a time of 1:01:07. Woodley – In parkrun number 80, Jon Green ran a time of 25:20 at Woodley.
Great tourism as usual, well done everyone!
Sunday events…
A-RUN-delle Greenham Common – This Saturn event was run in it’s half-marathon form by Liz Evans, and in the full marathon format by Nigel Evans (of course), and Tina Acock. Well done guys!
Silverstone Half Marathon – Jonathan Taylor headed out on a slightly different run this time, completing the Silverstone half marathon. I’m not sure if he gave any of the F1 lap records any competition, but ran well in what looked like an interesting event anyway! Well done Jon.
Slightly abbreviated edition this week – next week’s run down will be back to the usual format!
Halloween Social – Yes, it’s the Halloween run!! Can you outrun the zombies, complete the checkpoints, and make it to the unknown finish point (which may or may not be a pub)?! for those who have registered, this event starts at The Tythings at 6:45. NOTE: This run will replace the normal Thursday club run.
TVXC Race 3 – The next race of the TVXC Series will be held by Datchet Dashers next Sunday (10th November). This event will start at 11:02 after a 2-minute silence has been held for Remembrance. The course is at The Waterman’s Arms, Broccas Street, Eton, SL4 6BW. Keep your eyes peeled on the Facebook page for more info over the course of the week…
Onto the weekend running and starting with parkrun…
Bracknell – The club was at Bracknell in force on Saturday, as it was a pacer event which we were providing runners for, resulting in 35 members running! This made for some very even (or close to) finish times. First member through was the first pacer, Martin Steadman, coming through in a time of 24:03 on his 100th parkrun; well done Martin! First female SJ member through was Jenny Gray in a time of 25:24, enough to bring her in 1st in age category also; great effort Jenny!
There were PBs for Tom Stafford, Douglas Milroy and Sharon Spindler, and 75th and 100th parkruns for Louisa Enriquez and Martin Steadman; well done all!
Frimley – 3 members lined up at Frimley Lodge on Saturday, with Simon Whillis coming through in 27:56 as first SJ. Christopher Grove and Simon Tigg followed not far behind, in times of 29:43 and 30:09, respectively.
Rushmoor – There was another good turnout at Rushmoor this week, with 7 members running. Martin Gould came through as first member in a time of 24:24, with Helen Vizard not far behind as first female SJ in a time of 27:43.
California Country Park – 4 SJs headed over to California Country Park, for their 36th event. Wayne Boardman was first member through, in a time of 23:34, with Helen Davey coming through as first female SJ in a time of 26:16 to come through 2nd in age category; well done Helen!
Tourism – Plenty of people out and about as usual , let’s see who was where this Saturday…
Bushy Park – Simon Carter made his pilgrimage to parkrun mecca, and came through in a time of 23:09. Crane Park – John Tovell set a great time at Crane Park of 24:19. Cranleigh – Kate Parker ran a great time at Cranleigh, coming through in 25:55, also 1st in age category. Erddig – Alurie Maye Dutton ran a time of 39:19 on her second run at Erddig. Gloucester North – Stephen Casey obviously wanted to catch the rugby, as he flew around Gloucester in a time of 22:16 in his first run at the venue, also enough to come through 1st in age category. Jamaica Park – Fiona Marshall was our SJ on holiday this week, running a time of 26:32 at Jamaica Park in Boston, USA. Luton Wardown – Yvette Glacken ran at Luton in a time of 38:09. Markeaton – Iain Findlay ran at Markeaton, coming through in a time of 26:08 on his first run at the venue. Millennium Country, Forest of Marston Vale – Nik Light shot around this parkrun, to come through 2nd overall in a time of 20:40; a great time! Woodley – 3 members headed to Woodley, with Sarah Hyatt leading them around in a superb time of 22:34, followed closely by Louise Gubb (25:01) and Neil Hyatt (30:44). Sarah also came through 2nd in age category – a great run.
Well done everybody – some superb times and some great tourism this week!
Other Saturday Events…
Beachy Head Marathon – One of the biggest off-road marathons in the country, this was a popular event amongst several SJs this weekend. It also saw the 100th marathon for Jonathan Taylor, an incredible achievement. We’ll hear more about that later on in the week!
