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Results

Hever Castle Triathlon Series - Olympic (The Hever) - Sunday 23rd September 2018

1500m swim, t1, 40k cyle, t2, 10.5k run
Senior 35.21/3.49/1.33.07/1.59/52.13
Lee 34.51/7.42/1.36.19/4.00/50.57

Simplyhealth Great Bristol Half Marathon - Sunday 23rd September 2018

Night Phoenix - 6 hours. - Saturday 22nd September 2018

Hever Castle Triathlon Series - Sprint Plus (Henry VIII) - Saturday 22nd September 2018

800M SWIM, T1, 40K CYCLE, T2, 8K RUN
20.22, 2.48, 1.41.22, 2.40, 1.00.11

parkrun - all venues - Saturday 22nd September 2018

50 parkruns at 16 venues, 3 first finishers.
10 debuts and 4 course pbs, 50th parkrun for Jamie Xavier,
100th parkrun for Anna Szabadi.
First finishes for Caroline Frith at Roding Valley, Euan Brown at Hackney and
Mark Boulton at Walthamstow.
3 ELR parkrun records for:
Fiona at Harrogate,
Andrew at Great Denham and
Shaun at Dishley,Loughborough.

Run Reigate Half Marathon - Sunday 16th September 2018

1435 finishers.

Adidas City Run Clapham 10K - Sunday 16th September 2018

Foxtrot 5 - Sunday 16th September 2018

75 finishers

Simplyhealth Great East Run - Sunday 16th September 2018

Pleshey Half Marathon inc Essex Half Marathon Champs - Sunday 16th September 2018

Congratulations to the county half marathon champions from yesterday at Pleshey:
Men - James Connor (Kent AC) - 1.10.11
Women - Rachel Sweatt (Witham RC) - 1.21.12
V40 Man - Amin Kokai (Ilford AC) - 1.14.23
V50 Man - Stephen Philcox (Ilford AC) - 1.22.26
V60 man - Mark Austin (Witham RC) 1.35.38
V70 man - Chris McDonnell (Dengie 100) - 1.46.40
V35 lady - Liz Davies (Springfield) - 1.23.04
V45 lady - Carinne Jay (Harlow RC) - 1.39.48
V55 lady - Rebecca Pittman (Springfield) - 1.36.40
Mens Team - East London Runners (Euan, Paul & Mark)
Ladies Team - Springfield Striders

Descente London Duathlon - Sunday 16th September 2018

Carlton: Run 1 1.32.02 - T1 4.44 - Bike 2.56.34 - T2 4.08 - Run 2- 51.41 (20k/77k/10k)
Peter: Run 1.35.21 /T1 3.09 /Bike 3.03.56 /T2 4.30 /Run 2- 48.25. (20k/77k/10k)
Michael: Run 1 44.30 - T1 1.57 - Bike 1.29.42 - T2 1.44 - Run 2- 24.21 (10k/44k/5k)
Graham: Run 1 51.18 - T1 4.04 - Bike 1.44.17 - T2 3.04 - Run 2- 38.51 (10k/44k/5k)

Running Grand Prix - Goodwood 20M - Sunday 16th September 2018

EAM Kassel Marathon - Sunday 16th September 2018

Copenhagen Half Marathon - Sunday 16th September 2018

Brighton and Hove Triathlon - Sunday 16th September 2018

Olympic distance - Swim 9.57 - T1 3.20 - Bike 1.33.53 - T2 - 1.31 - Run 56.31 (swim reduced to 400m due to choppy sea)

BMW Berlin Marathon - Sunday 16th September 2018

Antonio Martin Romero: Berlin Marathon Report (Sorry! A bit long)
I am still digesting my yesterday's race. After 12 weeks of hard training, the big day arrived. I did a 20-minute warm-up before heading to the start. The idea was to go out at 3:39/km (5:52 per mile) and try to keep that pace as much as I can to achieve a sub 2h35'. The race started and the first two kilometres were at the target pace, which were the slowest ones in my race. After 6 km I managed to find a group, but they slowed down a little bit and I moved to the next one, where I stayed until the 20th kilometre, I began to create a gap and ran on my own, I saw my wife just after the first half marathon, which I passed in 1h16'14" and I told her: "ok", I was running so comfortable, not spending energy and started to think that I might manage to do a sub 2h33'. I started overtaking many runners, and that's one of the best feelings in a marathon, as it helps you to keep you focused and motived with your race because that means they started off so fast and you judged your pace wisely. I ran from the 20th to the 25th kilometres at 3:32/km and thought: "Antonio, you are overcooking it, slow down now, it is still soon. The problem was, I couldn't longer control my legs, they were controlling my body and they made me think that If I slowed down, I would die, so I got carried away and started running by feel. Definitely, all the hard training and the undulating tempo runs were paying off. My pace wasn't marathon pace anymore, it was faster than half-marathon pace, the split from the 25th to 30th km at 3:29/km pace, and from this point, my legs decided to do the next 5K-split at 3:25/km, at nearly my 10K PB pace that I managed just 12 weeks ago. I was talking to myself, "Antonio, what the hell are you doing, mate? Do you think are you going to finish?" I basically had no idea about the time I was running at. I thought maybe it is sub 2h32'..Ok, I am going to slow down, but no, my legs didn't let me run at my initial target pace, so I ran the following 5K at 3:31/km. I started feeling a bit tired after 36 km, all the runners I was overtaking were stopping and walking or just jogging, so that didn't help too much! but my legs and my mind just wanted to keep pushing, I had overtaken probably more than 300-400 runners, I passed the 41st km at 3:29/pace, Ok, I am tired but...WOW, what a feeling when you see the 41st km mark and you think: just 1.2 km to go, 3 laps to the track! I decided to push as much as I can, and with 500m to go, I checked my watch, "WTF! Can I do sub 2h30'???" That made me go faster and finish at 3:21/km pace. 2:29'29", second half at 1:13:15 and 96th overall, Half marathon & marathon PB! I couldn't believe it! I couldn't expect this time even in my best dream. The best case scenario I could expect was 2h32'59". A 7-minute PB in less than 4 months. My dream was to do sub 2h30' one day, maybe in 3 years, and it is done now. Thanks everyone for all the support, now it is time to rest a little bit and get ready for the XC season.

Shahib Ali: Berlin Marathon 2018 - 3.46.44, was a measured performance that
respected the distance and training, 5th fastest for me in marathons and 3/6 majors
in the bag. Hugely memorable weekend, including youngest childs first trip aboard,
mens world record being broken and our own club record decimated by the worthy
Antonio Martin Romero and my first international parkrun. Was a truly international
race with an exercise in geography looking at the vast array of nationalities taking
part in the race. I have to thank the immense support of Tasnia Muller-Choudhury,
Sadia Muller-Choudhury and Mr Shahnoor. Was also awesome to have Jonathan Wooldridge
for company and we all loved his presence. However -
biggest thanks goes to Samia Choudhury - no way these foreign marathons would be
possible without her unwavering support and patience.
No rest for me - another Marathon for me in 49 days...

Zoila Fernandes: Berlin race report (sorry its a long one)
When I finished the London Marathon earlier on this year. I didnt think I would run another marathon, maybe and only maybe I had been lucky enough to get into the London next year. However at the charity stand for the charity I was running for, my partner and I had met another couple from new york. The girl also had the same insulin pump as me (we are both type one diabetics). They convinced us to come and run Berlin with them when we met up a couple of days later Seeing as I also LOVED running London it didnt take much to convince me and meeting up with new friends was also another good excuse.
Seeing as I had gotten into another marathon I thought joining a running club (ELR) would be a wise idea to get some more running done. My training was still very inconsistent not really knowing how to train properly for a marathon. I went out every Wednesday did a few long runs on the weekends including a couple of half marathons. Before I knew it we were on a plane on our way to Berlin and I had been suffering with a bit of an injury so I was really stressing. On top of my injury because of my type one diabetes I had to really plan my nutrition and how I was going to make sure my sugar levels was going to stay on point to make sure I made it round safely. Seeing as I hadnt really trained properly for the Marathon I would have been happy with a 4hr run (17 minutes faster than my London). I went out for the breakfast run on the Saturday to make sure my injury would be ok for Sunday. It felt fine. A good Italian for dinner and a good nights sleep and it was Sunday and I felt ready to race. As a type one diabetic exercise means I have to plan ahead and for every possible problem that could happen as managing my sugar levels during such a long period of exercise can sometimes be really challenging. So I had my salomon water backpack mixed with my carbohydrate drink for a constant feed of a small amount of carbs, I also had lots of energy gels for the quick boosts of sugar and lots of food in case of any serious mishaps. Of course I also had my sugar testing machine which is also the handset for my insulin pump.
I got to my starting block. (the conditions were perfect!) Tested my sugars and they were too low with too much insulin in my system so I had to suspend my insulin deliver for about an hour and a half to make sure they wouldnt drop any further. I resumed after this time to my minimal hourly dose of insulin to prevent my sugars from rising too much and making me ill.
Our wave went off and I was running faster than I was expecting myself to I kept at my carbohydrate drink and had a gel every half an hour or so and made the most of the water stations. I kept at the pace I had started at or at least tried too. There were moments when I slowed down massively due to a drop in my sugar levels so I had a gel in those moments to pick me up. The atmosphere was incredible! So many live bands, random people would cheer you on by your name as it was on your number and there was so much live music which is always great. It really helped keep me motivated!
I kept my head down and continued fuelling and making the most of the water stops. My injury had started to get to me at about the 37km mark (about 23 mile). My partner and support was there jumped out of the crowd and propped me up which help give me that little push for the last 3 miles. By this point my leg had really really started to hurt but I was determined (Im also very stubborn). So I continued to run, but by this point I had slowed down quite a lot. With just a Km to go I started to get a bit emotional. I seem to when Im about to finish a marathon Its because I start never knowing whats going to happen or if Im going to make it all the way round due to my type one sugar control going wrong. Thats all that goes through my head when Im running are my sugars going to get me to the end of 26.2 miles today? I got to the end, had a nice chat with a random guy and got my medal. When I found my partner and he told me I had ran it 3:42:07(35 minutes faster than my last marathon). I was shocked and also very very happy with myself. It was only my second marathon. I didnt ever think I would be able to run a sub 4 as I must be and like to be a little more realistic considering my training was very inconsistent and not great at all He told me I would do it sub 3:45 and I completely disagreed with him. We met up with my friends family and we waited for one of them to finish. When they got to where were waiting we congratulate them on their times and sit sound and have some group photos with everyone. What a great race and what a great place to run a marathon. It a brilliant atmosphere and it was even better to have done it knowing other people running it too from the club and friends who I had made at the London Marathon.
I run to inspire those with health conditions that no matter what you have with good care you can achieve your goals and nothing should get in your way.
I ran for JDRF as my chosen charity to try and find a cure and help advance the technology to help people with type one have better confidence to run and exercise safely

Kew Gardens 10K - Saturday 15th September 2018

3132 finishers

parkrun - all venues. - Saturday 15th September 2018

Parkrun results are now on the website. We had 3 first finishers today -
Mark Moir at Barking, and Euan Bilge & Karen Levison at Wanstead Flats.
There were course PBs for Alexandra Rutishauser-Perera, Stuart Kelly,
Paula Bedford, Claire Emery, Samir Younsi, James Nichols, Marc Akers,
Andrew Baxter & Gareth Davies, a 50th parkrun for HN Steve 'Swany' Swan
and a first parkrun for Alice Barrett.
Best age grade of the day was Euan's 81.05% for his 15.55 at WF.
Geek's corner - our three runners at Great Notley - Steve, Stuart & Fiona
finished at 1 minute & 1 second intervals in 24.03, 25.04 & 26.05.
7 ELR records this week:
James Nichols at Billericay,
Richard Guest at Frimley Lodge,
Andrew Howard at Foots Cray Meadow,
Shaun DeSena at Skatas, Sweden.
Dan Gritton at Nidda, Germany and
Jonathan & Samia at Hasenheide, Germany.

Chase The Sun 10km, Olympic Park - Wednesday 12th September 2018

Go Tri Duathlon 73, QEOP Velopark - Tuesday 11th September 2018

Sprint 2 mile run, 10 mile cycle, 2 mile run
Michael - 13.45, 30.18, 14.28
Sarah - 16.10, 27.51, 16.10
Paula - 14.03, 32.02, 14.20
Rachel - 16.34, 36.00, 17.25
Karan - 16.36, 44.23, 16.39
Jayne - 18.27, 41.19, 17.58
Julie - 25.50, 44.50, 25.12

Supersprint 1 mile run, 5 mile cycle, 1 mile run
Emily - 7.31, 17.16, 6.46
Susannah - 9.41, 18.38, 9.14
Fiona - 9.06, 21.26, 8.30
Don - 11.05, 23.48, 11.34

