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Royal Parks Winter 10km - Regents Park - Sunday 8th December 2019

Milton Keynes Winter Half Marathon - Sunday 8th December 2019

Keyworth Turkey Trot Half Marathon - Sunday 8th December 2019

Met League Race 3 - Uxbridge - Saturday 7th December 2019

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park 10km - Saturday 7th December 2019

Walthamstow Santa Dash - Saturday 7th December 2019

Ware Cup, Loughton AC - Saturday 7th December 2019

parkrun - all venues - Saturday 7th December 2019

Bedford Harriers Half Marathon - Sunday 1st December 2019

Mornington Chasers Regents Park 10km - Sunday 1st December 2019

Perivale 5, Ealing - Sunday 1st December 2019

XXIV Media Maraton, Jerez (Half Marathon) - Sunday 1st December 2019

So pleased with the Jerez Half Marathon (1:54- thanks Don!); furthest I've ran
in a year with a few slow 10ks and a cheeky 10miler as my limited training due
to baby duties. My dream was to get sub 2 hours 5 months after Aari was born,
but I think I smashed that despite the course being slightly long and having
many cobbled parts! Can't wait to keep training and prioritise making time get
back to full fitness. So grateful to Thomas who happily helped me find time to
do some runs. It felt amazing seeing him and Aari along the route cheering me on.
Also amazing to find out that my friend Antonio won... legend! Babygrow
courtesy of the amazing Ponytails... What do we think about the trousers being
part of the new running kit?! Sheetal

Sunday XC League - Event 2 - Trent Park - Sunday 1st December 2019

494 finishers, 186 ladies and 308 men.
Team results:
Men A Team 9th of 19, overall 9th/ B Team 8th of 19, overall 8th/ Vets 9th of 19, overall 8th.
Ladies A Team 9th of 19, overall 9th/ Vets 8th of 19, overall 9th.

Well done to everyone that ran on a bitterly cold morning at Trent Park. Very muddy in places but not as bad as the course last week, on the opposite side of the path. Some lovely forest trails, with a muddy uphill run to the finish. The sun came out and it warmed up towards the end. Thanks to everyone that brought along cakes today. Hope you are feeling better Stuart Stupot Barton. This was a very enjoyable race with excellent marshalling from the host club, Trent Park RC.

Jacob Stevens: A good turnout - 18 runners (compared to 14 last year) -
enough for full A, B and vet men's teams, and full A and vet women's teams.
Well done everyone!

Clonakilty Waterfront Marathon X - Saturday 30th November 2019

Arthur Diaz :Race report on a very long marathon finish: Clonakilty Waterfront Marathon X, West Cork, Ireland
Date: Saturday, 30th November 2019
Start time: 9am
Official time: 6:45:56
This is the marathon that I was aiming to get a pb of under 4:30 (after not racing Lochness) but I guess not everything in life just ever goes to plan, innit? Did my training in wet, cold, hilly conditions with the consistent long runs on Sundays. However, the wheels fell off during tapering time where my leg cramps just did not recover fast enough a week before race day.
I flew in to Cork airport Thursday night and by Friday morning, I was very disappointed with myself that I have not fully recovered and will more likely pull out from the race (just like what I did at Beachy Head Marathon 2018). I texted Alexandra Rutishauser-Perera asking for her opinion, if it is shameful to walk a marathon while wearing the ELR club shirt. Well, you can guess from the photos what her answer was then!
And so, I was excited again to do my fourth marathon in 2019, walking it while taking lots and lots of photos.
I arrived in Clonakilty that afternoon, after stopping by at Kinsale, and went straight to Clonakilty Park Hotel to register, collect my bib and extra small free race vest (didn't fit me, of course). Did some panic buying of a long massage stick, hydration belt, magnesium tablets and nurofen which I carried with me on my marathon "trek".
Saturday morning (race day), I got to share breakfast with some chatty fellow runners from all over Ireland. One of them who's walked a marathon before, tooked her 8 hours to finish, and the best advice I heard was when you think you are lost because everyone else has finished and there's nobody around to guide you through, then you just "follow the rubbish", i.e. thrown water bottles and used gels.
Never thought that became so useful since that is pretty much all the company I had on my lone walk/shuffle marathon out in the wild countryside and in blistery Atlantic coast.
The hills never really bothered me nor the absence of cheering crowds, but not running (actually, I am not running) with anybody else felt a bit out place like I was being punished for not sticking to my tapering and recovery training, that I have to drag my non-running legs for 42 kms and make sure I finish before dark.
There's less than 3,000 runners on this event including the ones doing the full, half, and 10K. The race was dedicated to a living legend, Catherina McKiernan which coincides with her 50th birthday on the same day.
The race starts and finishes at Clonakilty Park Hotel where you get to use the Leisure centre facilities afterwards for free plus a food voucher.
Organisation and marshalling was good. The views of the rolling Irish countryside, farming areas and Atlantic coastline is really amazing. Totally recommend this one if you like hilly races or training for something like Marathon des Sables! In fact I met one who overtook me towards mile 20 and he's done a marathon a day before, 10K the next morning and the same marathon again (i.e. this one) while carrying a large ruchsack!
The locals in Clonakilty are also very friendly even offering me a lift at some point (they probably thought I was lost or something) and chatty too. Although it might take a while to work out what they are actually saying, especially when they were giving me directions on one of the turning point of the course. Cork accent is just lovely.
And so after over 6 hours of navel gazing, singing 'fields of gold' over and over again, I'm finally on the home stretch with only 2 miles left to go. But lo and behold, they've opened the road to traffic, and there were no marathon signs left nor any runner's rubbish that I could follow, no cheering crowd and no marshals left to guide me back to the finish. With less than an hour before it gets dark, I reached out for google map.
Eventually, I made it back to Clonakilty Park Hotel, imagining all the cheering crowd there for being the last one to finish and yet I got to the finish line without the finish line sign, no photographer to take my arms in the air pose, nobody announcing the name on my shirt and no tears of joy that I thought I was going to have from doing my longest marathon time ever.
But all that didn't matter once the lady at the end took something out from a box that was already sitting inside a van. It was the finisher medal, which she then put around my neck and said congratulations! They then asked me what time I think I finished and I said, it doesn't matter, I got the medal. Please do take my photo now.
And it was all smiles in the end.

Run Through Velopark 5km, QEOP - Saturday 30th November 2019

Essex Vets Cross Country, Writtle - Saturday 30th November 2019

Red Run 10km, Victoria Park - Saturday 30th November 2019

parkrun - all venues - Saturday 30th November 2019

Last Friday of the Month Serpentine 5km - Friday 29th November 2019

278 Finishers (204 Men, 74 Women).
Race Conditions: Dry, bright, cool, wet underfoot.
Well done to Sallyann for beating her previous PB by nearly two minutes.
Sallyann said; 'So happy! When I started running in August, the first goal I set myself was 5k in under 30 minutes'.

Wilmslow Festive 10km - Sunday 24th November 2019

I did my hometowns Festive 10k Race this morning and was hoping to beat
my PB of 52 mins! I did so much better than I predicted (48:41) and I
totally put it down to the Wednesday evening club runs as they have
helped my speed and endurance so much! Thank you all and see you Wednesday!

Run Silverstone Half Marathon - Sunday 24th November 2019

Hertfordshire Half Marathon - Sunday 24th November 2019

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Andrea: Herts Half done. Lots of hills and not one I will repeat,
but feels good all the same. Now for a movie afternoon indoors.

Laguna Phuket Triathlon - (25 for 25 Sprint) - Sunday 24th November 2019

500m swim/ t1/ 18.5km cycle / t2/ 6k run
10.40/ 3.44 / 38.23 / 1.54 / 31.57

Chingford League - Event 3 - Trent Park Inc The Sorority & Fraternity Cups - Saturday 23rd November 2019

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Sorority Cup: 12th A Team, 19th B Team.(141 ladies)
Fraternity Cup: 7th A Team, 22nd B Team, 28th C Team.(273 men)
Finishing positions above show overall finish position first
and Chingford League clubs position second
Chingford League team results
Ladies: A team 5th, 4th overall Vets 4th, 4th overall.
Men: A team 5th, 3rd overall: B team 5th, 3rd overall: Vets 6th, 5th overall.

Paula Bedford: Running Equal this afternoon with Chingford league at Trent Park.
No sign of women not be able to do it! It's been a long time since I've been to Trent
Park but had many a happy time as a student there also running around but with a slightly
more psychedelic vibe than today XC! Was a great race plenty of mud and hills.

Jacob Stevens: Here are the updated ELR Winter League rankings, after Chingford League race #3 (Trent Park). This was a very competitive race, with a median time of 37:23 (Chingford League clubs only), so most people have a lower performance score on this race than the earlier ones. Still, the biggest factor is how many races you've run, so make sure you keep turning up to the league races to maintain your position!

Numbers after each name:

- Participation score

- Overall performance score

- (Performance score in this race - if applicable)

- Overall score

- ***NEW*** Position change (places up or down)

**Women:**

Name - Part. Perf. (Race perf.) Score Pos.chg.

1. Fiona Day - 100 113 (109) 105 –

2. Maud Hodson - 100 111 (103) 104 –

3. Becky Evans - 75 126 (120) 96 â–²3

4. Sandra Preston - 75 110 (102) 89 â–²5

5. Kasia Stachowiak - 75 108 88 â–¼2

6. Chloe Millan - 75 102 (95) 86 â–²5

7. Katie Whitton - 75 100 (89) 85 â–²5

8. Carolyn Edwards - 75 99 85 â–¼4

9. Cat Hoult - 75 99 (95) 84 â–²4

10. Alexandra Rutishauser-Perera - 75 90 81 â–¼5

11. Caroline Frith - 50 121 78 â–¼4

12. Emily Clarke - 50 115 76 â–¼4

13. Janet Bywater - 50 109 74 â–¼3

14. Filipa Soares - 50 98 69 –

15. Kathryn Hertzberg - 50 90 66 –

16. Veronica Carrasco - 50 90 66 –

17. Ellie Wilkinson - 25 118 62 –

18. Paula Bedford - 25 115 (115) 61

19. Susannah McLaren - 25 110 59 â–¼1

20. Lauren Kelly - 25 107 58 â–¼1

21. Sarah Burns - 25 103 56 â–¼1

22. Claire Emery - 25 101 55 â–¼1

23. Tina Bennett - 25 97 54 â–¼1

24. Anna Dingle - 25 85 49 â–¼1

25. Lauren Stevenson - 25 84 49 â–¼1

26. Maya Goodwin - 25 83 48 â–¼1

27. Joanna Qiu - 25 81 47 â–¼1

**Men:**

Name - Part. Perf. (Race perf.) Score Pos.chg.