The following times were recorded….
Richard Boese – 5:53:47 Nigel Evans – 5:56:13 Dave Bartlett – 5:56:15 Jonathan Taylor (I’ll forgive that you put your team down as ‘100 Marathon Club’, not SJ…) – 6:52:33 Jane Bannister – 7:06:53 Andrea Hadfield – 7:06:54 Alison Jones – 7:06:54 Sharon Burfield – 7:06:55 Tina Acock – 7:54:05 Lance King – 7:54:05
Sounds like a tough marathon, with some serious elevation, but look at all those smiles! Definitely one to look out for if you’re after a challenge. We’ll hear more about that this week!
Milocarians Cross Country – An annual event held at the RMA, this cross country race was well attended with the following runners taking part…
Neil Paine – 36:19 Max Woods – 38:55 Dave Ayling – 40:15 Lisa Hale – 40:20 Andy Yates – 40:29 Alistair Ingall-Tombs – 40:33 Dave Breslin – 42:13 Jon Payne – 42:20 Stuart Overhill – 42:31 Nigel Bassett – 42:37 Graham Kelly – 45:22 Sasha Woods – 46:54 Gabbi Bassett – 48:45 Sarah Alexander – 49:58 Beki-Jo Christian – 50:46
Well done to all who took part! A couple of photos below…
Strava
Some great totals on Strava over the last week, thanks to the various weekend events. Nigel Evans took the top spot with a mega total of 53.2 miles, thanks to his double-marathon weekend! To take part in this just create a free Strava account and link it to the club in your profile. Here’s the top 10 from last week:
Club Events for the week ahead…
Monday: Patrick Wadsworth will be taking the Monday night chatfest from Sandhurst Sports Centre at 7:30pm. The route will cover approx. 6 miles, and now that the days are getting shorter, it’s advised that you bring high vis clothing and a headtorch. This is one of the most sociable runs of the week and a great opportunity to catch up with friends or discuss the preceding weekend.
Tuesday Club Run: The biggest club run of the week will as always offer multiple groups to cater for all abilities from beginners through to faster and more experienced runners. It’s perfect for novices and those coming back from injury or a long lay-off because you can start with an easy group and work your way upwards. The start time is 6:30pm as always this week from the regular start at Sandhurst Memorial Park.
Wednesday: The Wednesday sets off from the Memorial Park at 7:00, suitable for all paces.
Thursday: Halloween Social – Yes, it’s the Halloween run!! Can you outrun the zombies, complete the checkpoints, and make it to the unknown finish point (which may or may not be a pub)?! for those who have registered, this event starts at The Tythings at 6:45. NOTE: This run will replace the normal Thursday club run.
Friday: Track is still free and the coaches have some great sessions planned for all abilities to improve fitness and technique. This is a great way to improve your running form and fitness, get faster and help prevent injury. If you’ve never ran on a track before give it a try, it’s a lot of fun and you are never more than 200m away from the start.
Saturday: Lots of members will be enjoying their weekly Parkrun fix at 9am on Saturday morning, if you’re thinking of going somewhere new then post on the Facebook page as there may be other members planning on running at the same place as you! Wherever you are parkrunning – Don’t forget your barcode!
Sunday: Come along and give the The Sunday Lookout run a try. They say its the best run of the week but might be a bit biased. It’s a flexible run leaving from The Lookout at 9am with different groups to suit a wide range of abilities. The three ‘Cs’ of Coffee, cake and chat are enjoyed in the cafe post-run.
Bracknell Parkrun Pacing – The club are providing pacers for the next Bracknell parkrun (27th October). Should you want to get involved, contact Patrick Wadsworth and see what there is still left to cover! Swapping times is possible on the day, just make sure you know what pace you’re running before the start!
SJ Events
2019 TV Cross Country – After a slightly underwhelming start to the season a few weeks ago, there was a great response from the SJ members this weekend, at the TVT race in Eversley. All in all, 44 SJs ran the race, covering more than 10% of the field, which is a fantastic achievement.
A particular mention goes to Neil Praine and Harriet Steel, coming through as first male and female SJs, in gender positions 25 and 26 respectively.
