This weekend was a big one for Running Forever when we hosted the Humdinger and Hurtle races in the beautiful Quantock Hills, one of two events we host each year (at least when there isn’t a pandemic underway). The other being the Herepath Half in the equally beautiful and equally hilly Blackdown Hills.

After a gap due to the pandemic, the races returned with a new start and finish location at the Fyne Court National Trust property. The change of location allowed Race Director Sandra Moffat to rework the courses to have even better views than the previous routes, and of course she introduced even more hills which resulted in (largely) positive feedback from the runners… Even so, there were some very rapid finishers for both events!

For the Humdinger, which measures a kilometre over half marathon distance, first home was Michael Sandiford in an incredible time of 1:19:53 followed by Oliver Rant (1:24:14) and Adam Fieldhouse (1:27:12). First female home in a storming time was Gill Pearson in 1:34:47, and then in close order Lisa Hallett (1:54:02) and Hazel Hole (1:55:02) taking second and third spots. Hannah Baker was the sole Running Forever participant finishing in a very respectable 2:02:21.

The Hurtle is the shorter sibling of the Humdinger, a great choice if you want a taste of road racing in the Quantocks but without opting for the Humdinger distance. In a very small field almost half of the runners bagged a trophy. Securing first dibs on the cakes in the café was Robert Mann in 26:34, with James Clapperton next in (34:07). We then had first and second females in a close finish – Amy Chandler securing the win in 35:44 with Zoe Seaton just a few seconds back in 35:56. Terry Prowse (37:01) rounded off the top 3 males and Liz Eele the third female in 44:01.

Numbers were down on previous years, as is the case for many races this year, but we hope to welcome many more runners next year to enjoy what is a fantastic event, especially if you like hills!

In the antithesis of a hilly race, Scott Weetch took on the Winding Paths Canal Canter 50k, completing the ultra distance in 5h35m to secure 10th place. I imagine Scott would have enjoyed an incline or two to mix things up after such an incredible distance along the towpath!

Four RFRCers also raced the very popular Slay the Dragon off road 10k at Hinton St George. There is good club participation every year on what is an attractive course with a nasty hill just before the end – it’s almost as if they planned it!It wasn’t a good day for the dragons with all four committing dracocide in good times. Ron Foord led them home in 52:15 followed closely by Sam Cross in 54:35. Sally Tuer and Helen Prescott both conquering the dragon and the final hill to finish in 1:00:15 and 1:01:01 respectively.

Club parkrunners took on eight different venues this week in a variety of locations including Longrun Meadow, Bournemouth, Killerton, Burnham, Crosby, Exmouth Frogmary Green Farm and Jersey Farm (in St Albans of course).

With Auntie Linda away the pen has fallen to me, so get a cuppa and get comfy.

It was a great weekend for the boys and girls in red with athletes gracing the roads and trails of Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, both racing and parkrunning.

Talking of which, today’s post is going to begin with parkrun, we had 19 members representing the club at our local, Longrun Meadow. Meanwhile, Malcolm Hutchings and Kate Mackenzie were off enjoying Lands End, Ben and Ola Timpson were at my old stomping ground the relatively new Central Park Plymouth event, I hope you all enjoyed yourselves.

However, for the parkrun keenos amongst you Claire Allison had the pleasure of meeting Paul Sinton-Hewitt, the founder of parkrun, at California County.

If you’re anything like me, Sunday was a blur but the club managed to fill out the day well. As usual our Club group runs got us going (do try them, they’re great!) and they were accompanied by three separate events.

At Bideford Half Marathon, James Lewes and Hannah Kirkman flew the flag fir the club in what looked like good race conditions. James came in at 1:35:27 and Hannah in 1:50:35

Meanwhile we had five club members at the White Star Running Larmer event with Jules Griffiths-Jones completing the half in 2:24. Our other 4 members taking part in the marathon, Jonathan Newby and Emma Perkins (5:14), Georgina Byrne came one step closer to the 100 club (6:41) while the man who’s flamboyant tight’s fame match his famous saying came in at 7:17.