1. Calvin Bobin - 100 129 (121) 112 –

2. Billy Rayner - 100 114 (110) 106 –

3. Jacob Stevens - 100 112 (107) 105 –

4. Mark Moir - 100 110 (107) 104 –

5. Michael Wilson - 100 108 (101) 103 –

6. Karan Gadhia - 100 102 (98) 101 –

7. Euan Brown - 75 133 (127) 98 â–²1

8. Lance Fuller - 75 107 (104) 88 â–²6

9. Ciaran Canavan - 75 106 (106) 88 â–²7

10. Patrick Brown - 50 131 82 â–¼1

11. Arthur Diaz - 75 91 81 â–¼4

12. Thomas Grimes - 50 126 (125) 80 â–²9

13. Warren Ibrahim - 50 122 79 â–¼3

14. Gareth Davies - 50 112 75 â–¼3

15. Peter Hatley - 50 112 75 â–¼3

16. James Nichols - 50 112 75 â–¼3

17. Andrew Howard - 50 107 73 â–¼2

18. Alex Jameson - 50 95 68 â–¼1

19. John Henry - 25 130 67 â–²1

20. Cathal Lynch - 50 91 67 â–¼2

21. Mark Durrant - 50 90 66 â–¼2

22. John Healy - 50 90 (86) 66 â–²12

23. Mark Boulton - 25 124 64 â–¼1

24. Paul Thompson - 25 123 64 â–¼1

25. Andrew Baxter - 25 119 (119) 63

26. Peter Craik - 25 118 62 â–¼2

27. Michael Bamford - 25 117 62 â–¼2

28. Jose Rodriguez - 25 115 (115) 61

29. Neil Gage - 25 112 60 â–¼3

30. Craig Livermore - 25 112 60 â–¼3

31. Nick Clarke - 25 110 59 â–¼3

32. Nick Hoult - 25 104 (104) 57

33. Amit Marks - 25 104 (104) 56

34. Regis Martin - 25 103 (103) 56

35. Emmet Fitzgibbon - 25 102 56 â–¼6

36. Andrew Jackson - 25 101 (101) 55

37. Ford Cadiogan - 25 100 55 â–¼7

38. Mounir Dahbi - 25 99 55 â–¼7

39. Shahib Ali - 25 99 (99) 55

40. Stuart Hodson - 25 98 54 â–¼8

41. George Georgiou - 25 96 53 â–¼8

42. Jimmy Dale - 25 95 (95) 53

43. Jason Levy - 25 87 50 â–¼8

44. Kirk Johnson - 25 86 50 â–¼8

45. Imran Mustak - 25 65 41 â–¼8

Run Through Battersea Park 10km - Saturday 23rd November 2019

parkrun - all venues - Saturday 23rd November 2019

Laguna Phuket Charity Fun Run 5km, Thailand - Saturday 23rd November 2019

Great Run Local - Alton Water - Sunday 17th November 2019

XL Carrera Popular Ciudad de Jerez - 8.3km - Sunday 17th November 2019

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Carrera Popular de Jerez, second overall at 3:13/km. Difficult to find a race
with this level in Cadiz, where most of the fastest runners have turned up.
Felt good during the race, increasing the pace gradually and finished with
some petrol left in the tank. Now time for a XC race and the Jerez HM before
starting the Seville marathon training. Nothing like running at home.
Thanks to everyone who cheered me up during the course and to my club.

Phoenix Running Riverside Half Marathon - Sunday 17th November 2019

St Neots Half Marathon - Sunday 17th November 2019

Adidas City Run - Fulham 10km - Sunday 17th November 2019

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

947 Ride Joburg - Sunday 17th November 2019

Maverick Trail Kent 22kms - Saturday 16th November 2019

Run Through 5km, Victoria Park - Saturday 16th November 2019

Run Through Half Marathon, Victoria Park - Saturday 16th November 2019

London Cross Country Championships, Parliament Hill - Saturday 16th November 2019

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

494 men & 309 ladies
Men's team 11th of 38 (4 to score)

Mike Wilson Reports.
My debut at this event. The 4 Lap course was advertised as 10k distance (6.2 Miles), but turned out to be 6.5 Miles. It was very muddy after a lot of rain and needless to say, very hilly! I finished 465th out of 494 runners in an official chip time of 1.00.02. (My unofficial Strava time said 1.00.00 and I was hoping to get under one hour!)
A tough high standard race and a very enjoyable day out with the club. Our men's team finished in an impressive 11th place out of 38 clubs in total with Thomas Grimes, Patrick Brown, Euan Brown and Mark Boulton, our scorers. Fine London Championship debuts from Paula Bedford, Veronica Carrasco, Mark Moir, Andrew Jackson, Jacob Stevens, David Hallybone and Arthur Diaz. Arthur also had enough energy left in his legs to run the Phoenix Riverside Half Marathon the next day!

parkrun - all venues - Saturday 16th November 2019

Run In The Dark 10km, Battersea Park - Wednesday 13th November 2019

Fabrizio reports: I generally take a break after the year-end long race, and spend about a month with little training, and indulging in activities that a serious athlete wouldn't condone increasing the opportunities to sample Shiraz and Barbera, getting a monthly pass at McD, and avoiding fruit and veg like they were poison. I didn't realise that at work I had put my name down for Run in the Dark, which the company decided to enter to support the Mark Pollock Trust. Mark Pollock is an endurance athlete who became blind and subsequently wheelchair-bound after a fall from a second-storey window, and now aims to inspire people to build resilience and collaborate with others so that they achieve more than they thought possible.
It is one of those events when I thought multiple times: why am I doing this? It's cold, it's wet and rainy, it's windy, it's dark: my idea of hell really. And I wasn't fit for running, or so I thought, with nearly three weeks of hibernation and only 5 miles of running on my legs during this period. Similarly, I had to force myself to remember what to pack, what I'd need pre-, during, and post-race, so I shoved a few bits and pieces in a backpack without any conviction that this would be a race to remember from a performance perspective. Although the race was entirely on tarmac, with a foot injury still lingering I opted for super-cushioned trainers specific for trail running that I have used in the last month or so: Hoka One One Speedgoat, which I am more and more in love with.
Until I passed over the start line nothing (almost) went the ideal way. A long commute to the place (Battersea Park), including a mile walk from the station to the extremely crowded marquees where race packs were available and bags were dropped; then a (too) quick warm-up without stretching or strides, a last-minute vest changeover (so I could tell everyone that ELR was there); then trying to squeeze in the crowd to get as close as possible to the start line, and still not being able to get closer than about 50 metres. By then I had forgotten in my bag three things, clearly not essential: my new head torch, a gel, and gloves.
It took a good two minutes to be able to run in a straight line without having to slalom between other runners. As at the half I ran three weeks ago, I kept looking at the watch at every kilometre, more and more surprised that I could run another one at that pace despite (in this case) the lack of training, and wondering when I'd hit the wall. Indeed, I kept lapping other runners, and only towards the end was I able to run just about on my own. I did hit the wall about a mile to the end, but I kept going, realising that I was going to get a good time.
At the end I did get a VB (Veteran Best; in nearly all distances my PBs are out of reach): 37:43, 5th overall and first vet. After finishing I attempted a cool down (couldn't get any cooler than that, I'm afraid). I stayed for a few more minutes, waiting for my colleagues to put an end to their agony, then politely declined to stay for a drink as at that moment a hot bath was all I needed, and it was about 90 minutes from there.
The race lives up to its name: it's in the dark, although there is sufficient lighting to see puddles, runners and other obstacles. Those familiar with Battersea Park will know that the course is as flat as you can get, and the trees provide good shelter against the wind; on the sad side, the start avenue is far too narrow and dealing with the other 700 runners was a challenge. It is definitely a race I would run again, and would recommend running here to all those who look for a PB course or a good place for tempo runs or fast long intervals.
Now let the hibernation continue for a few more weeks: ZZZZZZZZZ.

Chase The Moon 5km, QEOP - Wednesday 13th November 2019

Chase The Moon 10km, QEOP - Wednesday 13th November 2019

Chase the moon. 10k Olympic park. 1st position. 33:46 and 3:10 min PB!
I wanted to do a 10k before the end of the year to complete a great year of PBs. After find out I will not be able to run the XC race this weekend due to work I decided to book something local and have it done.
Weather was great for running on the cold side. Race started fast as some runners were doing a 5k. I felt fast and comfortable and adopted a 3-4 position. After 2 laps(5k) I was tempted to do a Sprint and get 1st position for the 5k but I quickly discharged the idea as I was going for a 10k PB and position wasn't as important. A group of 3 separated from the rest and did good at controlling the pace and don't get too carried away. On the last lap I started increasing the pace and chasing them and at the last 500 m I was confident I had enough energy for a long sprint and that should give me the victory
Chuffed with my time and the 1st position and knowing there's still room for improvement.

Marathon Swims 5km, QEOP Aquatic Centre - Sunday 10th November 2019

Splits
Dan; 22.33, 22.07, 22.19, 23.09, 24.28
Joanna; 21.00, 21.34, 23.03, 24.22, 25.20
Katherine; 26.35, 27.14, 27.06, 26.18, 27.49
Jason; 31.37, 33.24, 35.44, 36.57, 38.29


Joanna: A very boisterous 5km swim today with a few bruises picked up along the way.
Chuffed that I managed a sub 2 finishing 3mins faster than last year in 1.57.19
but you need to be made of stern stuff against some of the swimmers in there.
I doubt I'll do it again as there's little enjoyment factor but at least I'll be going out on a high.
More training over the next couple of weeks before my big day so feeling positive at the mo.
Thanks as always to my best support team; Marc, Stuart, my mum and Sandra and it was great to see Kat & Jason swim beforehand.
A great water-based day for ELR.