The results from last weeks event put us up to joint 8th in the table. We need continued support at future events to help push up further up the leaderboard, so keep showing your support to the club! The next event is on Sunday 10th November at Datchet Dashers, so keep an eye out for more info from Jon Green closer to the time. For now, here are some photos….
Onto the weekend running and starting with parkrun…
Frimley – 4 SJs headed to Frimley Lodge this Saturday, with Jon Payne leading round as first SJ member in a time of 21:32.
Bracknell – There was a good turnout of 18 members at Bracknell, with Krzysztof Zielinski coming through as 4th member overall in a time of 21:27, also coming in 1st in age category. Meanwhile, Alison Winders came through as first SJ female member, in a time of 30:27.
Rushmoor – There was an excellent turnout at Rushmoor, with a perfect 10 turning out at Queens Avenue for their weekly parkrun. The first member through was Teresa Milroy in a great time of 26:24. Meanwhile, John King came through as first SJ male member in a time of 27:25.
There was a PB for Douglas Milroy, taking over 30 seconds off his previous time at Rushmoor; well done Douglas!
California Country Park – In their 35th event, Jon Green led the 8 SJ members around in a great time of 24:21. Meanwhile, Helen Davey came through as first female member in a time of 25:51.
There was a first timer run at California for Yvette Glacken, and PBs for Richard McCready, Tom Stafford and Alurie Maye Dutton.
Tourism – Another Saturday, another Saturday of tourism, with several members out and about taking in some new parkruns! Let’s see who went where….
Alice Holt – Neil Praine decided to get his taste of the hills, and obviously had somewhere to be, as he came through 5th overall in a time of 19:30 on his first run at Alice Holt, also enough to bring them in 1st in age category. Castle Howard – Stuart Overhill and Lisa Hale ran at Castle Howard this weekend, posting times of 22:32 and 22:59 in their first runs at Castle Howard. Dinton Pastures – Lyn Winter and Jane Pond ran times of 29:21 and 31:40 to each record PBs at Dinton Pastures! Guildford – There was a course PB for Kate Parker, with a time of 26:40, and a first timer run for Simon Tigg, running a time of 29:19. Ifield Mill Pond – 4 members headed over to Ifield, all running their first runs at the venue, with the following times – Craig Bowles 20:01, Stephen Casey 21:29, Sarah Hyatt 21:37, Fiona Marshall 26:00. Craig and Sarah also came through as first in age category. Maidenhead – Patrick Wadsworth ran a time of 22:28 in his first run at Maidenhead. Woodley – George Green ran a time of 24:01 in his 48th run at Woodley. Yeovil Montacute – In her first run at Yeovil, Paula Vine ran a great time of 24:34, also enough to bring her in 1st in age category.
Excellent tourism everyone, some really good tourism on display this weekend.
Other Saturday Events
Windsor & Eton Brewery Runfest – An interesting concept, a run centered around beer (not an idea I’m adverse to, I must add), Sally Kent and Jackie Kent entered this event, which covers 5k, 10k and half-marathon distances, and comprises of a mix of various event routes, along trails around Windsor. There’s also a 0.70km junior event, I wonder if that’s the best one to enter…quickest route to the post-race beer?
Well done to Sally and Jackie nevertheless, looks like a nice run!
Sunday events…
Great South Run – As expected, a popular event amongst SJ members, this 10 mile event took place in Southsea. The following times were recorded….
Stuart Mayes – 1:16:20 Karen Phillips – 1:20:07 Dave Bartlett – 1:22:46 Claire Rowse – 1:23:00 David O’Toole – 1:24:44 Amy Gates – 1:29:18 John Weller – 1:40:46 Mark Foker – 1:45:30 Susan Plumb – 1:46:55 Harvey Young – 1:47:46
Yorkshire 10 – Stuart Overhill ran this event, completing it in a time of 1:13:03, a superb time, well done Stuart.
Yorkshire Marathon – Lisa Hale took part in this run up north like, and what a run she had. Posting a superb time of 3:16:18, enough to come through 12th in category and 40th in gender out a female field of 1462 runners!
