Hello, hello… it’s my first ever race report, which is personally rather exciting and also mildly terrifying (if I’ve missed you out in the below, please forgive me!). Many years ago as a trainee journalist I had the occasional pleasure of writing court reports in Edinburgh, so given the criminally brilliant running that has been going on recently I’m hoping this will stand me in good stead here.

It’s been a chilly and damp couple of weeks but that hasn’t stopped you from cranking out some astonishing runs all over the region/country/globe (you Bentleys get around!). So, without further ado, here’s this fortnight’s Race Report…

Hilly Fields forever

Let’s start at beautiful Hilly Fields in Colchester where a brilliant blue sky was the backdrop to our home NESS Cross Country on Sunday 30 November. Final results are yet to be confirmed but it looks like our women’s team finished fourth and our men’s team fifth, which places us fifth overall. With three more races to go, let’s push for fourth place!

Massive thanks to everyone who volunteered over the weekend – it really wouldn’t have happened without you. And a special hat-tip to Race Director Meera Rajoo-Oakley whose masterful organisational skills made sure everything went seamlessly. Bravo.

Bentley blues shine in Spain 

Onwards to the ever-so-slightly sunnier climes of Benidorm, where there appears to have been an unofficial Bentley takeover of the Costa Blanca on Saturday 22 November. Fuelled by a tipple or two of the previous night’s local vino, Kelly Hayhoe (1:46:14) and Justin Hayhoe (1:29:27) set a hot pace in the half marathon, with Kelly achieving a brilliant new PB.

In the 10K, the super speedy Sarah Evans (pictured below) ran a stunning 41:40, finishing second in her age group and 17th woman overall, while Catherine Ott (59:09), David Jones (1:05:59) and Hélène Tyler (1:15:33) also had cracking runs in the sun. Wonderful stuff everyone.

Florence and the running machines

Congratulations to one of our newest recruits, James Thompson, who absolutely smashed the Estra Firenze Marathon in Florence in 2:52:53. His time is impressive enough, but it’s James’s first ever marathon, which means he’s only going to get quicker over the distance. Well done James, a superb piece of running. If there’s one piece of advice I can share following a marathon it’s that stairs are a lot easier if you walk down them backwards for the next few days!

A big shout out is also due to the indomitable running superwoman Mags Komorowska who battled through the freezing cold conditions (-2C at the start!) in an impressive 3:43:47. Doug McGillvary also flew around the course, crossing the finish line in a sensational 3:05:16.

No pain in the November rain for Bentley quartet

In the rather less exotic pastures of Norwich, four Bentley Blues battled the elements to run some very strong times on Sunday 23 November at the Norwich Half Marathon. Kudos to Paul Brazier (1:36:12), Paul Hollidge (1:46:50), Debs Hollidge (1:58:15) and Lucy Moynihan (1:56:52) for getting it done in what look like some very wet and wild conditions. Can’t understand why anyone would choose Benidorm over Norwich in November to be honest… 

Bourn to run

Mary Ann Taylor took on the scenic Bassingbourn 10 miler on Sunday 30 November, finishing in a brilliant 1 hour 35 mins. The intimate race is a picturesque combination of paths, grass, mud and hills all run in the name of the Braintrust brain tumour charity. They also serve bacon butties at the finishing line, but unfortunately (actually ‘annoyingly’ is probably more apt) for Mary Ann they’d sold out. There’s always next year! 

Parkrun roundup: Singing marshals and a volunteer plea

In more ‘Bentley globetrotters’ news, Tom Higgins has been touring New Zealand and ran Parkrun in Puarenga, Rotorau, clocking in at 31:24.  Let’s hear from the man himself: “Really cool Parkrun, running through the Geothermal area and sulphur lakes, and there was a Māori marshal lady singing for us too.”

Talking of marshals… they’re an integral part of making sure Parkruns happen every week of the year. Sadly, Highwoods had to make the difficult decision cancel on Saturday 22 November due to a shortage of volunteers. 

So, a plea to everyone (I’m also talking to myself here) to volunteer every-so-often at your local Parkrun to help make sure they happen. It means you can continue to do brilliant things like taking on Worsley Woods Parkrun in Salford (Caroline Searle) or squeezing in a bit of Parkrun tourism in Kraków while celebrating your mum’s 70th birthday (Natalie Martin). 

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading and my apologies for the puns. Remember to share your running endeavours on the Facebook page so our reporters can include you in future race reports.