Finally, our biggest event attendance of the weekend, the RFRC contingent at the Grizzly event.
First back from the club was the annoyingly nice and fast Dean Bennett (2:50:15). Hot on his heels was Ali Bisatt (3:07:19). Chris Grieco (3:33:37) and Simon Denson (3:38:59) were next in for the club, while our first lady in was Tanya Lewis (3:51:51). After this saw a flurry of red and white, Fintan Murray (4:04:27), Sam Wharton (4:11:21), Mark Wilson (4:12:43), Ron Foord (4:14:50), Samantha Cross (4:14:51) and Damon Butler (4:15:46). Our last five bought a successful day to an end with David Loader (4:20:57), Mercedes Thorne (4:30:17), Joanne Gavins (4:30:20), Matt Price (4:30:55), Alex Hughes (4:42:18) and Matt Blee (4:42:21) all crossing the line.

I hope you all recover well from your endeavours and if you’re reading this as someone thinking about trying us, go for it, the most lovely group of people one can meet.

After a week of weather disruption, it was back to the business of running races and collecting medals for Running Forever athletes.

The 26.2 Day challenge provided an opportunity to run laps to make up the chosen distance. Andy Burgess clocked up 32.9 miles in 5.16 for the ultra option. First home for the marathon distance was Sam Wharton in 3.57; followed by Scott Weetch in 4.12 and Peter Hall in 4.47.

Nick Brazier hit the line in a speedy 42.59 in the Exeter 10K event.

Down by the seaside for the Brighton Half we hope Chris Adams treated himself to a celebratory ice cream after his 2.02 PB.

Going underground was the order of the day for Chris Manley and Damian Lake as they took on the Bath Two Tunnels 10K, finishing in 42.57 and 48.33 respectively.

Sunday saw the next race in the Somerset Series, the Babcary 7 which is organised by Wells City Harriers. A quartet of runners from the Club tackled this unusual distance with Chris Grieco leading them home in 47.37. Ben Timpson crossed the line in 52.37; John Townend in 55.30 with Sally Tuer completing in 65.55.

Our parkrun tourists were on the road early to visit Poole, Riverfront, Bournemouth, Exmouth, Haldon Forest, Milford Waterfront and Berkley Green. Twenty members took their Saturday exercise at Longrun Meadow.

Georgina Brice was back on the marathon trail this weekend, clocking up #88 with a 5.18 at the imaginatively named Hug Marry Run Marathon event.

Down in Exeter and braving the weather for their Half Marathon on Sunday, Helen Needs (1.55) and Emily Macaulay (2.06) were delighted to stay upright if not dry to collect their medals.

Sally Tuer took on the Dursley Dozen which included 2200 feet of climb in the 12 miles, finishing in 2.43.

Our parkrunners ventured to Shepton, Plymouth and Coed Cefn-pwll-du (that nearly made autocorrect explode) with 19 staying local at Longrun Meadow.

A quieter week for RFRC members but still a good presence at the Endurancelife South Devon event where Sam Carden took 4th spot in the marathon distance with 4.06. In the ultra race, Chris Grieco clocked 6.54 and Jo Gavins 8.19 on a very challenging course.

It was a half distance for Georgina Brice this week, how she resisted the urge to go round again for another notch on her marathon belt we’ll never know, but had to be content with a 2.32 finish at the Blackmore Vale Half.

Our parkrun tourists were in Minehead, Exmouth, Wyre Forest, Street, Warwick Racecourse, Beacon, Marine Parade and the spiritual home of parkrun in Bushy Park. Twenty four stayed on home turf at Longrun Meadow.

A real variety of events this week – with some absolutely epic races taken on and conquered by club members at either end of the country, a run in the Blackdowns with a serious focus on in-race hydration and a 10k around the beautiful grounds of Longleat (avoiding the lion enclosure).