5km Age Grade Chart for 2018 so far.... - Monday 10th September 2018

1Euan Brown - 15.26 - 84.06% - Fast Friday
2Karen Levison - 20.28 - 82.90% - Valentines
3Ava Lee - 18.53 - 82.08% - Victoria Dock
4Paul Quinton - 16.32 - 81.35% - Hackney
5Dan Gritton - 17.29 - 81.12% - Victoria Dock
6Calvin Bobin - 20.22 - 80.85% - Roding Valley
7Mark Boulton - 16.07 - 80.66% - Wimbledon 5000m
8Thomas Grimes - 16.21 - 80.44% - Parliament Hill
9Ciaran Canavan - 17.50 - 78.88% - Hackney
10John Booth - 17.06 - 78.07% - Victoria Dock
Andrew Baxter - 18.53 - 77.49% - Wanstead
Paula Bedford - 20.22 - 77.25% - Hackney
Mary OBrien - 26.25 - 77.14% - Elvis 7
Billy Rayner - 16.58 - 76.92% - Hackney
Jennifer Ansell - 18.53 - 76.23% - Elvis 3
Dan Senior - 18.18 - 75.68% - Valentines
Scott McMillan - 18.31 - 75.43% - Elvis 7
Suzanne Bench - 23.07 - 75.34% - Wanstead
Jose Rodriguez - 17.09 - 75.32% - Elvis 7
20Peter Craik - 19.17 - 75.28% - Hackney
Danny Lee - 19.27 - 75.24% - Victoria Dock
Stuart Kelly - 17.27 - 75.17% - Hackney
Caroline Frith - 20.25 - 74.94% - Roding Valley
Patrick Brown - 17.29 - 74.64% - Kingsbury Water
Michael Bamford - 17.42 - 74.48% - Hackney
James Wilson - 18.31 - 74.26% - Wanstead
Roger Stubbs - 20.52 - 74.08% - Elvis 7
Ellie Wilkinson - 20.00 - 74.00% - Hackney
Emily Clarke - 20.06 - 73.96% - Hackney
30Zoila Gilham-Fernandez - 20.03 - 73.82% - Elvis 7
Sam Browne - 17.30 - 73.71% - Fulham Palace
Ashley Faria - 19.47 - 73.38% - Valentines
Spencer Evans - 17.45 - 73.08% - Fast Friday
Julie Campbell - 23.59 - 72.85% - Elvis 3
Robert Rayworth - 19.01 - 72.83% - Hackney
Ged Browne - 21.11 - 72.74% - Elvis 3
Shailesh Patel - 20.37 - 72.66% - Elvis 7
Fiona Day - 26.45 - 72.52% - Wanstead
Andy Kumar - 17.50 - 72.43% - Elvis 7
40John Henry - 18.30 - 72.35% - Elvis 3
Sharon Springfield - 22.00 - 72.20% - Wanstead
Alex Day - 18.21 - 71.84% - Valentines
Andrew Howard - 21.46 - 71.82% - Victoria Dock
Simon Thomas - 18.20 - 71.55% - Valentines
Carlton DSouza - 21.10 - 71.51% - Elvis 3
Becky Evans - 23.29 - 71.40% - Wanstead
Chris Green - 19.00 - 71.23% - Hyde Park 5km
Paul Thompson - 20.21 - 70.96% - Elvis 7
Tim LeRasle - 19.53 - 70.75% - Valentines
50Aaron Browne - 18.16 - 70.71% - Elvis 7
Fiona Critchley - 24.23 - 70.47% - Victoria Dock
Ramesh Pala - 22.12 - 70.42% - Valentines
Janet Bywater - 24.50 - 70.13% - Cannon Hill
Jagbir Bassi - 18.27 - 70.01% - Barking
Katherine Harris - 22.13 - 69.77% - Elvis 7
Salvatore Passerini - 20.22 - 69.64% - Roding Valley
James Nichols - 18.41 - 69.43% - Elvis 3
Thomas Burrard-Lucas 18.46 - 69.27% - Dulwich
Aaron Williams - 20.10 - 69.26% - Wanstead
Louis LeRoux - 18.57 - 69.18% - Elvis 3
60Grant Conway - 21.11 - 69.08% - Hackney
Colin Dryland - 20.58 - 68.68% - Valentines
Terry Lewsey - 20.03 - 68.58% - Barking
Nick Clarke - 19.33 - 68.49% - Norwich
Maran Raju - 21.47 - 68.34% - Elvis 3
Jacob Stevens - 20.17 - 68.28% - Elvis 7
Sheila Kennedy - 26.27 - 68.17% - Elvis 3
Neil Gage - 20.20 - 68.11% - Roding Valley
Mark Wyatt - 18.59 - 68.04% - Elvis 7
Regis Martin - 20.51 - 68.03% - Wanstead
Kasia Stachowiak - 22.02 - 67.85% - Hackney
Katherine Harris - 22.20 - 67.76% - Barking
70Peter Hatley - 20.50 - 67.71% - Elvis 7
Tom Woods - 24.35 - 67.59% - Jamaica Pond, USA
Alain Fieulaine - 20.30 - 67.56% - Elvis 7
Sarah Burns - 23.00 - 67.39% - Hackney
Anna Johnson - 22.16 - 67.37% - Hackney
Mark Moir - 19.13 - 67.36% - Hackney
Lawrence Foster - 22.49 - 67.35% - Wanstead
Roisin Archer - 22.21 - 67.34% - Walthamstow
Amit Marks - 20.46 - 67.26% - Elvis 7
80Nick Hoult - 20.55 - 67.25% - Wanstead
John Atkinson - 28.00 - 67.14% - Elvis 3
Shahib Ali - 19.18 - 67.13% - Barking
Craig Livermore - 19.16 - 66.96% - Valentines
Sarah Lenton - 22.57 - 66.95% - Elvis 3
Gareth Davies - 21.52 - 66.92% - Wanstead
Nathan Jones - 19.17 - 66.90% - Valentines
Tom Howourth - 19.53 - 66.85% - Elvis 3
Jonny Shaw - 20.46 - 66.81% - Elvis 3
Clive Mehew - 21.24 - 66.74% - Hackney
90Robert Spread - 20.10 - 66.69% - Wanstead
Maud Hodson - 24.03 - 66.67% - Elvis 7
Laura Woodhouse - 22.15 - 66.52% - Hackney
Caroline Moore - 26.19 - 66.39% - Elvis 3
James Creed - 20.21 - 66.09% - Castle Park
Lance Fuller - 23.22 - 65.76% - Hackney
Bernadett Kalmar - 24.38 - 65.76% - Wanstead
Annette Clark - 24.24 - 65.71% - Valentines
Mary Connolly - 27.33 - 65.70% - Barking
Nathaniel Dye - 19.49 - 65.60% - Barking
100Kate Brett - 26.22 - 65.17% - Wanstead
Suzanne Taylor - 25.07 - 65.16% - Valentines
Claire Emery - 25.07 - 65.16% - Hackney
Craig Simpson - 21.28 - 65.06% - Wanstead
Frank Brownlie - 26.17 - 65.00% - Valentines
Alexandra Wilkinson - 25.01 - 64.76% - Hockley Woods
Chloe Millan - 22.52 - 64.72% - Roding Valley
Katie Whitton - 23.00 - 64.35% - Victoria Dock
Emmett Fitzgibbon - 20.50 - 64.25% - Elvis 3
Jakub Czeczotka - 20.45 - 63.94% - Hackney
110Sheetal Dandgey - 23.15 - 63.73% - Hackney
Jonathan Wooldridge - 22.25 - 63.72% - Kesgrave
Lucy Barron - 23.14 - 63.70% - Hackney
Manjit Singh - 21.49 - 63.60% - Elvis 3
Tricia ONeill - 25.45 - 63.56% - Valentines
Richard Guest - 22.00 - 63.53% - Elvis 3
Selina Vernal - 23.46 - 63.32% - Wanstead
Paul Marshall - 20.46 - 63.16% - Hackney
Alex Jameson - 23.01 - 63.07% - Victoria Dock
Andy Bolderstone - 22.11 - 62.96% - Wanstead
120Kathryn Maskell - 24.01 - 62.66% - Hackney
Doug Mansell - 26.35 - 62.61% - Elvis 5
Jamie Xavier - 21.52 - 62.53% - Elvis 3
Alexandra Brown - 23.03 - 62.45% - Elvis 3
Angela Morley - 27.05 - 62.25% - Chester
Jayne Browne - 27.33 - 62.15% - Elvis 3
Lauren Aston/Kelly - 23.49 - 62.14% - Barking
Maran Raju - 24.30 - 61.70% - Valentines
Kathryn Hertzberg - 24.01 - 61.62% - Elvis 7
130Steve Bywater - 24.33 - 61.58% - Victoria Dock
David Baldwin - 21.45 - 61.38% - Roding Valley
Saheb Yousefi - 21.26 - 61.20% - Valentines
Susannah McLaren - 28.15 - 61.15% - Elvis 7
Ijeoma Anozie - 25.15 - 60.92% - Hackney
Richard Potter - 21.39 - 60.89% - Roding Valley
Georgie Hooper - 24.20 - 60.48% - Wanstead
Jimmy Dale - 21.30 - 60.47% - Elvis 7
Alexandra Wilkinson - 26.52 - 60.30% - Hockley Woods
David Hallybone - 23.03 - 60.09% - Hackney
Hayley Collins - 25.37 - 60.05% - Riverfront
140Sarah Dale - 24.40 - 60.00% - Wanstead
Alexandra Rutis Perera - 25.21 - 59.96% - Barking
Stuart Barton - 24.14 - 59.90% - Cambridge
Marc Akers - 23.46 - 59.79% - Elvis 7
John Healy - 23.38 - 59.52% - Elvis 7
Tina Bennett - 25.36 - 59.52% - Elvis 3
Gemma Foxall - 24.12 - 59.48% - Elvis 3
Rachel LeRoux - 25.04 - 59.46% -Elvis 7
George Georgiou - 24.38 - 59.43% - Elvis 7
Zuzana Urbanova - 25.21 - 59.37% - Valentines
Richard Guest - 21.51 - 59.12% - Elvis 7
150Robyn Turtle - 25.05 - 59.07% - Hackney
Susan Bushnell - 33.33 - 58.67% - Barking
Diana Rexhepaj - 27.36 - 58.64% - Elvis 3
Jason Levy - 24.37 - 58.50% - Valentines
Samir Younsi - 24.09 - 58.41% - Wimbledon 5km
Catriona Hoult - 26.46 - 58.34% - Wanstead
Natasha Howard - 26.04 - 58.31% - Chelmsford Central
James Creed - 23.08 - 58.14% - Castle Park
Judith Vonburg - 25.32 - 57.96% - Wanstead
Martin Quinlan - 24.42 - 57.83% - Southwark
160Tom Timson - 22.23 - 57.71% - Bromley
Claire Drakeford - 27.36 - 57.61% - Elvis 3
Stuart Norris - 22.31 - 57.29% - Rother Valley
Andrea Waller - 26.43 - 57.03% - Elvis 3
Tim Aylett - 23.51 - 56.81% - Hackney
Helen McGuinness - 27.33 - 56.72% - Elvis 3
Sophie Edwards - 28.02 - 56.66% - Wanstead
Stephen Swan - 22.55 - 56.58% - Victoria Dock
Katherine Jones - 26.46 - 56.04% - Valentines
170Anna Dingle - 27.43 - 55.90% - Elvis 3
Kate Frost - 26.46 - 55.54% - Wanstead
Sandra Hiller - 31.47 - 55.54% - Elvis 5
Viktor Szabadi - 27.34 - 54.84% - Wanstead
Kieran Brown - 29.31 - 54.32% - Concord
Ruel Ordonio - 25.43 - 54.31% - Mile End
Karan Gadhia - 23.52 - 54.05% - Valentines
Liam Dempsey - 24.09 - 53.69% - Roding Valley
Samir Younsi - 26.13 - 53.66% - Wanstead
Jane Clapton - 29.54 - 53.62% - Wanstead
180Roselin Boramakot - 27.42 - 53.43% - Hackney
Chris Kehoe - 28.53 - 53.35% - Elvis 3
Arthur Diaz - 26.13 - 53.27% - Wanstead
Mark Wiltshire - 24.42 - 53.10% - Roding Valley
Joanna Wood - 29.21 - 52.86% - QEOP 5km
Saima Zeb - 28.03 - 52.76% - Barking
Caroline McGirr - 28.27 - 52.72% - Gorleston Cliffs
Lucy Lee - 28.11 - 52.61% - Hackney 5km
Narelle McClorey - 28.49 - 52.44% - Elvis 3
Jessica Trayler Moore - 29.04 - 52.29% - Wanstead
190Ford Cadiogan - 27.02 - 52.03% - Walthamstow
Maya Goodwin - 31.46 - 50.39% - Elvis 7
Victoria Want - 29.49 - 49.69% - Wanstead
Saheed Shabbir - 26.55 - 48.98% - Valentines
Gowri Sukumar - 32.03 - 48.62% - Elvis 7
Vikki Harler - 31.47 - 47.94% - Elvis 5
Jigna Patel - 32.17 - 47.39% - Roding Valley
Don Bennett - 34.28 - 46.14% - Elvis 7
Michael Keefe - 30.37 - 45.62% - Conwy
Katy Taylor - 34.23 - 45.45% - Elvis 3
200Liz ODonnell - 36.09 - 45.27% - Wanstead
Morag Campbell - 35.36 - 45.04% - Wanstead
Prabhakaran Sukumar - 32.29 - 44.69% - Valentines
Deepali Chouhan - 35.30 - 42.25% - Valentines
Shaun DeSena - 30.44 - 42.08 - Clifton
Jan Webb - 43.24 - 41.71% - Mile End
Julie Creffield - 37.16 - 41.06% - Hackney
Chris Sohail - 32.26 - 40.90% - Valentines
Samia Choudrey - 37.09 - 39.84% - Crane Park
Alice Barrett - 36.28 - 39.47% - Elvis 5
210Ravinder Bassi - 42.05 - 37.39% - Valentines
211Brooke Stephenson - 40.23 - 36.57% - Elvis 7

Marathon du Medoc - Sunday 9th September 2018

7955 finishers.

Caz Edwards: So much fun thanks! I think we managed 21 wine stops
plus some fab food stops like oysters and ice cream! A brilliant experience!

Nuclear Blast & Blackout 2018 - Sunday 9th September 2018

Both races on the same day, 5km laps of mud and obstacles.
Once two hours have passed you cant start a new lap.

10am - 3 laps (15km) in 2hr 30mins 5 secs. 43rd out of 1654
Each lap you see the course deteriorating, and turning into a swamp!
You run through the Secret Nuclear Bunker, which is pitch black inside!
Great race, getting back to fitness finally.

7pm - tired legs, so 1 lap (5km) in 46mins 45 secs. Still good enough for 223rd from 694!
The course is exactly the same, but now in darkness...
head torch on as you weave through the forest, zipline into the lake and then back into the Bunker.
Wanted one quick lap then decided to stop before I blew my legs out.
Run both races and you get a bobble hat (my main inspiration)

7.47pm - two bowls of chilli, slice of chocolate cake, cup of tea

Rye Ancient Trails 30km - Sunday 9th September 2018

James Nichols: Rye Ancient Trails 30k (31k in reality) completed in
just over 2 hours 40. Wasn't sure whether to do this but glad I made the effort,
fantastic off road training run across a variety of rural landscapes, dealing
with endless stiles and gates and lots and lots of big hills. Followed by well
deserved free ale at the finish! Loved it, a new event I think which didn't
show and definitely fancy returning next year

Rat Race Coast To Coast - Saturday 8th & Sunday 9th September 2018

Warning - this is a long report!
I decided to enter the Rat Race Coast to Coast 2018 Race just about a year ago. I hadnt set myself a big challenge for a few years due to various injuries and health issues but decided it was time to take on something big again. I really liked the sound of this race as its in the wild outdoors and takes you all the way from Nairn on the East Coast of Scotland to Glencoe on the West Coast. I had never been that far up north and I thought it will be a great way to see the Highlands. I am pleased to say that it didnt disappoint. I also decided to ask my best friend, Jo, who lives in Scotland to do it with me. She does a lot of fell racing and tough mudders and is an absolute machine when it comes to racing. She too had recently had injuries so this was a race to put the confidence back into both of us.
I set off from Kings Cross on Thursday morning, putting my bike onto the train and settled myself into 1st class to travel to Berwick station where Jo was picking me up. I figured if I was going to be pushing myself for the next few days, the least I deserved was a bit of luxury! I was already nervous and had been for the last week or so as I had had to send my kit up to Jo in advance. Due to the nature of this race and being in the Highlands you have to have mandatory bits of kit including first aid kit, bivvy bag, head torch, taped seam jacket and trousers and whistle! It was a mission getting everything together. In the end my husband just said chuck it in a box and send it to Jo. Turned out I had more than enough.
Upon getting to Berwick, it was great to see Jo. We were bouncing with excitement and nervousness. That evening we went for a short 5km to turn our legs over and to settle our nerves. We hadnt ever run together but we had spent years as teenagers playing competitive hockey together and it was good to see that team spirit was well and truly still there between us.
Early Friday morning we set off just before 7am for the 3 hour drive to Glencoe where we would park the car to pick it up again on Sunday. Basically, we already knew that we had to make it back to pick the car up! At this point this was where I realised why this was the most expensive but also most organised race I have ever done. We were booked onto the coach transfer to Cawdor castle which is transition point 1 and the registration point. You put your bikes onto a big truck to be delivered to Cawdor and then you get on a coach to travel 3hrs to Cawdor to register. 3hrs later we were at registration. At registration, we had our mandatory kit checked and they wont let you pick up your GPS tracker unless you pass the kit check. Once we had all our numbers we then sorted out kit for day 1. The race starts with a 7 mile run from Nairn to Cawdor Castle which is where you pick up your bike for the 46 mile bike ride which takes you to Fort Augustus. This means that you have to make sure you have all your bike kit loaded onto your bike ready for changing into after the run. I had opted to carry a pannier after training with a rucksack on. Its much easier to carry weight on a bike rather than you and I definitely made the right decision. After about an hour of sorting everything we were ready to get the bus onto Nairn to book into our b&b for the evening. The nerves had by now well and truly kicked in. After a fabulous meal looking over the Moray Firth, we were tucked up in bed by 9pm to get enough sleep for our 8:30am start.
Saturday morning I woke up at 4am. The nerves had got the better of me. I was able to sleep a bit more. We had breakfast and by 7:45 we were walking down Nairn high street to the start line by the sea front. 8:30 came, a quick good luck and hug to each other and we were off. We had promised each other we would stay together but I knew that Jo is a much faster runner than me - like Ellie and Jennifers pace when fully fit - and her injured pace was fast too! We started near the front and that wasnt great for me and I went off too fast. At 2 miles I shouted to Jo just to go and she said she would wait in transition as we knew we were evenly matched on the bike. It worked perfectly as I could get my confidence back and go at my own pace. The run took us all along through the woods next to the Cawdor river and it was simply gorgeous. I also quickly came to realise how much camaraderie there is in this race with everyone looking out for each other. I came in a couple of mins behind Jo and in this length of challenge it didnt matter. A quick change of shoes and socks and loo stop and we were off out on the bikes.
After a mile I realised I hadnt put my gloves on and the wind chill was cool. Dingle error - you arent doing a tri today where I never bother with gloves. Turned out we needed more on and we both stuck the arm warmers on. It may have been sunny but this was Scotland - still cold and windy. The cycle was a series of climbs with not much down. At 10 miles my legs were cold and cramping so I put my leg warmers on. It did the trick. However, in my excitement and nervousness that we were actually doing this thing, I forgot to fuel properly. I famously, as cyclists call it, bonked! We stopped and I stuffed bananas and pancakes into me, took some pics and got my shit together and I told myself I could do this thing. I got back in the saddle, put my head down, and got on with the job! It worked and I attacked every hill without a problem. The 1st day cycle takes you through the most amazing scenery which culminates with a 2 mile climb that finishes looking over Loch Ness. The view is amazing and worth every pedal revolution. We were blessed with amazing weather too. After that you descend into Fort Augustus which is just the best thing ever. Top speed of 35mph with everyone whooping and laughing, all knowing that we have made it to transition 2 and your overnight stop.
We racked our bikes and went off for our optional kayak on Loch Ness which was glorious in the sunshine. At Loch Ness you have the option to camp or book a hotel. We had gone for the luxury option as we decided we were too old to camp! It was a good decision as the weather swiftly changed and resumed usual Highland weather of wind and rain. That said it was a great festival atmosphere at Fort Augustus with everyone having fun. Beers to be drunk and several food outlets. After soaking the atmosphere up for a couple of hrs and sorting out our kit for the next day, we picked up our bags and went to our hotel to relax.
Sunday morning brought more wind and rain. We would be dealing with true Highland conditions for the rest of the day for the 31 mile cycle up the Caledonian canal and 14 mile trek run along the West Highland way. We set off from T2 at 7:45. This bike ride didnt disappoint. Following the canal was amazing with all the different locks and low cloud hanging over it. We then went into the woods and off road for 20 miles or so. This was the best bit of the ride for me. I absolutely loved it on my adventure bike. Challenging hills, mud and just general fun on the bike. I was disappointed when we got back on the road. To this point we had been fairly lucky with the weather but as we got nearer to T3 at Fort William, the weather closed in. Howling wind and torrential rain in the hills just before and into Fort William. We were wet and getting cold and the changeover couldnt come quick enough.
At T3, they time you out for 30 mins while you put your bike onto another truck to be returned to Glencoe, get changed into your running stuff and trail shoes and get some food on board and to fill your camelpak up. Soon we were ready to go. At this point , Jo was like a gazelle running off into the distance. She shouted to me that she would see me at the kayak for the finish. I shouted back that she would do no such thing and that I would see her at the finish line. We were so far up in the cycle that she had a chance of being first woman and knowing that she could run like the wind, I wasnt going to hold her up. Also it took the pressure off me and I could adopt my walk run strategy. With over 2000 ft to climb, I already knew there were hills I wasnt running.
The run takes you to the base of Glen Nevis and basically up from there. The first 4 miles are up and up! Most people trek it. I ran as much as I could but also decided I wanted to enjoy the amazing scenery too. It didnt disappoint and neither did the weather. At 4 miles I had taken off my jacket as the sun was shining. At 6 miles I was fully togged back up with jacket and hood up as the rain and wind came rushing in and blew us to bits for another 6 miles. I ran the downs and trekked the ups. The ground was rocky and I lost count of how many streams I waded through. At 12 miles I told myself just keep putting one foot in front of the other. We saw a Marshall who told us we had been diverted onto the bad weather route as there was a river that had risen too high to get through. At this point, though, he still thought we would get to kayak. I also worried that Jo would be waiting for me in the cold so I hoped she had done as I told her and to finish without me.
Finally, the descent to Glencoe arrived. I was with a small group and we all whooped and cheered as we were near the end. Turned out our cheers were premature. The path down was some of the most difficult of the trail. Rocky and slippy and you had to be careful with your tiredness not to fall. Eventually we made it to the road in a trot to what we thought would be the last element - the kayak across Loch Leven to the Isles of Glencoe Hotel. Sadly they had to cancel it as it was too windy and an earlier competitor had capsized. I text Jo to find out she had run the whole 14 miles and finished 2nd lady and 6th overall! I was so chuffed for her. I was an hour behind her and was really pleased too. I had just taken myself 105 miles across Scotland under my own steam.
The evening in the hotel was fantastic with everyone talking about their tales of the 2 days. We met so many wonderful people from all over the world who come to do this iconic race. All challenging themselves to push themselves hard and to see some amazing countryside and to be at one with nature.
And would I do it again? Yes I would. Rat race were brilliantly organised and it was worth every penny. Challenging yourself against the elements was a brilliant thing to do and to share the experience with a close friend made it all the more special.

