On 27^th May, it was back, the race that has 99% of us cursing our inboxes when we yet again get the “Sorry, not this time” email that we all knew was coming. London, however, was not the only dish of the day, as Manchester and Madrid also held their marathons on the same day.

London baby!
First held on March 29 1981, and nine years before it was renamed as the London Snickers, was the inaugural running of the modern London Marathon. Founded by Chris Brasher and John Disley and inspired by the New York City Marathon, over 20,000 people applied for the first race, with 7,747 accepted and 6,255 finishing. Dick Beardsley and Inge Simonsen famously crossed the line hand-in-hand. The event quickly became a major fixture, and this year broke the record for the largest ever number of finishers in a marathon at more than 56,600. It is also the world’s largest single-day fundraising event, having raised more than £1.3 billion for charity to date, including over £75 million in 2025 alone. The London Marathon is now one of the world’s seven major marathons and a celebrated symbol of endurance, community, and charity. Seven blues crossed the iconic finishing line that day:
Chris Warren – 2:59:03
Doug Mcgillivray – 3:03:12
Charlie Keitch – 3:38:05
Cheryl Congham – 4:02:52
Pacian Andrews – 5:02:35
Debbie Smith – 5:34:40
Bee Brent – 6:06:19

Alright, our kid? United in the City
The 2025 adidas Manchester Marathon also took place on Sunday, 27 April 2025, welcoming a record 36,000 runners, with all entries sold out over five months in advance. This marathon is renowned for its fast, flat, and friendly 26.2-mile route, making it a popular choice for those seeking a personal best.
For the first time this year, the finish line moved to Manchester’s city centre on Oxford Road, with Manchester University as a backdrop. Runners got to see major landmarks such as Old Trafford, McDonalds, KFC, Subway and Nandos.
Manchester Marathon coinciding with the London Marathon, created the UK’s largest day of marathon running, with 90,000 participants across both events. If you fancy it next year Manchester Marathon is open to all abilities, with a 6-hour cut-off and numerous water and nutrition stations along the route.
Four blues put their names in the history books in this year’s event:
Gavin Byrne – 3:00:31
Mags Komorowska – 3:41:55
Mark Harris 4:44:15
Sarah Davies 5:18:22

Madrid for it
Further afield we also had the 2025 Madrid Rock n Roll Marathon. This was the 47th edition of this event. It featured three race distances: marathon, half marathon, and 10K, and attracted over 40,000 runners from around the world. The marathon route is renowned for its scenic and challenging course, passing iconic Madrid landmarks such as the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Plaza Mayor, Royal Palace, and Casa de Campo park, with a hilly profile and what felt like Everest in elevation gain. There are live music and entertainment stages throughout the course. The first 4km and the last 5km are mainly uphill. I enjoyed the event finishing in 5:13:11, but had to use the worst race toilet I have ever experienced afterwards – it wakes me in the night.

Viper Five Mile Trail Run
An evening event on 24th April saw the Preslands snaking around the woods and lanes of Mill Green and Fryerning. Phil, Milly and Tricia finished in 47 minutes with Vicky and her sister Julia taking a more leisurely approach to finish in 53:57.

Tiptree Runners Maldon Summer 5k Series
Craig Mitchell has been a busy boy for the last few weeks. In another event held on 24th April, Craig finished 5th out of 126 runners in 18:39.

Ipswich Twilight 5k
Head torches were a mandatory piece of safety equipment for the Ipswich Twilight 5k run which kicked off mid-afternoon on 3rd May. Ignoring the danger posed by these lowlight conditions four blues powered through the course:
Craig Slocombe – 18:19
Craig Mitchell – 18:39
Lisa Briggs – 21:23
Tom Higgins – 23:00

Maldon Mud Run
The Maldon Mud Race began in 1973 as a dare at the Queen’s Head pub in Maldon, Essex, when the landlord was challenged to serve a meal on the muddy riverbank in a dinner jacket. The following year, this evolved into a race across the River Blackwater to a barrel of beer and back, with participants downing a pint mid-way. Over time, the event shifted focus from beer to charity fundraising, with competitors often in fancy dress. Originally held in winter, the race moved to spring in 2011 for a chance of better weather and to improve on safety. Today, hundreds race 400–500 meters across mud, cheered on by thousands of spectators, raising tens of thousands of pounds for charity each year. The event celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024. Claudia Keitch ran this year’s event to raise money for a school. Patting herself on the back, Claudia completed it in 5 minutes and 23 seconds, coming 30th out of 343. Claudia said it’s a tough race where she managed to stay on her feet for most of it and get a clear line of mud to help her to a speedy finish.

Two Castles Trail Half
The Two Castles Trail Half is a trail half marathon involving two castles (thanks Google). It follows a circular route around villages near Hedingham and Clare Castles. Craig Mitchell was out (again) for this one finishing in 1:39 and joint fifth place.

Porkrun
26th April saw a GBRC outing to Chilton Fields. Next up is D for Dartford on Saturday 24th May.
Mags ran Heaton Parkrun the day before Manchester Marathon along with 1,102 other people. Mags reported a pond, a stable, Heaton Hall, some tiny buildings (perhaps the home of fairy folk) and a golf course that all pop up on the 5k course.

Xander Briggs earned his ultra wristband at Colchester Junior Parkrun for completing his 50th parkrun. Xander is very proud of his achievement, as you should be young sir.

Instead of throwing another shrimp on the barby, Donna Parker-Evans pulled on her strides in Brisbane to take part in the Stones Corner Parkrun. The hot sun demands a 7am start – strewth.

Some stonking runs these last couple of weeks. Blue is definitely the colour and running is most certainly the game.