The first epic event of the weekend was the Mudcrew Arc of Attrition, a race which is so long it has to start at lunchtime on the Friday to ensure everyone can get round before it’s time to get back to work on Monday! This extreme ultra event covers just over 100 miles and 20,000 feet of ups (and downs) of the very undulating South West Coastal Path, cicumnavigating the westerly most section of Cornwall from Coverack to Porthtowan.

The RFRC nutters toeing the starting line were the very experienced trio of Ali Bisatt, Martin Webb and Robin Upton. Each of them put in a monumental performance to complete the race and receive their coveted ‘buckle’, no mere medal for a race of this distance (although I can’t help thinking it’s much harder to show them off than hanging medals as a backdrop to your Zoom calls). It’s an incredible distance to run – but run it they did and Martin was first back in 29h20m, with Ali and Robin completing the event together in 32h53m.

Only slightly less crazy were the four club members who opted for the 50 mile version of the Arc which started on the Saturday from the wonderfully dramatic position of the coastal Minack Theatre (although it’s a devil of a climb to start with!). The quartet embarking on this brutallly challenging 50-miler were Alex Hughes, Dave Marshall, Matt Price and Sam Wharton. Sam was first club member back in 13h15m, followed by Dave in 14h43m and Matt in 14h57m. Alex took the sensible option and called it a day in St Ives after more than 10 hours on the course.

Further north in Skipton, Emma Greig was about to embark on an epic journey of her own, the 100-mile Lady Ann’s Way. This scenic but also very challenging course follows the route between Skipton and Penrith taken by the indomitable 17th century land owner Lady Anne Clifford. The website guide to the route recommends nine days for the walk, but Emma had other plans and completed the distance in just over one and a half days (38h58m). The weather was less kind in the north, with not one but two named storms passing through the area. The prevailing winds could explain why Emma had quite a tilt to her gait by the end of the race

Any running event which involves beer as part of the in-race hydration offerings is highly likely to attract RFRC club members. The hilly Blackdown Beauty hosted by Honiton Running Club which starts at Dunkeswell Aerodrome is one such event and a good collection of club members duly turned out. Not technically a race, there are no finishing times to report for the almost 17-mile route, probably a good thing given the refreshments available. ‘The Beast’ has a summertime sister event ‘The Beauty’ which is also well supported by the club, although the dryish weather of late and the reasonable weather ensured this year’s event was less beastly and more beautiful than some muddier, wetter and windier years.

Finishing off the weekend’s races on a beautiful sunny morning were Daniel Devlin, Karen Chapman and Suzanne Templeman at the Longleat 10k. Keeping with the theme of the weekend this was also a hilly course with the biggest hill completed twice for extra fun, although the one mile downhill finish went some way to make up for it. Finishing times for the crew were Karen in 1h9m, Daniel in 1h12m and Suzanne 1h18m.

Lots of parkrun activity for the club this weekend as well, the 16 RFRCers at Longrun Meadow were augmented by visitors to Burnham (1), Eastville (2), Marine Parade (1), Penryn (2), Southwick (2), Upton Court (1), Worthing (1) and the exotic sounding California Country (near Wokingham!).

Not many races this weekend and even fewer photos! So let’s start with a reminder that the club is always welcoming new members. We are a club of all abilities, offering 11 different paced groups at our main club night on a Wednesday, as well as speed sessions on a Monday, trail runs on a Tuesday and regular longer runs (road and trail) at the weekends. Runners in general are a friendly bunch, but we like to think that Running Forever is the friendliest club around so if you want to give us a try head over to the website at https://runningforever.club or https://www.facebook.com/runningforeverrunningclub/ to find out more.

On to races now – if you’re up for the challenge of running a hilly 5k or 10k, then why not make it that bit tougher by doing it in the dark? I’m assuming that was the thinking of the brave souls who entered the Storm the Fort 5k and 10k events on the evening of Saturday 22nd Jan. The challenging route took runners up Brean Down and along to the Fort and back – twice for those choosing the 10k. First back in the 5k was Michael Turk in 40 mins followed by Emma Louise in 49m. Leading the way back for the club in the 10k was Adam Crichton in 46m, then Jo Carritt finished a few minutes later in 53m. A further group of four club members (Andrew Phillips, Dee Finch, Helen Prescott and Simon Rowland) took the safety in numbers approach in the dark and finished together in 1h14m.