Regents Park 10km - Sunday 10th November 2019

Stebbing /Essex 10m - Sunday 10th November 2019

Behobia-San Sebastian 20K - Sunday 10th November 2019

Alexandra: Race Report Behobia-San Sebastian 20k
So much to say about that weekend ! A few months ago, I heard Maud talking about the trip, as I love Spain and running weekends, I asked if she needed some company and she managed to get the organisers to offer me a free entry as well. Since, I only had to buy a (cheap) flight, the decision was taken quickly…
Maud will probably explain better than me how both the organisers of the race and the University of San Sebastian took amazing care of us, from arranging our transfers to offering us lunch and the VIP treatment after the race. During the whole weekend, we only met with my favourite type of people : the warm and welcoming ones! I also had the opportunity to practice my Spanish which was a big plus and believe me, explaining the story of 'the clap' to the Dean of the University in Spanish was quite a memorable moment.
The race, then! We knew we would have to wrap well before the start, a 30 mins trip on a crowded train from San Sebastian to Behobia then a stressful 2 kms walk to drop our bags on time more than 1 hour before our race hoping it wouldn't rain too heavily, we had fun crossing the border for a short warm-up in France , a bit of standing in front of the big screen looking at the start line then it was time for Maud to go, That's when it suddenly started to pour again and I was cold, fortunately, I managed to find shelter for 20 mins just near the very interesting new urinal for women. I almost felt sorry I didn't want to pee anymore cause I would have loved to try them! (more info here: https://www.lapee.dk/ ).
Luckily, the rain stopped and I could go to my pen, The silver lining of running so badly this year is that I don't feel any pressure before running a race, I know in advance that it will be slower that what I should be able to run anyway, But, then, that mentality probably doesn't help, vicious circle and all.
Anyway, off we go and as expected, I was struggling at even a 10:30 min/mile pace at the start, oh well, after Beachy Head 2 weeks ago, any race will feel easy anyway, just hang on there, Fortunately, it got a bit easier. I had a laugh at myself passing the city of Irun (pronounce it Eeroun) finally realising that the name I kept seeing since we got our numbers the day before had nothing to do with running and being a runner (yep, I really thought there was a place, probably a type of leisure center city called ' I run' in North of Spain) Always good to have a giggle while running The race was certainly undulating with some longer hills at 3 points of the race but again, after the last few hills I encountered in my running, they didn't seem that high, High enough, though, to remind me that since the last 6 months, each time my heart rate goes above 160, I am finding it difficult to breath then feel dizzy, so there you go, I had to walk to get the heart rate down and feel ok again. One day, I will stop going around the world and get it checked, promise ! The enthusiasm of the crowd and the volunteers was amazing, I absolutely loved that old man in his underwear on the terrace of his apartment playing on his drum for us, It was pouring rain at times but they were there with their umbrellas, screaming and shouting 'Venga, Venga, Venga! Animo!!! (which I had to translate to some French runners seriously, guys, what did you think it was dah!) The most memorable moment was obviously the hailstorm I faced mid-race! Unbelievable Really painful on my face so I was running with my hands on my head, but the crowd was still there encouraging us while we were facing it This race is extremely popular in the area. It started 100 years ago and this year was the 55thedition so there are a lot of traditions attached to it. Then, the weather calmed down, I passed the first 5k in 29 mins, then 10k in 1h00, I was trying to remain within that zone and finish in around 2h00-2h05mins for the 20k, Less than 3k to go, I was more on less on track, and that's when we arrived in San Sebastian with a change of weather again and a heavy rain and wind to finish that race in a badass way. I managed to sprint a little in the last km, it was nice to see the City Hall from a distance despite the rain and by that time, the crowd was on fire, Seriously, Londoners, you have competition for the London marathon.
I finished in 2.02.02 , not that great but not so catastrophic, pretty much the reflection of my last 6 months of running, Completely disorientated after the race, I was trying to find the VIP tent where Maud was waiting for me but ended up in tears (a bit of a pattern this year too,sighs.) in the middle of the street till someone picked me up and decided to escort me to where I needed to be, I was then pampered as I have never been after a race !
Around 25% of women participated to the race this year, the organisers are aiming at getting a 50% female participation by 2025 which is why they invited Maud to hear about the #RunEqual campaign, I will certainly come back in 2025 (if not before) and I am hoping to take a few more ELRs with me too ( feminist men welcome too :-P, there are many of you at the club) If this race report doesn't convince you, wait till you see Maud and I's t-shirts on Wednesday night, They are absolutely gorgeous ! (and of course, participants had the choice between a male and a female t-shirt)

Maud: Since Alexandra has already posted about the race I will try not to duplicate too much. Sorry it ended up a bit long anyway...
Last year I wrote an article for the race magazine of the Behobia-San Sebastián. They had just launched their 50/50-25 initiative, which is a commitment to achieving equal numbers of men & women entering the race by 2025. They also invited me to run the race last year, but it was quite short notice and I wasn't able to.
This year they asked me again, and with plenty of time to plan I immediately accepted. It wasn't practical for Peter to come with me due to our parental responsibilities, but Alexandra nobly stepped into the breach.
I was then asked by the local university if I would give a talk the day after the race - I really wanted to say no, but I am trying to get better and less nervous about stuff like that, so I agreed.
I'd been simultaneously really looking forward to it and totally bricking myself about the talk, but at the last minute I nearly had to cancel. Peter's father is seriously ill, and he had to go to Scotland to be with him at short notice. And while our sons are now 17 & 18 we couldn't leave them alone for the weekend given G's fragile mental health, and the possibility that they might lose their granddad while we were both away. Thankfully my mother stepped into the breach and came to stay. I was still pretty uncomfortable about leaving them, but they were in safe hands.
I was very fretful on the plane heading out - not being able to contact my family. But once we arrived, and I knew the my mother had arrived at our house I was able to switch off and trust that they would be OK. We were met by a taxi and taken to the city hall in Sebastián, where due to our flight arriving late we had just missed the race presentation (and the most of the food), but we met some of our hosts, who were all so warm and welcoming that we felt at ease straight away.
On Saturday we went to the race expo at Irun - it's a big race with over 30,000 runners entered. We were met by Arantza from the organising club, picked up our bibs & T shirts (really nice women's fit ones), did some photos and then got the train back to San Sebastián for an amazing lunch - a pintxos bar crawl with Felix from the university.
We'd agreed with Arantza that rather than just take a taxi to the start we would go by train to get the full race-day experience. We were met at the station by Eñaut, had had interviewed me in Newcastle a few weeks ago, and he take some pics of us on the train.
The weather forecast for the whole weekend was pretty awful, and it was indeed a cold, wet and windy morning. The bag drop closed (officially) quite a long time before the start so it was a challenge to keep warm on reasonably dry. Most of the runners had disposable ponchos, but we weren't that well prepared.
I got a pretty good soaking as my wave was walked to the start line, but after that I was pretty lucky, and missed the hailstorm that Alexandra got caught in. I really enjoyed the race itself - I paced it sensibly so as to be able take it all in. In spite of the awful weather the local support was brilliant. Eñaut was there again at the finish line - we confused the marshal by me going back towards the line a couple of times so he could get some more pics.
Then I had to convince a security guard who spoke no English that I needed to go to the VIP tent - Patxi who was supposed to meet had been misled by my negative split. Sadly Haile Gebrselassie was no longer there (Patxi showed me his selfie...), but there was wine and snacks and somewhere dry to change - Arantza had arranged for our bags to be fetched from the truck and brought straight there. Afterwards we went to the post-race reception at a nearby hotel.
Then on Monday I did an interview with a local journalist followed by the talk at Deusto University, which was also streamed to their other campus in Bilbao. Wasn't at all happy with it, but I guess I never am. I was relieved to have Patxi & Arantza alongside me, and they shared the questions at the end. Mighty relieved when it was done.
What a weekend - you couldn't ask for a more friendly bunch of people. We have promised to go back - in 2025 if not before.

Athens Marathon - Sunday 10th November 2019

Phoenix Running Excalibur 11 (Invincible Conquest) - Saturday 9th November 2019

Essex Remembrance Run Half Marathon, Saffron Walden - Saturday 9th November 2019

Essex Remembrance Half Marathon - 1:33:59
Really happy with another half marathon PB just 7 weeks after the Scottish Half!
Since then I've been training hard for the Dawn to Dusk marathon including going
to track the day after the half and doing 200 miles in October but buzzing that
the hard work is paying off with course PBs at the two Hog Hill races and
Cheshunt XC and a half marathon PB today.
Nice bonus to pick up the pace in those last few miles and sneak a sub 1:34 on
chip timing after my watch recorded 1:34:02.
Good luck to everyone else racing this weekend!

parkrun - all venues - Saturday 9th November 2019

Chingford League - Event 2 - Hog Hill 2, Redbridge Cycle Circuit - Tuesday 5th November 2019

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Team results:
Ladies A Team 4th, Vets 4th (4th in both overall after 2 events)
Men A Team 3rd, B Team 3rd, Vets 4th (A & B 4th overall, Vets 5th overall)

Jacob Reports. Here are the updated ELR Winter League rankings, after Chingford League race #2. No change at the top of the leaderboard, but lots of movement further down, as runners who have done at least two races jump ahead of those that have done only one.

Numbers after each name:

- Participation score

- Overall performance score

- (Performance score in this race - if applicable)