Ironman Wales - Sunday 9th September 2018

2.4 mile swim, T1, 112 Mile cycle, T2, 26.2 Marathon
1.23.08, 6.04, 8.40.39, 10.46, 5.03.36 = 15.24.11

Jimmy Dale: Thanks so much guys. Will write a proper report tomorrow but the brief
report is massively surprised myself with the swim, the bike was brutal of consisted of what
felt like a constant stream of uphills with no downhills to counter, surprised with the run
though lap 3 felt helish. Needless to say, chuffed with my time and chuffed to be an Ironman!
Thanks so much everyone for all the support and for all those who have sponsored me, I really
appreciate it. Off to bed now as the huge quantities of caffeine I have taken are wearing off fast!

Jimmy Dale:-Ironman Wales race report (its a long one, apologies!)
It feels like years ago that I signed up for Ironman and started embarking on the mountain of training required to get me through the race. Anyway, time soon slipped away and Friday I found myself in a car heading to Tenby in Wales, full of a mixture of nerves and excitement.
Saturday is almost fully given over to checking all your stuff in. There was a mandatory race briefing in the morning where for an hour we listened to the endless list of rules and guidelines. It was slightly comforting to hear that of the 2400 people competing, for 1100 this was their first Ironman too. Interestingly they also noted that this was the highest female field the event had ever seen with 11% of the competitors.
Oddly, Friday and Saturday brought with them there own form of stress with endless self doubt as I packed up and then subsequently checked in my gear, each time convinced Id forgotten something!
Saturday night I headed to bed early and proceeded to spend most of the night tossing and turning. 4.30am came soon enough and I was dropped down to Tenby by Sarah (who deserved a medal just for putting up with me for the last year!) After checking in the final few extra bits, we were lined up on the high street and walked down to the seafront. There was a real feeling of electricity in the air with first timers around me nervously asking questions of veteran Ironman standing nearby. Once down on the beach, the Welsh national anthem was sung, which with the acoustics of Tenby Bay, was breathtaking. Then we were off.
The Swim (2.4mi/3.8km)
One of my many concerns before was that we were unable to get in the water before. This results in going from relatively warm to relatively cold very quickly, resulting in my breathing being all over the place. However with no time to think, I waded in and dived under at the first opportunity. Despite a slight shock I managed to get my breathing under control quite quickly and got on the heals of a slightly faster group. I came out the first lap, up onto the beach and into a wall of noise. Trying not to lose pace I ran round and dived straight back in. The second lap felt slower but coming out, I looked at my watch and was amazed to see a time of 1:22, around 15 mins faster than Id predicted. I grabbed my bag from the rack, shoes on and started the 1km uphill run to T1. The crowd was incredible, just a wall of noise, cheering you on. Into to T1 and onto the bike.
The Bike (111mi/180km)
Wales Ironman is famed for its bike course and not because its flat! I consisted of a long out and back along the south coast, followed by two laps of the Pembrokeshire hills. The last few races Ive had issues with my bike and so was perhaps unduly concerned about something mechanical going wrong. Turns out I prob should have been more worried about the hills! They never ended! There was a 6.5 mile stretch you did twice that was just constantly uphill! One tip everyone had given me was eat, eat, eat and so I happily chomped my way through 5 sorren bars, 6 squares, 8 gels and 6 bananas trying to ensure I had enough fuel to see me round. As a life tip, I would not recommend this as a diet as my stomach started complaining at about mile 70! Id originally aimed to average 15.5mph but was slowly watching the hills take their toll with my average dropping to the low 14s. Then on one of the final big hills, famed for its 16 degree gradient, I heard an almighty ping and looked back to see one of the spokes on the back wheel had snapped and wrapped round my rear derailleur. Thankfully a spectator nearby grabbed me before I fell off and helped sort the problem although my gears didnt properly work from then on. As brutal as the hills were, the support was incredible! You genuinely felt like you were on the Tour de France! Coming back into Tenby I could see people already on the marathon, knowing I had another 40 miles to go on the second loop! The second lap seemed to take forever! Everything hurt, the bike was making noises and to finish it off, the wind picked up and you were riding onto a head wind for about 20 miles! Still, the miles kept ticking down and a small group of us, highly aware of the 10.5 hour cut off time, motivated each other round, all assuring ourselves we would never do an Ironman again and would be throwing our bikes away as soon as this was done! Finally we made it back in with 20 mins to spare. Ive never been so pleased to get off a bike! I popped some painkillers in T2 and set off for the run
The run (26.2m/44km)
Id heard stories about the run. 4x6.5mile loops, all either uphill or downhill, no flats. It didnt disappoint! However, annoyed that Id been slower on the bike than I thought (over an hour slower), my aim was to make it up on the run. I set off at a steady pace, stopping at each feed station to take on whatever I could lay my hands on; water, energy bars, gels, bananas, crisps, red bull (you know somethings happened when theyre downing red bull in a race!)
Mile 3 and I was feeling good and at the top of the main hill. Turning round I picked the speed up and found myself doing a 9.14 then 8.33 then 9.26 min mile! Im flying I thought! What I had not factored was at mile 6 you turn back round and run back up the hill! My watch died at mile 14 and so from then on I had the rely on asking spectators for the time and doing internal maths (not great at the best of times!)
Lap 3 I started to feel it and walked about 2.5 of the 6 miles. At the top of the hill you collected a coloured wristband and it was an emotional rollercoaster watching people coming down on their final lap vs overtaking people who had only just finished their first lap! Each lap ended with having to run straight past the finish line, where you could hear the announcer calling people across the line. One more lap to go, then that me I remember thinking and determined to run the final lap. The run is all a bit blurry but I remember coming back into Tenby, everything hurting, knowing Id made the cut off time and just willing the red carpet. Then I was there, on that famous finish line, walls of spectators, blinding lights and over the tannoy cane the words
Jimmy Dale, you are an Ironman
I have never been so happy to finish anything and no words can sum up the pride I feel. This was a mammoth challenge which I am so pleased I did but I think am safe to say will not be repeating any time soon!
I just wanted to give a massive shout out to everyone whos supported me in this, training with me, cheering me on, offering advice, lending me gear (Louis, I am forever indebted to you) and to everyone who sponsored me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Now to rest up for 3 weeks until Chicago marathon

Mersea Island Triathlon - Sunday 9th September 2018

Woburn Abbey Triathlon (sprint) - Sunday 9th September 2018

750m swim, T1 , 20km cycle, T2, 5km run
14.12, 3.34, 54.03, 1.23, 23.57 = 1.37.11

A September triathlon a year in the planning - the result of a friend of over 30 years cornering me at her 40th birthday party last year (after a few glasses of prosecco) and asking me if Id do a triathlon with her. So thats how we ended up in Woburn today for her 1st and my 4th triathlon.
We chose a sprint distance which was definitely long enough at the end of the 6 wk school holidays that allowed very little time for training (ie no swimming or cycling- I was hoping my running fitness would let me wing it)
I was really not looking forward to it to be honest, definitely not in the mood. However these events always have a way to get you in the zone with the atmosphere in the race village- music blaring, lots of other nervous competitors and the backdrop of beautiful Woburn Abbey started to lift my spirits.
The water temperature was 15.4C which sounded horrendous but actually I never felt cold. The swim went far better than I expected, and amazingly was my favourite leg. It went really fast, ploughing through a dense bed of reeds(!), not much visibility but before I knew it I was in transition.
The bike leg was my least favourite- it was really windy, very hilly and quite narrow in parts. I do not have a very good bike, I still havent learnt to clip in despite repeatedly telling myself I will learn, and I havent ridden 20km in one go in 2 years so all my own fault really.
Enjoyed the run, very scenic and I got the satisfaction of overtaking everyone after they had all overtaken me on the bike.
Our families provided much appreciated support, and all in all Im very glad I did it - its definitely good to be kicked out of my comfort zone every now and then. If anyones dithering about whether to take the plunge and do one - go for it!

Simplyhealth Great North Run - Sunday 9th September 2018

Colchester Zoo Stampede Half Marathon - Sunday 9th September 2018

Welwyn Half Marathon - Sunday 9th September 2018

Harlow 10m - Sunday 9th September 2018

325 finishers.

Rough Runner, Finsbury Park 7.5km - Sunday 9th September 2018

Vitruvian National Middle Distance Triathlon - Saturday 8th September 2018

1900m swim, t1, 84,000m cycle, t2 ,20km run,
Ava - 35.10, 2.49, 2.44.30, 1.38, 1.29.33 = 4.53.40
Danny - 44.18, 4.57, 2.44.57, 1.56, 1.27.10 = 5.02.58

Run Through Olympic Park 10km - Saturday 8th September 2018

parkrun - all venues. - Saturday 8th September 2018

Terry Lewsey: So this morning Sue Bushnell and I thought we would take a leaf
out of Stuart Stupot Barton book and try our first different park run instead of our
usual Thurrock Orsett parkrun, we really liked the barking course we ran for the last
Elvis race but were both tired last time we did it so thought we would give it another
try as a park run, I am pleased to say being well rested with fresh legs worked and we
both got a PB Sue finished in 33:33 which is a massive new PB for her, and I tried to
run a sub 20 but went out a bit to fast I still managed 20:03 so although not sub 20
just yet its getting closer and it gives me something to work on now for the last
Elvis race, all in all a nice but different start to our Saturday morning, I think
we will try a few more different park runs now, so any suggestions welcome

Woodford Green AC Open Graded Meeting - Tuesday 4th September 2018

The Essex Way Relay - Sunday 2nd September 2018

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Sunday 2nd September 2018 - Essex Way Relay Race - 82 Miles Epping to Harwich. A BIG thanks to Jonathan Wooldridge for planning and organising TWO ELR Teams for Sunday's Race! Good luck and thanks also to all of our Runners, Drivers and Supporters. Not forgetting our Leg1 results recorders Don, Pam and Edward. A total of 73 teams from Running Clubs throughout London and Essex are taking part on what is a great occasion.
The 'spirit' of the race is low-key, friendly and cooperative.
NEXT YEAR IT COULD BE YOU!
Complete route in 10 stages
Stage 1 Epping Station to Chipping Ongar - 7.5 miles - 8am Start - Tricia and Frank
Stage 2 Chipping Ongar to Good Easter - 9.5 miles - 9am Simon and Dave Knight
Stage 3 Good Easter to Little Leighs - 9.5 miles - 10.15am Karan and Kasia Stachowiak
Stage 4 Little Leighs to Cressing Church - 10.1 miles - 11.30am Regis and Simon
Stage 5 Cressing Church to Great Tey - 9.4 miles - 12.45pm Tommo and Maud
Stage 6 Great Tey to West Bergholt - 5.7 miles - 2pm Marc and and Jo W
Stage 7 West Bergholt to Dedham - 11.2 miles - 2.40pm Cat and Jonathan
Stage 8 Dedham to Bradfield - 8.0 miles - 4.15pm Maud and Tommo
Stage 9 Bradfield to Ramsey - 5.3 miles - 5.15pm Jo W and Marc
Stage 10 Ramsey to Harwich - 5.5 miles - 6pm Jonathan, Stuart and Arthur

ELR A 419pts 30th mixed 42nd overall
ELR B 431pts 32nd 44th overall from 73 teams.

The Essex Way Relay - Sunday 2nd September 2018

Stuart Barton: Essex Way
What can I say apart from I loved it. I drove all the runners for the first 9 legs so I
had plenty of time to soak up the atmosphere.A great bunch of ELR some I was meeting for
the first time. My leg was into Harwich along the prom with the sea to my right, A nice
surprise to see my sister and big Dave at the finish line. P.S my car smells a little.


Catriona Hoult: Essex Way Leg 7 - Race report
It certainly ups the nerves before a race when you know you have to find your own route as well as running it. Despite some attempts to match the route description to Google Earth, I started out just hoping for the best. Silly me! My first mishap was within seconds of the start when I dropped my phone as we ran single file across the edge of a muddy field so I bumped into pretty much everyone else as I turned round to pick it up and made myself pretty unpopular. Within a few km, I already had no-one to follow (73 runners spread pretty quickly, especially when youre as close to the back as me), but I managed to get by using the way-markers, the Ordnance Survey app on my phone and with a little help from a nice man behind me who would call out directions if I turned round to him.
By 9 miles, I was congratulating myself on having almost finished and was feeling pretty smug. So of course, thats where it went wrong!
I missed a turning into a field and by the time I realised my mistake, the helpful man who had been behind me was waving at me from a long way away across another field. It took me about an extra mile and lots of stopping, starting and map-checking to find the turning Id missed. By that time, I was feeling very much alone, just a little bit scared and hadnt seen another soul for a long time. This made me very cautious for the rest of the race, constantly stopping to check the map and desperately looking forward to it all being over. The final insult was about a mile and a half from the finish when I saw an older woman walking back towards me and I thought she might be lost so I asked if she was ok. Oh yes, she replied cheerfully, Ive finished and am just walking home. That really did crush my spirit.
Ive never been so happy to see Jonathan (who had finished hours earlier) and Regis waiting for me at the finish line!
Despite all the mishaps, I did have a great day, enjoyed MOST of my run, LOVED the team spirit and WILL do it again next year. But I might walk the route to recce it properly next time.
Oh and Jonathan made most amazing customised beer bottles to present to us at the end of each leg. Its worth running for that if nothing else.