Also on Saturday, and with the option to continue into Sunday, Dave Urwin took on the Crooked Tracks Wiltshire’s Trail event ‘Beyond the Far Side’ – a multi-lap endurance race with choices of 6, 12 and 24 hour durations. Dave plumped for the 12 hour variant and completed a very hilly 37.1 miles (7 laps) in 11h10m.

Hannah Taunton produced a fabulous performance at the Speedway 10k on Sunday running in her Taunton Athletic Club colours in a personal best time of 35m16s.

A total of 30 RFRC parkrunners were out in good force in Taunton this weekend, with visitors to Minehead, Weymouth and four taking part in only the second Marine Parade event in Weston-Super-Mare.

An intrepid trio of runners travelled to Dawlish for the intriguingly titled Oh My Obelisk! Half Marathon on Sunday. It seemed to be a bit uphill and there was indeed a sizeable column to be spotted by at least 2 of the 3 runners. Ali Bisatt failed to spot the landmark but finished in 1.44, Ron Foord clocked 2.02 with Michael Turk making it home in 2.30.

Sallly Tuer head for Budleigh Salterton for the Walter Raleigh Round Half, finishing in 2.39 to take her place at what was apparently a very impressive cake table.

Our parkrun tourists were in Aberdeen, Blanford, Itchen Valley, Exmouth and Burnham with 24 tackling the puddles of Longrun Meadow, where new member Adrian Troake earned himself a PB. Join RFRC and make those PBs a reality

Another great weekend of racing for Running Forever members with a huge turnout at the local Stoke Stampede where 1 in every 7 finisher was proudly wearing the red and white of RFRC. We also recruited several new members after they saw the fun and team spirit – not to mention Claire Loader’s vocal support. A list of runners is at the end, many PBs were earned and a couple of great age group finishes plus a 2nd spot in the race for Sam Carden.

On the marathon trail once again, Georgina Brice clocked up her 87th with a 5.41 in the SG-100.

Ray Tutton and Scott Weetch finished in 3.51 and 4.11 respectively at the Plym Trail marathon and Sam Astill completed the half marathon in 1:49.

The Stampeders were – Sam Carden 36.26 2nd Place; Dean Bennett 36.59; Andrew Saunders 39.54; Ben Timpson 42.58; Chris Manley 43.42; James Lewes 44.31; Fintan Murray 44.41; Ron Foord 46.22 2nd AG; Simon Rowland 46.19; Don MacPhail 47.11; Jo Gavins 48.18; Dave Loader 48.22; Darren Purchase 49.36; Martin Webb 49.41; Sue Lewis 49.48; Sam Cross 49.56 3rd AG; Chris Reah 51.03; Matt Price 51.27; Anne Marie Crampton 51.42; Dee Finch 54.16; Nadine Prouse 55.05; Damon Butler 55.22; Tracy Marshall 55.30; Chris Buckman 56.56; Helen Prescott 57.14; Andrew Phillips 57.20; Emily Macaulay 58.55; Sherri Dingle 59.27; Lauren Clark 59.28; Malcolm Boon 59.46; Chris Adams 60.35; Rob Murr 62.17; Matt Williams 63.08; Malcolm Hutchings 63.34; Liz Williams 64.27; Peter Stretton 65.07; Craig Moore 65.41; Emma Salter 65.44; Paula Bisatt 66.01; Karen Chapman 66.06; Kirsti Nelson 76.26; Yvonne Loat 76.45; Emma Greig 77.03; Vince Jones 77.57; Sarah Holloway 80.02; Rachael Jones 80.36; Isabelle Ashton 82.40; Kerry Anne Chapman 82.43; Suzanne Templeman 83.43

Our parkrun tourists went to Plymvalley, Moors Valley, Burnham, St Mary’s and Edgbaston whilst 14 stretched their legs through the puddles of Longrun Meadow