- Overall score

**Women:**

Name - Part. Perf. (Race perf.) Score

1. Fiona Day - 100 115 (116) 106

2. Maud Hodson - 100 113 (113) 105

3. Kasia Stachowiak - 100 108 (109) 103

4. Carolyn Edwards - 100 99 (97) 100

5. Alexandra Rutishauser-Perera - 100 90 (90) 96

6. Becky Evans - 67 130 (128) 92

7. Caroline Frith - 67 121 (120) 88

8. Emily Clarke - 67 115 (116) 86

9. Sandra Preston - 67 113 (114) 85

10. Janet Bywater - 67 109 (113) 84

11. Chloe Millan - 67 106 82

12. Katie Whitton - 67 105 (105) 82

13. Cat Hoult - 67 100 (101) 80

14. Filipa Soares - 67 98 (95) 79

15. Kathryn Hertzberg - 67 90 (91) 76

16. Veronica Carrasco - 67 90 (92) 76

17. Ellie Wilkinson - 33 118 67

18. Susannah McLaren - 33 110 64

19. Lauren Kelly - 33 107 63

20. Sarah Burns - 33 103 61

21. Claire Emery - 33 101 60

22. Tina Bennett - 33 97 (97) 59

23. Anna Dingle - 33 85 54

24. Lauren Stevenson - 33 84 (84) 54

25. Maya Goodwin - 33 83 53

26. Joanna Qiu - 33 81 (81) 52

**Men:**

Name - Part. Perf. (Race perf.) Score

1. Calvin Bobin - 100 132 (131) 113

2. Billy Rayner - 100 115 (116) 106

3. Jacob Stevens - 100 114 (113) 105

4. Mark Moir - 100 111 (112) 104

5. Michael Wilson - 100 110 (112) 104

6. Karan Gadhia - 100 103 (106) 101

7. Arthur Diaz - 100 91 (87) 96

8. Euan Brown - 67 136 (136) 94

9. Patrick Brown - 67 131 (129) 92

10. Warren Ibrahim - 67 122 (120) 89

11. Gareth Davies - 67 112 (110) 85

12. Peter Hatley - 67 112 (112) 85

13. James Nichols - 67 112 (111) 85

14. Lance Fuller - 67 108 (107) 83

15. Andrew Howard - 67 107 (108) 83

16. Ciaran Canavan - 67 106 (108) 82

17. Alex Jameson - 67 95 (94) 78

18. Cathal Lynch - 67 91 (91) 77

19. Mark Durrant - 67 90 (92) 76

20. John Henry - 33 130 72

21. Thomas Grimes - 33 127 71

22. Mark Boulton - 33 124 (124) 69

23. Paul Thompson - 33 123 69

24. Peter Craik - 33 118 (118) 67

25. Michael Bamford - 33 117 (117) 67

26. Neil Gage - 33 112 (112) 65

27. Craig Livermore - 33 112 (112) 65

28. Nick Clarke - 33 110 64

29. Emmet Fitzgibbon - 33 102 61

30. Ford Cadiogan - 33 100 60

31. Mounir Dahbi - 33 99 60

32. Stuart Hodson - 33 98 (98) 59

33. George Georgiou - 33 96 (96) 58

34. John Healy - 33 93 (93) 57

35. Jason Levy - 33 87 (87) 55

36. Kirk Johnson - 33 86 55

37. Imran Mustak - 33 65 (65) 46

Maratona do Porto - Sunday 3rd November 2019

Marathon des Alpe-Maritimes Nice-Cannes - Sunday 3rd November 2019

VeloPark Greenwich Tritons Team Duathlon Relays - Sunday 3rd November 2019

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

2 mile run, 6 mile cycle, 1 mile run
East London Runners 2.00.33 15th team, 7th mixed
M Bamford 6.24,7.08/3.05,2.49,2.50,2.50,2.54,3.47/7.00
S Burns 7.39,8.36/2.50,2.52,2.50,2.53,2.53,4.00/8.11
J Dale 6.20,7.13/2.54,2.57,2.51,2.57,2.55,4.06/6.37
East London Triathletes-Bitten My Hats 32nd 15th mixed
J Bywater 8.32,9.35/3.24,3.24,3.25,3.24,3.26,4.19/9.24
P Hatley 6.51,7.16/3.11,3.15,3.18,3.21,3.19,4.08/6.53
Captain-Drax Team
J Levy 8.13,9.25/3.30,3.22,3.34,3.29,3.33,4.26/9.13

TCS New York City Marathon - Sunday 3rd November 2019

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Nick Hoult : New York Marathon 2019.
The toughest course of the five marathons I have run but definitely the most enjoyable and memorable. It started on on Staten Island with New York, New York belting out on the loudspeaker and the cannon going off to signal the start of the race. The highlights never stopped.
Brooklyn was a ten mile long street party of gospel choirs, rock bands and I even heard bagpipers at one stage.
Queens was just the same but the mile long bridge to reach Manhattan was eerily silent with no spectators and a tough long climb before dropping down into Manhattan on First Avenue.
Plenty of anti-Trump placards (you are running better than the government, that kind of thing) but an absence of Fancy Dress proving that running a marathon dressed as a Rhino really is a British thing.
Residents in Harlem were dishing out salt in pots (Harlem salt the best in the world) and at this point I passed a man running the race backwards
Central Park was a series of rolling hills and the end was the top of another little climb. Finished in 3.41.57. Aimed for sub 3.40 but knew that was going to be tough for me on this course and was pleased to have run a steady pace without blowing up.
Nice big apple shaped medal that weighed the neck down a bit but three beers Later in a bar with Jonathan and Bernard it all felt so much easier again

Lode Half Marathon - Sunday 3rd November 2019

Stevenage Half Marathon - Sunday 3rd November 2019

Loughton Inter Club Vets' Champs - Saturday 2nd November 2019

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Teams - 4 to score
Men 4th, women 2nd (level on points with winners Eton Manor, who I think get the win on a higher placed 4th runner)

parkrun - all venues - Saturday 2nd November 2019

Midnight Half Marathon - Thursday 31st October 2019

RunThrough Halloween Chase the Moon Olympic Park 5K - Thursday 31st October 2019

Run Through Bedford Autodrome Marathon - Sunday 27th October 2019

Ironman 70.3 Team Relay , Marrakesh - Sunday 27th October 2019

Swim 43.43, T1 8.01, Cycle 3.15.34,(Louis LeRoux)
T2 2.47, Run 2.22.54 (Rachel LeRoux)
Relay 10th of 17.

Rachel: IronMan Marrakesh Relay finished, Louis Le Roux swim and bike
and me on the run, and boy was it hot and very hard, 32 degrees with no shade
and long roads that went on forever!
On a plus side we beat Michael Bamford

Ironman 70.3 , Marrakesh - Sunday 27th October 2019

Swim 58.44, T1 7.17, Cycle 3.30.16, T2 4.34, Run 2.23.09

Chasing Pumpkins 5km, Haven House - Sunday 27th October 2019

Run Through Bedford Autodrome 10km - Sunday 27th October 2019

Chasing Pumpkins 10km, Haven House - Sunday 27th October 2019

Supersports 10m Series, Chiang Mai - Sunday 27th October 2019

Tom Woods: And that wraps it up for 2019.
10 Mile International Race Series Ran
Hat Yai in 1:33:42
Bangkok in 1:34:59
Korat in 1:28:39
Chiang Mai this morning in 1:27:19.
Now time to start marathon training again for Khon Kaen , end of January

River Thames Half Marathon - Sunday 27th October 2019

Worksop Halloween Half Marathon - Sunday 27th October 2019

Stort 30m - Sunday 27th October 2019

Carlton D'Souza: Peter and James, really enjoyed the run with you
both yesterday, challenging but great fun on a glorious sunny day.
Couldn't have asked for a better support crew in JP and Jonathan (and my
new best friend Bella), really appreciated your support and the lift.
Had a great day out, thank you.

parkrun - all venues - Saturday 26th October 2019

Beachy Head 10km - Saturday 26th October 2019

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Beachy Head Marathon - Saturday 26th October 2019

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

James Nichols: Beachy Head trail marathon completed today in 3.57.59.
Really enjoyed that - well, most of it, there were a lot of hills, too many
to count! Nice to get away from the cities and do a race like that, probably
the toughest thing I've done. Very windy but the sun was out, what a way to
check out the spectacular scenery.

Alexandra : Silly me did the Beachy Head marathon today 2 years after
the first one!
I had forgotten about half of the hills and really struggled out there today
with a painful ankle but I conquered it once again with a 20 mins course PB !
Gosh, was it gorgeous!!!!

Jacob Stevens:Beachy Head Marathon race report:

I signed up for this race - my first trail marathon - as I'd heard from the ELRs who ran it two years ago that it was very scenic and challenging. After a wonderful meal with the ELR team on Friday night and a good night's sleep, I felt ready for the challenge as I walked the mile along the seafront to the start with my wife Joanna (who was, far more sensibly, going to have a nice walk along the cliffs while I went about my marathon malarkey). Being a medium-sized race (2000 runners), the bag drop and start were hassle-free, and soon we were off, up a ridiculously steep hill (which I walked, not wanting to tire my legs out so soon) and then up and around the ridge of the South Downs, with amazing views over Eastbourne. I was planning to run slightly slower than my road marathon pace along the flat parts of the course, but soon realised that there weren't going to be any flat bits - it was all up or down - so I just ran by feel. After 5 miles the scene changed to woodland - muddy in places - and then we climbed to the top of Windover Hill, which was (aptly) very windy but had breathtaking views of the Cuckmere Valley and the Weald - probably the most scenic bit of any race I've ever done. This was followed by a steep descent, a bit of boggy ground by the flooded river, a short section through the quaint village of Alfriston - the only road section on the entire course - and then another long slog up Bostal Hill, the highest point on the course. I stopped and had some squash and a biscuit at the checkpoint here - the checkpoints were all very well organised, with a good selection of snacks as well as drinks - the sausage rolls looked tempting, but I didn't trust my stomach.

The next section was supposed to be a nice long gradual downhill path, but it was directly into the wind and it felt as if I was still running uphill. I passed the halfway point at just over 2 hours, and then it was down another steep slope back to the river, and more muddy ground. Now, I was expecting the next few miles to be flat alongside the river, but no, they managed to find some hills to send us up, including two long sections of steep steps! And then finally we came to the start of the Seven Sisters cliffs, which are very steep in places (I walked the steep bits). By this stage, my knee was starting to hurt when running downhill, and I was a bit worried I might have picked up an injury. The scenery here is lovely, and I tried to focus on that to distract me from the tiredness and pain. I bumped into Joanna on her walk near Birling Gap, which gave me a nice mental boost, and then it was up the long slog to the top of Beachy Head, and finally the last mile downhill back to Eastbourne. The race starts and finishes at the same point, so you have to run down that ridiculously steep hill at the end - not an easy task when your legs feel like they're about to give way at any moment. But finally I was across the line, finishing in 4:11, a time I was very pleased with, given the course difficulty. My knee seems alright after the race, so hopefully no injury.

I'd really recommend this race for anyone who likes a challenge in stunning scenery. I may be back to run the half next year...

Alexandra: Race report Beachy Head ! Maya: sorry for the delay, all the others : sorry for the length!

Beachy Head number 2 ! There are so many great marathons out there, I was not really planning to do that one again this year but a fine group of ELRs talked about it and I then saw that it could be a good opportunity for an ultra-training after the Loch Ness marathon, I booked my hotel and joined the fun!

I had absolutely loved it 2 years ago. As it was my first marathon at the time, I couldn't compared it to anything, tough, yes but aren't all marathons supposed to be ?

I was quite confident on my way to Eastbourne on friday, having ran an eventful (once again!) marathon 3 weeks before, I knew my body could take the distance, I was only slightly worried that it might have been too soon after it and that my body hadn't properly recovered, Still relaxed at the start of the race, the maranoia only started kicking in after 1 mile,That mile! So, so hilly! My calves were burning like never before and I wondered if they would ever stop feeling that bad,is this what an injury feels like ? Then it was the turn of the sole of my feet and I started to worry about fascia plantitis… pure maranoia, By mile 4, I had twisted my ankle several times and that was it, I started to think that I would never finish that race and that I would have my first marathon DNF, That couldn't happen, I had already lost my speed (well, not that I was ever fast!) this year, I couldn't also lose my stamina! Meeting Sophie Edwards at the first checkpoint distracted me, it felt good to have friendly face around, I continued and she passed me a few miles later so we stopped to take a few pictures of us on the way. Then on a long downhill, I lost her and I was not sure anymore if she was in front or behind me. The more the race was going, the more I realised how running with Roselin 2 years ago had distracted me from the pain at the time. By miles 8, I was still unsure I would be able to finish! I had completely forgotten how many hills were thrown at us during that race. There was no way I could run them, they were too steep. I kept thinking: I want to run, let me run, can you give us more flat bits ? And that wind ! Just before the second village, I ran for a bit with a guy wearing football shoes ! He was too afraid of falling in the mud and grass,but of course didn't think that it would be hard to run on it on the bits of tarmac. I thought really hard about what shoes to wear and chose comfort over grip by wearing my ON, I had not regretted it. I passed the half way point in 2h50 and I knew that the 2 set of stairs and the Seven sisters were coming, At that time, I was really not sure I would beat my 2017 time !