Paul Thompson: Essex Way Relay report - Legs 5 & 8
I did leg 5 last year in what was my first Essex Way relay as its my 'local' leg and runs through part of my village and loved it. Fast forward to this year & I found myself volunteering to do 2 legs.
Leg 5 (9.4 miles) this time round was hot & tough and I ran most of the way with a friend from Eton Manor who is a similar pace. To be honest I didnt feel great when I finished, but with the super support from the rest of the ELR team (medi wipe & water from Stuart required !) I was quickly feeling a whole lot better & a 2 hour rest before the next leg.
Leg 8 (8 miles) was soon upon us, but I still didnt feel that confident despite lots of encouragement from Maud #ultraspecilaist Hodson who was in the same leg. I hadnt checked the route so was relying on running with others that did ! (not a cleaver idea). I started fairly steadily, but about 2 miles in & realising this was a hilly leg I was struggling again. This time I ran with a lady from Halstead Runners who was pacing very well & really helped me get to the finish. I was in bits at the end & goes to show that you never know how a particular run is going to turn out on the day.
Massive thanks to all the other runners, supporters, Jonathan Wooldridge for unbelievable organisation skills & beer provision.
The fish & chips at the end are a great reward & it really is a wonderful 'team' event.
Oh and of course I'll be back next year !


Marc Akers: Essex way relay.- Legs 6 & 9

Jo & myself said we d run both legs together & enjoy the whole experience
Leg 6 - 5.7 miles
We started off at a steady pace & maintained this keeping other runners in our view
Mostly on fields & we ran past a Xmas tree farm
Last mile jo told me to keep the runners in front of us close & then push on in the last half mile to gets better score.
The last 200/300 meters was uphill so I git clear & pushed for the finish & then ran back to run jo in.
Leg 9 - 5.3 miles
Jo & myself got split up & after the first mile Id lost jo so I walked into the field & waited for jo
We ran together for a while until jo said push on & dont wait for me I asked jo are u sure & she said yes & with that I picked up my pace this was a hilly leg I caught up with two ladies & decided to run with them we went slightly of course & had to double back & get back on course the 3 of us pushed each other then once we hit the road I got clear & pushed for the line.
I had a great day seeing other fellow ELR runners start & finish there legs.
The fish & chips at the end was a perfect finish to a great day.

Joanna Wood: Essex Way Relay race report - legs 6 & 9.
Going into this on the tail end of a cold I knew it would not be conducive to my asthma and having completed 2 legs of the race I have really paid for it today.
But what a great event. The race organisation was faultless with great marshals, fantastic scenery and a real sense of comradeship where everyone helped each other round the course.
Being able to see each leg start and finish either side of my 2 runs was great - I know the other teams were well jel of our foam fingers cheering people along - apart from our team pics I'm pleased to say I managed to photobomb quite a few other teams photos!!
Leg 6 started at a pub - normally I run TO a pub not FROM a pub so that was weird! Anyway I soon found I was struggling with my breathing and felt guilty at holding Marc back from getting a good run in as the pack thinned out quite quickly.
About halway through and after being assisted by a fellow runner with directions I told him to make a run for it so at least one of us would get a good score for the team (well you have to be a little competative don't you?).
Near the end I found myself being overtaken by a group of vets from Billericay - all in their 70s one of them told me. If I'd have known the finish line was just around the corner I'd have made a sprint for it and taken them out but nevermind.
And what a sight to be greeted by fellow ELRs and Regis waving a foam finger! Priceless!
About 2hrs later I was up again for leg 9.
In hindsight I should have seen if someone could do my 2nd leg for me but there's no "I" in team and didn't want to let anyone down so put my head down and got on with it.
Admittedly I struggled for the whole leg and this time I told Marc not to stay with me.
Leg 9 emerges from a field onto the seafront which really is a great sight and the scenery on this leg I found much nicer. "Just finish" was my mantra for the whole leg. Again the pack thinned out to the point where I lost sight of those in front but the slowest runners were way behind me. I tried to make sense of the map and eventually waited for the guy behind to catch me up. He did question why my map was so soggy but didn't seem too bothered when I replied I'd had it down my shorts!!!! He just put his glasses on and carried on plotting our route!! I'm chuckling even as I write this!!
Anyway we continued like that for the second half of the leg until the home stretch. Running down the road to our supporters I put on a little sprint, he only kept up with me! I ramped it up a bit more but again he came back and eventually pipped me to the post! At that point I was just pleased I had finished in one piece (and still chuckling about the soggy map).
Unfortunately a few of us didn't get to see Arthur, Stupot & Jonathan bring it home for the teams on leg 10 due to my below par run taking longer than expected but we all enjoyed our celebratory ELR drinks standing in the chip shop queue!
Great organisation by Jonathan and a fantastic team-spirit made for a memorable day. The day from start to finish really reinforced what a great club we're part of and although it will take a while for me to recover I'd sign up today if 2019 entries were open.
I can't recommend this event enough so if you're free next year don't even think twice about it. DO IT!!!
P.S. someone liked the foam fingers a little too much!!!

Dave Knight: Essex Way Relay Report Leg 2 Chipping Ongar to Good Easter.
It had been my intention to join the ELR teams for the whole day so that I could experience the legendary Harwich chip shop. Unfortunately, family responsibilities meant that I had to return home in the afternoon. Thankfully, the ever helpful Jonathan was able to sort out the last minute change to the complicated logistics of this event and I was able to do my leg. And I thoroughly enjoyed it. Clutching my set of directions in a plastic wallet I set off from Chipping Ongar with the other 72 runners, who, in my opinion all set off too quickly. Nevermind, it was a beautiful morning with lovely sunlight and fine views across the rolling farmlands of Essex. The run itself was delightful. The directions were clear and helpful and as I ran, I grew in confidence that I was not going to get lost. The race is really good spirited and after a few miles I fell in with a couple of runners from Grange Farm Running Club. They knew their way around the Essex countryside and were good company. One of them told me how she had met Grant on the Spitfire Challenge and how friendly and helpful he had been, Nice to hear that our club has such a good reputation. The conditions were perfect really and I felt good and confortable. Eventually, the Good Easter Church spire came into view and we knew that we weren't far from home. At that point the Grange Farm runners sped off ahead of me but I did manage to increase my pace. As I turned into the road leading up to the finish there was a gaggle of East London Runners cheering me on. I felt chuffed as I had completed the 9.5 miles course quicker than I had expected. I hadn't got lost and Jonathan handed me a couple of bottled beers - a great reward. Special thanks to Frank who kindly picked me up at Good Easter, treated me to a sausage and bacon roll and cuppa tea, and drove me back to my car. I am disappointed that I couldnt stay with the ELR all day, but it was well worth the effort of doing my leg. This is a really friendly, well organised and enjoyable event. Next year, hopefully, I will finally get to taste the chips of Harwich.

Maud Hodson: Essex Way - Stages 5 & 8
Not wanting to be left out, here are a few words about the Essex Way...
This was my third appearance at the Essex Way, but on the previous two occasions I had just run my leg, then turned round and run back to my car. So this time I thought it would be fun to do the whole road trip I said Id be happy to run any of the legs I hadnt done before, and 5 & 8 were the ones I got.
I had a lovely morning splitting my time between cheering on my team-mates and sitting in the back of Jonos car eating snacks. Wasnt at all sure I felt like going for a run, but it had to be done. We set of from Cressing (although to be honest I had very little idea where I was since Jono had the whole thing organised with military precision so I was a passenger in more ways than one). Stage 5 was quite benign in terms of gradient, although it was pretty hot in the middle of the day. For most of the 9.5 miles I tagged along behind a woman from Southend AC who knew the route well, and ran within myself to make sure there was enough in the tank for another leg. Probably the toughest bit was where we had to run past a beer festival - the barbecue smelled way more tempting than the cheese bagel Id had for my lunch.
Leg 8 was much hillier - 517ft of ascent compared to 276 - and I ran quite a lot of it on my own, often with no other runners in sight. I wouldnt normally mind that, but I had a nagging awareness that the GPX file I had on my phone was too rough to be any more than a general guide. Which annoyed me, as I knew that my preparation had fallen below the level of competence I expect from myself. But for the most part I bluffed my way along OK. The highlight of this leg is the magnificent Stour Estuary at Manningtree (although I didnt know until I looked at the map later what town I was in). Coming out go Manningtree I could have got properly lost, as my GPX was spectacularly unhelpful here (see pics). Thankfully I made the right call to go back, and followed the woman from Mid Essex whod come back past me when I took the wrong turn. I wasnt all that confident that she knew the route, as Id watched her do a double-back earlier, but beggars cant be choosers. Anyway, she did know the way, and I kept behind her for the rest of the stage. The last mile or so was on a narrow path, and she asked if I wanted to come through, but since its only positions and not time that count, and there was no-one in sight behind us, I decided to tuck in behind and just burn her off at the finish.
One thing that pleased me is that nobody overtook me on either leg after the first mile or so (apart from when I made a wrong turn), which means either that my pacing was spot on, or that Im a lazy toad.
We spent most of the day drooling over the fish and chips we were going to get in Harwich, and it didnt disappoint. Well done to everyone on the team - a lovely bunch of people to spent the day with, and it was great to have such a good mix of long-time members and newbies.

Kent Coastal Marathon - Sunday 2nd September 2018

St Neots Olympic Distance Triathlon - Sunday 2nd September 2018

1500m swim, t1, 45k bike, t2, 10k run
36.46, 3.44, 1.32.50, 1.53, 50.11 = 3.05.26

Kent Coastal Half Marathon - Sunday 2nd September 2018

Bedford Half Marathon - Sunday 2nd September 2018

This race report is sponsored by ibuprofen and paracetamol.
The Bedford half was a very well supported and well organised race, with a brilliant race village, plenty of loos, food stalls, live music. It was entirely on paths in and around a country park. Miles 2-8 (I think) were 2 laps around a lake. The race was part of an inter services championship so I was lapped by a lot of very speedy army navy and RAF runners. The winner finished in 1.09!
Anyway its very flat apart from a small hill which you have to do twice. The heat made it a bit of a struggle for me. From about mile 8 I found it really tough and didnt think Id make it in my target time of under 2.09 (my roding time this year). But with the promise of bling, a few jelly beans and some words of encouragement from the support staff and other runners, I kept going.
Seeing Geoff Bench and a very fresh looking, long finished Suzanne Bench cheering for me in the last mile kept me going when I just wanted to walk. I finished in 2.08:40 which I was really happy with. A long way off my 8 year old PB of 1.46 something, also at Bedford, but heading in the right direction! A great t shirt and medal too.
Highly recommended race and a PB potential half for sure.
So now the kids are in bed and I really want a glass of wine, but I made the mistake of getting into bed and now I dont want to move ! Sounds like a lot of us ELRs have had a busy day today. Well done all and sleep well! Night!! X

Maidenhead Half Marathon - Sunday 2nd September 2018

1378 finishers.

Regents Park Summer Series 10km - Sunday 2nd September 2018

Man vs Mountain - Saturday 1st September 2018

QEOP 10km Summer Series - Saturday 1st September 2018

parkrun - all venues. - Saturday 1st September 2018

57 parkruns at 27 venues, 3 first finishers.
a 50th parkrun, 9 debuts and 7 course pbs.
First finishes for Euan, Mark & Andy at Hackney,
Walthamstow & Roding Valley.
50th parkrun for Ijeoma Anozie.
5 ELR Course records:
Ellie Wilkinson at Norwich,(improved time)
Lawrence Foster at Gloucester North,(improved time)
Hayley Collins at Waterfront,
Fiona Day at Concord, Sheffield and
James Nichols at Great Dunmow.

Run Through Wimbledon Common 5km - Wednesday 29th August 2018

Go Tri Duathlon 72, QEOP Velopark - Tuesday 28th August 2018

Sprint 2 mile, 10 mile, 2 mile
Paula - 13.47/ 34.43/ 14.34
Emily - 14.09/ 30.24/ 18.58
Rachel - 16.51/ 35.55/ 17.24
Karan - 16.16 /44.47/16.21

Supersprint 1 mile, 5 mile, 1 mile
Sarah - 8.39/ 16.22/7.46
Stuart - 7.56/18.56/8.02
Fiona - 9.03/ 19.39/8.18
Susannah - 9.35/ 18.20/9.10
Jayne - 9.14/ 19.45 /8.40
Don - 11.21/ 23.00/ 11.47

Canterbury Half Marathon - Monday 27th August 2018

Elvis 7 - Barking Road Runners Bank Holiday 5km, Barking Park - Monday 27th August 2018

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Children's 2km Fun Run
4th Matilda Frith 8.56
5th Yusuf Rayworth 9.11
11th Eric Frith 10.48
13th Laila Rayworth 10.57
17th Jayden Martin 11.47
18th Jack Goodwin 11.52
22nd Hannah Gage 14.04
23rd Amelia Gage 14.16

Chateau de Chantilly Castle Series, Olympic Distance Triathlon, France - Sunday 26th August 2018

1500m swim/ t1/ 47k bike/ t2/ 10k run

Run Through Velopark Races 5k, 10k and Half Marathon - Saturday 25th August 2018

parkrun - all venues. - Saturday 25th August 2018

Monster Standard Triathlon, Ely - Sunday 19th August 2018

1.5k swim, run to transition, t1, 42k cycle, t2, 12k run.
29.53, 1.17 , 1.21 , 1.22.31 , 1.05 , 53.17 = 2.49.22

Stanford le Hope 10km & 5km - Sunday 19th August 2018

Race Report: Stanford Le Hope 10k
This race was one sue signed us up for a few weeks back so i hadnt really given it much time or thought, as i was busy preparing for the london aquathlon which i did on the Saturday, before this 10k race on the Sunday
I got up around 8 that Sunday morning with a plan to leave our house for 9am to get to site for around 9:15 as it was a fairly local race to us this would give us plenty of time to get to site and checked in for the 10:30 start
As we got closer to the site the race was clearly signposted which helped as at least we felt we were not going to have issues finding it, we pulled into the wildlife reserve and opted to carry on past the car park we see on the right, this proved to be a good choice as the main car park was a lot further down the road so worth noting, once we parked up we arrived at the check in desk, where i meet liz a regular race director for my local Thurrock Orsett park run, who told me there was a big turn out of regulars for our park run, alarm bells immediately went off in my head after hearing this, this was going to be no easy run in a park, as a regular top 10 finisher at park run i suddenly had my reputation to defend, what on earth was i thinking just rocking up thinking i could run a 10k however i wanted, something changed after this and i started to psych myself up and get myself race ready
Sue and i headed outside to take a few pre race pics, the weather was very overcast and it was very windy so i knew from the outset this would be no easy race, after the pics we used the toilets which were nice indoor ones inside the main building that also has a cafe, then i started my warm up
I decided to run part of the start of the course as my warm up which I'm glad i did as after the first down hill section it narrows a lot so i knew i had to be in a good position by this point so a good start was essential
after warm up i see quite a few friends from parkrun along with lots of other elvis clubs runners i chatted to a few of of my regular running friends who asked me if i was going for it today, i smiled back and Im sure they knew what that meant
Around 10:25 i made my way to the start line this time i was right on the front row, Ive never lined up first before but my plan wasnt it to take it easy so i didn't care if i was meant to be there or not, today meant business so i felt comfortable in my position and i waited for the race to start
The race was a 2 lap multi terrain course fairly flat, but i was warned the run along sea wall can prove tricky due to head wind anyway the race started on time and the first 100m went off on tarmac over the car park before going to a downhill section on gravel, i managed to go off fast and made it to the tight left hand section in the top 10 my plan at this point was simple go off fast and hang on i managed to make it though my first km in 3:57 km pace which is what i would usually aim to run a 5k at, the next km was still 4:08 km pace, and i seemed to still be holding my position well, i would
pass a runner then they would come back at me, this happened a few times and after a while positions all became a blur, i knew i was doing quite well when we hit the sea wall section and the other runner that passed me slowed down and i then passed them , i then pushed on harder to create a bigger distance, the first lap quickly passed by and it was nice to see some of my park runs friends on there back sections as i was heading out past the 6km mark, it was nice to hear their cheers go on Tel, and nice one Tel as i passed them, thats something i really like about the running community as the rivalry is there but also the wanting to see someone do well too, so i really appreciated them cheering me on, i told myself i needed to up my pace and get after some of the other runners, which surprisingly for the 10k distance was a new thing for me as i had only run for time before and tried to hang on and survive in previous races, not try and beat another runner, so with this in mind i had 2 runners in my sights, one 50m away and another probably 150m in front, which might not sound a lot but he seems a good way off, my first attack happened on the sea wall section between 7-8km mark i chased the other runner down and made up good ground drafting him before passing him but he fought back well and over took me after passing the 8k mark i decided i needed to send a strong message to this runner to shake him off my tail so i dropped the hammer and massively surged in pace and literally left him behind there was no way back for him and as i knew i only had around 1 mile to go, i upped the pace pushing harder to catch this other runner way out in front, i had a tricky out and back section where runners were merging through a single person with a bike section with those silly railing and as i approached a Dagenham 88 runner cheered me on and let me pass first as she was going back out for her second lap i had one last section to catch this other runner on the last flat section before the last hill before the 500m sprint to the finish so i went like a bat out of hell and passed him around 30m before the right hand turn to the hill, i didnt want to look behind i just powered on up the hill and waited until i turned the corner to realise he was having none of it, i was already 50m in front and still had my massive kick to the finish, i powered on sprinting to the line, i took a minute to catch my breath before realising how few runners were actually there, so i waited for the 2 runners id passed to come in before asking the officials where id come 8th they said , wow my first top 10 finish in 8th place, out of 190 runners i was ecstatic i ran my second fastest 10k time ever, finishing up with a time of 43:33, and i got another medal for my collection, all in all it was a fantastic race completely unprepared and tired from the previous days race, but I've realised sometimes it goes like that, it was a really good race and Im defiantly entering again for next year! sue also had a good result she finished her 5k 45th place in 38:55 which is good for her too

Isle Of Wight Half Marathon - Sunday 19th August 2018

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Team East London Runners 8th - Louis, Michael & Jonathan.