Strava
Some great totals on Strava over the last week, thanks to the various weekend events. Nigel Evans took the top spot with a mega total of 53.2 miles, thanks to his double-marathon weekend! To take part in this just create a free Strava account and link it to the club in your profile. Here’s the top 10 from last week:
Club Events for the week ahead…
Monday: Patrick Wadsworth will be taking the Monday night chatfest from Sandhurst Sports Centre at 7:30pm. The route will cover approx. 6 miles, and now that the days are getting shorter, it’s advised that you bring high vis clothing and a headtorch. This is one of the most sociable runs of the week and a great opportunity to catch up with friends or discuss the preceding weekend.
Tuesday Club Run: The biggest club run of the week sets off from Morgan Recreation Ground in Crowthorne this Tuesday. Please arrive for 6:25 to be there for club announcements etc. There are different paced groups, from run-walk to 9 minute-mile, and everyone starts and finishes at the same point, in an hour, so there really is something for everybody!
Tuesday Intervals: Later the interval sessions will take place. The meeting point is at The Tythings in Yateley at 8pm. It’s hard work, but you’ll feel amazing afterwards! You can read more about the Tuesday night intervals HERE
Wednesday: The Wednesday sets off from the Memorial Park at 7:00, suitable for all paces.
Thursday: A run with Erol will contain hills, laughs, and a couple of wrong turns (normally), but you can guarantee you’ll end up at the car park eventually, and with a smile at the end of it all! Meet at Sandhurst Sports Centre at 7:30pm. Again, now that the days are getting shorter, lights and high vis clothing will be required. The run is a great way to improve fitness by running as a group at a slightly harder intensity. There is a shorter route available and a sweeper so nobody gets left behind.
Friday: Track is still free and the coaches have some great sessions planned for all abilities to improve fitness and technique. This is a great way to improve your running form and fitness, get faster and help prevent injury. If you’ve never ran on a track before give it a try, it’s a lot of fun and you are never more than 200m away from the start.
Saturday: Lots of members will be enjoying their weekly Parkrun fix at 9am on Saturday morning, if you’re thinking of going somewhere new then post on the Facebook page as there may be other members planning on running at the same place as you! Wherever you are parkrunning – Don’t forget your barcode!
Sunday: Come along and give the The Sunday Lookout run a try. They say its the best run of the week but might be a bit biased. It’s a flexible run leaving from The Lookout at 9am with different groups to suit a wide range of abilities. The three ‘Cs’ of Coffee, cake and chat are enjoyed in the cafe post-run.
Thanks for reading the latest Weekly Run Down, have a safe week of running and I’ll see you next week!
The October handicap was run recently, with participants bearing braving the weather for the 4 mile run (was I basking in high 20s temperatures at that point? Yes I was).
There was a good turnout of 22 runners, with PBs set by Nerys Cooper and Dave Metcalfe, and SBs posted by Newton Johnstone and Dave Breslin. There was also a first handicap appearance for John Ellwood. The overall winner on the night was Nerys Cooper with a time of 34:40 and an impressive improvement of 1:50, just 1 second quicker more than Newton in second place!
The results were as follows…
And as for the current standings, well they are extremely close, with the top four runners separated by just 4 points! Here they are…
For those of you who have not taken part in the handicap, what are you waiting for?! It’s a monthly fun, club-run event, held on every second Wednesday of the month, in which you complete 2 laps of a 2 mile course. The finishing order is not determined by who came in quickest, but how you did against your own previous efforts, so you’re only racing yourself! It is a fun event, and there’s a curry afterwards, so what more could you wish for?!
Thanks as always to Simon and Anne Whillis for organising such an enjoyable club event, and we’ll see you all in November for the next handicap, taking place on Wednesday 13th November.
One of the more popular local running events took place on Sunday 8th September, the Farnham Pilgrims half marathon/marathon. A very picturesque route takes you through the Surrey Hills, with various members recapping their experiences below….
Lisa Hale – “2019 was my 8th running of the Pilgrims Marathon, sadly I can’t quite claim to have run them all! It has always been a favourite event, having first run it at the height of my 100 marathon chasing, it’s remained in the calendar ever since! It’s one of the friendliest events you could ask for, with great support all the way round, and welcoming of all standards of runner. There is always a great turnout from local clubs, so you’re always sure to be surrounded by familiar and friendly faces.