My ankle was ok on the flat bits but really painful on the down and uphills, I didn't think it was serious though, there is no way I could have really injured it and ran that far ! There were a bit more downhills half way, that's what I needed to get it together. When I reached mile 15, I knew that I could run 11 miles more, how long it would take didn't matter, especially as several times during the race, we had to queue quite a while to be able to pass some gates! Then, after the two set of stairs, finally came the ultimate reward of that race: the sea wall and its beautiful downhill ! Spectacular!!! I checked my watch, there was still a chance I could go under the 6 hours despite the Seven sisters and I went on, hills after hills, down after down. By the time you reach them, you run with people you have seen several times for the last few hours and start making friends, we were encouraging each other The wind was violent, but luckily at times blowing the right way and pushing us on hills, at a point, the wind even pushed me to run uphill.

Five hours, by that time, I was at around 22 miles , how long will it take me to finish ? If I remember well, the last 3 miles were quite flat then downhill, What was I thinking, of course not! It was still not the end of hills and around mile 24, that huge last hill showed up. I felt really discouraged,I couldn't do it anymore, all I wanted for a while was not even to walk uphill but simply stop, go on the side, sit with my arms around my legs and wait there till the pain stops, but that would be silly, I was so close, all I could do was going on, then finally, that long downhill till the end , that felt so good, we could see Eastbourne from the top of the hill, the final bit is pretty steep but I am a fearless downhill runner and pushed by it, I even sprinted to the finish line and beat that guy in front, we both had a good laugh about it. I hadn't checked my watch for a while, I was pretty happy to see a time of 5h40 mins for a race that I found a lot tougher than I did 2 years ago.

Next year, they are adding a Half-marathon to the marathon and 10k, so I'd say, it's a possibly maybe…

Thames Trot Ultra - Saturday 26th October 2019

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Rob Dixon: Race report - Thames Trot 48
When I first told Maud Hodson I was running this, she warned me about the mud! Blessed with that wisdom, I donned my trail shoes and set off at a nice pace. The rain held off for a while but when it started, it didn't really stop. All went swimmingly (no pun intended, despite the small ponds on the route) for the first 20 miles but there was a lot of mud!
Despite being concerned about the cut offs, I managed to gain 90 mins of time and then maintained that until the end. I didn't have much time to look around, the wind and rain kept me bent over double but there was one beautiful autumnal moment, where I looked down through a tunnel of trees and the ground was blanketed with russet, brown and yellow leaves. I wish I'd taken a photo but it probably wouldn't have captured the moment.
I kept telling myself to run as far past 30 miles as I could and I managed to keep moving until the late 30s. One thing which really helped were salt tablets I tend to suffer from cramp when running anything greater than 20 miles so I was super relieved when I didn't cramp up.
The last few miles were slow and when I spied the finish line, my gait loosened and I actually felt like I was running, rather than the ugly shuffle run I'd been doing for the previous 3 hours. After a quick coffee at the finish, I hobbled off to find a taxi to my hotel.
Hope everyone had a good weekend of running!
Rob

Paula Bedford: So this run was about the mud. I knew it would be long , windy and wet but had not really considered how it feels to run on mud. Most of it was like running on a ice rink without ice skates. The first bit was so muddy that by 25km, the point I thought I'd feeling good, I already was wondering how on earth I would be able to finish. Thankfully by 40km I'd got my shit together and it was then about making the check point cut offs which I did one by one until I was on the home straight. By far the hardest run I've every done. So now to decide what's next !!

Serpentine Last Friday 5km - Friday 25th October 2019

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon - Sunday 20th October 2019

Detroit Marathon, Michigan USA - Sunday 20th October 2019

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Roselin : Two for one report (Chicago & Detroit)
I probably ran the race of my life last week in Chicago. 4.27 pb, I still can't believe it! Didn't think it was possible with five weeks of little to no running leading up to it, due to a combination of niggling knee pain and lack of motivation after the New Forest marathon.
Race day and the conditions were almost perfect, cold, windy but the sun was shining! I could not rely on my garmin to pace myself as it was going bonkers with the skyscrapers. Worked out well as I just ran to feel and found myself running pretty even splits. I was feeling great.
I started to struggle around 35km but still felt under control. Less than a club run to go, I can do this. 4.30 was in the bag if I just kept plodding, I couldn't believe it. Then something happened at mile 25. We approached the final stretch downtown, the noise from the crowds were deafening and I felt my heart racing, my breathing out of control and numbness in my hands and face. My legs were fine but I knew I couldn't run or I'd faint. I must have panicked and let the moment overwhelm me. I wasn't going to blow the 4.30 though and managed to see it through. What a race. Amazingly well organised and fantastic support. Loved Chicago, will definitely be back some day!
I couldn't have done any of this though without Danny Wong who basically crewed me the entire way! Somehow managed to beat the crowds and see me at Miles 3, 13, 17, 21, and 24! He probably ran half a marathon just getting from place to place. Just when I needed him he was there cheering me on, giving me an extra gel, gummies, pain relief! I've never been able to run an entire marathon before but knowing I'd see him in a few miles again kept me going. Supporting is the hardest job right?
Now onto Detroit and marathon number 10. A trip to the states for me meant I wanted to get my flight fares worth and I managed to twist Danny's arm in running this one with me. The appeal for Detroit was an opportunity to run in both the US and Canada! We had to go through customs and border control at the expo to get our bib which was an experience! Crossing the border during the race meant everyone had to carry passports during the run, and no backpacks/running vests or water bottles! Early 7am start meant we got to see the beautiful sunrise as we ran along the Ambassadors Bridge. It was one hell of a tough race, everything hurt. I could barely move after 15 miles. How was I cocky enough to think I could do this? So different to Chicago but so enjoyable for different reasons. It definitely had more of local race feel, pockets of support were great - beer and snacks dotted along the route, and the race merch was ace! For 1/4 the price of Chicago we got a great tech long sleeve (ladies and men fitted too!), gloves, buff, sunglasses, bottle, endless food, free race photos....oh and the medal? Biggest, heaviest and best bling yet! We may be back for this one too .

Chiswick Half Marathon - Sunday 20th October 2019

Great South Run - Sunday 20th October 2019

Amsterdam Marathon - Sunday 20th October 2019

Sunday XC League - Event 1 - Cheshunt - Sunday 20th October 2019

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

462 finishers, 280 men & 182 ladies
Team results : combined 8 of 19.
Men's team: A (8 to score) 8th of 19, B (5 to score) 7th of 8, Vets 9th of 19.
Ladies team: A (5 to score)10th of 19, B (3 to score)8th of 10, Vets 8th of 19.

Here are the ELR Winter League rankings after Sunday League race #1 (Cheshunt). If you ran at Hog Hill but missed yesterday's race, you'll have dropped down the leaderboard, but you can easily move back up by taking part in the rest of the Winter League races. Any questions, let me know.

The numbers after each name are:
- Participation score
- Overall performance score
- (Performance score in this race - if applicable)
- Overall score

Women:
Name - Part. Perf. (Race perf.) Score
1. Fiona Day - 100 114 (110) 106
2. Maud Hodson - 100 114 (113) 105
3. Kasia Stachowiak - 100 107 (108) 103
4. Chloe Millan - 100 106 (105) 102
5. Carolyn Edwards - 100 99 (100) 100
6. Alexandra Rutishauser-Perera - 100 90 (89) 96
7. Becky Evans - 50 131 82
8. Caroline Frith - 50 121 78
9. Ellie Wilkinson - 50 118 77
10. Emily Clarke - 50 114 (114) 75
11. Sandra Preston - 50 113 (113) 75
12. Susannah McLaren - 50 110 (110) 74
13. Lauren Kelly - 50 107 73
14. Janet Bywater - 50 106 (106) 72
15. Katie Whitton - 50 105 72
16. Sarah Burns - 50 103 71
17. Filipa Soares - 50 102 71
18. Claire Emery - 50 101 70
19. Cat Hoult - 50 100 70
20. Kathryn Hertzberg - 50 90 (90) 66
21. Veronica Carrasco - 50 88 (88) 65
22. Anna Dingle - 50 85 64
23. Maya Goodwin - 50 83 63

Men:
Name - Part. Perf. (Race perf.) Score
1. Calvin Bobin - 100 133 (134) 113
2. Billy Rayner - 100 114 (111) 106
3. Jacob Stevens - 100 114 (113) 106
4. Mark Moir - 100 111 (113) 104
5. Michael Wilson - 100 109 (107) 104
6. Karan Gadhia - 100 102 (103) 101
7. Arthur Diaz - 100 93 (92) 97
8. Euan Brown - 50 136 85
9. Patrick Brown - 50 132 83
10. John Henry - 50 130 (130) 82
11. Thomas Grimes - 50 127 (127) 81
12. Warren Ibrahim - 50 124 80
13. Paul Thompson - 50 123 (123) 79
14. Gareth Davies - 50 114 (114) 76
15. James Nichols - 50 112 (112) 75
16. Peter Hatley - 50 112 75
17. Nick Clarke - 50 110 74
18. Lance Fuller - 50 109 74
19. Andrew Howard - 50 106 72
20. Ciaran Canavan - 50 104 72
21. Emmet Fitzgibbon - 50 102 71
22. Ford Cadiogan - 50 100 70
23. Mounir Dahbi - 50 99 70
24. Alex Jameson - 50 97 69
25. Cathal Lynch - 50 92 67
26. Mark Durrant - 50 89 65
27. Kirk Johnson - 50 86 (86) 65

The Sunday League uses 10-year age categories, so the adjustment factors used in the performance score calculation are as follows:
SM 1.0676 SW 0.9404
M40 0.9883 W35 0.9144
M50 0.9110 W45 0.8393
M60 0.8338 W55 0.7433

Royal Parks 10km Series - Greenwich Park - Sunday 20th October 2019

Andrea Waller Race report. It was hilly. It hurt. We finished. We ate cake & got bling.