Run Through Greenwich Park 5km - Saturday 18th August 2018

Downland Challenge - 30 miles - Saturday 18th August 2018

The Downland Challenge was an old school 30 mile Ultra put on by Haywards Heath Harriers until 2014. It was many locals first Ultra and was hard, only had 3 aid stations with only Jelly babies and water, we will be bringing this back to the racing calendar on the same day as our 13 the the hard way Half Marathon.
The Downland originally started in Clayton Playing fields but this is no longer viable so it will start a mile down the road at Underhill lane where the half starts so quite not the thirty anymore.
You will have to take on the lung busting climb up the Tank tracks to the South Downs way which you will follow to Southease where you will turn around and retrace your steps.
We aim to keep it as it was intended with only 3 aid stations but we will pile them high as we usually do.

parkrun - all venues. - Saturday 18th August 2018

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

63 parkruns at 29 venues, 5 first finishers,
23 debuts and 11 course pbs, 250th parkrun for Martin Quinlan.
First finishers for Euan at Pontypool, Kasia at South Oxhey,
Andy Kumar at Roding Valley and Stuart & Katherine at Barking.
20 parkruns under 20 minutes.
Age Category Records for Ava at Victoria Docks and Euan at Pontypool.
ELR Course Records for:
Euan at Pontypool,
Ava at Victoria Dock,
Kasia at South Oxley,
Scott at Dalby Forest,
Peter & Maud at Newborough Forest,
Lucy at Upton House,
Jason levy at Thornbury,
John Booth at Southwark and
James Nichols at Harrow Lodge.

London Aquathlon, London Aquatic Centre - Saturday 18th August 2018

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

400m swim / t1 / 5k run
Dan 8.45 / 2.33 / 19.46
Terry 7.56 / 2.10 / 21.17
Alexandra 7.59 / 1.29 / 28.02
Joanna 8.14 / 1.38 / 31.38

Terry Lewsey Another amazing start to the day the London aquathlon this morning
was pretty epic swimming in the 50m pool that they used for the Olympic was amazing defo
learned a lot from todays race as its the first one Ive done with a transition, time
was 31:24 which is 25th overall but I finished 2nd in my age catagory which Im happy with,
next time I know I can be a lot faster just need to get a tri suit and spend less time
drying my hair lol …


Joanna Wood: London Aquathlon Sprint 400m swim 5km run.
First time for a dual sport event for me and thoroughly enjoyed it.
6th in my category even with a plodding run and almost falling over during transition-
boy was I dizzy getting out of the pool!!!
A fantastically well organised event which I would highly recommend and made all the
more enjoyable with my support crew: Mum, Alastair & Charlie


Alexandra:Wanted to try an Aquathlon for a while but dates never worked so when
Terry told me about that one in Stratford , it was ideal. Even more, as he was picking
me up with his super fancy car. I was a lot more stressed than usual this morning …
i was mostly afraid to mess up the change of lines every 2 laps!
But having Terry and Joanna ( who is more experienced) with me was calming !
I realised that even if i swim regularly and kept some technique from my youth, i hadnt
swam a 400m swim race in over 22 years and i completely messed up my breathing in the
first 100m! Got out of the water super dizzy and ran as fast as i could which meant
2 mins 30 secs more than 5 days ago but quite chuffed i finished 4th in my age category!
I still enjoyed the experience a lot , especially the cool medals at the end and having
the possibility to see Terry and Joanna swim and run as well !
( I was not the only one dizzy at transition).

Hercules Wimbledon 5000m Festival Night - Wednesday 15th August 2018

Chase The Sun 5km, Hyde Park - Wednesday 15th August 2018

Sri Chimnoy 5km, Battersea Park (Hasty Hare) - Monday 13th August 2018

251 finishers.

Enigma Marathon - Sunday 12th August 2018

St Albans 10km - Sunday 12th August 2018

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

478 finishers.
After 3 1/2 hours sleep the alarm goes off and I head off to pick up Marc Akers for the
drive to St Albans for the 10k. I only entered on Wednesday after Marc talked about it
at club. We arrived early parked up and grabbed our race numbers, Its a nice friendly
run with the first 3k on a old railway line followed by paths. Not the best time I have
done but on limited sleep I am happy with it, Also bumped into an old work mate who I
had not seen in 17 years,Then the best part a table for two and a Sunday roast. Stuart

London Summer 10km, Regents Park - Sunday 12th August 2018

ETU Sprint Triathlon Championships, Glasgow - Saturday 11th August 2018

14.02, 2.29, 39.52, 2.03, 20.37 = 1.19.01
15th AG Female 40-44.

Another chance to wear the Team GB kit! 15th out of 35 in age group, in 1hr 19.
Great course, a bit challenging on the bike, and a big support crew of friends
and family which was lovely.

Thames Meander Half Marathon (trail) - Saturday 11th August 2018

Run Through Hyde Park 10km - Saturday 11th August 2018

Stour Valley Path 100km Ultra Run - Saturday 11th August 2018

SVP 100K - Race Report - the not-so-concise version. I recommend a cup of tea or a stiff gin
This was a race with some emotional baggage. After my rather torrid time in my first 100k (the Canalathon in Yorkshire), I entered last years SVP hoping to do better. But life got in the way. I was emotionally hung out and dried after my elder son, Gregor, battled anxiety during his GCSE year. And I hadnt got the miles I wanted in training - I had bailed out of my last training run. So I had started the race on a wing and a prayer - neither mind nor body in the right place. And in last years race the were two separate starts - after much dithering, I went at with the faster runners, and quickly found myself right at the back with the sweeper. I called it a day at CP2, around 23 miles. Well within the cut-off time, but Id had enough. Quitting doesnt sit easily with me, so as soon as entries opened for this years race I signed up.
My preparation was better on all counts, including my first ever race wins. I had managed 82 miles at the Last One Standing, although with the breaks after every lap it is a different sort of challenge. I had completed the Essex 50 with a bit still left in the tank. And although Gregor is still struggling in many ways, with it not being an exam year for him the pressure was off. And I have become more used to dealing with it. And going for very long runs is one of my coping mechanisms - a large, guaranteed slice of me time.
I travelled up to Newmarket by train the night before. Deja-vu started to kick in as I walked to my B&B - not the same place as last year, but only a couple of streets away. I settled into my little room - an top floor garret room in a Georgian townhouse, and watched Dina Asher-Smith in the 200m semi-finals. Absolutely brilliant, and also more deja-vu - last year I had been watching her at the World Champs. Then out to dinner at Pizza Express. I really like eating alone - its one of the things I miss. I used to have my lunch alone nearly every day, but with G having been off sick from school for the best part of a year it is now a treat to be relished. I had polenta chips to start followed by penne pollo e pesto, washed down with a glass of NZ Sauvignon Blanc. I could almost see Race HQ from my table, and when Id finished I walk past that way before going back to my B&B and watching the rest of the athletics in bed. I must be getting old, as lights out at 9pm felt like a decadent indulgence.
The race started at 7am - this year everyone starting together - and my alarm was on for 5.20. Staying in an en-suite room is definitely the most efficient way of getting ready for an early start - I was getting my breakfast ready and getting dressed in parallel. And mostly succeeding in not bumping my head on the sloping ceiling. I do get anxious before this sort of race about having all the right kit, but was out and away shortly after 6am for the 10 minute walk down to the Memorial Hall on Newmarket High Street. Its a funny little town - in most places equestrian statues have a bloke on top, here its just the horse.
Race HQ was much busier this year, with all 150 of us starting together. The runners on the inaugural SVP50 would join us at half way. The required kit list was very modest for a race of this length (head torch, foil blanket, cup, phone), but they did check that we all had it. Went for my pre-race wee - theres nothing like seeing the blokes queuing out of the door while we walk straight in. The only other places Ive had that pleasure are beer festivals and cricket matches. [Only about 20% of us on the 100k were female, compared to just over half of the 50k runners]. My mother came along to see me off with her Dalmatian, Zaffa - she has always been morning person.
Race briefing at 6.45, then we made our way to the start line a little way down the High Street. What a difference a year makes - I had not a single doubt in my mind that I would finish this race. As is my way, I was careful not to get carried away at the start, and allowed myself to drift towards the back of the pack. After a brief section by the road we were onto the Devils Dyke, where it is single-file most of the way, and quite tricky terrain in places. I was happy. There was no hurry, noodling along in the line. 12 miles to CP1, Great Thurlow, in the cool of the early morning. No real need to think about navigation at this point, as there were always other runners in sight. And for the most part it was pretty easy anyway, as the organisers had supplemented the waymarkers with tape and spray-paint on the ground (I loved the arrow sprayed on a cowpat). And so much better to be in the middle of the race rather than out on my own at the back with the tail-runner.
The nice thing about ultra running is that the few hours feel pretty easy. It was a lovely day, and much of the countryside we ran through was really attractive. I felt grateful that I have the mental and physical health to do this sort of thing.
Last year my race had ended when I handed my number to the marshal at CP2, Clare Castle. This time, I grabbed a few drinks and snacks, popped some jelly babies in a pocket for later, and went on my way, feeling way better than last year. But it was not question of getting past CP2 - it was about finishing the race, and there were still 40 miles left to go. It was getting quite warm by now, and a lot of the route was out in the full sun. I was glad Id had a slightly perfunctory go with the sun cream before I set off, but still ended up with watch marks on both arms, and shorts marks that look like my shorts have one leg longer than the other.
The stretch from CP2 to CP3 was lovely - Cavendish & Long Melford are picture-postcard pretty Suffolk villages, with the imposing stately homes of Kentwell Hall & Melford Hall thrown in. CP3 (Long Melford Cricket Club) was familiar to me, as the sweeper bus had called there last year, and I had spent some time watching runners being cheered in, wishing in many ways that I was one of them. I stopped a little longer here as I needed to refill my water - there was a cricket match taking place, which made for a lovely, terribly English little scene. More than half way now - the checkpoints become gradually closer together.
Bits of the next section went on a bit - the Valley Trail felt more suited to cycling than running. A was beginning to feel tired but still plodding along. The bit by the river in Sudbury was lovely, and here I met Jana, a Slovak born Swiss woman who I ran with for some time. After that there were a few hills - I had under-estimated the amount of climbing on this course - over 3000 feet. The short sharp ones are a no-brainer - everyone walks - but the longer drags were a dilemma - risk burning too much energy trying to keep running, or lose a load of time walking? And stiles. Theyre not a problem in the early stages, but later on, when your legs no longer bend much, they are little sods. I never want to see another stile.
CP4 at Lamarsh was the best one in terms of snacks available - home-made Victoria sponge followed by a chunk of fresh pineapple did it for me. 42 miles down, 21 to go (the course is a little over 100k at 63 miles). This stage started flat, a hilly bit in the middle, then flat again. Definitely tired now, but still moving OK - my pace on the flat bits not too bad. On the climbs it is what it is. Now were overtaking the slower runners on the 50k, which was a bonus as the 100kers were pretty spread out by this point, and runners on the shorter route generally showed due respect to those of us who had been on the road since 7am (they had started at 1pm).
Coming into Nayland, just before CP5, took me back to my childhood - my grandparents lived in Stoke-by-Nayland, and my mother, sister & I had lived with them there for a year after she left my father. Where we crossed the A134 was familiar as that was the way we used to drive when going to visit. I had been to Nayland many times - we would go to the shops there - but I had never been on the path by the river, which was a delightful spot. And it also hosted CP5, where the volunteers had set up stall with a Hawaiian theme - grass skirts and all that. The next stretch was going to be a tough one for running, 8.5 miles ish with plenty of hills, but rich in memories for me.
Leaving Nayland, alone at this point, on a narrow lane that kicked up steeply, I imagined the ghosts of my grandparents driving around these roads. My grandmother (everyone called her Catto, I dont know why) in her beautiful dark green Morris Minor with mushroom grey leather seats - it was called Alexander Nevsky after its number plate, 40 NEV, and my grandfather (Fuzzy, again I know not why) in his rather less lovely white Austin Maxi with blue vinyl seats. Coming into Stoke, where they had lived, we had a glorious view over the hills to St Marys church. Neither believed in god (although Catto would always say that she believed in the Holy Ghost), but the church was at the centre of village life, and she sang in the choir and Fuzzy was a bell-ringer. Their memorials are in the churchyard - Catto has a bench and Fuzzy a marble headstone, which I could see from the path. Fuzzy was head of the BBC World Service during WW2, and the inscription on his headstone is the BBC motto - Nation shall speak peace unto nation. I thought how pertinent that is today, and how Fuzzys ashes would be whirling around the incinerator at the thought of Brexit etc. Sorry, Fuzzy, our generation have royally f*%@ed up on that one. I hope we can start to sort it out before my ashes are whirling round with yours. I shed a tear. I also thought of Catto, and our shared love of music. Before she died, she gave me her violin. It is a very ordinary little fiddle, but it is a lovely thing to have a living reminder of her.
Back to the race. Coming out of Stoke I caught up with Mike, who was to be my companion, on and off, for the rest of the run. About the first thing we did was to get lost. There was a piece of tape on a gate, so we went through it, which it turned out we shouldnt have done. Using my GPX file, we steered ourselves back on to the course (we hadnt gone far), but were now the wrong side of a barbed wire fence. We could either go back to the gate (uphill) or over the fence. Mike was braver than me and reckoned we could climb the fence. This wasnt easy with 50 miles in our legs, but we helped each other over, and there was only a small amount of blood, on my knee and his elbow. After that we ploughed on together, and having company was really helpful in the final stages. We were both very tired, but kept each other going, not talking much.
CP6, Stratford St Mary. Less than 5 miles to go. And flat, they said. Which actually sounded like a mixed blessing, as it meant we should really run it all. It wasnt so much my legs - they were OK, but my whole body was aching now. I took on the role of slave driver, and told Mike when he was allowed to walk (not much), and we hauled ourselves towards the finish, overtaking a few more 50kers on the way. This section of the route had some of the best scenery - Dedham Vale, Flatford Mill etc., but its hard to appreciate it when youre so exhausted.
The finish is Brantham Leisure Centre in Cattawade, approaching from the bottom of the playing field, and I found one last burst of energy to sprint up the hill towards the line (sorry, Mike…). Last year Id arrived here in the sweepers bus, and now I had done it on my own two feet. There was to be no fairytale podium finish (I was 10th woman), and my time of 13.16 wasnt even a 100k PB. Just a long, tough run. It wasnt a brilliant performance, but not a bad one either. It is a much tougher course than the Canalathon, both in terms of gradient and terrain (did I mention the stiles?), and my although I was a little slower here it was a better run. And I think I am recovering more quickly - I can already walk down stairs without holding on. A monkey off my back.