I love the fact that it’s so close to home, there is ample free parking and toilets, and registration and baggage storage are always well manned and hassle free. The best thing of course about the event is the route, I love a hilly course and this doesn’t disappoint on that front! The views are spectacular and every year that I have taken part the weather has been fantastic. The course is challenging, but so rewarding.
One thing I have always liked about this event is the lovely little subtle and understated medal at the end, with so many ridiculous and over the top bling it’s nice to just see a little old school medal! This year to mark the 10th anniversary was a nice little wooden job, and the mug was great – seeing as the only thing I love more than running is coffee!”
Alison Jones – “I did this marathon last year, and absolutely loved it, so decided to enter again, especially since it was the 10th anniversary and the course was being run backwards. So, battered and bruised from my exploits at the Maidenhead half, filled my car with SJ’s (namely my amigo’s Sharon & Andrea) plus Dave Bartlett and Nigel Evans and off we set for our VIP parking at the start/finish line.
The weather was mixed, a bit chilly but the sun was trying to come through, so it was looking like it was going to be a lovely day. Once we had visited the toilets and sat in the car for a while it was time to get the photos taken and join the back of the start line, although we all started together it did not take long for it to be just us three girls, the amazing things about this marathon are firstly the views, although you have to get to the top of some pretty steep hills to see them, but they are worth the effort. Then the marshals, who seem to be placed every 200 meters, so no wrong turns were taken. Then finally the aid stations, you had barely finished what you had taken from the previous one then another one was upon you and after all the effort they went to with home-made brownies etc., it would have been extremely rude not to!
I must admit I preferred the route this way round, the up’s seemed less, although that could have been my imagination, and as we progressed we all seemed to recognise some of the course from last year, although all I remembered was llamas, so I was really delighted when we came upon the llama farm, I could see the funny looks I was getting from the other 2 until that point.
At approximately 18 miles or so who did we come across, loitering at an aid station, but Dave, Nigel and Lina, so that was our merry little band for the next 8 miles, we finished this wonderful marathon as a group to be met by Richard, who had a great run and we heard Lisa was at home having her tea by then, this is just such a lovely event and the weather was perfect, I suspect we will all be back again next year for another lovely day out.”
Dave Bartlett – With a reputation for being one of the best trail marathons in the UK and sat on our doorstep, this event hit my diary within a day or two of Endure. Always going to be a challenge, the immensity grew when I picked up a groin strain shortly after entry. With very little in the way of running through July & August, I had no option but to face the music and try to dance! On Sunday morning I found myself in the back of a car full of seasoned marathon runners, Alison Jones (the boss), Sharon Burfield (nothings ever slow), Andrea Hatfield (the dark horse) & Nigel Evans (yes, Marathon man).
On arrival at the event there was a fantastic club spirit amongst those who had entered the full and the early arrivals for the half. Through the early stages the course started to show its true colours, roads and trails, forestry and fields it definitely kept you focused. Up and down, up and down we eventually found ourselves climbing Pilgrims Way and the road to St Martha’s church. Now, I’ve never been the religious type, I do however have to confess that I almost called a time out to go in and pray that something special through the remaining 12 miles. Fortunately, I was in the company of members of this amazing running club and have to thank Nigel & Lina Johnson for seeing me through some difficult miles along with Alison, Sharon and Andrea who dragged me through the last 4 miles and over the finish line.
I now have time to rest ahead of my next major challenge when I’m sure I’ll be reunited with a good number of those mentioned above, roll on Beachy Head!”
Andrea Hadfield – “My second year doing the Pilgrim, and apparently we would be running the route backwards – my memory wasn’t that great of the route anyway (only of the fabulous aid stations!). This event is definitely not one for PBs, instead a day for enjoying our beautiful local countryside, the camaraderie of your fellow runners and eating as much as possible!
The route is brilliant – varied running surfaces, with glorious views, showcased particularly well in the perfect running weather we had, and the event is well organised with great aid stations and friendly marshals. I can’t recommend it enough – running with a group of SJs was the icing on the top of a particularly delicious cake!”
