Hi ladies. There’s an awful lot to cover this month, so I’ll dive right in – hopefully it’s treats all the way, and no tricks!

News and Notices

NESS Cross Country (‘XC’) League

It was great to see so many blue vests (and so many yummy cakes!) at the first XC fixture at Writtle last weekend. A reminder that the upcoming fixtures are:

• 26 November – Gosfield (hosted by Halstead Road Runners)
• 10 December – Hilly Fields (hosted by us – see further information below!)
• 21 January – Harwich (hosted by Harwich Runners)
• 18 February – Hadleigh (hosted by Hadleigh Hares)

Don’t worry if you missed the first one, you can join in at any time and do as many or as few as you like. Look out for an email from Vicky in the lead-up to the next fixture for further information about the course, parking etc.

GBRC XC fixture – Sunday 10 December

Thank you to all those who have emailed Meera to volunteer their help so that we can put on a safe and successful XC race at Hilly Fields. She will be in touch in the coming weeks to confirm your role and everything that you need to know. As many club members as possible will be released to run, as we need to balance putting on the event with fielding a team of runners.

Essex Veterans (40+) XC Championships – Saturday 2 December

If NESS XC just isn’t enough to feed your need for mud and you’re aged 40+, you can also run at the Essex Vets XC Championships taking place at Writtle on 2 December. The club pays your entry fee, so all you need to do is email Charlie Keitch (charlie.keitch@gmail.com) by 18 November and turn up and run 8k.

There’s also an Essex XC Championships which is open to all ages taking place on Saturday 6 January. More information about that will be circulated closer to the time.

Awards Night – Saturday 16 December

Following on from the information in last month’s newsletter and emails that have been sent, just a reminder that our Awards Night party takes place on the evening of 16 December at Great Bentley Village Hall, with a social run, breakfast and cleaning up the next morning.

Please do join us, it’s always a lot of fun to celebrate everyone’s achievements and socialise! If you’re new or worried you won’t know anyone, I promise that everyone is really friendly and you’ll be made to feel welcome. Partners are also welcome!

As there’s no catering this year (BYO food and drink), the event is free to attend but please confirm via this google form by 10 December so we have an idea of numbers for setting up the hall on the Saturday and buying breakfast food for the Sunday.

Voting for Awards – deadline 5 November

A reminder and a plea to please remember to cast your votes ASAP for our 2023 awards via this google form. There are a range of awards, including dedicated awards for Vets, Newcomers, Most Improved, etc. Chairman Paul will be counting up the votes after the deadline of 5 November and winners will be announced at Awards Night. You don’t have to vote in all categories, and please still vote even if you can’t attend on the night.

London Marathon 2024 – club places

Any first claim members who applied for the London marathon via the public ballot but were unsuccessful are eligible to go into a draw for 2 club places. If that applies to you, please send proof of your commiserations to Paul Davison (pauldavison22@sky.com) and the draw will be done on Awards Night. Good luck!

Fish and Chip run – Wednesday 20 December

The club’s annual run round the village Christmas lights followed by fish and chips will take place at Great Bentley on 20 December. Marion is organising this, so please see the email sent on 21 October for the menu and to place your order.

Interclub 10 mile race – Sunday 7 January

Make sure you have our annual 10 mile road race in your diaries, either to run or volunteer to marshal. As well as being a nice course with PB potential, there’s a friendly element of competition with Harwich Runners, so it would be good to get a strong blue turnout!

Great Bentley Half Marathon – Sunday 4 February

With all places sold for our half marathon, the focus will turn to volunteers needed to help put on the event. It’s the club’s main revenue generator that allows us to enjoy many perks from being club members, so please keep the date free and keep your eyes peeled for more information via email.

Training

Our winter training schedule is in full swing. A few important points to note:

• High-vis and lights are now essential for evening sessions (except for the track, which is floodlit)
• Craig’s bootcamps take place one Wednesday of each month – a great way to incorporate some strength training into your routine
• Please use the weekly google form that Coach Caroline emails around. Knowing how many are attending helps the LiRFs who lead the session plan accordingly depending on numbers, as well as preventing sessions getting cancelled if it appears nobody is planning to attend.

Our Ladies Squad

Welcome

Welcome to three new ladies who have joined this month – Katie Burbidge, Andrea James and Megan Clarke. It’s been great to meet some of you already, and hope you all enjoy training and racing with us!

What we did this month

There have been so many events in October that I couldn’t possibly list them all – but here are some highlights:

• There was a great turnout at XC and our ladies were 4^th in Pool A in the first fixture, led by newcomer Andrea James in 9^th position
• There were plenty of local events to choose from, including the Witchfinder 10K, Capel 5, Tiptree 10, Chelmsford half marathon and Southend 10k
• Further afield in the UK, Sammy Cotton and Laura Cook went to the coast for the Great South Run, Claudia Keitch completed the Manchester half marathon and Emma Levett-Welham and her husband did the Loch Ness Marathon together. Many of you also enjoyed the iconic Royal Parks half marathon.
• There was lots of international travel too. Leoni Harvey took on the Bruges half marathon, Sammy Harris ran the Malaga half marathon, Donna Harris smashed the Chicago marathon and Sarah Blewden ran her first ever marathon in Amsterdam.
• Magdalena Komorowska somehow managed to fit in an LDWA challenge event, the Chelmsford half marathon plus the notoriously tough (but picturesque) Snowdonia marathon in a fantastic time
• Fiona Gosling has managed multiple marathons (Chelmsford and Blackwater) and still smiled her way round the XC course at Writtle

Runner of the Month

Based on the extensive list of achievements above, Meera and I found it very difficult to choose one Runner of the Month from so many deserving candidates.

However, this lady stood out by gaining a coveted county gold medal in her age category as part of the 2023 Essex Grand Prix, where points are awarded across six races. Two of those races took place this month – the Southend 10k and Tiptree 10 mile – and the final results came out after Tiptree. If that wasn’t enough, she also put in a strong performance at Writtle XC.

Our runner of the month is Inga Hayden-Cooper!