Thames Meander Marathon (trail) - Saturday 11th August 2018

Elvis 6 - Orion Harriers Forest Five Series - Race 3 - Saturday 11th August 2018

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

parkrun - all venues. - Saturday 11th August 2018

28 parkruns at 18 venues, 3 first finishers,
9 debuts and 4 course pbs,
Three first finishes for Patrick at Walthamstow,
Karen at Valentines and Euan at Burnley.
Highest age grades for Euan 80.46% and Karen 82.90%
ELR Records for:
Stuart at Eastleigh,
Jakub at Durham,
Euan at Burnley,
Scott at Horton Park

Pride Run 10km, Victoria Park - Saturday 11th August 2018

Chase The Sun 10km, QEOP - Wednesday 8th August 2018

Regents Park Summer Series 10km - Sunday 5th August 2018

Peak Skyline (half) - 14.5 miles - Sunday 5th August 2018

Peak Skyline (half) done!
I am rubbish at hills, and have hardly any endurance. My brain thought that it would be fun to sign up for 30miles and 2000m of ascent. Luckily I was able to drop to the half distance and only run 14.5miles in the end...
Training
I've been to track twice recently. I ran 1.7km in the forest last week. I used to live in Buckhurst Hill (that sort of counts as training)
Elite nutrition
Night before - too tired to find dinner, so had a jumbo packs of crisps, a sausage roll and a beer. Your classic carb load.
Morning - 2 xPain au chocolat and a Starbucks espresso
During - one Caffeine Bullet, Mountain Fuel blackberry, jelly beans
Race - running uphill sucks. I am not good at it. I like downhill! I overtook people on the downhill. Then they ran passed me while I cried onto the upwards slopes. Why is it so hot? Beautiful scenary, friendly staff. Well marked course. My legs are now dead. And I am so sunburnt that I will soon be able to get work as a David Dickenson lookalike.
Results - 14.5 miles in 3.23.29
2nd under 40 male (out of 4 :D)
23rd overall (out of 44...)

Old Downs Estate 10km, Bristol - Sunday 5th August 2018

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Aspire Runnings Old Down Estate 10k
Running this race seemed like a good idea when I entered 10 days ago. We were going to be at my dads in Wiltshire for a few days, so I was looking for a race within 1 hrs drive and this fitted the bill. To add to the appeal there was a 1km kids race, plus the entry fee meant we could stay at the Old Downs Estate all day complete with trampolines and adventure playground to keep the kids amused whats not to like?
The race blurb didnt make it sound too difficult.
As always, we will be strongly advising trail/off road footwear as you cannot possibly run this race safely in road shoes (No matter what the weather conditions are on the day) There are minimal areas of tarmac, so please take care when switching terrains and exercise caution throughout.
10k route: An amazingly diverse off road, multi terrain route. The 5k is a single loop, the 10k a two-loop course which will incorporate trails, woodland, stony tracks and open countryside.
The kids race was first and I had an extremely proud mummy moment watching my 10 yr old daughter come 2nd overall and 1st girl, and my 6 yr old son come within the top 10.
Our race didnt start till 10.30 5k and 10k started together to complete either 1 or 2 laps of the course.
Theres only one word to describe this race . nuts. Or maybe insane. I think my splits indicate just how tough the course was: 6.49, 8.17, 9.45, 7.07, 8.52, 9.33, 8.54 with the overall distance measuring 6.42 miles and my average pace 8.20.
The first part was straight downhill on grass tracks around fields, before it quickly narrowed to single track on very stony paths. Before long we were under the trees which provided much needed shade, but the the crazy hills began this was last Wednesdays ELVIS race on steroids, but thankfully I had Michael Bamfords voice in my head ATTACK THOSE HILLS which of course made them feel effortless. The paths were well marked but extremely winding and narrow, with the ever present tree root trip hazards. People were stumbling all over the place, and it didnt help that at several pinch points there were people coming from other directions who were at different points in the race. Having broken my foot 2 years ago running in Claybury woods I am always pretty wary of woodland running.
One of the hills was so steep to almost require scrambling, and at one point there was a gully to cross which we crossed 4 times in total twice in each direction.
At 4 miles I had second lady in my sights and even overtook her with only a mile to go, but she powered past me again and I couldnt catch her.
Very happy with 3rd lady and 1st V40 given Im far more used to pounding the relatively flat pavements of east London, where the most common hazard to avoid is dog poo!
I think that was my first Aspire running race and I would definitely recommend them smooth organisation, whilst being pretty laid back, plenty of friendly marshals, masses of post race treats (sweets, fruit, flapjacks, brownies) and the kids got medals, mini trophies and goodie bags.
All in all a good day, and proud to wear my ELR vest.

AJ Bell London Triathlon 2018 - Olympic Westminister - Sunday 5th August 2018

1500m swim, t1, 40k cycle, t2, 10km run
Ava 27.50, 3.14, 1.05.35, 2.15, 48.30 = 2.27.21
Danny 33.40, 3.24, 1.04.04, 2.20, 48.52 = 2.32.18
Jason 51.29, 7.23, 1.26.43, 3.11, 1.46.32 = 4.15.16

Run Through Wimbledon Half Marathon - Sunday 5th August 2018

Run Norwich 10km - Sunday 5th August 2018

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

AJ Bell London Triathlon 2018 - Olympic Leamouth route. - Saturday 4th August 2018

1.5k swim/ t1/ 40k cycle/ t2/ 10k run = Olympic
36.09 /4.47 / 1.24.44 /2.40 /1.02.42 = 3.11.00
503rd/ 1147, Women 49th/272, W25-29 29th

AJ Bell London Triathlon 2018 - Sprint - Saturday 4th August 2018

750m swim/t1 / 20k cycle/ t2/ 5k run = sprint.
13.59/ 3.36/ 39.10/ 2.01/ 26.01 = 1.24.46.
57th 0f 1044, Men 49/ 662, M35-39 10/112.

QEOP Summer Series 10km - Saturday 4th August 2018

Race Report for Olympic Park Summer Series 10K
This is my first race report so apologies for not doing one before, but most of my races are shorter distances 5k and park runs So there isnt normally a lot to report. Hopefully ive made up for it though, as this one goes on a bit, as it partly covers a previous race.
About 2 weeks ago I decided to book another 10k race to try and get over my last bad one which was the Felstead 10k back in July, that race seriously knocked my confidence after running PBs at 5k, 5miles, and 10k whilst running the 1 hour city run, it was all going so well until that run, which was on the hottest day of the year with a late start, but with a few hills thrown in. To cut a long story short basically it was such an effort I almost gave up at every km after the 2nd km and I felt so crap I almost thought about giving up running after. which I didnt think was possible. Only a week before every race felt like a PBs was coming so maybe I expected to much from myself on this one
Following the race the training runs that followed all felt pretty bad with no energy and half way round that sinking feeling of wanted to stop and having a mental battle just to get home all added to a knock in confidence and questioning my own sanity as to why I even doing this
To get over this bad spot I decided to book some time away to my house in Greece which involved me dropping out of the Elvis 4 race, and just try to figure out a way forward, plan was to do nothing but eat good food, sleep well, and run for 7 days up and down the mountain range by my house, in whatever heat there was to better prepare myself for any conditions I might next encounter next time, After a week of that and pushing hard and running in some insane temperatures the hottest being 37 Degrees in the midday sun, I felt like I was ready to go again mind was strong, body was doing what the mind told it too again. So with some confidence restored a few weeks ago I booked my next 10k race the Olympic Park Summer series 10K, as I needed get back on the horse and to put this demon to rest
The next few weeks flew by due to being busy with work, and on Saturday I got up at 6:30 am to get myself ready for a 9:30 am start at Olympic Park I always give myself lots of time before races as I get super anxious, and nervous and today was no different, in fact it was worse a lot was riding on today, if I had another bad race maybe that would be it, the end of running ,I sure hoped not, after getting my bag and kit together I headed out to the car, it was a nice sunny day and it was going to defo be a hot one, so I dropped the roof, put the sunglasses on and cranked up the music to enjoy the drive down to Olympic Park. On my way down to develop a positive mindset I decided no matter what, sun ,heat, rain, hills or whatever I would be running a PB time, at least sub 45 mins, which I have really struggled to get below, as I seemed to pace things to slowly when it comes to the 10K, after parking the car in Westfields I started the longish walk to the ArcelorMittal Orbit section of Olympic park where the race starts from, to take my mind off things I engaged in some usual witty banter on a call from Stephen Taylor, who pretty much told me my 10k time was crap, which I agreed with, and he pretty much laid down the gauntlet to beat his time, This meant my focus now shifted from beating my own PB to racing hard to Beat his
I arrived at check in and everything was seriously organised, I had my race number in a matter of minutes, I sorted my bag ready for the bag drop which was upstairs then headed off to locate the toilets for my first of many visits, thankfully there was a very small queue for the nicely equipment inside loos but the temperature inside meant that after just 2-3 mins inside I was already sweating like I had just finished a 10k.
On my way over to warm up I bumped into another ELR runner Spencer we said hello then I headed off to get warmed up, I did a good solid warm up for around 20 mins with various strides dynamic stretches, everything felt good but my hamstrings were tight, I put that to the back of my mind as today wasnt about excuses, id run on far worse so I would make the best I could of things, the nerves started kicking in now so a few more visits to the loo which now felt like a sauna and I was ready,
I lined up around 9:25 beside Spencer Evans and we briefly chatted again, and I just focused those 5 mins on clearing my mind of any negative thoughts, I had a game plan, I had done some training in heat and hills now, so I was ready for today, so with that mindset I decided to go out at fast 5k pace and decided to hold it as long as I could , the course. was a 3 lap course with some hills bridges all on concrete so I had a good opportunity to hold the 5k pace first lap and then have the race clock to reference it from.to see how I was doing This race wasnt about checking my watch or running with music ,this race was all about straight out running by feel no rhythm to slow my down, or a watch to tell me im running to fast or slow, I went through first 3.33km in 14:02 mins, which put me on target for a 42 mins 10k time surely I couldnt keep this up the second lap I still felt good, so I pushed and pushed and knew I was onto something special after going through the second lap 28:45 on the clock, last lap things got a little harder but I kept it going and even finished up sprint finishing at 3:21 km pace for last 400m section, as I approached the finish line the clock was still showing 42mins and in the 50s so I pushed even harder and cross the line just in time, I got my PB I not only run sub 45 min, but also sub 44, and sub 43 with a time of 42:52 I went to get my time print out and was over the moon that I had got an almost 3min PB, oh and before I forget I also beat Stephen Taylor time which now takes our running banter to a whole new level,
So medal round my neck sipping water on the way up to bag drop I bumped into a few runners who I had passed, who commented that I looked solid and powerful the whole way round, and that I kept good pace, they seems really pleased I got a PB and congratulated me on a good run, this felt good, I was buzzing again, I needed this run to get my mojo back, I sat with Mark another runner who I think I have convinced to join ELR, and we sat enjoying this lovely day and the contents of our goodies bags taking some pictures of our medals stadium in the background, I then looked again at my slip not even believing it ..then noticed my Category position V40 1st surely I hasnt just come first in my age group, I went downstairs to get this verified as I know sometimes results alter and change, and it had, I finished up in 2nd place In V40 category 25th overall which Im still over the moon about, I also got myself a medal and made some new running friends, days like these make me so pleased I decided to change my life around and decided to get fit and embrace running, its only been a short journey for me 8 months running so far but im loving every minute of it now, and having a club like ELR to run for has given it all some meaning and direction, so thanks for having me!,

parkrun - all venues. - Saturday 4th August 2018

Still some final results from Valentines to come.
Three first finishers - Patrick at Kingsbury Water,
Emily at Walthamstow and Billy at Hackney.
50th parkrun for Shaun DeSena and 100th for Saheb Yousefi.
ELR records for
Paul Marshall at Trelissick,
Scott at Oldham,
Andrew at Ditton Pastures,
Jakub at Wormwood Scrubs,
Martin at Foots Cray Meadows,
Patrick at Kingsbury Water,
Fiona at Clare Castle
Andrew Baxter at Haverford West and
James Nichols at Chichester.

Twilight Ipswich 10km - Friday 3rd August 2018

Alpe d Huez Triathlon (Long Distance) - Thursday 2nd August 2018

2.2km swim/ 118km cycle / 20km run
47.38 / 6.30.00 / 1.35.18

Course description
It is unique because the swimming event takes place in the crystal waters of the Lac du Verney, accessible to swimmers only during the Triathlon. Exceptionally, thanks to the authorisation of EDF, a partner in the competition, competitors will have the privilege of swimming in clear waters, at an altitude of 700 m, in a setting of greenery provided by the luxuriantly wooded peaks that surround this body of water. Sheer delight, which will soon make you forget the rather chilly temperature of the water, at some 15-16°C at the height of summer.

It is unique because the course of the bike race is quite simply legendary, with 3 mountain passes on the programme the Alpe du Grand Serre (1375 m) and the Col d'Ornon (1371 m) as well as the climb of the 21 switching bends of the climb to Alpe d'Huez, which has earned its well-deserved fame in the Tour de France, which includes it almost every year.

Patience and courage are the mottos for this major altitude change course, which is unique, finally, because once you've set down your bike, the run course event takes place within the majestic setting of the resort of Alpe d'Huez. The course is a mixture of asphalted roads and mountain paths, and consists of three 7.3 km loops.
One last altitude effort that confirms that the Alpe d'Huez Triathlon is indeed a summit of the international world of triathlon.