Lina Johnson – “The Farnham Pilgrim marathon is a tough but beautiful course and although the hills are challenging, the view was worth the climb. It was such a great race which was made even better by running it with friends from Sandhurst Joggers. It makes a huge difference running with friends and being able to keep each other going. It was a fantastic day and I would definitely recommend doing it!”
Sounds like a great event, with some superb running by the various members involved! I look forward to hearing all about next year’s event!
One of the biggest half marathons in the country, the Great North Run took place on Sunday 8th September, and of course, there was an SJ presence pounding the streets of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Recapping their experiences are Harvey Young and Rebecca Perrin, starting with Harvey. Enjoy!
Harvey Young – This was my second Great North Run, and after last year it’s a must-do-again race. This year I went into it injury free, and after getting my rhythm I found the going pretty good despite the heat, which I think caught a few out. I’d spoken to another runner on the bus there, and we’d discussed hydration etc, and she mentioned she had a beer at ten miles and sure enough at ten miles there was the call of “free beer”…I drifted over to that side of the road to have my freebie! It was a small sample not a pint!
Shortly after this i hopped up onto the pavement as i was starting to pass quite a few runners and as I passed three guys spectating, one shouted “get in there Harvey” which scared the living daylights out of me so there’s probably a heart rate spike at that point on my Strava! The crowd are amazing at giving encouragement to everyone, after the infamous slight uphill John Reid Road section, you drop down onto the coastal stretch to the finish where the crowd give you the final pick up if you need it. I crossed the line to be met by my wife Helen and then back to the MS Trust tent for a very much needed massage, it’s clearly not a local race but it’s one to do at least once, and next year is the 40th anniversary. My time was 2hrs 30 mins, 11 minutes faster than last year!”
Rebecca Perrin – “After a spur of the moment decision (after a few glasses of wine), I decided to enter for a charity place for the Great North Run – my first ever half marathon! I had mixed feelings when I received the email offering me a place to run for Cancer Research UK; mainly fear and excitement. I had more or less no sleep the night before the run, I was a bag of nerves, although they soon subsided when we arrived – the atmosphere was out of this world!
The run itself was absolutely amazing, and the support from locals lining the streets literally carried you through to the end. One of my many highlights of the run has to be the “oggy, oggy, oggy”. If you know, you know! I was super happy to get a sub 2 hour run for my first half. I managed to complete it in 1 hour 52 minutes!
In summary, a super organised event with an atmosphere that is literally buzzing, I highly recommend this run to anyone. I will be signing up for next year. A huge thank you to the awesome SJ’s for making club runs so enjoyable, otherwise I wouldn’t have been running! You’re all awesome!”
Great recaps from Harvey and Rebecca, it sounds like a great event, and definitely one to put on the bucket list!
Last Wednesday saw the September running of the handicap, and the weather was on our side for a change! Although the light started to fade past 8 o’clock, it was dry, and a very good temperature for running.
Anyway, enough blabbing on about the weather (my inner geographer coming out…), 27 runners took part in this month’s edition, with some seriously improved times on display.
A well done goes to Harvey Young, for clocking 41:07 in his first handicap run. There were season best times recorded by Russell Conaway and Newton Johnstone. Meanwhile, there were 3 PBs recorded by Alison Winders, Nerys Cooper, and Jess Metcalfe.
The overall winner this month (annoyingly) was Jess Metcalfe, who took a huge 3:29 off her previous effort, coming through in 37:01 (not quite sub-37 though…got to have a little brotherly laugh somewhere). Let’s give a big congratulations to Jess, although not too big, otherwise she won’t be able to fit through the door frames at home! Results from last week’s run are below:
And as for the overall standings after September’s results….
For those of you who have not taken part in the handicap, what are you waiting for?! It’s a monthly fun, club-run event, held on every second Wednesday of the month, in which you complete 2 laps of a 2 mile course. The finishing order is not determined by who came in quickest, but how you did against your own previous efforts, so you’re only racing yourself! It is a fun event, and there’s a curry afterwards, so what more could you wish for?!
Thanks as always to Simon and Anne Whillis for organising such an enjoyable club event, and we’ll see you all in October at the next handicap, taking place on Wednesday 9th October.