Herts Riverside Half Marathon - Sunday 20th October 2019

266 finishers
Race report: Herts Riverside half marathon (and 10k)
This is a wonderfully green and scenic race starting next to the white water rafting centre near Waltham Abbey. It's quite a small race and most people seemed to go for the 10k option, so it was quiet on the second lap with not much cheering (though the marshals were very encouraging). But the race made up for this with the river, beautiful willow trees, swans and even a fox running into the forest.
I wasn't that pleased with my time (ELR ladies will know it's uncomfortable running with period/lower back pain) but my friend Richard ran with me, which helped. (He's not yet an ELR member, but I'm working on it...). I was amused to see the other ELR running today was a whole hour quicker than us - well done Joe Gunn!

Amsterdam Half Marathon - Sunday 20th October 2019

Chelmsford Marathon - Sunday 20th October 2019

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Nat Dye: Chelmsford Marathon Race Report
This race was an achievement - not so much for finishing, but for getting to the start line.
I was due to run Chelmsford last year, but had to defer following a bike accident. This time round, I almost had to do so again after other unfortunate life events put a halt to training and I wasn’t sure if my body was Marathon ready. Indeed, this time last week, I was pretty sure I wouldn't run. What happened? It seems that lost fitness takes less time to regain than one might think.
For mental health purposes if nothing else, I've recently gotten into the habit of running a little every day. Nothing spectacular - mostly 5k or 5 miles and I'm only up to 14 days. However, in just that time, I progressed from struggling at an easy effort to feeling pretty comfortable and running a little more quickly for the same effort. Although nowhere near peak fitness, by Saturday, it felt like a marathon might actually help, rather than set me back.
So I lined up with Regis and Rob, hoping to simply get round at a comfortable pace, without getting injured. Regis had other ideas and accelerated off into the distance never to be seen again. However, Rob was tapering (!) for next week's Thames Trot 50, so we ambled out of Chelmsford together. The initial pace was a bit faster than either of us were aiming for, but as we both felt comfortable, we cracked on at a pretty even 8:30 per mile, chatting away the miles with others who weren't too out of breath. One such person completed all of the centurion races last year (4x100 miles and 4x50) - such encounters show me how much further I have to go!
Upon leaving town, the surrounding countryside was pleasant and, at times, idyllic in the late autumn sun - running conditions were perfect. We continued to simply put miles behind us and only got slower as the course started to significantly undulate. I felt pleased that running only really felt hard in the last two miles or so. At this point, Rob ran free of my moderating influence and made a dash for the line.
However, my thoughts were on the free food and I used the energy I'd saved by not sprint finishing to jog straight to Wagamama and get ahead of the queue. As I heartily refuelled, I took stock of a marathon that was far quicker than expected and my second fastest. Today, in a rare moment of sanity, I officially pulled out of the Thames Trot in order to focus on the long slow buildup back to top form. Usual running based insanity to resume shortly!

Asda Foundation Yorkshire Marathon - Sunday 20th October 2019

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Yorkshire Marathon. Soooo tough - nothing to do with the course itself which was perfectly lovely, but after a bobbing along happily with the 4.30 pacer for the first 14 miles (well, that's the easy bit isn't it), I slowed down from there and really started to struggle. Maybe because I've not been well for the last couple of weeks (but thought I was over it) or maybe because I'd forgotten just how long marathons are. Big hats off to anyone who can do one without slowing down - that's unthinkable for me.
I was hoping for 4.30 or at least a PB (under 4.37), but missed both and made it in 4.41. Only 3 mins quicker than Chester last year even though the training had gone so much better.
Oh and to top it off, there was a huge downpour just after I crossed the line, meaning we arrived back at our friends' house thoroughly cold and wet. I've now had a bath and hot chocolate and am slowly starting to feel human again.
I guess I'll have to do another marathon to get that elusive PB, but certainly can't think about that today.

Richmond Autumn Riverside 10km - Saturday 19th October 2019

Sri Chimnoy 10km (Golden Leaf) - Saturday 19th October 2019

2nd & 3rd quickest 10km by an ELR this year. (Power of 10)

parkrun - all venues - Saturday 19th October 2019

Supernova 5m, QEOP - Friday 18th October 2019

Hatfield House 10km - Sunday 13th October 2019

Roman River Trails Marathon - Sunday 13th October 2019

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Maud: Roman River Trails Marathon (Hare & Tortoise Running)
It isn't ideal to run a marathon the day after an XC race. But I'd already signed up for this one before the Met League equalised their races - and then I really wanted to run their first race too. I didn't feel I could take it too easy yesterday as I was represented my 2nd claim club, Woodford Green with Essex Ladies, for the first time, and wanted to give a decent account of myself.
So I was a bit apprehensive about todays marathon. I haven't run 26 miles since July, and had struggled on my (solitary) training run.
The race starts and finishes by the Layer Marney Tower, described on Wikipedia as the 'apotheosis of the Tudor gatehouse'.
The terrain was a bit of everything - some proper mud, massive puddles, grass, gravel & a few short bits of road. And hills, of course. Trail races are rarely flat. The marathon course is two laps the HM, which presents the considerable psychological challenge of crossing the finish line, watching other runners getting their medals, and then heading out for another two hours plus.
As soon as I started I could feel yesterday's effort in my legs - the uphills were a real struggle. It was going to be a tough day in the office. I had slowed down by the middle of the race, but I just had to accept that that was how things were. And once I stopped worrying about my pace the miles started to pass more quickly. And then I started to feel stronger again. And began to overtake a few people. I enjoyed the second half of the race much more than the first even the the conditions were tougher - the wind was brutal at times, the rain came in and the trails were getting more churned up.
I finished in 4.31.55, 9th overall & 3rd woman out of 38 finishers (I had been 15th/4th at halfway). That's a time I'm very pleased with for a tough, muddy, hilly marathon with not much training and Claybury Park in my legs. I can still do it.
The medal is massive - way bigger than the ones the HM runners got. Worth going round again for. And for only the third time ever in all the many races I've done - a women's fit T shirt. Well played, Hare & Tortoise.

Eindhoven Marathon - Sunday 13th October 2019

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Mike's Eindhoven Marathon Weekend Report.

This was my 4th year running the Eindhoven Marathon and this year I was accompanied by Mr Kirk Johnson. We flew out very early on the Saturday Morning and had arrived at the hotel by around 10.00am. As the Manageress and some of the staff know me by now, we were allowed to check in to our room straight away instead of waiting until 3.00pm. We had the remainder of the day to collect our race numbers, eat and then try to get some rest. After a mostly sleepless night, (do not ask). we rose and had a hearty breakfast. The forecast for the race day was a sunny 22c so it was definitely a vest and not tee shirt weather. We left the hotel at around 8 minutes before the start of the race - Kirk in a panic as he did not realise that the start was 2 minutes around the corner! (Where have you been - you know the start time!) We wished each other Luck and went to our start pens. I began at a fairly relaxed pace, but very early on started to cough up phlegm. I had a chesty cold and cough after a week and a half and it still had not gone away. (I tried cough sweets, medicine, paracetamol in the days before)! At 5k I was feeling uncomfortable and aching and at 10k I was very fatigued. It was not a case of starting off too fast because even if I had, it would not have affected my body so badly at only 5k and 10k distance. It then went through my mind - do I stop and pull out now and save myself from the physical suffering later on? No, I cannot give up, I must carry on and see how I feel at half way. Another runner approached me and asked if I was ok, after another coughing episode. I said I'm fine and carried on. At half way I was feeling absolutely shattered and would have gladly stopped there and then! However I said to myself, you have already run half, try and keep going for another 13 or so miles. At this stage I was determined to finish just to collect a medal and record a time, even if it was 5 or 6 hours! Somehow I managed to keep to a very slow jog (and I mean SLOW) and did not walk except briefly a couple of times at water stations. The aching pains in my legs were almost unbearable and counting down from 21k - well it felt like an eternity. I was disappointed when the pacemakers overtook me (what would have happened if I had started with the pacemakers? - I don't think it would have made much difference on Sunday). After much sweat and toil I made it to the town centre where the crowds gather with around a mile to the finish and start calling out your name, for encouragement. I crossed the finish line in sub 4.20 still in disbelief at what had happened. I then collected my medal and went to get it engraved. If it had been a smaller Marathon event in England, say Halstead or similar, then I would have pulled out half way. But I could not let myself down and give up in Eindhoven! I had googled running with colds and it said it's fine if the cold is above the shoulders, but not if it is on the chest. In hindsight I probably should not have run. I walked back to the Hotel and eventually Kirk returned. He was completely shattered as well and suffered badly with the heat. It did not affect me too much - it was hotter in Eindhoven last year. Kirk was pleased with his time, as he had targeted 5.15 and we later found his chip time to be 5.22.

Monday morning we came down from breakfast. The girl in reception handed me my finish certificate that they had printed out - amazing! Kirk then asked for one, so they printed his out as well. As our flight back to Stansted was late (9.00pm) the Manageress let us keep our room until we went home in the evening. We spent the afternoon taking a 20 minute bus ride to Nuenen, which is a small picturesque village where Vincent Van Gogh lived for a couple of years. Although the museum was closed on a Monday, we were able to walk around a part of the Van Gogh trail. This involved boards and listening posts in the streets. We saw some of the sights, including the small church that Van Gogh painted where his father was parson of the church. Also the house that he painted where his parents lived. We returned to the hotel room to listen to 'Vincent' by Don McLean! A nice end to a weekend away, even though the race was a big let down for me. Finally, as the noted Mr Johnson - a man of wise words - remarked; " you did your best on the day and that's enough! Here's Looking forward as always to the next one!

Eindhoven Jumbo 10km - Sunday 13th October 2019

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Run The River 10km, Edmonton - Sunday 13th October 2019

Victoria Park 10km - Sunday 13th October 2019

Virgin Sport Oxford Half Marathon - Sunday 13th October 2019

Royal Parks Half Marathon - Sunday 13th October 2019

Anna Dingle: Royal Parks Half completed. Really enjoyed this half despite the very muddy conditions in the event village. Lots of twists and turns but I like running in Hyde Park so I enjoyed that very much. Fortunately the rain held off too. Super chuffed with my time today. I have not had the best of running year's this year for a multitude of reasons. I set myself a target of 2hrs 30 mins today after running Bristol Half a month ago. Surprised myself to finish in 2.23:48. I am over the moon. Still a fair way off my best but it's progress and I ran all the way.
My favourite sign of the day at 5km was 'Kipchoge is already in the pub!' And thank you Jimmy Dale for meeting up in the morning. It was nice to chat and dust off the pre race nerves.

