Welcome to another fortnightly round-up of Bentley’s finest in action across the highways, byways, trails, fells, seafronts and parks of Essex and beyond. Now the sun has finally appeared, we’ve got a bumper edition, covering everything from picturesque Parkruns to a 50km suffer-fest. So, without further ado, let’s take a gander at what you’ve been up to…

Little Bromley, big Bentley turnout
A mighty pack of 17 GBRCers tackled Harwich Runners’ 10th Little Bromley 10K earlier this month, producing a string of impressive times. Each performance deserves its own shout out, but I’m determined to keep this race report to a respectable word count, so you’ll have to make do with this roll call of runners and gallery of their endeavours…

Stunning work Jon Mann (38:05), Stephen Bullen (38:59), Chris Smith (39:36), Tom Higgins (47;32), Charlie Sharp (47:37), Elena Moor (47:30), Chris Taylor (47:55), Richard Moor (48:35), Rachel Taylor (48:53), Inga Hayden-Cooper (50:12), Donna Harris (50:13), Lou Balfour (51:51), Bev Shortley (52:26), Larina Marsh (55:47), Helen Coe (57:14), Ella Harris (1:00:42), and Gary C (1:15:05)!

Manchester, united
Five GBRCers ventured ‘oop North for the always brilliant Manchester Marathon (the Deansgate crowds are seriously deafening!). Ticking off her first ever 26.2 and a bucket list item, Emma Gladden crossed the line in a superb 4:39:45, while hubby Gerry knocked it out the park in a PB-smashing 3:20:28. Despite a calf-knack at mile 16, Stefan Hogan-Steele jeffed the final ten miles to an admirable 4:05:00. Kathy Bishop stormed home in 3:49:55, while Megan Yates finishedin 4:37:29. Superb stuff everyone!

Bloomin’ brilliant running
Back for another year at the Colne Engaine 5 miler (an event she’s run every single time it has been on) Rosie Youngs crossed the finish line in 49:07 to sneak under her 50-minute target. The medal, she reports, is plantable, meaning you can chuck it in some soil and wildflowers will bloom. Sustainability in action!

A landmark effort
I know London is big, but I’m always surprised by just how many half marathons it hosts – and how quickly they sell out. Anyway, Robbie Lee pounded the capital’s streets for the unbelievably popular London Landmarks Half, clocking a superb 1:44:02.

Always look on the Brighton side of life
The ever impressive Mary Ann Taylor headed south for the Brighton Marathon and came back with a time of 4:44:02. Brighton’s a tough one – super hilly and always blowing a sea gale – but the spectators were, by all accounts, magnificent. Mary Ann ran in aid of Prostate Cancer UK, which makes her endeavour even more impressive. 

For she’s a jolly good Fell, oh…
Never one to shy away from a challenge, Meera Rajoo-Oakley and her husband showed up for the inaugural Essex Fell Race, hosted by Orion Harriers in Epping Forest. It may be just over 10K on paper, but with more than 1,600ft of elevation, it was 70 brutal minutes that Meera “weirdly” enjoyed. Entry fee: a fiver. Prize at the end: a delicious pint. Actually,  it doesn’t sound that bad, does it?

We’re calling this one the Maddython
Maddy Allen went long. Very long. Fifty kilometres of the UltraX Spring Trail Series, featuring a warm day, killer hills in the final 15K, challenging navigation, and trails that were, in Maddy’s own words, “very tricky” (ie a nightmare). She finished in a fantastic 6:20  And yet she’s already eyeing up the next one, with ambitions of going sub-6 hours with a bit more training under the belt!

Anna’s birthday and a half
Anna Lyon celebrated another year around the sun by completing the notoriously tough Cromer Half in a superb 1:57:07. Happy birthday, Anna – hope there was plenty of delicious cake eaten post-race!

Parkrun round-up
And finally, lets run through your regular Saturday morning dispatches from across the country:

• Our latest GBRC parkrun tourism jaunt took our runners to Raphael Park in Romford. Phil Presland called it  ”a cracking old school Parkrun, actually in a park”. Novel!
• Dynamic duo Paul and Yolande Arnold made the most of a Lake District trip, tackling the beautiful Keswick parkrun. Paul came home in 25:14, with Yolande not far behind in 29:18. Lovely stuff.
• Paul Carlisle was at Harwich parkrun on 18 April, finishing 1st in his age group and 40th overall in what he describes as near-perfect conditions. Top running, Paul.
• Helen Coe was at Walton, clocking a solid 28:33. Nice work, Helen.

Right, that’s your lot for this edition. Sorry if I missed anyone, I tried my very best!  As ever, keep the reports coming. Remember to share them on the monthly Facebook post and, honestly, the more detail, the better it is for us race reporters. We also like photos. And cake.