NEWS AND NOTICES

Interclub 10 mile race – Sunday 4 January

Our annual 10-mile race and friendly interclub competition with Harwich Runners returns on 4 January. To take part, just show up at Great Bromley Village Hall to register on the day. Registration opens at 8.45am for a 9.30am race start. It’s a great way to burn off some mince pies on a fast, flat course, and marshalling opportunities will also be available if you don’t want to run. Don’t forget your blue top so we can make sure there’s more blue than black and white out on those country roads!

Great Bentley Half Marathon – Sunday 1 February

We need as many volunteers as possible to put on a successful half marathon event. This race makes the majority of the club’s money for the year so that we can all enjoy many free and subsidised events throughout the year, as well as keeping our annual membership fees as low as possible.

Please complete this google form to volunteer your time on the day. By volunteering you will go into the ballot for a free place to run if you would like to, providing we get enough volunteers. If you have any queries, please email Race Directors Marion and Nina: gbrchalfmarathonrd@gmail.com.

Parkrun socials

To round off an enjoyable year of parkrun socials, join us at Mersea Island parkrun on Saturday 20 December for a festive run and a social coffee afterwards. Santa tells me there might even be a special festive surprise for those who attend!

More parkrun socials will follow in 2026 – dates and locations will be sent out in the new year.

Cross country

• NESS League – following a really successful home fixture at Hilly Fields, the next fixture is provisionally scheduled to take place at Braintree on 25 January 2026 (venue TBC). It would be great to get a big turnout for the remaining fixtures to help us stay in Pool A of the league. The next two after Braintree are Halstead on 15 February and Harwich on 22 February. All race information and post-race results are posted on the NESS webpage.
• Essex League – don’t forget you’re also eligible to enter Essex League Cross Country fixtures with your club membership. There’s an upcoming local fixture at Hilly Fields on Saturday 10 January. For these, you need to register for the race yourself in advance via Roster Athletics.
• County champs – the Essex County Cross Country Championships are taking place on Saturday 3 January at Gloucester Park in Basildon and are open to all. To enter, register online via ATW Events. If you take part in the race, you can claim your entry fee back from the club after the event. It’s a challenging course but a fun event with music and the odd hay bale, plus lots of spectator support.

Awards Night – Saturday 17 January

The votes for awards are being counted, club champs certificates are being prepared, and we’re dusting off our dancing shoes (carbon-plated, of course!). If you’ve signed up to come along to our annual Awards Night and Celebration evening at Colchester Rugby Club on Saturday 17 January, don’t forget to transfer payment by 19 December at the latest. Payment details are in the email from Paul Davison sent on 7 December. Don’t miss out on what will undoubtedly be a great evening of fun and celebration.

Training

Don’t forget to check training notifications in our whatsapp community, as well as our training webpage, for changes over the festive period. Please also remember your high-vis and lights for training sessions during these darker months so that our run leaders can keep you safe at sessions!

What you’ve been up to

You have certainly been travelling far and wide this month. It was great to see so many of you on the coach trip to Bushy parkrun, and we even had some last-minute joiners who decided to come by train from sunny Clacton.

Staying with the parkrun theme, Caroline Searle explored Worsley Woods parkrun in Salford, while Fiona Gosling took on the notoriously tough Hadleigh parkrun. Further afield, Natalie Martin squeezed in a parkrun in Krakow while visiting for her mum’s 70th birthday (I’ll be using this to reassure my relatives that there are other people like me out there!). Tricia Stacey claimed her parkrun alphabet ‘Z’ at Zuiderpark, while Tom Higgins topped them all by completing Puarenga parkrun in New Zealand as he continues his Antipodean adventures.

We are well and truly in the thick of cross-country season, and our runners have been out in force in all conditions. A special shout-out goes to our Ladies’ Captain, Meera, for completing every Essex League and NESS League fixture so far. In November alone, that meant racing cross country every weekend, including the extremely hilly Essex League course at Hadleigh Park and the very muddy new NESS course at Brentwood. If you’re feeling inspired, it’s not too late to join in for the remaining fixtures!

Our speed star Sarah Evans has had another fantastic month, including a top 20 finish and 2nd place in her age group at the Benidorm 10k, out of 2,300 women. Benidorm certainly seemed to be the place to be this month, with Craig Mitchell, Catherine Ott, David Jones and Helene Tyler also completing the 10k. In the half marathon, Kelly Hayhoe achieved a brilliant new PB of 1:46:14, while Justin Hayhoe dipped under the 90-minute mark, finishing in 1:29:27.

Across other events:

• Martin West tackled his longest run of the year at the Stowmarket Scenic 7, running alongside his daughter, Laura.
• Paul Brazier, Lucy Moynihan and the Hollidges tamed the Norwich Half Marathon despite horrendous weather conditions (should have gone to Benidorm!).
• Jon Mann smashed out a new course PB of 1:04:25 at the Stebbing 10, while Mary Taylor completed the Bass Belle 10 miler in 1:35 — only to discover they had sold out of bacon rolls.
• Magdalena Komorowska (3:43:47) and Doug McGillvary (3:05:16) zoomed around a very chilly but scenic Florence Marathon.

Ladies Runner of the Month

As always, this was a difficult decision, but Meera and I agreed that this runner has shown outstanding courage and resilience.

After a nasty fall at cross country a couple of years ago, she is back to full strength and has scored vital points for our ladies’ team at all three NESS fixtures held so far this year. This included a brave and triumphant return to the course at Hilly Fields. It has also been great to see her back racing on the roads at the Clacton 10k in October, as well as making a splash in aquathlons and multi-event competitions.

This month’s Ladies’ Runner of the Month is… Rachel Taylor!

Men’s Runner of the Month

It’s not often that a new runner joins the club and makes an immediate impact, but this month’s winner did exactly that with two standout performances at the beginning and end of November. He kicked things off with a superb new PB of 17:51 at Bushy parkrun, before rounding off the month with a blistering 2:52:53 at the Florence Marathon.

Congratulations to James Thompson, our Men’s Runner of the Month for November.