Bank Of America Chicago Marathon - Sunday 13th October 2019

Ciaran Canavan - A day that deserves a race report.
Chicago 2019 was always going to be different. My injury woes for the last 18 months have been stubborn, ongoing, recurrent, persistent and non resolving. Plantar Fasciitis that required physio, an air boot, offloading on crutches, shockwave therapy, cortisone injections, surgery and more physio. At the start of May I was staring down the barrel of the gun in the aftermath of the surgery and I honestly believed the chance of lining up at the starting line of the Chicago marathon today was somewhere between zero and none!
Then came August, and I had just started running, so I decided to embark on a 9 week "nought" to "marathon" plan. I was realistic that this was little less from perfect, but this my reality and so times were second to my primary goal. Chicago would mark my 6th Marathon Major, and I'd achieve the accolade of joining the illustrious six star marathon majors finishers club. Yet 6 days into this 9 week plan my life turned upside down through a dramatic and unexpected twist, being the sudden loss of my mum. My rose tinted Chicago Marathon glasses turned a very dark grey, and the world as I knew it crumbled apart.
So, my 9 week plan turned to 6, and thereafter Chicago here I come. I somehow managed to get from Naught to 35k in training, but no smart training in the form of hill, speedwork, fartkek or tempo. As I lined up today in pen A, I felt like a fraud, like I was chancing my arm, and that I didn't belong in the corral I had been assigned. But here I was, and this was my day to shine.
I've been on this 6 star finishers challenge since I completed the London marathon for the first time in 2009 (when it was just 5 Stars), and it accelerated thereafter when I ran New York, Berlin and Tokyo in 2013, 2014 and 2017. Now I had only Boston and Chicago to go. Entry for these a breeze, as I had guaranteed time entry, so I planed these for 2018, and 2019.
Those who recall, Boston was horrendous weather wise in 2018, and thereafter my injuries exploded, bringing me back to the start of this report.
For today, Sub 3.30 was my "A" goal. 3.30 to 4 hours was my "B" goal, and a walking finish in under 6.5 hours was my "C" goal. To my surprise, I managed keep on target of the sub 3.30 pace up to 30k, but thereafter the lack of base training, speedwork and endurance training raised its ugly head. Things began hurting, and hurting bad. My plan was to reach 40k and to walk the last 2.2k. That didn't work. I got to 38k and I gave in. Time to walk. Then I got a shout from behind, "come on London" 6 stars, Congratulations, and about my 100th fist pump of the day, as I had a bib on my back declaring to the world my 6 Star goal for today. And so I began to run again. SLOW, sore, reminiscing, sobbing, asking mum to help me. These 4K were a painful challenge both mentally and phyically. I continued to get slower, though not as slow as walking and I crossed the line in 3.35.36. An aggregate 6 World Marathon Majors time of just under 18 hours and 6 minutes. Average marathon time across the majors, 3:01. I'm sore, I'm gobsmacked at what I achieved today, and I'm elated with my World Marathon Majors achievement. In the face of adversity I did as best as I could today, and I was pretty chuffed with that. Oh, and the bragging rights with my 6 finishers medal is pretty cool stuff.
One last thought, as I lined up at the start of corral A today someone I was chatting too suggested I needed a new challenge now, before continuing to tell me how they had just completed "Comrades" this year. Hm, I thought to myself, I've never been to South Africa. But please don't hold me to this though! Next on the agenda is a little more recovery.


Jose : Chicago marathon race report:(sorry a bit long..)
Chicago was my 7th marathon and my 3rd major! I did not manage to follow any training plans and my overall weekly mileage didn't increased as I wanted due to work, holidays,etc but the positive is that I still manage to avoid injuries.
My main problem during the marathons is always the cramps and I've been trying to find the cause. I sweat a lot and loose lots of salts and I believe that's the main reason, together with the relative low weekly mileage.
I didn't manage to sort out the second so for this race I was ready to take more salt tablets!.
I met Ciaran and Lance at the expo on Friday where Ciaran had to take a group photo for completing the 6th major marathon.
Saturday morning went for a run that turned out a bit longer than desire as I got a bit lost, but I took it easy. I got a bit shock with the temperature drop..3C, and windy...a little bit of panic regarding possible finish time but mostly what to wear...
Went to the centre for a bit of tourism, buy a warmer jacket and met Ciaran and Lance for lunch/dinner at an Italian restaurant...I end up going back to the apartment with a sore throat due to the cold and wind(hate that combination)...and I started taking cold tablets(something that I hate specially before races). I did not sleep much blowing my nose for the whole night +nerves...woke up had my porridge and head to the train.
Not as many people as in London, where the trains are packet with runners, and few people with mental health issues causing trouble in the train (very common here I found....), I arrive to Grant Park for the race. From here, bag drop, toilet visit, a little warm up...all nice and easy.(the scanned you with metal detectors for fear to terrorism). I was in wave 1, A which is after the disable and elite runners. I took me few km to feel comfortable the the pace ( impossible to take as GPS doesn't work well in between the big buildings, tunnels...then I found myself with a nice group of runners. I realized we were going a bit too fast (3:45 average), but I was feeling comfortable and decided to forget about perfect race with negative splits and stay with them thinking that if cramps start at the end (as in every marathon I run),I will have some extra Min. I made sure that I was taking my salt tablets and drinking in nearly every water station as is all in paper cups and I end up spilling gatored in my own face few times.if you mix that with the salt accumulating in my face...I end up having something similar to a expoliating mask .Around km 35 again my legs started wanting to cramp but I manage to keep it under control slowing down a bit the pace. I was shock to see so many women still running around me at that pace( women here are very fast!!). Then at just 1 km from the finish line my right quad started cramping and made me stop, twice, not for long and with some stretching it allow me to run again. I arrive to the 400m to go mark and looking at my watch I realized I will have to do the last 400m in 1 min...so it did not happen, but I'm very happy with my 2:45:35 and nearly 6 Min PB again...so I can not feel disappointed because.. that's the best I've ever done.
Now relax few days in Canada visiting friends.

parkrun - all venues - Saturday 12th October 2019

Morag : Did Lyme Park parkrun in Cheshire, it’s a beautiful course but
VERY hilly! I started walking not even 100 m in as it starts you have to run up
a steep hill, my slowest parkrun ever but so good after a tough few days to just
concentrate on where to put my feet and not fall!

Run Through Victoria Park 10km - Saturday 12th October 2019

Met League series - Event 1 Claybury Park - Saturday 12th October 2019

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Maud: You wouldn't necessarily think of running up and down hills
in the rain and the mud as a joyful occasion, but this afternoon I really
felt that it was.
I ran for the first time in the Met League, representing my new 2nd claim
club, Woodford Green AC with Essex Ladies.
Until this season this was one of those events where the women's race was
shorter than the men’s. The member clubs voted to equalise the races for
a trial season, and as we stood on the start and the race director told
us that we would be running three laps, a cheer went up.
Just like at the Essex champs back in January, it is such a pleasure to
take part in events which have made the switch to equality.

Autumn 100 (Centurion) - Saturday 12th October 2019

Earth, Sea & Fire Triathlon, Dubrovnik (Olympic Distance) - Saturday 12th October 2019

Run Through Chase The Moon 10km, QEOP - Wednesday 9th October 2019

Ironman Barcelona - Sunday 6th October 2019

Swim 1.03.53
T 1 8.32
Cycle 5.38.10
T 2 9.50
Run 4.46.20

Giffordtown 5km, Fife - Sunday 6th October 2019

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

MBNA Chester Marathon - Sunday 6th October 2019

SPLITS SCOTT 10K 42.24 20K 1.24.54/42.30 30K 2.07.41/42.46 40K 2.52.07/44.26
SPLITS Lawrence 10k 52.53 20k 1.44.56/52.03 30k 2.37.51/52.54 40k 3.27.00/59.08

Scott McMillan: Chester Marathon: 3:01:55, a PB by well over 5 minutes and a
Good For Age time. Was on for sub 3 hours at 20 miles, but the last 10k was hard, hilly,
windy and rainy - I'm really happy to have hung on for this time.
You can see from the splits where they put the hills on this course (and, today, the wind
and the rain!). Very happy to be taking a big PB home with me.

Lawrence: Very happy to achieve a 3:51:13 debut time wearing ELR top & in memory
of my recently departed auntie Helen. Sadly couldn't find Scott at start, but did see him
flying in the opposite direction at the turnaround.
He did an amazing time on a TOUGH course. Donato's 3:08 was also outstanding

Baxters Loch Ness Marathon - Sunday 6th October 2019

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Halfway: Arthur 2.10.45 , Alexandra 2.15.11

Loch Ness marathon race report (I don't know how to make them short):
So so much relief, The preparation for this marathon has been more than sub-optimal, Having lost a lot of my running form after Manchester (still no real idea why), I continued running as frequently as I could but with only a few runs over 14-15 miles only a part from Spitfire and the Essex way relay, Adding the lack of sleep of the 3 last weeks and having been sick with food poisoning last week (starting to be an Autumn marathon tradition), this could only go wrong ,Despite coach Grant repeating me that I will be OK!
I had no expectations about a time, I was merely hoping I could finish, I kept avoiding thinking about it, focusing on the fact that I would be in lovely Scotland and that this in itself would be fantastic,
Start of the race, my friend Diarmuid from Ilford and I met Arthur at 7.00am to take a bus to the end of the Loch Ness, gorgeous drive, but got in idea of the elevation . We arrived at 8.45am , it was terribly windy and rainy up there with no shelter, The queue to the loos was so insane that I only manage to reach it at 9.57am for a start at 10.00am (they seemed to have been overwhelmed by the increased number of runners), running to the start, I just managed to find Arthur for a selfie start.
We started together, trying to make sure that we wouldn't go too fast from the start which was tempting with all the long downhills and sharp uphills , Not too give too many details, but my stomach was starting to behave badly at around mile 6 and I knew I would have to stop soon, Arthur was already going a bit too fast for me so I let him go' After a toilet stop, I felt better but I was only mile 9 and so anxious that I would break at some points After mile 10, the route was a bit flatter and I kept steady' I did the half in 2h13, I knew that the second part was more hilly and that I would slow down
The landscape was absolutely stunning, the weather got better and better as we were running and twice, I could hear the waves on the border of the lake, I closed my eyes and tried to calm my anxiety.
Mile 16: 10 miles to go, I was starting to be more confident , Just a Sunday social to go,Then, mile 19, sharp pain in my quadriceps, almost like I had something moving under my muscle, never felt something like that, could it be an injury? no,no,no, can't be an injury that's it , I will have to give up and DNF my first marathon, no, no, this can't be I am massaging it on the side of the road and it seems to have gone away I am restarting, it feels ok, catching up with 3 German runners who passed me earlier, there are so many nationalities around, apparently 45 in total this year Mile 20, 21 , not long to go, my pace is getting slower and slower but still reasonable, under 5 hours which wouldn't be too bad, really !
Then, stomach pain again really, this is getting ridiculous, Another stop, get it together ,so many voices in my head, but I see a lot of people struggling even more than I do, mostly young people You need a lot of life experience to be able to handle the pain and the doubts of a marathon.
But, I am getting there 'miles after miles, the sharp pain again mile 24, I massage it while running, now pretty sure it's just a cramp' It goes away again and finally, it's there: Mile 25 , we are on the other side of the river I can see the other runners on the other side of the bridge, trying to see if Arthur is among them' the cramp comes back just before the bridge, last walk, oh what's that restaurant? Could be nice for tonight, totally random thoughts! Finally, the last 500 yards, a row of spectators encouraging the runners, shouting my name as they see it on my vest and I see the finish line as the speaker mentions ELR. As you can see on the picture, I felt a huge relief and joy to finish my 5th marathon in 2 years in 4h49 mins which felt great…
The next 30 mins were all of a blur, got my unisex t-shirt , my medal, my goody bag, then stopped and cried for 10 mins , completely lost till someone picked me up and brought me to the food place Diarmuid and Arthur found me there and it was joy all over again.
Despite, the loos issues at the start, I would recommend this marathon to anyone who want to run an absolutely gorgeous course and is not ready yet for a trail one, It was extremely well organised and everyone has been extremely friendly and supportive. I will come back one day, better prepared
I guess at least I can say I did my long run for the Beachy Head marathon in

