As the dust settles on another exhilarating fortnight of racing, we reflect on the thrilling events that have captivated GBRC athletes along with their “legions of fans”. From heart-stopping finishes to unexpected upsets, the past two weeks have delivered a rich tapestry of competition that showcases the spirit and tenacity of our runners.

In this report, we will delve into the standout performances and celebrate the athletes who pushed their limits, the teams that displayed remarkable camaraderie, and the unforgettable stories that have emerged from this dynamic period in racing history. I may have oversold this.

Wix 5
This five-mile road course is a single, anti-clockwise lap through Wix, Stones Green and passing Great Oakley. It is predominantly flat and has great PB potential. This year’s event saw seven dedicated Bentley runners giving it there all. Majestic Meera Rajoo-Oakley was especially happy with her performance finishing in 36:22, her fastest five miler in six years.

The remainder of the Bentley 7 was made up of Flying Flynn Eyre in 28:38, Jetpack James Eyre in 31:23, Sonic Stephen Bullen in 32:39, Lightning Lisa Briggs in 33:39, Dashing Danny Draper in 35:53 and Excellent Emma Wright in 43:46. I’m pretty sure there were more blues running than showed in the results.

Stebbing 10
The 10th November also saw the 22nd running of the Stebbing 10. This is a 10-mile race on gently undulating, scenic north Essex country lanes. The race starts outside Stebbing Church and finishes in the village.

It explores the quiet lanes and farm tracks around the village of Stebbing. The event is mainly on open roads, but these are relatively quiet and fully marshalled. A short section of the course is run on a well surfaced farm track. I’m told it’s a highly regarded race with a scenic course and was awarded the The Howard Williams Trophy for the best road race in the Essex AA area, in 2016 and 2017.

Marvellous Magdalena Komorowska completed the event in 1:16:02. This earnt her a gold medal at the Essex County Championship in the v45 age group. Mags says she is I’m incredibly proud of this having raced six different distances as part of this challenge.

Other heroes out in their blue vests were Magnificent Malcolm Statham in 1:19:15, Incredible Inga Hayden-Cooper in 1:21:48, Driven Debbie Smith in 1:51:12 and Glorious Gary C in 2:16:11.

H&T Remembrance Day Run
For those who wanted yet another option, Hare and Tortoise held their annual Remembrance Sunday event at Brightlingsea. The event offers the choice of a 10km, trail marathon or 6hr timed event. With two minutes silence, the Last Post & Reveille, the event is started with a light infantry gun from 7th Parachute Regiment RHA. Proceeds from the event support the Airborne Gunner Trust.

Blue vests at this one totalled two with Kinetic Karen O’Grady completing 10k in 1:38:39 and Scorching Sammy Cotton also smashing out 10k in 1:14:12.

ATW Remembrance Runs
The 10th November saw yet another event with the ATW Remembrance Runs at The Carver Barracks, (Formerly Debden Airfield), in Essex. The event honours our fallen heroes and raise money for the ATW military charity.

Cruising Charlie Keitch knocked out a half marathon in 1:27:57 to finish in eighth place and the Terrific Toni completed the 10k in 55:41 to finish first in her age category.

Parkrun
A lot of blues were on their travels over the last fortnight. The Preslands took a visit to Stratford-Upon Avon. Va-va-voom Vicky finishing in 23:10 and Phlying Phil in 24:33.

Dublin, the largest city in Europe, saw an invasion of the Blue Belles at Donabate Parkrun.

Essex XC League
At Hilly Fields, GBRC fielded two full teams for the first time in the Essex XC League – a senior ladies team, and vets men’s team. It was a well-attended and well-organised event, with 148 runners in the ladies’ 7k race and 265 runners in the men’s 8k race.

The ladies team came 6th out of 21 complete teams. GBRC men’s vets team came 17th. Unfortunately the results have not been uploaded to the XC site yet, so you’ll have to make do with the pictures below.

We’re now sprinting toward the finish line of this run report. Thanks for sticking with it and until next time, keep your laces tied tight and your spirits high. Happy running!