Sarah's Report:
At 7am I threw my rucksack on my back and began the 13-mile cycle (mainly down mountain) to the
start at Lac du Verney. Thinking to myself that this was already slightly crazy.
Arriving at the lake I dropped my running bag off (these would be taken to T2 at the top of Alpe
dHuez), found my spot in T1 and set up my bike and kit. It wasnt long before I wriggled in to my
wetsuit and joined the other 1000 competitors by the edge of the lake for the briefing, where they
confirmed the water temp was 18 degrees (a pleasant surprise from the 15 degree we’d told
previously). 10 mins before the start we entered the water. The start line was approx 200m from the
shore, so I swam to the far side of the start line near the other side of the lake and beached myself
on the rocks with a load of others. I had no desire to spend 10mins treading water. Before long the
horn sounded, and the swim was underway. As the day was about survival, rather than racing, I let
the other swimmers go off then steadily picked my way through the pack. The turns at the buoys
were scrappy but I kept my cool and ploughed on. On completing the first 1.1km loop I found there
were fewer people around me and managed to settle in to a steadier rhythm. As I turned past the
final buoy I could see the blue carpeted exit ramp in the distance and headed straight towards it.
And before long I was clambering up it on all fours. Bloody hell it was steep. Swim done.
In T2 I changed in to my cycle bib, jersey and arm warmers (today was also about comfort), threw all
my kit in my numbered black bag and headed out on the bike course with the advice given to us at
the briefing The race doesnt really start until you are at the foot of Alpe dHuez at the front of my
mind. The first 14 miles were relatively flat in to a slight headwind. I got myself comfy on my tribars,
settled in to a stead rhythm and took on some food and water. The man in the bike shop had told be
to ride smart so I resisted the temptation to push too hard. Before long I reached the foot of the
fist climb, the Col de le Morte! I was only a couple of minutes in to the climb when I realised I was in
the lowest gear and started to worry, on looking around so was everyone else (panic over). Helpfully
on the climbs there are markers at each KM counting down to the summit. These markers also
helpfully gave the average gradient of that section of the climb. I chose to not to look at these. Id
know Id reached the summit when Id got there, and Id know how hard the gradient was when I
encountered it. My plan for the climbs was to keep a steady cadence and keep my heartrate under
140bpm. The shade on the climb of the Col de la Morte was welcome as the temperature was
beginning to climb. Everyone seemed in good spirits and we chatted as passed each other and
congratulated each other when we reached the top. I topped up my water and refuelled before
beginning the decent. One down, two to go.
As we dropped down in the valley the heat became stifling, the air was dry and the heat coming of
the road was intense. The decent wasnt too technical so i took on more food and water and had a
bit of rest. At the next feed station, I grabbed some more water and chucked a fair bit over my head
as the heat of the day pushed on in the mid-thirties and turned my thoughts to tackling the next
climb. The Col DOrnon started quite gently but the road was exposed to the sun and there was dry
head wind. I think reality set in on this climb that this was going to be a long hot day and the chatter
of the previous climb was replaced with a determined silence. The balls of my feet had started to
burn because my socks had become crumpled in my bike shoes, so I stopped and took them off, oh
the relief. As the last few km of the climb ramped up the heat was ridiculous, but I tried not to think
about what was to come. Again, at the summit I refuelled and got a hose down by one of the
volunteers, bliss. The decent from the Col DOrnon was quite technical and a bit stressful so I waited
until I reached the bottom to take on refreshments. I was now 63 miles in to the ride and the race
hadnt even started.
The route to the foot of Alpe dHuez took us through the town of Bourg dOisans where Id stayed
the previous year. As I rode through the town I focused my mind on how I would tackle the 21
infamous switch backs of the Alpe dHuez. Knowing that the first 6 bends were horrific I decided to
break it down in to 3 lots of 7 bends (I could only do simple maths at this stage). As soon as we left
Bourg dOisans we hit a wall of asphalt as the road ramped up steeply to bend 21. It was hot, so hot.
The heat was coming off the road, off the rock face of the mountain, from my own body heat. The
air was hot. The water in my bottles was hot and my gels had been heating up nicely in my back
pocket. The heat was cruel. The temperature on my garmin recorded 39 degrees as I reached bend
19. I gritted my teeth and kept on peddling using the momentary relief afforded by the switch backs
to sip on my water. I soft focused as I passed the numbered signs on the bends until I finally reach
bend 14. Time to reset for another 7 bends.
Passing the feed station I managed to grab some water bottles and get a hose down (there was no
way I was getting off my bike). Reluctantly I threw a warm gel down my neck and cracked on. Now it
was horrific. People were walking, people were sat at the side of the road, oh god. I chose not to
look, instead riding a la Froome with my head down, reading the names of the Tour rider that had
been written on the tarmac. Who should I be? Froome, Dumoulin, Bardet, Geraint? I decided Id be
Contador (I know hes retired but hes my favourite) look at the way he attacks the climb, dancing
on the pedals my dancing was more like stomping but pretending to be Contador passed the time
until I reached bend 7.
This had now become a war of attrition that I wasnt entirely sure I would win. There was great
support on the later bends of the climbs. Kids hung out the window of the cars shouting Allez, Allez
Sarah! Locals poured water over your head and willed you on. It was only when I reach bend 1 that
I knew i would make it to T2. One final push and I arrived in transition. Thank f***!
Relieved to find my run bag had made it safely up the mountain I parked my bike did a quick change
under a towel in to my running short, fought to get my toe socks on, laced up my trainers, threw on
my cap and headed out of transition. Why was it still so hot? I ran through the sun lotion station,
grabbed some coke and head off on the first lap of the run. The run was 3 laps. I had decided that I
would march up the hills (Mr Motivator style) and run down them taking on coke and water at each
feed station. The run route went through the town and then headed up towards one of the ski
stations, it was exposed, hot and windy. When I finished the first lap I looked at my watch and it read
50mins. I tried not to despair, there wasnt anything to be done. My lungs were tired, my stomach in
bits and my core temperature was similar to that of a nuclear reactor. I tried to look at the positives,
Id hauled my arse up 3 mountains and I was a third of the way through the run. Same again for the
second lap. Most people were walking up the hills, so I kept my head up and marched on. Another
50mins passed and I was back in transition at the start of the final lap. Please make this stop. Even
running down hill had become almost impossible. I dug deep and ran the final downhill, back in to
transition and round and up to the finish funnel. The finish was lined with so many people and I was
met with a wall on noise. The kids were hanging over the barrier with hands out stretched so I got
my sprint on and high fived my way down the finish funnel. It was so much fun. As I ran through the
finish line I finally let myself believe that I could do it, picked up my medal and then sat in an ice bath
with 5 French men (it had all been worth it).
It is probably one of the toughest things Ive ever done, and I certainly underestimated the race and
was woefully under prepared. But you do what you can and hope that on the day your body and
mind see you through and luckily, they did. There were 201 poor souls on the DNF list, almost 1/5 of
the field, so I count my blessing that I made it to the finish line.

Elvis 5 - Harold Wood 5km, Harold Wood Park - Wednesday 1st August 2018

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

1st overall lady Jennifer Ansell
3rd lady Ava Lee
1st overall man Mark Boulton
3rd man Paul Quinton
Vet 60 Calvin Bobin

Go Tri Duathlon 71, QEOP Velopark - Tuesday 31st July 2018

2 mile run/ 10 mile cycle/ 2 mile run
14.48 / 30.52 / 16.00 = 1.01.41

Sri Chimnoy Battersea Park Relays (3 x 1 mile) - Monday 30th July 2018

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

175 teams finished.

38th - ELR 16.01
James Nichols, Sam Browne and Robert Rayworth

89th - PHE Penguins 17.33
Nick Clarke, Ellie Wilkinson and Amit Marks.

103rd - Action Against Hunger (Mixed) 18.09
featured Alexandra Rutishauser-Perera.

130th - Pina Colada 19.28
Lucy Barron, Alexandra Brown and Emily Clarke.


176th - Mothers Pride 22.43
Joanna Wood, Jason Levy and Marc Akers.

City to Summit - Saturday 28th & Sunday 29th July 2018

After a 4am start for a 15 mile road race (2.20) through Edinburgh,Nat
completed a 115 mile bike ride (8.45) despite relentless rain for most
of it.
A 12 mile trail run (3.00) was then followed by another 13 mile run up
Ben Nevis, which took around seven hours, before Nat had to navigate
his way back down.

Nat said "By this time my legs were shot and every step was pain. At the
finish 22 minutes over the official finish time of midnight. I was
presented with the most thoroughly earned medal in my collection."

Marlow Fugitive Sprint Duathlon - Sunday 29th July 2018

Sprint Duathlon - 5k run/24k cycle/ 5k run.

Ride 100 - Sunday 29th July 2018

Rachel:- 100 mile bike ride on a beautiful Sunday morning.....not!
Really pleased with my time though was aiming for 7 hours but got 6:40.
- Thanks East London Runners for my ballot place.

Ride 46 - Sunday 29th July 2018

also Dave Chapman 2.59.26 and his report.
Well done Geriant Thomas. I see you chose to compete in the Tour de France
rather than having me kick your arse in the Ride London 46 this year!
See you next year sucker.


Anna Dingle:- Despite the conditions, I had a great time on the Ride 46 today.
It was lovely to be at the start with some great people - it made the cold more bearable
so thank you. Ride 46 you were cold, wet and windy but still a lot of fun. Great to be
with everyone from East London Runners at the start too. It made it all the more bearable
standing waiting getting cold. My bike rode like a dream today and finally feel like I am
getting back to my best.

Stuart: Ride London 46 you were hard you were wet, But ELR can take it #ELRstrong

Lee Valley 10km - Sunday 29th July 2018

Lee Valley 10 miles - Sunday 29th July 2018

2nd overall in the Lee Valley 10-mile race with a time of 56'38". I felt I didnt
empty the tank completely, so that means the marathon training is going well.
Twisted course with some sections off-road. The UK weather is definitely back

Twilight 50k Ultra, Redbridge Cycle Circuit - Saturday 28th July 2018

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Dock 2 Dock swim - Saturday 28th July 2018

Run Through Velopark Half Marathon - Saturday 28th July 2018

Run Through Velopark 5km - Saturday 28th July 2018

parkrun - all venues. - Saturday 28th July 2018

47 parkruns at 22 venues, 2 first finishers.
13 debuts and 2 course pbs, a 50th & 100th parkrun.
First finishes for Euan at Wanstead & Karen at Valentines.
50th parkrun for Morag and 100th for Paul Marshall, both at Wanstead.
ELR Course records for:
Shaun DeSena at Cross Flatts,
Ashley Faria at Fells Foot,
Calvin Bobin at Penrose,
Terry Lewsey at Thurrock and
Andrew Howard at Prospect.
Debuts at 7 other venues.
Best age grade for Calvin 80.33%.

Soar Mile, QEOP Track - Friday 27th July 2018

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

The Owler Half Triathlon - Sunday 22nd July 2018

1.9k swim/ 90km cycle / 21km run.

Caterham Rotary Half Marathon - Sunday 22nd July 2018

275 finishers.

Run Through Finsbury Park 10km - Sunday 22nd July 2018

Took part in the RunThrough Finsbury Park 10k this morning. What a great little race set up.
4 laps, including a long gradual hill on each lap. Wonderful volunteers who really encouraged
you with advice and well wishes, and this cute medal.
Waiting for official time, my watch said 1.24
Happy that my final lap was pretty much as strong as my first lap, I haven’t run this strong in
a long time....and it was proper humid.
I will be doing some more of these events for sure.

Jurassic Coast Challenge - Saturday 21st July 2018

Suzanne's Race report- Jurassic coast ultra
Booked this way back in October after Geoff did Beachy head marathon- sounded like a lovely coastal run and a good post London follow up run. Although it was quite pricey we decided to make a weekend of it- I would do first half-Poole to Weymouth( 58k) and Geoff second half -Weymouth to Bridport (42k)
Last week I wasn't feeling so excited about it- the heat and a lack of time to put in any training (except Colworth) meant I was not in the best shape but decided to just go and enjoy the weekend. Geoff also had sustained (another!!) calf injury and was struggling to walk let alone run!
So, on the starting line in 28 degrees heat at 9am I had few expectations. I hadn't checked the route map and had thought I'd finish in about 6-7 hours-I had no idea what was coming-HILLS, HILLS, HILLS, some almost vertical and struggled even to walk up them and vertical steps down the other side!! Also had to run over sand and pebbles, which was tough and through the nudist beach which was busy and interesting!!!
BUT... the scenery was beautiful (apart from the nudists!- all I could think was that I hoped they had plenty of sun cream on!). I was lucky enough to find two amazing running partners Graham and Tanya (First Lady) who kept me going and made the whole experience great. Once I had shifted my mindset to running an ultra (as Tanya kept telling me I had to) and telling myself it was ok to walk up those hills I really enjoyed it. Rest stops were well catered although one was 18k and that felt like forever. Good meal and a glass of prosecco at end of just over 9 hours (37 miles on watch) plus a medal and t shirt (cotton though) and finding out I was second lady made the cost worthwhile.
Geoff did amazing completing his marathon part in 6.5 hours on watch despite being in a lot of pain! We finished the day sat in a beach hut opposite our lovely B&B with wine and chocolate and listening to the waves- all in all a great experience although struggling to walk now!
Hope to get to club Wednesday if I can run by then!

Geoff's short race report - Jurassic coast challenge 2nd half.
After dropping Suzanne of at 8.00 am ready for her 9.00am start, I headed back to Weymouth for the start of the marathon at Mid-day.
After sustaining an injury a couple of weeks agenda no training ,a visit to A&E on Thursday to rule out a DVT , I decided to give it a go.
So at 12.00 in 28 degrees heat and with some very serious looking runners we started. I managed to get to 3 miles before I got lost leaving Weymouth!
By mile 10 my injury was starting to hurt but the scenery was making it worth it.
I stopped at every rest stop to refill water and take snacks on board.
At the 16 mile rest stop I decided to have a massage to help with the last remaining miles.
At mile 20 we had to run/walk for 3 km on a pebble beach(everyone said how tough it was at the finish). By this stage I was cursing very loudly but as I was running alone I did not upset anybody.
I managed to run/walk the remaining miles and finished in a watch time of 6.35 and chip time of 7.02 which considering everything I was really pleased with.
I would just like to add how proud I am of Suzanne with her ultra and the time she completed it in (second lady home !! ). After seeing the profile of her run it was a supreme effort.
Would I do it again? Probably!
Great evening and day afterwards in stunning scenery and weather!

parkrun - all venues. - Saturday 21st July 2018

50 parkruns at 20 venues, 2 first finishers.
8 debuts and 8 course pbs.
First's for Euan at Wanstead & Mark at Walthamstow.
50th parkrun for Nick Hoult, 49th for Jamie X and 99th for Paul Marshall.
Best age grade of the day 80.85% for Calvin Bobin.
Best age grade for Caroline , also at Roding 74.94% an (VW40-44 record).
Course pbs also for Andy Kumar, Mark Boulton, Samir & Arthur at Wanstead, Georgie at Stevenage,
and John Henry at Fountains Abbey.
ELR Records for the following:
Georgie Hooper at Stevenage,
Shahib Ali at Osterley,
John Henry at Fountains Abbey,
Peter Hatley at Aldenham,
Stuart Barton at Holkham,
Ciaran at Fritton Lake,
and Fiona Critchley at Castle Park.

Golden Stag Mile, Finsbury Park - Friday 20th July 2018

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

135 runners.

Maud Hodson I would thoroughly recommend this event to anyone wanting to have a go at track racing. It was very well organised (needs to be with 13 mile races in an evening), but also laid back and friendly. A bit like Fast Friday, in that you can stand on the track and cheer other races, and theres a bar & catering, but this ones open to runners of all abilities. The races are graded, with the slowest runners in the first race, and Euan & co at the end of the evening, so you run with others of a similar pace. I really enjoyed that in all the other track races Ive done Ive been last by a distance, but here I finished 5th out of 14 in my race, so I was actually racing. And theres commentary on the PA for each race, so it was a bit like playing at being a proper athlete like you see on the telly.
And only £2 for a generous glass of Pimms - what's not to like?

Elvis 4 - Ilford AC Newman Hilly 5 - debut new course. - Wednesday 18th July 2018

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

1st Lady - Jennifer Ansell
3rd Lady - Ava Lee
1st FV35 - Caroline Frith
Ladies Team Winners - Hilly 5
Jennifer, Ava and Caroline
2nd Male - Paul Quinton
3rd Male - Billy Rayner
1st MV60 - Calvin Bobin
Elvis team - Ladies team 1st - Jenny, Ava, Caroline & Emily.
Elvis team - Men 2nd - Paul, Billy, Ciaran, Danny Lee, Scott & Louis.

Run Through Victoria Park 10km - Wednesday 18th July 2018

SCB Great City Run 5km - Tuesday 17th July 2018

Spitfire Scramble 24 hour race, Hornchurch Country Park. - Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th July 2018

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Spitfire Scramble Race Report
Running is stupid
Running in hot weather is stupid
Running for 24 hours is stupid
Camping out in a field with no shade is stupid
loved it all I must be stupid,
Thanks ELR #Amazing Stuart Barton

Joanna Wood:- Spitfire Scramble - a weekend of blood, sweat and tears in our camp with 30 degree heat, clouds of insect repellent and a bit more sweat thrown in for good measure! And all thoroughly worth it. A total of just over 20 miles for me over 3 1/2 laps over 24hrs as 1 of our team of 8 ELR runners. The heat was brutal and terrain hard going in places but a little hands-on therapy from Gordon of The Flying Physios team helped to sooth the aches and pains - all the ladies can testify to that I think( Katherine Harris!!!).
The Spitfire fly past was great to see and it was a great weekend for friends to hang out.
Now for an obligatory celebratory drink.
Well done ELR - a thoroughly good job done by all !!


Craig Livermore:- Spitfire Scramble Report time, and its going to be brief, as I still havent got the energy to go full length with this.
This was by far one of the most surreal experiences Ive ever been through. One being up since 05:30 on Saturday, to 15:00 the next day has had some repercussions, let alone the conditions and the course. Searing heat combined with the pace I was going at led to me retiring after the fourth stint, near 7am. I really wanted to go on for a 5th, but couldnt muster the strength to do so. As it was I was in tears at the end, the only other run to have ever broken me down that much can be traced back to early 2016, but arguably that was worse.
I couldnt be more proud of my team, when I couldnt muster any more strength Catriona, Katherine, and Anthony Leckerman of Barking Road Runners put in the extra. Everyone well done, and the same goes to the other two ELR teams. Ill come back again for another round next year, as I have unfinished business.
But for now, more sleep is required!!

