Bramley Newspaper Articles

Strong Start to Summer League for SRC

The Notts. AAA Summer League is in full swing with Southwell Running Club hosting the preliminary event at Sherwood Pines a few weeks ago. A beautiful summer evening was the perfect setting for the undulating off-road trail event around the country park. Over 650 participants from more than 20 different Nottinghamshire clubs were present and this made for a challenging but exciting first League Race of the season. Although many SRC members had volunteered to marshal for the event, the club still managed to field strong teams for both men and women. The second race of the season, hosted by Newark Clubs took place on a slightly cooler evening at the National Water Sports Centre. The new out and back route which began with a lap of the rowing lake and incorporated some undulating grassed sections, was enjoyed by all.

Congratulations to Ian Haigh and Lee Mulraney who completed the Wheelbase Fred Whitton Challenge. This 112 mile sportive around the Lake District began in Grasmere and took in some extremely challenging climbs around Kirkstone, Hard Knott and Blea Tarn. Father and son duo, Stewart and James Lenton, also took on a very challenging route when they participated in the 25k event at the Keswick Mountain Festival on a warm day in May. Despite the heat the 750mt ascent presented stunning views of Derwent water which was well worth the challenging terrain.

With the lighter evenings our popular Tuesday evening interval sessions are able to be held on the beautiful trails and fields on the outskirts of the town and as the club continues to grow we have welcomed a number of new members to these sessions.

Ruby Runner

Let’s all go Marathoning!

It is marathon season once again, and last year many Southwell Running Club members happily signed up for a range of marathons, followed through with the hard days of training and finally took their places on the start lines ready to complete their victory laps.

Training helps runners build endurance, plan fuelling and develop a race strategy, but one thing that you cannot control is the weather conditions on the day. SRC had runners participating in Paris, Boston (UK), Manchester, Padua and London with fabulous results being achieved despite the unseasonably warm weather.

Kat Hall, Megan Mulraney and Lauren Birkbeck travelled overseas and took in this sites of Paris for their marathon. Kat finished in 4:08:54, Megan in 4:28: 52 and Lauren in new PB time of 3:53:18.

Stephen Holt chose Boston (UK) which claims to be the flattest UK marathon for his first try at the distance and was pleased to finish in 3:59:44. Manchester, London and Padua marathons all took place on one of the warmest days of the year so far. Ben and Guy Parker enjoyed the sites of Padua in Italy during their event. Ben finished in 3:28:08 while Guy ran a PB time of 3:17:42. Ben’s wife Renee completed the half in 2:27:10.

London’s 45th marathon was tough due to the heat but the amazing atmosphere, as always, carried 56,640 runners through to the finish, creating a new world record for the number of participants.

SRC runners finished in the following times; Mel Duffey 3:40:35, Helen Ramwell 3:55:12, Sarah Mckie 4:41:09, and Carol Hayward 4:57:56. Our final pair Nigel Whitmore and Simon Hughes took on the Manchester marathon finishing in 3:44:06(PB) and 4:37:39 respectively.

‘Not the London Marathon’, a much smaller event run on the same day as The London Marathon in Eakring, allows runners to complete between 1 and 4 laps of the course. Pam Dutton, Stephen Tomlinson and Stewart Lenton completed three laps while Bruce and Heather Danby completed two laps.

As always, we welcome new members to our Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday sessions.

Happy Running.

Ruby Runner.

southwellrunningclub.org

Running Club take on challenges

A large number of Southwell Running Club members lined up at the start of the Belvoir Challenge this year, both seasoned participants and newcomers to the event. The race with its 15 and 26 mile routes – starts and finishes at Harby Village Hall and follows footpaths, byways and minor roads through the beautiful Vale of Belvoir.

The day dawned bright and sunny with hardly a cloud in the sky, enabling all to enjoy the glorious views along a route that proved drier than many had known in the past.

Penny Durance, Brendan Parkinson, Julie Stafford, Katy Simpson, Adam Smith and Bruce Danby all completed the 15 mile route, whilst Nigel Whitmore, Stephen Tomlinson, Gill Tivey, Kat Hall, Megan Mulraney, Ben Parker and Stewart Lenton all completed the 26 mile route.