Wimpole Estate Half Marathon - Sunday 6th October 2019

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

A quite hilly off road route and I managed about 1 1/2 mins quicker
than last year despite a lot more mud & wet conditions.

Mornington Chasers Regents Park 10km - Sunday 6th October 2019

Southend 10km Classic inc Essex Championships - Sunday 6th October 2019

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Royal Borough of Kingston Half - Sunday 6th October 2019

Cadiz XC League, Spain (8.5k approx) - Sunday 6th October 2019

Today was time to do something completely different to the type of races
I have been done recently, taking part in the first fixture of the XC league
in Cadiz. Berlin is already forgotten, and with my eyes on the Seville
Marathon in February, it was a good change to test if my legs were recovered
from the marathon training, with a very good level of athletes and an great
course. In the end, first overall, with the first 5K at 3:27/km and doing the
last 3.5K at 3:17/km. I felt very good today, but nothing like running at home
with friends from all the clubs.
Now time to recover some speed lost during the marathon training.

Livingstone XC (3.7km) - Saturday 5th October 2019

Saltmarsh 75m (Relay team) Spice Girls - Saturday 5th October 2019

The Spice Girls with Sonya Hurtado & Minna Orsimo 1st team , 4th overall in 8.28.40

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park 10km - Saturday 5th October 2019

parkrun - all venues - Saturday 5th October 2019

Chingford League - Event 1 Hog Hill 5km, Redbridge Cycling Centre - Tuesday 1st October 2019

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Team scores: Men A Team 3rd , B Team 3rd, Vets 5th,,Ladies A Team 4th, Vets 4th

Mike Reports. A total of 38 East London Runners' gathered at the top of Hog Hill, for the first of two Chingford League races around Redbridge Cycling Centre track. In driving rain and strong head wind conditions, the runners produced some fine performances around a very challenging hilly course. The Brown Brothers lead the club home in style in the Men's race; Euan finishing in 1st place with a time of 16.40, followed by Patrick whose time of 17.14 saw him take 4th place. Billy Rayner was 33rd in a time of 19.16. In the Women's competition, Ellie Wilkinson was first back for the club in 21.52 which was good enough for a top ten finish; closely followed by Caroline Frith in 15th (22.15) and Becky Evans in 23rd (22.43). There were a lot of other very good individual times recorded, with some runners making their Chingford League debuts. Thanks to everyone who ran today, just two days after the Valentines Park 5k and also to Frank who turned up to support and take photographs on a dismal evening.

Jacob Reports. As mentioned in the last newsletter, we have a new ELR Winter League competition, based on both participation and performance. Here are the rankings after the first Chingford League race. Since there has only been one race so far, everyone has a participation score of 100%, so it is essentially an age-graded performance ranking at the moment. Things will get more interesting after the next race.

ELR Winter League Rankings After 1 Event.

**Women**

*Name - Part. Perf. Score*

1. Becky Evans - 100 131 112

2. Caroline Frith - 100 121 108

3. Fiona Day - 100 119 108

4. Ellie Wilkinson - 100 118 107

5. Maud Hodson - 100 114 106

6= Lauren Kelly - 100 107 103

6= Chloe Millan - 100 107 103

8. Kasia Stachowiak - 100 106 103

9. Katie Whitton - 100 105 102

10. Sarah Burns - 100 103 101

11. Filipa Soares - 100 102 101

12. Claire Emery - 100 101 100

13. Cat Hoult - 100 100 100

14. Carolyn Edwards - 100 99 100

15. Alexandra Rutishauser-Perera - 100 91 97

16. Anna Dingle - 100 85 94

17. Maya Goodwin - 100 83 93

**Men**

*Name - Part. Perf. Score*

1. Euan Brown - 100 136 115

2. Calvin Bobin - 100 132 113

3. Patrick Brown - 100 132 113

4. Warren Ibrahim - 100 124 110

5. Billy Rayner - 100 118 107

6. Jacob Stevens - 100 116 106

7. Peter Hatley - 100 112 105

8. Michael Wilson - 100 111 104

9. Nick Clarke - 100 110 104

10. Mark Moir - 100 109 104

11. Lance Fuller - 100 109 104

12. Andrew Howard - 100 106 102

13. Ciaran Canavan - 100 104 102

14. Emmet Fitzgibbon - 100 102 101

15. Karan Gadhia - 100 101 101

16. Ford Cadiogan - 100 100 100

17. Mounir Dahbi - 100 99 100

18. Alex Jameson - 100 97 99

19. Arthur Diaz - 100 94 98

20. Cathal Lynch - 100 92 97

21. Mark Durrant - 100 89 95

**Scoring Method - Summary**

For each runner, we calculate a participation score and a performance score. The participation score is the percentage of Chingford and Sunday XC League races that the runner has taken part in. The performance score is calculated by taking the runner’s time for each race, applying a gender/age adjustment (similar to parkrun age grading) and then comparing that to the median time of all runners in the race (24:15 for this Hog Hill race); this is then averaged over the races they took part in. The overall score is a weighted average of the two scores: 60% of participation score plus 40% of performance score.

**Scoring Method - Details**

For anyone interested in the details, the scores are calculated as follows:

*Time *= Runner's race time

*CatFactor *= Conversion factor from gender/age category standard to mid-point between SM & SF standards - see below.

*AdjTime *= *Time ** *CatFactor*

*MedianTime* = Median time of all runners in race (all clubs, all categories)

*RacePerfScore *= *MedianTime */ *AdjTime ** 100

*PerfScore *= Mean *RacePerfScore *for runner over season

*PartScore *= (Number of races attended by runner) / (Total number of races) * 100

*Score *= *PerfScore ** 40% + *PartScore ** 60%

Category factors are calculated using WMA age factors and male/female 5 mile road race records (similar to the data used for parkrun age grading). The factors used for the 5y Chingford League categories are as follows:

SM 1.0676 SW 0.9404

M40 1.0076 W40 0.9017

M45 0.9690 W45 0.8630

M50 0.9304 W50 0.8156

M55 0.8917 W55 0.7674

M60 0.8531 W60 0.7192

Warsaw Marathon - Sunday 29th September 2019

Folkstone Half Marathon - Sunday 29th September 2019

Bishops Stortford 10m - Sunday 29th September 2019

Yes was quite brutal battling against the elements. Run mostly over
farm land so was quite exposed and very muddy. Good fun though!

Supersports 10m, International Race Series, Race 4 of 5, Korat, Thailand - Sunday 29th September 2019

Start time: 4am local time.

Elvis 8 - East London Runners Valentines Charity 5km - Sunday 29th September 2019

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Race Awards for ELR
3rd lady : Ava Lee
1st FV50 : Karen Levison
2nd man : Liviu Ionita
Ladies Team: 1st (Ava, Karen & Caroline Frith)

Elvis teams: SCORERS
Men: Liviu, Jose Rodriquez, Stuart Kelly, Scott McMillan, Fabrizio Stefanoni and James Wilson. 2nd place
Ladies: Ava, Karen, Caroline, Becky Evans, Lauren Kelly and Katie Whitton. 1st place.

Elvis Series final placings
Ladies:
2nd place overall: Karen Levison
1st V50 award: Becky Evans
Ladies Team: 1st place - East London Runners.
Men:
3rd man: Liviu Ionita

Ladies: (* all 8 events)
2nd Karen Levison 1st V5O 26pts
7th Becky Evans 2nd V50 95pts
10th Katie Whitton* 129pts
12th Maud Hodson* 3rd V40 144pts
14th Andrea Waller* 5th V40 200pts
21st Catriona Hoult 7th V40 282pts
22nd Carolyn Edwards 283pts
27th Bernadett Kalmar 9th V40 344pts
28th Mary Connolly 9th V50 349pts
33rd Alexandra Rutishauser-Perera* 11th V40 409pts
35th Caroline Moore* 11th V50 422pts
38th Helen McGuinness* 13th V40 444pts
46th Diana Rexhepaj 12th V50 521pts
50th Maya Goodwin 21st V40 650pts
51st Kathy Morrissey 22nd V40 663pts
55th Alice Barrett 722pts

Men:
3rd Liviu Ionita 20pts
4th Jose Rodriquez 22pts
9th Scott McMillan 3rd V40 112pts
10th John Booth 118 pts
15th Danny Lee 5th V40 177pts
21st James Nichols 217pts
23rd Mark Moir 245pts
25th Peter Craik* 7th V40 278pts
32nd Warren Ibrahim 8th V40 324pts
34th Craig Livermore 329pts
35th Jacob Stevens* 10th V40 331pts
38th Michael Bamford* 5th V50 379pts
39th Jimmy Dale 383pts
51st Grant Conway* 8th V50 519pts
68th Stuart Barton 22nd V40 732pts

57 Ladies completed the 6 of 8 races (16 ELR) and 16 did all 8 events (5 ELR).
88 Men completed the 6 of 8 races (15 ELR) and 19 did all 8 events (4 ELR).

Elvis 8 - East London Runners Valentines Volunteers - Sunday 29th September 2019

Pam Bennett & Miranda Thompson - Entries on the day
Pam Bennett also Cake Stall
Rebecca (tailwalker from val parkrun) - Fun run
Ian Liardet - marshall

BMW Berlin Marathon - Sunday 29th September 2019