27 24:14:19 East London Runners - Team Malta 551 Paul Thompson 1 00:45:39 548 Carlton D'Souza 2 00:42:53 552 Richard Guest 3 00:52:48 550 Jonathan Wooldridge 4 00:48:27 549 Grant Conway 5 00:48:13 551 Paul Thompson 6 00:48:12 548 Carlton D'Souza 7 00:44:37 552 Richard Guest 8 00:54:23 550 Jonathan Wooldridge 9 00:49:51 551 Paul Thompson 10 00:52:31 548 Carlton D'Souza 11 00:43:50 552 Richard Guest 12 00:50:46 550 Jonathan Wooldridge 13 00:53:21 551 Paul Thompson 14 00:54:55 548 Carlton D'Souza 15 00:48:22 552 Richard Guest 16 00:57:33 550 Jonathan Wooldridge 17 00:54:23 551 Paul Thompson 18 00:55:20 548 Carlton D'Souza 19 00:50:46 552 Richard Guest 20 00:56:59 550 Jonathan Wooldridge 21 01:04:06 551 Paul Thompson 22 00:57:18 548 Carlton D'Souza 23 01:01:51 552 Richard Guest 24 01:09:58 550 Jonathan Wooldridge 25 01:10:39 549 Grant Conway 26 00:58:28 549 Grant Conway 27 00:58:10

20 25 23:39:01 ELR 2018 718 Jason Levy 1 01:04:54 719 Antony Leckerman 2 00:46:58 720 Katherine Harris 3 00:58:05 722 John Healy 4 00:48:56 723 Craig Livermore 5 00:42:07 721 Catriona Hoult 6 00:59:03 718 Jason Levy 7 01:03:16 720 Katherine Harris 8 00:57:10 722 John Healy 9 00:49:18 723 Craig Livermore 10 00:42:41 721 Catriona Hoult 11 01:00:03 718 Jason Levy 12 01:02:41 720 Katherine Harris 13 00:58:04 722 John Healy 14 00:50:48 723 Craig Livermore 15 00:50:09 721 Catriona Hoult 16 01:01:54 718 Jason Levy 17 01:07:42 720 Katherine Harris 18 01:03:02 722 John Healy 19 01:16:21 723 Craig Livermore 20 00:44:28 721 Catriona Hoult 21 01:03:17 719 Antony Leckerman 22 00:46:48 720 Katherine Harris 23 00:59:18 719 Antony Leckerman 24 00:49:39 721 Catriona Hoult 25 01:12:19

32 24 24:47:42 ELR Spitters 730 Stuart Barton 1 01:03:17 724 Alexandra Rutishauser-Perera 2 00:57:22 726 Jayne Browne 3 01:01:12 727 Joanna Wood 4 01:05:05 725 Diana Rexhepaj 5 00:59:51 728 Marc Akers 6 00:54:51 730 Stuart Barton 7 01:08:42 724 Alexandra Rutishauser-Perera 8 00:56:07 726 Jayne Browne 9 00:58:09 727 Joanna Wood 10 01:05:38 725 Diana Rexhepaj 11 00:56:26 728 Marc Akers 12 00:56:48 730 Stuart Barton 13 01:05:36 724 Alexandra Rutishauser-Perera 14 00:59:00 726 Jayne Browne 15 01:04:33 731 Stuart Farrell 16 00:59:20 729 Stephen Swan 17 00:53:32 731 Stuart Farrell 18 01:01:50 729 Stephen Swan 19 01:04:11 727 Joanna Wood 20 01:13:17 725 Diana Rexhepaj 21 01:01:27 724 Alexandra Rutishauser-Perera 22 01:01:19 731 Stuart Farrell 23 01:09:22 728 Marc Akers 24 01:10:47

Virgin Sport British 10km, Westminister - Sunday 15th July 2018

Thorpe Park Triathlon - Standard Distance - Sunday 15th July 2018

Standard Distance - 1500m swim, t1, 40k cyce, t2, 10k run.
Gemma 35.18, 2.45, 1.20.43, 1.31, 55.57 = 2.56.03
Robyn 36.39, 2.59, 1.18.47, 1.14, 1.01.16 = 3.00.41

Essex 50 mile, Felsted - Saturday 14th July 2018

Essex 50 Mile race report:
If you think Ive been a bit quiet about this race, well thats because I only entered it on Thursday. I had been planning to do a 50 mile training run this week, and I saw a FB post about this one, organised by Challenge Running, who put on the Last One Standing. I had now plans for Saturday so I signed up. It is primarily a 100 mile event, with 50 and 30 mile options, leaving me in the slightly unusual position of taking on a 50 mile race and feeling like a bit of a lightweight.
I felt much more relaxed than usual on race day, I think largely due to lack of build-up, and reckoned on treating at like a training run with a medal at the end. The course is an out-and-back lap, 4.3 miles each way, which means that the 50 miler as actually 51.6 miles - 6 laps. Most of it was along the Flitch Way, a disused railway line, which was lovely as it pretty flat and with plenty of shade, even in the middle of the day. Which made a big difference as it was a very hot day. The remainder was on road, which was less flat and less shady. There were two feed stations, one at each end of the course, It was a small race, with 20 entered on the 100, 11 in the 50 & 20 in the 30. You could tell which race people were in from their numbers, and due it being an out-and-back route we saw a lot of each other. Ultra-runners a great bunch of people, and greeting each other as we passed was a real pleasure.
Anyway, my race was pleasingly uneventful. I started steadily, quickly finding myself second-to-last, with just the 69-year-old race-walker behind me. This was ultra-running as I like to do it start steady, keep plodding along, no drama. At no point did I lose the will to live, which is always a bonus. I was in second place amongst the 50 mile women for most of the day, far enough behind that there was little chance of catching the leader, which suited me fine as it kept the pressure off.
And then on lap 5, when I passed her at the far end of the course, her lead had got much smaller. I wasnt too pleased, as I was in no mood for racing. There was still half a marathon to go. And then I passed her on the return stretch, shed stopped, feeling unwell. Which meant the trophy was in effect mine to lose. But ultra-runners don't give up without a fight, and she made it back to base camp just as I was setting out on my final lap. I was still feeling fine, so I kept my pace as quick as I could I was going to make myself difficult to beat. I made my far end pit-stop as brief as I could, and headed for home, wondering how far behind she was. I saw my new friend Andy about a mile into the return leg, and he told me she hadnt started the final lap. In fact she had, but I passed her after about a mile and a half, which meant I was 3 miles ahead with less than three left to run. Barring disaster, I was home. And the was no disaster - in fact mile 50 was my quickest of the day, and I managed a cheeky little sprint finish (a couple of the other runners egged me on). 9.48.01 my finish time.
So five weeks after my win at the LOS, I had a second one. And this time I beat the guys as well (one guy did finish ahead of me, but he had dropped down from the 100, and therefore was not eligible for placings). My trophy will be engraved with my name and sent out to me.
A very good day in the office for me. Preparation for the SVP100 wrapped up, confidence restored. Bring it on.

Run Through Battersea Park 10km - Saturday 14th July 2018

Orions Forest Five Series - Race 2 - Saturday 14th July 2018

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

parkrun - all venues. - Saturday 14th July 2018

Phoenix Running Sharkrun Hammerhead Marathon - Friday 13th July 2018

Race report for Phoenix Running Sharkrun Hammerhead Marathon
So having pulled out of the Hever Marathon 2 weekends ago due to injury (opting for the Long Aquabike instead) I had signed up for the Phoenix Running Sharkrun Hammerhead Marathon in Essex as a replacement.
It was 8 laps so I had the option to drop out every 3.25 miles and was never too far from the base.
It was a relatively small race with 39 people entering. Id set myself the target of around 4hrs with sub 4 being the dream. However the race is organised by the same people who do the 12 marathons in 12 months challenge and they started by awarding various tshirts, including one guy who had run 100 marathons in 12 monthes! Thats 2 a week, for a whole year!A
Keen not to come last I set off at a decent pace but the sun came out and very quickly, running in 30 degrees started to take its toll. This resulted in quite a few people resorting to walking. By lap 3 I was beginning to lap people which gave me a weird mental advantage, trying to stay ahead of those behind me while picking off those I was lapping.
At mile 17 I started feeling the impact of a full on ironman training schedule and my pace slowed. A bit of maths meant I hit mile 23 and having a maths blank, thought Id missed the 4hr mark by about 10 mins and slowed to a walk deciding it wasnt worth killing myself. However, then realised Id made an error and could still make 4 hours and so tried picking up the pace. By this stage I was lapping people for the 3rd time and no one had overtaken me so had a sudden thought I wonder what position Im in? I picked up the pace and finished in 4:02 only to be told Id finished 2nd! The guy who finished first had finished 1 min ahead of me and admitted he had seen me coming and thought I was chasing him down.
All in all it was a great race, well organised, great bling and needless to say I was ecstatic to have finished 2nd, something I dont think will ever happen again!

Woodford Green AC Open Graded Meeting - Tuesday 10th July 2018

Pictures available in Photo Gallery

Hever Castle Aquabike (long) - Sunday 8th July 2018

3.8K swim, 120K cycle with an optional 4 run afterwards.

Felsted 10km - Sunday 8th July 2018

412 finishers.

So today i did the felsted 10k Race in essex, was quite a late start time of 10:30am, so the sun
was seriously beating down as we set off making it incredibly hot to run in i managed to finish
with a time of around 45:40 (waiting for official time ) which given the conditions im ok with,
im. not going to lie it was a battle to finish, and i questioned my sanity at pretty much every
km after the 2nd km, was nice to meet up with emmet another east london runner, so at least i
wasnt alone running it, on the plus side i got another medal for my collection. and i got to put
my feet up at starbucks after the race and enjoy a nice hot chocolate and a Cinnimon Swirl,

Terry

Simplyhealth Great North 10km, Gateshead - Sunday 8th July 2018

Hever Castle Aquathon - Sunday 8th July 2018

1.9k swim and a 10.5k run.
Best way to cool down in this heat? Go for the longest swim you've ever done (1.9k)
and maybe don't do a 10.5k run after it. Aquathlon done

The Lundy Island Race (14 (ish) miles) - Sunday 8th July 2018

231 finishers.


Andrew Baxter: Slightly longer than planned...Lundy Island Race Report

What can I say about this one.the most unique and stunningly beautiful and, possibly, most brilliant event Ive ever done, but one where I had an absolute stinker of a run.
Was just way too hot, some mention of it hitting 30 degrees even though we were on an island 12 miles off the Devon coast!
I went off at what I thought was a steady pace in the heat but by mile 2 I knew things werent right. Eased it back a bit as we headed up the rough granite trail at the centre of the Island, thinking Id soon settle into my stride but it never happened. By 4 miles, as we had turned back south along the west coast on relatively easy grass trail, I made the decision to walk even the slightest of inclines and just try to take in the sheer beauty of the island hoping to get to first checkpoint (back near the start) where I could drop out.
That checkpoint was at about 6.5 miles, where a long stop in the shade of the gazebo (there was no shade whatsoever at all on the trails all race), plus water, melon, salted crisps and some general TLC from the brilliant crew were enough to get me going again and on to the east coast of the island.
This was tough, really technical trail clinging to the side of the cliff, but finally I started to feel ok having literally and mentally gone past the point of no turning back and amazingly, I dropped the small group that Id left the checkpoint with and slowly, but surely, one at a time, I started to close on and even pass a few people that had overtaken me on earlier walking breaks.
This section dipped up and down the cliff side and included long stretches in dense, ankle high gorse scrub where the path was, at best, only one foots width across (and I literally mean the width of my foot rather than the imperial measurement!). Eventually we got to the top tip of the Island and checkpoint two, by the northern lighthouse, at the bottom of a seriously, steep set of steps. Slightly shorter stop here and then grit my teeth for the killer climb back up the steps before dragging myself along the final 3 miles, back down the spine of the Island, to the finish and a total distance almost bang on 14 miles.
Finishing time of 2.14.48 for 34th place (231 finishers) but none of that mattered, was glad just to have got round!
Will be back next year as it really was amazing the organisation, the atmosphere, the breath-taking scenery, the ice cold post-race beer in the Marisco Tavern (the Islands pub) and possibly best of allthe small pod of dolphins that accompanied us, playing in the bow wave, during the 2 hour boat journey to and from the Island. Entries open on 27th of July, I suspect it will sell out in a matter of hours.

Hever Castle Half Marathon - Sunday 8th July 2018

Nick Hoult:- ugh. that was a bit grim. cross country without the mud but blazing sun instead.
very pretty course though and a really good event.

Andy Bolderstone: Hever Castle Half Marathon Report
If you have been to Hever you will know how beautiful it is especially on a hot and sunny summers day as it was on Sunday. However it was pretty brutal conditions to do a half marathon in.
It had all seemed such a good idea when last Black Friday I paid the reduced £12 entry- bargain! I knew it would never be a race where a good time would be possible but the recent hot weather was going to make this really tough. It was part of the Festival of Endurance where a half marathon became the equivalent of a fun run in comparison to other events taking place. The route was 2 laps of constant undulatio n through beautiful countryside and the National Trust village of Chiddingstone. Mercifully there were parts that had shade and if the weather had been more agreeable I would have really enjoyed this one. I still enjoyed it but it was hard work. It was odd having runners doing different races around you (full marathon, gauntlet, triathlon etc etc), you were never sure who you were racing. The competitors were a different crowd to purely running events and there was a real feeling of support and respect with people wishing you well and praising you as you passed them.
A well ran event ( although I clocked 13 miles so slightly short possibly) in a stunning location. If they could guarantee a moderate temperature next year I wouldn't hesitate to sign up. If one cold day near Xmas I see a similar deal I might forget the heat and sun and enter again. My worst half in terms of time but definitely the most beautiful.

Ware 10's - Sunday 8th July 2018

284 finishers.

Velothon Wales 2018 - Sunday 8th July 2018

Fyn ITU Sprint Distance Duathlon, World Championship, Denmark - Sunday 8th July 2018

Congratulations to Sarah Burns for finishing 13th in the F40 - 44 category in 1.14.54.
Sarah was 5th in Team GB 24.31 5K run, t1 2.02, 34.18 20k bike, t2 2.45 and a 11.18 2.5k run.

Shere 42k - Saturday 7th July 2018

106 finishers.

QEOP 10km Summer Series - Saturday 7th July 2018

parkrun - all venues. - Saturday 7th July 2018

49 parkruns at 15 venues, 2 first finishers.
6 debuts and 4 course pbs.
First finishes for Patrick & Roisin at Walthamstow.
Best age grade for John Booth at Southwark.
150th parkrun for Ciaran & 49th for Nick at Wanstead.
ELR course records for:
Shaun at Etna,
Tom at Plym Valley,
James at Crystal Palace,
and Andrew & Fiona at Great Dunmow.

Fyn ITU Standard Distance Duathlon, World Championship, Denmark - Friday 6th July 2018

Standard - 9.1k run, t1, 33k bike, t2, 5.2k run
Ava 35.40 / 1.54 / 1.01.01 / 2.29 / 21.43 = 2.02.47
Danny 34.39 / 2.04 / 1.00.23 / 2.25 / 20.36 = 2.00.07

Danny Lee and I waving the flag for Team GB at the ITU World Duathlon Championship
in Fyn, Denmark today. I came 5th in my age group, which I'm delighted with. Danny
got to wear Team GB kit for the first time - along with his shiny new, pointy helmet
- and came 27th. Watch out for Sarah on Sunday!

Chase The Sun 10km, Clapham Common - Wednesday 4th July 2018

Go Tri Duathlon 70, QEOP Velopark - Monday 2nd July 2018

Sprint 2 mile run, 10 mile cycle, 2 mile run
Louis 13.26/20.41/13.52
Michael 14.04/31.36/14.26
Sarah 15.49/29.24/15.33
Roger 15.16/ 31.49/15.09
Jimmy 15.56/33.38/15.59
Jason 18.55/34.35/18.42
Kat 17.13/39.31/17.21

Supersprint 1 mile, 5 mile, 1 mile
Rachel 8.28/ 28.00/8.38

Garmin Triathlon de Paris - Sunday 1st July 2018

Paris Triathlon DONE. I am actually quite emotional. I only had 6 weeks to train,
have only just learned how to swim front crawl and I still dont know how to use
the gears properly on my bike. It has literally been the hottest day ever so no
mean feat. Full blog to come tomorrow but for now we are celebrating with a picnic
under the Eiffel Tower before getting the Eurostar back.

1500m swim 56.18, t1 4.12, 40k cycle 1.37.57, t2 6.09, 10k run 1.25.23 = 4.10.01