Meanwhile, Rachel and Mike Cook took on a challenging 50km trail run through the heart of the Chiltern countryside. The Hundred Hills Ultra takes in 4000ft of climb, visiting picturesque villages and ancient woodland while traversing some incredible trails. Mike finished the entire distance in 5hrs 30 while Rachel completed 33k km before pulling out due to illness.

Carol Hayward and Neil Merritt continued their international travels with a trip to Japan for the Tokyo marathon. The event proved challenging due to the heat but they crossed the finish line in a time of 4:54:52

Finally, Ben Parker, Nicola Blatherwick and Stephen Holt all completed the Retford Half with Nicola coming 11th in her age category in a time of 1:39:53, Ben finished in 1:33:43 and Stephen in 1:36:25.

Tuesday evenings continue to be our most popular gathering – come along if you are interested in joining our club and progressing your running.

Ruby Runner

www.southwellrunningclub.org

Running Awards

Southwell Running Club members gathered to celebrate another year of running success. The only rule for the evening being no lycra or trainers! The club’s awards recognise both running success and outstanding contributions to different aspects of club life. The winner of the Ladies’ Grand Prix award was Izzy Pass with the men’s Winner as Stephen Tomlinson, both having achieved this success for the second consecutive year. The Mary Cochran Award, presented to a club member who has overcome adversity to carry on running, went to Bill Lee who has continued to support the club and run with a smile through some serious health issues including two broken arms. The Cregg Cup, awarded for an outstanding contribution to cross country running, went to mother and daughter team Sarah Mckie and Jess Coyle. Rachel Cook gained the award for Most Improved for her sustained advancements in running since joining the club.

The Dick Durance Award for Outstanding Achievement Award went to Nigel Whitmore for his performance in numerous half marathons, 16, 18 and 20 mile events as well as club cross country races.

The club’s Runner’s Runner Award, voted for by club members, went to Carol Hayward for her support of the club through training sessions, kit management, support of other runners training for events and her own running successes through the year. Carol was also awarded the Chairman’s Trophy for her work on the club committee.

Our final club event of the year was, as always, the Halam Hat Chase which was won by Stephen Tomlinson who held on to the ‘hat’ after his initial lead, despite the efforts of Kathryn Skazick

Several club members braved the torrential rain and winds of storm Darragh to complete the Turkey Trot. Despite the awful conditions all 5 finished: Rhod Price 1:36:40, Ben Parker 1:42:01, Stephen Holt 1:53:39, Penny Durance 1:59:54 and Ian Beadles 2:11:53. Well done to all - onwards to 2025 J

Ruby Runner

For Southwell Running Club

Finishing off the running year.

Southwell Running Club members brought their Grand Prix series to a close with their annual 10 Mile race in Norwell. The undulating, two lap route around the village and countryside is always a club favourite and nicely rounds off the running year. Members are waiting with bated breath to see who will win this year’s club Grand Prix trophies, which will be awarded at the club’s Christmas meal and presentation evening.

Several club members took on Seagrave Wolds Challenge in Corby. In celebration of the 20th birthday of this 16-mile race, there was an optional four-mile extension to 20 miles. Recent dry weather meant the cross country route was a pleasure to run despite the multiple ploughed fields. This community event, had many volunteer marshals manning refreshment stations which meant that runners were able to take a break from the serious business of running to enjoy sandwiches, pastries and cakes while on route.

Penny Durance, Izzy Pass and Steven Tomlinson all completed the 16 mile route, with Penny once again claiming 1st place in her age category, while Ben Parker and Nigel Whitmore completed 20 miles.

Gusty winds and heavy rain were forecast for the Clowne Half Marathon on 24th November. However this did not deter the brave trio of Ben Parker, Nigel Whitmore and Stephen Holt from SRC who laughed in the face of storm Bert as they splashed through the copious standing water and romped up the hills battling 45mph gusts of wind.

Finally for this year a group from SRC took part in the Edwinstowe Trail 10K. Ben Parker, Stephen Holt Jane Matthews, Anna Elias and Loraine Fozzard all enjoyed the off road race through gently undulating trail paths in the beautiful Sherwood Forest. Credit goes to Ben and Jane for coming first in their respective age categories.

Southwell Running Club continues to go from strength to strength and we warmly welcome our recent new members. We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and hope many more will join us in the New Year at our regular club sessions on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

Ruby Runner

www.southwellrunningclub.org